Mama Ca n't Buy You Love - Wikipedia Mama Ca n't Buy You Love `` Mama Ca n't Buy You Love '' Single by Elton John from the album The Thom Bell Sessions B - side `` Three Way Love Affair '' Released May 1979 Recorded October 1977 Genre Soul Length 4 : 02 Label MCA Songwriter ( s ) LeRoy Bell and Casey James ( of Bell and James ) Producer ( s ) Thom Bell Elton John singles chronology `` Part - Time Love '' ( 1978 ) `` Mama Ca n't Buy You Love '' ( 1979 ) `` Victim of Love '' ( 1979 ) `` Part - Time Love '' ( 1978 ) `` Mama Ca n't Buy You Love '' ( 1979 ) `` Victim of Love '' ( 1979 ) `` Mama Ca n't Buy You Love '' is a hit single for British singer / songwriter Elton John from the EP The Thom Bell Sessions. The song was written by LeRoy Bell and Casey James ( of Bell and James fame ). Bowing at number 69 on the Hot 100 on 9 June 1979, the track became John 's first US top ten hit in almost three years when it peaked at number 9 on 25 August 1979. `` Mama Ca n't Buy You Love '' also spent one week at number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In the US, it was certified gold on 17 August 1979 by the RIAA. The chord structure of the opening instrumental of `` Mama Ca n't Buy You Love '' bears a strong resemblance to the chord structure of the opening instrumental of Ronnie Dyson 's `` One Man Band ( Plays All Alone ) '' ( after the site 's short instrumental section ). According to the Hot 100, Thom Bell produced both records. Contents 1 Chart performance 1.1 Weekly charts 1.2 Year - end charts 2 See also 3 References 4 External links Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1979 ) Peak position Australia 82 Canada ( RPM ) 10 Canadian RPM Top Singles 10 Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary 19 New Zealand 20 US Billboard Hot 100 9 US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks US Cash Box Top 100 10 Year - end charts Chart ( 1979 ) Position Canada 63 US Billboard Hot 100 36 US Cash Box 56 See also List of number - one adult contemporary singles of 1979 ( U.S. ) References Jump up ^ `` Hot 100 : Week of September 1, 1979 ''. Billboard.com. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 10. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2002 ). Top Adult Contemporary : 1961 - 2001. Record Research. p. 128. Jump up ^ `` Elton John - Mama Ca n't Buy You Love ( 1977 - 1979 - 1989 ) With Lyrics ! ''. Riffstation beta. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Ronnie Dyson - One Man Band ( Plays All Alone ) ''. Riffstation beta. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 09. Jump up ^ Nanda Lwin ( 1999 ). Top 40 Hits : The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. ISBN 1 - 896594 - 13 - 1. Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Song artist 6 - Elton John ''. Tsort.info. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 2015 - 05 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1979 / Top 100 Songs of 1979 ''. Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 12. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Elton John songs 1960s and 1970s `` Skyline Pigeon '' ( 1968 ) `` I 've Been Loving You '' ( 1968 ) `` Lady Samantha '' ( 1969 ) `` It 's Me That You Need '' ( 1969 ) `` Border Song '' ( 1970 ) `` Rock and Roll Madonna '' ( 1970 ) `` From Denver to L.A. '' ( 1970 ) `` Take Me to the Pilot '' ( 1970 ) `` Your Song '' ( 1970 ) `` Friends '' ( 1971 ) `` Levon '' ( 1971 ) `` Tiny Dancer '' ( 1972 ) `` Rocket Man '' ( 1972 ) `` Honky Cat '' ( 1972 ) `` I Think I 'm Going to Kill Myself '' ( 1972 ) `` Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters '' ( 1972 ) `` Crocodile Rock '' ( 1972 ) `` Elderberry Wine '' ( 1972 ) `` Daniel '' ( 1972 ) `` Teacher I Need You '' ( 1973 ) `` Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding '' ( 1973 ) `` Saturday Night 's Alright for Fighting '' ( 1973 ) `` Goodbye Yellow Brick Road '' ( 1973 ) `` Step into Christmas '' ( 1973 ) `` Candle in the Wind '' ( 1974 ) `` Bennie and the Jets '' ( 1974 ) `` Harmony '' ( 1974 ) `` Do n't Let the Sun Go Down on Me '' ( 1974 ) `` The Bitch Is Back '' ( 1974 ) `` Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds '' ( 1974 ) `` Philadelphia Freedom '' ( 1975 ) `` I Saw Her Standing There '' ( 1975 ) `` Someone Saved My Life Tonight '' ( 1975 ) `` Island Girl '' ( 1975 ) `` Grow Some Funk of Your Own '' ( 1976 ) `` I Feel Like a Bullet ( In the Gun of Robert Ford ) '' ( 1976 ) `` Pinball Wizard '' ( 1976 ) `` Do n't Go Breaking My Heart '' ( 1976 ) `` Cage the Songbird '' ( 1976 ) `` Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word '' ( 1976 ) `` Bite Your Lip ( Get Up and Dance ! ) '' ( 1977 ) `` Crazy Water '' ( 1977 ) `` The Goaldiggers Song '' ( 1977 ) `` Ego '' ( 1978 ) `` Part - Time Love '' ( 1978 ) `` Song for Guy '' ( 1978 ) `` Are You Ready for Love '' ( 1979 ) `` Mama Ca n't Buy You Love '' ( 1979 ) `` Johnny B. Goode '' ( 1979 ) 1980s `` Little Jeannie '' ( 1980 ) `` Sartorial Eloquence ( Do n't Ya Wanna Play This Game No More ? ) '' ( 1980 ) `` Dear God '' ( 1980 ) `` Whatever Gets You thru the Night '' ( 1981 ) `` Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever '' ( with Kiki Dee, 1981 ) `` Blue Eyes '' ( 1982 ) `` Empty Garden ( Hey Hey Johnny ) '' ( 1982 ) `` Ball and Chain '' ( 1982 ) `` All Quiet on the Western Front '' ( 1982 ) `` I Guess That 's Why They Call It the Blues '' ( 1983 ) `` I 'm Still Standing '' ( 1983 ) `` Sad Songs ( Say So Much ) '' ( 1984 ) `` Nikita '' ( 1985 ) `` That 's What Friends Are For '' ( 1985 ) `` Wrap Her Up '' ( 1985 ) `` Take Me to the Pilot '' ( 1988 ) `` I Do n't Wanna Go on with You Like That '' ( 1988 ) `` Town of Plenty '' ( 1988 ) `` Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters ( Part Two ) '' ( 1988 ) `` Healing Hands '' ( 1989 ) `` Sacrifice '' ( 1989 ) 1990s `` Club at the End of the Street '' ( 1990 ) `` You Gotta Love Someone '' ( 1990 ) `` Do n't Let the Sun Go Down on Me '' ( 1991 ) `` The One '' ( 1992 ) `` Runaway Train '' ( 1992 ) `` The Last Song '' ( 1992 ) `` Simple Life '' ( 1993 ) `` True Love '' ( 1993 ) `` Shakey Ground '' ( 1994 ) `` Ai n't Nothing Like the Real Thing '' ( 1994 ) `` Can You Feel the Love Tonight '' ( 1994 ) `` Circle of Life '' ( 1994 ) `` Believe '' ( 1995 ) `` Made in England '' ( 1995 ) `` When the Money 's Gone '' ( 1995 ) `` You Can Make History ( Young Again ) '' ( 1996 ) `` The Madness of King Scar '' ( 1997 ) `` Something About the Way You Look Tonight '' ( 1997 ) `` Candle in the Wind 1997 '' ( 1997 ) `` Written in the Stars '' ( 1999 ) 2000s `` I Want Love '' ( 2001 ) `` This Train Do n't Stop There Anymore '' ( 2002 ) `` Original Sin '' ( 2002 ) `` Are You Ready for Love '' ( 2003 ) `` Ghetto Gospel '' ( 2005 ) `` Electricity '' ( 2005 ) `` The Bridge '' ( 2006 ) `` Joseph, Better You than Me '' ( 2008 ) `` Tiny Dancer ( Hold Me Closer ) '' ( 2009 ) Related articles Albums discography Videography Book : Elton John Category : Elton John This 1970s single -- related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mama_Can%27t_Buy_You_Love&oldid=799173055 '' Categories : Elton John songs 1979 singles Billboard Adult Contemporary number - one singles Songs written by LeRoy Bell MCA Records singles 1970s single stubs Hidden categories : Use British English from May 2012 Use dmy dates from May 2012 Articles with hAudio microformats All stub articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Norsk nynorsk Edit links This page was last edited on 6 September 2017, at 02 : 35. About Wikipedia

Question: who sings mama can't buy you love
Answer: British singer/songwriter Elton John