Crooners abound where songs about love and romance are concerned, but not many have actually put pen to paper and dedicated a song to their mother. It is a very special kind of love, a bond that not everybody may feel as strongly but which touches each and every one of us in more ways than one. Reading between the lines of some of the most popular songs for mum, one can find dedication, heartache, Oedipus complexes, anger, adulation, love and bitter-sweet experiences of childhood.

Here is a carousel of some of unique and popular 'mother' songs and their singers....

From 'Cleanin Out My Closet' to 'Headlights', singer Eminem has gone the full circle, moving from teenage rebellion to adult repentance where his mother is involved. A single parent, she had her private life put out in public with the first song released in 2002 where Eminem blamed her for his difficult life, passing her parental story through a sieve. The outspokenness of his lyrics raised him to further popularity with all the angry youth of the west. The suggestive video of Eminem digging out a grave tells of his digging up his past and exposing his family's deeply troubled past. But 'Headlights' released in 2013 reverts things drastically as it speaks of reconciliation and forgiveness with ultimate hope for a stable mother-son relationship.

'Mamma son tanto felice' dates way back to 1941, an Italian song which expresses the joy of mother and son reunion. The date and period of the song's writing hints at the general feeling of homesickness experienced by young men who were blocked at the front as soldiers during WWII. Keeping in mind typical Italian boys' 'mammone' attitude also deepens the meaning of the song. Composed by the Neapolitan Cesare Andrea Bixio with lyrics by Bruno Cherubini, it was first sung by opera singer Beniamino Gigli and eventually by the very popular Claudio Villa, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli and many, many others, It remains a strong favourite which has also been translated into English and sung by David Whitfield and Connie Francis.

The great Elvis Presley first sang about mum in 'That's All Right Mama' a song which is not actually his but originally a blues song of 1946 from Arthur Crudup. However the song received exceptional acclaim when sung by Presley in 1954 and became one of his most popular songs. It tells of a mother's warning about a wayward girl the (male) singer is dating. 'That's All Right Mama' was a song in the repertoire Elvis also sung in his last concert in 1977. A second song dedicated to mother, ' Mama Liked the Roses' was recorded in 1969 and remains a strong 'Mother's Day' favourite.

Sweet and honey voiced, Dolly Parton wrote, composed and first sang a song about her mother in 1971. The theme was a pretty sensitive one, touching upon her own childhood as one of 12 children, living in relative poverty. The song ' Coat of Many Colours' is based on a factual story about a coat her mother sewed for her literally out of rags. Its remain an inspirational lesson in life.

If you really want a real tear jerker in all its glory, listen to Jimmy Osmond or Neil Reid singing 'Mother of Mine'. These singers were small boys at the time when the song hit the charts in the '70s. The song was actually written by session guitarist Bill Parkinson (who played with Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey amongst others) in 1971. Obviously dedicated to his own mother, the song was sung in 1972 by the young Neil Reid and  eventually by the even younger Little Jimmy Osmond of The Osmonds, respectively. Both these young voices led to the song becoming an international heart-tugging hit.