"Sylvia's Mother" was a 1972 single by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show and the group's first hit song. It was written by Shel Silverstein and was highly successful in the United States, reaching No5 on the Billboard singles chart, as well as No1 in Ireland and No2 in the United Kingdom. It also spent 3 weeks at No1 on the Australian music charts, making it the 15th ranked single in Australia for 1972. It appeared on the group's first album, Doctor Hook.
"Sylvia's Mother" is autobiographical, with songwriter Shel Silverstein drawing upon his unsuccessful attempt to revive a failed relationship. Silverstein had been in love with a woman named Sylvia Pandolfi, but she would later be engaged to another man. Desperate to continue the relationship, Silverstein called Pandolfi's mother, Louisa, but she instead told him that the love had ended.
The lyrics tell the story in much the same way: A young man, despondent and near tears after learning that his ex-girlfriend (Sylvia Avery, with whom he had an earlier bad breakup) is leaving town, tries to telephone her to say one last good-bye, or at least try to get a suitable explanation as to why their relationship failed and maybe try to rekindle things. However, Sylvia's mother (Mrs. Avery) tells him that Sylvia is engaged to be married, and is trying to start a new life in Galveston. She asks the man not to say anything to her because she might start crying and want to stay. She tells the man Sylvia is hurrying to catch a 9:00 train. In an aside, she then tells Sylvia to take an umbrella, because "Sylvie, it's starting to rain". She then returns to the conversation, thanks the (unidentified) man for calling, and asks him to call back again. The pathos lies in Sylvia's mother being aware of both conversations, but the lovers only "pass in the night". Throughout the phone conversation, an operator cuts in to ask for more money ("40 cents more for the next three minutes") to continue the call.
In 1972, about the same time the Dr. Hook version was on the chart, country singer Bobby Bare recorded a cover version. Bare's version became a hit, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that October. One of his last hit records during his stay at Mercury Records, "Sylvia's Mother" became the first of many Silverstein-penned songs Bare had success with, and would foreshadow both an entire album dedicated to Silverstein-penned songs (1973's Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies) and hit records written by Silverstein, including "Marie Laveaue," "The Winner," "Rosalie's Good Eats Café", "The Mermaid", "The Winner", "Warm and Free" and others. "Sylvia's Mother" was also covered by Bon Jovi on This Left Feels Right Live .
A sequel titled "Mrs. Avery" has been written and performed by British folk rockers The Men They Couldn't Hang. The song begins years later when the main character of "Sylvia's Mother" is divorced, has children of his own, and happens to find an old picture of Sylvia which prompts him to call her mother again.
