To answer some of your questions... yes, that's a flute (which you will hear in a lot of folk rock tunes of the era). Their name... back in the hippy days women were often called "mamas" and men were often called "papas" ... it was part of the overall ethic that we are all one big family of man. And if you want to know how these four got together as a group, listen to their song Creeque Alley, which outlines how each of them worked with different musicians, in different areas of the country, until they came together as the Mamas and Papas.
The story goes they we’re watching a documentary on TV about the Hells Angels motorcycle gang and they called their women Mamas.. Cass and Michelle decided they wanted to be Mamas and the boys followed suit
Michelle became a successful actress and was mother to Chyna Phillips, a member of the group Wilson-Phillips (very popular hit called Hold On). Carnie Wilson and her sister Wendy were also a member of WP and their father was Brian Wilson of Beach Boy fame. Just to tie it altogether.
This is how they hot their name. Soon after gaining an audition with renowned record producer Lou Adler, Cass Elliot was watching an interview with the Hells Angels who claimed “we call our women mamas.” Elliot then screamed at the TV, “well, we got mamas in our group as we got papas.” Michelle Philips was immediately drawn to the name and used it as the moniker.
No song sounds like this song. Completely unique. A time capsule of its era. Yes, one of its strengths is its nature: the song itself doesn’t need much. The chord progressions move you, and the simple vocal harmonies and call and response technique is all they needed to create something that sounds so grand. Reverb helped too. Thanks for another great reaction video 😊
People are starting to recognise and appreciate the mamas and the papas now. They did so many great songs, 4 amazing voices. Creeque Alley is another great one
The song was written in 1963 while John Phillips and Michelle Phillips were living in New York City during a particularly cold winter, and the latter was missing sunny California. At the time, John and Michelle Phillips were members of the folk group the New Journeymen, which evolved into the Mamas and the Papas.
You would probably like Wilson Phillips ... members are Chynna Phillips daughter of Michelle Phillps from this band, and sisters Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson daughters of Brian Wilson co founder of the Beach Boys
There were a lot of pop groups over the years that integrated vocal harmonies into their music, but I don't think anyone did it better than these guys.
Mama Cass is one of my all time favorite singers, she had an amazing personality and a fantastic voice!!! 👌👌 I was like 11 when she died and it was a very sad day for me!!!😢😢✌✌
The guy playing guitar was John Phillips, and the blond girl singer is Michelle Phillips. They were married during the time this group was together, and they did have at least 1 kid together. The other girl singer is Mama Cass Elliot, and she did have a child while this group was together. So, some of them actually were Mamas and Papas.
Denny was the lead, John was playing the guitar. John and Michelle were married, but Michelle had an affair with Denny and that broke up the marriage and the group. Cass also had a crush on Denny, but it was unrequited. Cass had a short but successful solo career afterward, until her untimely death. Michelle went into acting and had a long successful career with that. John and Michelle had a daughter, Chynna ("China"), who teamed up with Carnie and Wendy Wilson, daughters of Beach Boy Brian Wilson, to form their own group, Wilson Phillips. They had a hit called "Hold On", which you should also listen to.
Hi Britt. Yes. Flute performed by Bud Shank. “Mama’s was a term they picked up from The Hells Angels…they (HA) called their significant other “Mama” or “old lady”. Remember this was the 60’s. The blond, Michelle Phillips, was married to John Phillips founder of the group. There were children, yes both from Cass and Michelle. There was also lots of “fooling around”…again- the 60’s.
The instrument was a (wooden) recorder, not a flute. A flute is brighter(has high frequency overtones) because it is metal. Other groups, like Jefferson Airplane used the recorder too. The term "mamas" was from the Hell's Angels' name for female members, and the group just expanded the idea to include "papas." The Mamas and Papas biggest hit was actually "Monday Monday," but they had success with a few other songs---like the cover of the Shirelles song "Dedicated to the One I Love."
Along with "Monday, Monday", "California Dreamin" was one of their biggest hits. Four years ago, Angelina Jordan gave a very different and remarkable interpretation of this song.
Michelle and john Phililps were married their daughter was Mackenzie Philips the TV star who came out later with some accusations that John was molesting her,her sister Chyna Philips said she never saw any of it so who knows! The music is being played by the wrecking crew they did most of the music for most of the bands back then,they deserve a lot more credit than they get look them up they were on a massive number of songs from the 60s! They were the sound everyone loves from the 60s!
@Smedley Butler, you should check out the children of John Phillips because MacKenzie is not Michelle's daughter. John and Michelle daughter is Chynna.
Brit The wrecking crew were a group of session players in the LA area in the late 50s early 60s. They were phenomenal musicians, and were the go to players you went to when you wanted to cut a record back then. Especially when you had a bunch of kids who were pop stars, but could barely play their instruments. Think the Monkees, the first Byrds album and to many to name here. Or if you were a vocalist that just needed a backing band to make an album. In those days there was no digitally created music. Every sound you hear is some person playing an instrument. Glenn Campbell and Leon Russel were part of the wrecking crew. There’s a very interesting documentary out there about them. Well worth the watch if you’re into modern musical history.
When this song dropped on radio I was in junior high school and it was freezing cold. At lunch hour my buddies and I sang this song while walking down the street. 86th Street, Brooklyn.
The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Americans John Phillips, Michelle Phillips (His Wife), Cass Elliot, and Canadian Denny Doherty. Their sound was based on vocal harmonies arranged by John Phillips, the songwriter, musician, and leader of the group, who adapted folk to the new beat style of the early 1960s.
This song was written when they were living in New York I believe. At that time, the late 60's, California was the place to be, flower power, the summer of love, all based around San Francisico and Los Angeles.
I don’t know for certain if any of them were living in NYC or not, but I do know John wrote it about being in NYC on a cold winter’s day, in a depressive state, and wishing he was back in LA.
Love the song brings back memories me going up in High School awesome reaction by you again like always thank you so much for sharing your video with us love it.👍
Love this song. There's a reason why everyone and their dog has covered it over the years. It's timeless. Definitely should to delve into Dream a Little Dream.
John Phillips (the guitarist) put the group together with his vocal arrangements. He was married to Michelle Phillips the tall blond. Mama Cass Eliot was a solo performer as well. She died tragically, as she choked to death. A lot of conjecture about that. If you would like more, try "Monday! Monday!"
She did not choke on a ham sandwich. She died from heart failure. The sandwich on the nightstand had not been eaten. Her heart was 2.5 times the normal size.
The Mamas and the Papas are an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band recorded and performed between 1965 and 1968, then reformed briefly in 1971. The band consists of John Phillips, Cass Elliot ("Mama Cass"), Denny Doherty and Michelle Phillips.
Britt....I have a picture of my best friend(in high school)and me in front of his car a few days after graduating.....with a pair of bongo drums on the hood placed next to our sign that said: CALIFORNIA OR BUST that was June 1962...luckily the 'sign' never made it past the driveway. college came next, met this BEAUTIFUL auburn colored haired girl...and about to celebrate our 59th this fall...so, 'California dreaming' .. but, LOVE reality!!!
Other than Michelle, they are all gone now. When listening to "I stopped by the church and begin to pray..." and the backup of Michelle and Cass you'll hear one sing "I begin.." and the other sings "I pretend...". It can be confusing. It is the original studio recording that you are hearing with it in stereo and that's why you can separate the sounds. The footage shown is being over-dubbed.
AJ has covered this song at least a couple of times. The Mamas & The Papas released this song in the mid '60s in the middle of the "British Invasion" (led by The Beatles, of course, but also by The Rolling Stones). It came out of the blue and instantly made the band famous. The instrument you mention is almost certainly an alto flute -- sounds a lot like a recorder.
Some trivia…you watched Janis Joplin get introduced to the world singing “Ball and Chain” at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas organized the festival. The woman in the audience with the sunglasses watching in amazement that they kept showing was Mama Cass Elliot. You also reacted to John Denver and Mama Cass sing “Leaving on a Jet Plane.”
Mama Cass and I went to the same school together in Northern Virginia. We rode the same school bus in eighth grade. Her real name was Ellen Cohen. We both sang in a Talent Show competition in around the 10th grade. Needless to say, Ellen won the whole competition. She had a beautiful natural voice even back then. You will notice in her videos that her feet are always doing a little dance in place step while singing. Was very sorry to hear that she died so young.
To address your question concerning the band's name: The group considered calling itself the Magic Cyrcle before switching to the Mamas & the Papas, inspired by the Hells Angels, whose female associates were called "mamas".
Cass Elliot HATED being called "Mama". Each band member went on success at different projects, bur they were never the same without Cass. She died tragically in 1974, she was only 32 years old. We don't have a lot of recorded memories of her, sadly.
John Phillips wrote a song for the Monterey Pop Festival called San Francisco and performed by Scott McKenzie....started as an advertisement and ended as a huge hit. Great song that illustrates the feel of the period... give it a listen
John Philips was married to Michelle Philips and this song was written by John who woke Michelle to listen to it and off the went to California. Their story was definitely un -conventional and you can see Michelle talking all about it in the doco Movie Echo In The Canyon. Jakob Dylan was involved in making this movie and it re-lives the whole era with Joni Mitchell, The Byrds, Jackson Browne, Crosby Stills and Nash and Young ond more.
Really enjoyed your reaction. As a teenager I enjoyed this music, was about ten years before my time, but loved groups like this as well as Peter, Paul and Mary. Was my style at the time. Thanks for the groovy reaction lol
Hi Britt. The tall guy with the fur hat was married to the pretty blonde. John and Michelle Phillips (she became an actress in later years). They had a daughter named MacKenzie Phillips who was (or is) an actress as well. The other guy (Denny) and the fabulous talent Mama Cass Elliot were not in a relationship, though for a time Cass was major crushing on him. As to the name, back in the day it was common for people to refer to female friends etc as Mama. Also with Cass being called Mama Cass it developed into the name of the band.
@Jeff Delmar, MacKenzie Phillips was John's daughter with wife Susan Adams. (Their son is Jeffrey). John's daughter is Bijou with Genevieve Waite. (Their son is Tamerlane). John's daughter Chynna is with Michelle.
The scene that looks like a live concert,I believe is from The 1967 Monerey Pop Festival, which was put to by the Mamas and Papas and featured tons of musical talent
The story goes that John woke up Michelle in the middle of the night and said if you write this song down I’ll give you songwriting credit and you’ll never regret it.
The flute solo on this recording was performed by Bud Shank, an accomplished jazz saxophone and flute player who had been active for going on two decades by the time this was recorded. Shank was an LA "session" musician who played on numerous pop albums, in addition to his jazz work. He passed away a few years ago in Tucson, Arizona and was still performing almost up to his death. To my knowledge, Shank never toured with the Mamas and the Pappas--he only played on the studio gig.
This great song was incredibly used in the 90s film Chungking Express. One of the best movies of the past 30 years: thrilling, charming, stunningly beautiful and iconic ... a must-watch!
Great group many very good songs(timeless) tho short lived 65 to 68. Creeque Alley, Go where you wanna Go, Words of Love, Monday Monday Monday and Dedicated to the one I Love all very good songs. Denny Doherty(beard) was so underrated in my opinion, fantastic voice
Mamas & Papas... name derives from the BBG (Big Beautiful Gir) Mama Cass... her girl and the "Papas"... the guys. She has a big beautiful voices. Love it. Best song of the 60's.
Everyone focused on Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty - the man singing leads. Rightfully so. They definitely deserve the spotlight. Yet Michelle often gets overlooked. Check out her solo vocal on their other hit single - Dedicated to The One I Love. She is very impressive 👍. The performance you need to see is them on The Ed Sullivan show from 1966.
The correct name of the group is "The Mamas & The Papas". They were huge in the music business 1965-1968. This song was written in 1963 but wasn't recorded until November4, 1965 and released December 8, 1965. The instrument you asked about is an alto flute played by the late Bud Shank (Clifford Everett "Bud Shank Jr.). Alto flutes are pitched to the key of G, offering a range from G3 to G6. They're usually made from nickel, silver-plated brass, or silver. Like all flutes, alto flutes have three main parts: the headjoint (which contains the mouthpiece), the body, and the foot joint.
Their voices blended together so well all of their records are a joy to listen too, you should have a listen to Mama Cass singing Dream a little dream or It's getting better, another great tune from the same era is Marlena Shaw California Soul
The two on the outside as they stood, blonde on the left Michelle Phillips (later became an actress on various tv shows notably Knots landing) and the guitar player , John Phillips were married. They had a daughter chyna Phillips who later would be in a successful band with brian Wilson’s (beach boys) daughters called Wilson Phillips. The other female singer was Mama Cass Elliot, and the other male singer was Denny Doherty a former band mate of mama cass in a previous band. They actually took their name in part from the name given to the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club members women who were called mamas.
John Phillips was the songwriter of the group, but Michelle Phillips got a partial credit on this song. She was the only group member from California and was tired of the gray winters of New York.
** For the '4th of JULY' weekend it would be nice if you would consider reacting to an amazingly patriot song by: "Lee Greenwood Feat. Home Free & the USA Air Force Band singing "GOD BLESS the USA"
The story goes that Cass Elliot was watching something from Hell's Angels where they said they call their women mamas, she said we got mamas now we need papas, thus the name. Michelle and John Phillips were married members of the band.
The actual performance is an old TV show performance, The other pictures are superimposed over the top of the performance. John Phillips (fuzzy hat guitarist) wrote and arranged the music. He had been married previously, and had a daughter with his first wife. She later became an actress, MacKenzie Phillips.Michele was his second wife, she later divorced John and went into acting. Mama Cass Elliot had hit records of her own, and a child.
The young blonde lady is Michelle Phillips who is the mother of Chynna Phillips of the 90s vocal trio Wilson Phillips. Michelle is the only member of the band still living at 78.
The then nameless group were all watching TV one day. A news segment came on about the Hells Angels & their "Women" and the reporter reported the members referred to each other as Mama's and Papa's. Cass Elliot, stood up and said, I "wanna be a Mama". The rest is history....
The taller man is John Phillips. He was married to the thinner girl Michelle Philips. The larger girl is Cass Elliot who has a wonderful voice and had an excellent solo career after the breakup of the group. Last is Denny Doherty. The band broke up because of an affair between Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty. Chynna Phillips of the group Wilson Phillip is the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips. Actress Mackenzie Phillips who was one of the stars of the movie hit American Graffiti is John Phillips daughter from his first marriage and Michelle Phillips step daughter.
Your headphones are showing you the way music was produced at the time...its called STEREO, as it was done then. Much music was broken in LEFT and RIGHT, common in all Beatles tracks as well.
Great song, I think this was released in 1965. I remember seeing them on The Ed Sullivan show performing this one. I had to have the single after that. No, they weren't moms and dads, just a band name. John Phillips may have been a dad, not sure. They were a California based band and that's were the cool, chill vibe comes from in their music. Check out "Monday Monday" a huge hit I think in 1966. Yeah they were a great band. Peace ❤
One of the BEST vocal groups of all time!! M&P's was the soundtrack of a generation!!! Their song |"Creeque Alley" tells THE story of the folk/rock history of the 60's a great listen just for it's history of all musicians who started & evolved this music-many of whom Mama Cass sang with or backed up at one time or another!!!
Everyone talks about Mama Cass and hardly anyone ever talks about how talented Michelle Phillips was. She had such a sweet, tender voice. Cass had more range, but Michelle was no slouch herself. She just didn't get much notoriety because in reality she was incredibly shy and suffered almost overwhelming stage fright to where they just kinda began "taking it easy" on her.
Mama Cass couldn't get to some of the higher notes when the group first got together. One day she was helping move some stuff and dropped something heavy on her foot which caused her to scream in pain and it broke open access to additional and higher notes. Thus the Mama's and Pappa's were born. John and Michelle were married for a while and Denny and Cass were an item for awhile. But they eventually went their own ways personally and eventually musically as well. Cass Elliott had just had a hugely successful concert in London and had just finished talking to friends and loved ones when sometime in the night her heart disappointed her and quit working. Many mourned her death. Awful jokes started about how she died cruel thoughtless people having a moment of total classlessness. The only one left today is Michelle and hers and John's daughter Chynna Phillips who partnered up with Brian Wilsons, of The Beach Boys, his two daughters Carnie and Wendy Wilson and had a relatively successful career as a singer.
Wilson Phillips was a band formed by Wendy and Carnie Wilson the daughters of the Beach Boys Brian Wilson and Chynna Phillips the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and Papas. So at least 2 of them were parents :)
Some of the "edit" visuals are tapes of the Mamas and the Papas at the Monterey Pop Festival. Get a hold of the music to that, or the movie made of it. It has a lot of what the 1960s music was like, and finishes up with Ravi Shankar. Saw it in a theater right after it came out. When the Monterey Pop crowd gives Shankar a standing ovation everybody in the movie theater did too.
If you want to hear some of Cass Elliott's diverse vocals, listen to her sing the old standard Dream a Little Dream.
Absolutely. She's the gold standard for that song, although Angelina's version is also top-notch.
That song was the first time many of us had heard Cass sing solo, and it was amazing.
Oh, I love that song. Cass had such a beautiful voice
Absolutely love Cass Elliott.
Dream a little dream and sing for your supper... love both of those.
Mama Cass had a fantastic voice - her version of Dream a Little Dream of Me is wonderful.
One of my all time favorites
To answer some of your questions... yes, that's a flute (which you will hear in a lot of folk rock tunes of the era). Their name... back in the hippy days women were often called "mamas" and men were often called "papas" ... it was part of the overall ethic that we are all one big family of man. And if you want to know how these four got together as a group, listen to their song Creeque Alley, which outlines how each of them worked with different musicians, in different areas of the country, until they came together as the Mamas and Papas.
Yeah, their autobiographical "Creeque Alley" is really good.
"Hey little mama!"
The story goes they we’re watching a documentary on TV about the Hells Angels motorcycle gang and they called their women Mamas.. Cass and Michelle decided they wanted to be Mamas and the boys followed suit
Michelle was the Mama to this 13 yr old in 67. Yeah, baby
@@johngilmer6782 Me too.Born in '54,a very good year. lol
Which month were you born in?
Mama Cass Elliot. Leaving on a jet Plane duet with John Denver at a “telethon” event is a great performance. ❤
Is it a telethon? I think it was just the John Denver show in 76 before the election right?
John Denver wrote the song.
Yes, please !
@@loadedorygun She was on several different tv shows including Tom Jones and Andy Williams. In fact she had her own tv show.
Michelle became a successful actress and was mother to Chyna Phillips, a member of the group Wilson-Phillips (very popular hit called Hold On). Carnie Wilson and her sister Wendy were also a member of WP and their father was Brian Wilson of Beach Boy fame. Just to tie it altogether.
If you were growing up in the 60s, the Mamas and the Papas were part of the soundtrack of your life.
Born in 1958 .. grew up in California!! Ohh the memories! 🌈☀️⛱
The best eras in music 👉 60’s, 70’s, & early 80’s!! End of story!
This is how they hot their name.
Soon after gaining an audition with renowned record producer Lou Adler, Cass Elliot was watching an interview with the Hells Angels who claimed “we call our women mamas.” Elliot then screamed at the TV, “well, we got mamas in our group as we got papas.” Michelle Philips was immediately drawn to the name and used it as the moniker.
No song sounds like this song. Completely unique. A time capsule of its era. Yes, one of its strengths is its nature: the song itself doesn’t need much. The chord progressions move you, and the simple vocal harmonies and call and response technique is all they needed to create something that sounds so grand. Reverb helped too. Thanks for another great reaction video 😊
And the flute don't forget the flute
People are starting to recognise and appreciate the mamas and the papas now. They did so many great songs, 4 amazing voices. Creeque Alley is another great one
The song was written in 1963 while John Phillips and Michelle Phillips were living in New York City during a particularly cold winter, and the latter was missing sunny California. At the time, John and Michelle Phillips were members of the folk group the New Journeymen, which evolved into the Mamas and the Papas.
You would probably like Wilson Phillips ... members are Chynna Phillips daughter of Michelle Phillps from this band, and sisters Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson daughters of Brian Wilson co founder of the Beach Boys
There were a lot of pop groups over the years that integrated vocal harmonies into their music, but I don't think anyone did it better than these guys.
I would add the Carpenters to that remark!
The Hollies, the Righteous Brothers, The Beach Boys, The Beegees all belong to the vocal harmony class and are just as good as the Mamas and Papas.
The Fifth Dimension also had stellar harmonies
@@wilfbentley6738 So do THE BEATLES, their harmonies were fantastic, they belong in that bunch above, how could you leave them out.
Queen,but they rock group
Dontcha just love em!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤The great 60’s!! Yes! Headphones are a must! 😊
Mama Cass is one of my all time favorite singers, she had an amazing personality and a fantastic voice!!! 👌👌 I was like 11 when she died and it was a very sad day for me!!!😢😢✌✌
The guy playing guitar was John Phillips, and the blond girl singer is Michelle Phillips. They were married during the time this group was together, and they did have at least 1 kid together. The other girl singer is Mama Cass Elliot, and she did have a child while this group was together. So, some of them actually were Mamas and Papas.
John Phillips was not the lead on this song, it was Denny Doherty.
@@Mr.56Goldtop Wasn't Denny the guy with the hat?
@@jvsmith7888 Not in this s video, he's the shorter guy.
I wonder why no one mentions Mckenzie Phillips and what she had to say about her moma and papa
Denny was the lead, John was playing the guitar. John and Michelle were married, but Michelle had an affair with Denny and that broke up the marriage and the group. Cass also had a crush on Denny, but it was unrequited. Cass had a short but successful solo career afterward, until her untimely death. Michelle went into acting and had a long successful career with that.
John and Michelle had a daughter, Chynna ("China"), who teamed up with Carnie and Wendy Wilson, daughters of Beach Boy Brian Wilson, to form their own group, Wilson Phillips. They had a hit called "Hold On", which you should also listen to.
Fave song of mine....has an ethereal sound to it.
Cass Elliot was a vocal force, and a beautiful soul.
I was stationed in northern Japan when this song was big and it always made me terribly homesick.
Hi Britt. Yes. Flute performed by Bud Shank.
“Mama’s was a term they picked up from The Hells Angels…they (HA) called their significant other “Mama” or “old lady”.
Remember this was the 60’s. The blond, Michelle Phillips, was married to John Phillips founder of the group. There were children, yes both from Cass and Michelle. There was also lots of “fooling around”…again- the 60’s.
The instrument was a (wooden) recorder, not a flute. A flute is brighter(has high frequency overtones) because it is metal. Other groups, like Jefferson Airplane used the recorder too. The term "mamas" was from the Hell's Angels' name for female members, and the group just expanded the idea to include "papas." The Mamas and Papas biggest hit was actually "Monday Monday," but they had success with a few other songs---like the cover of the Shirelles song "Dedicated to the One I Love."
Along with "Monday, Monday", "California Dreamin" was one of their biggest hits. Four years ago, Angelina Jordan gave a very different and remarkable interpretation of this song.
Michelle and john Phililps were married their daughter was Mackenzie Philips the TV star who came out later with some accusations that John was molesting her,her sister Chyna Philips said she never saw any of it so who knows! The music is being played by the wrecking crew they did most of the music for most of the bands back then,they deserve a lot more credit than they get look them up they were on a massive number of songs from the 60s! They were the sound everyone loves from the 60s!
@Smedley Butler, you should check out the children of John Phillips because MacKenzie is not Michelle's daughter. John and Michelle daughter is Chynna.
Brit
The wrecking crew were a group of session players in the LA area in the late 50s early 60s. They were phenomenal musicians, and were the go to players you went to when you wanted to cut a record back then. Especially when you had a bunch of kids who were pop stars, but could barely play their instruments. Think the Monkees, the first Byrds album and to many to name here. Or if you were a vocalist that just needed a backing band to make an album. In those days there was no digitally created music. Every sound you hear is some person playing an instrument.
Glenn Campbell and Leon Russel were part of the wrecking crew. There’s a very interesting documentary out there about them. Well worth the watch if you’re into modern musical history.
Yes, they are mamas and papas. There kids formed "Wilson/Phillips" who had a few great hits in the 90s.
Love your reactions. You might also enjoy Groovin' by The Young Rascals.
You have too remember there wasn’t any music videos back then so these are clips of performances someone put together! Love your reaction!
More music from my childhood. I'm so enjoying singing along. Another fave from them is Monday Monday. You don't get many flute solos in popular music.
When this song dropped on radio I was in junior high school and it was freezing cold. At lunch hour my buddies and I sang this song while walking down the street. 86th Street, Brooklyn.
The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Americans John Phillips, Michelle Phillips (His Wife), Cass Elliot, and Canadian Denny Doherty. Their sound was based on vocal harmonies arranged by John Phillips, the songwriter, musician, and leader of the group, who adapted folk to the new beat style of the early 1960s.
They were so counter-culture, that Peter, Paul, and Mary wrote a critical song about them.
This song was written when they were living in New York I believe. At that time, the late 60's, California was the place to be, flower power, the summer of love, all based around San Francisico and Los Angeles.
I don’t know for certain if any of them were living in NYC or not, but I do know John wrote it about being in NYC on a cold winter’s day, in a depressive state, and wishing he was back in LA.
Dream a little dream by Mama Cass is absolute 🔥🔥
Love the song
brings back memories me going up in High School awesome reaction by you again like always thank you so much for sharing your video with us love it.👍
Love this song. There's a reason why everyone and their dog has covered it over the years. It's timeless. Definitely should to delve into Dream a Little Dream.
John Phillips (the guitarist) put the group together with his vocal arrangements. He was married to Michelle Phillips the tall blond. Mama Cass Eliot was a solo performer as well. She died tragically, as she choked to death. A lot of conjecture about that. If you would like more, try "Monday! Monday!"
She DID NOT choke to death.. She had a heart attack... end of story.....
@@tomschmitz-dj1fg she was killed!
@@jesseray6340 Her, and Elvis are shacked up in Guatemala.
She did not choke on a ham sandwich. She died from heart failure. The sandwich on the nightstand had not been eaten. Her heart was 2.5 times the normal size.
@@tomschmitz-dj1fg Dear Tom thank you for your rude correction. I stand apologetically for getting this wrong. What an a**hat!
The Mamas and the Papas are an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band recorded and performed between 1965 and 1968, then reformed briefly in 1971. The band consists of John Phillips, Cass Elliot ("Mama Cass"), Denny Doherty and Michelle Phillips.
Mama Cass Elliot the bigger of the two ladies became the most famous of the group
I was in the era when groups like the Mamas and the Papa, the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, The Toys, the Chordettes, etc. dominated the radio waves.
This group was the one that organized the Monterrey Pop festival in 1967. So exciting… the first weekend outdoor festival ever! It is a flute!
Britt....I have a picture of my best friend(in high school)and me in front of his car a few days after graduating.....with a pair of bongo drums on the hood placed next to our sign that said: CALIFORNIA OR BUST that was June 1962...luckily the 'sign' never made it past the driveway. college came next, met this BEAUTIFUL auburn colored haired girl...and about to celebrate our 59th this fall...so, 'California dreaming' .. but, LOVE reality!!!
Perfect analysis! It's just a good old tune. Simple, but playlist worthy :)
Other than Michelle, they are all gone now. When listening to "I stopped by the church and begin to pray..." and the backup of Michelle and Cass you'll hear one sing "I begin.." and the other sings "I pretend...". It can be confusing. It is the original studio recording that you are hearing with it in stereo and that's why you can separate the sounds. The footage shown is being over-dubbed.
AJ has covered this song at least a couple of times. The Mamas & The Papas released this song in the mid '60s in the middle of the "British Invasion" (led by The Beatles, of course, but also by The Rolling Stones). It came out of the blue and instantly made the band famous. The instrument you mention is almost certainly an alto flute -- sounds a lot like a recorder.
Great song. We sang it in my HS Choir. I was the lead vocalist. I also sang surfer girl by the beach boys solo at my graduation.
A couple of other Mamas and Papas songs you might like
Monday, Monday
Dedicated To The One I Love
Dedicated to the one I love ❤️
Some trivia…you watched Janis Joplin get introduced to the world singing “Ball and Chain” at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas organized the festival. The woman in the audience with the sunglasses watching in amazement that they kept showing was Mama Cass Elliot. You also reacted to John Denver and Mama Cass sing “Leaving on a Jet Plane.”
Mama Cass and I went to the same school together in Northern Virginia. We rode the same school bus in eighth grade. Her real name was Ellen Cohen. We both sang in a Talent Show competition in around the 10th grade. Needless to say, Ellen won the whole competition. She had a beautiful natural voice even back then. You will notice in her videos that her feet are always doing a little dance in place step while singing. Was very sorry to hear that she died so young.
Definitely a part of my California playlist
To address your question concerning the band's name:
The group considered calling itself the Magic Cyrcle before switching to the Mamas & the Papas, inspired by the Hells Angels, whose female associates were called "mamas".
Cass Elliot HATED being called "Mama". Each band member went on success at different projects, bur they were never the same without Cass. She died tragically in 1974, she was only 32 years old. We don't have a lot of recorded memories of her, sadly.
Thank you! I'm so tired of people acting like Elliot had some great careers, and people loved her. She was shunned and hated for her bod🎉y.
Have always loved this song and this group!! Yes that was a flute solo. 😅
Love this group. We grew up listening to them because my mom loved them.
"Dedicated to the One I Love" is my favorite of theirs, it is beautiful!!
John Phillips wrote a song for the Monterey Pop Festival called San Francisco and performed by Scott McKenzie....started as an advertisement and ended as a huge hit. Great song that illustrates the feel of the period... give it a listen
Mama Cass Elliot ( the heavier gal) had a few great solo songs. Dream and Little Dream of me and Make your own kind of music are a couple.
John Philips was married to Michelle Philips and this song was written by John who woke Michelle to listen to it and off the went to California. Their story was definitely un -conventional and you can see Michelle talking all about it in the doco Movie Echo In The Canyon. Jakob Dylan was involved in making this movie and it re-lives the whole era with Joni Mitchell, The Byrds, Jackson Browne, Crosby Stills and Nash and Young ond more.
Really enjoyed your reaction. As a teenager I enjoyed this music, was about ten years before my time, but loved groups like this as well as Peter, Paul and Mary. Was my style at the time. Thanks for the groovy reaction lol
Loved their Words of Love in the 60s. Still have the single on vinyl.
Also Sia did a great cover of CD for the movie San Andreas.
Like comfort food, this was a comfort song of the time when in our teens going to the beach or on a date to the old amusement park.
Hi Britt. The tall guy with the fur hat was married to the pretty blonde. John and Michelle Phillips (she became an actress in later years). They had a daughter named MacKenzie Phillips who was (or is) an actress as well. The other guy (Denny) and the fabulous talent Mama Cass Elliot were not in a relationship, though for a time Cass was major crushing on him. As to the name, back in the day it was common for people to refer to female friends etc as Mama. Also with Cass being called Mama Cass it developed into the name of the band.
@Jeff Delmar, MacKenzie Phillips was John's daughter with wife Susan Adams. (Their son is Jeffrey). John's daughter is Bijou with Genevieve Waite. (Their son is Tamerlane). John's daughter Chynna is with Michelle.
@@patriciakeith6755 You are of course correct. I forgot that John had left children everywhere he went. Thanks for the heads up!
The scene that looks like a live concert,I believe is from The 1967 Monerey Pop Festival, which was put to by the Mamas and Papas and featured tons of musical talent
The story goes that John woke up Michelle in the middle of the night and said if you write this song down I’ll give you songwriting credit and you’ll never regret it.
The flute solo on this recording was performed by Bud Shank, an accomplished jazz saxophone and flute player who had been active for going on two decades by the time this was recorded. Shank was an LA "session" musician who played on numerous pop albums, in addition to his jazz work. He passed away a few years ago in Tucson, Arizona and was still performing almost up to his death. To my knowledge, Shank never toured with the Mamas and the Pappas--he only played on the studio gig.
This great song was incredibly used in the 90s film Chungking Express. One of the best movies of the past 30 years: thrilling, charming, stunningly beautiful and iconic ... a must-watch!
If you want the whole story listen to Creeque Ally, it is an autobiographical account of their group and is quite good👀🎶👀🎶👀🎶👀🎶👀🎶
Great group many very good songs(timeless) tho short lived 65 to 68. Creeque Alley, Go where you wanna Go, Words of Love, Monday Monday Monday and Dedicated to the one I Love all very good songs. Denny Doherty(beard) was so underrated in my opinion, fantastic voice
The harmony in this song is special l don't think you can top that😊😊😊😊😊😊
I think recently the name is changed to "California Leaving".
Mamas & Papas... name derives from the BBG (Big Beautiful Gir) Mama Cass... her girl and the "Papas"... the guys. She has a big beautiful voices. Love it. Best song of the 60's.
Everyone focused on Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty - the man singing leads. Rightfully so. They definitely deserve the spotlight. Yet Michelle often gets overlooked. Check out her solo vocal on their other hit single - Dedicated to The One I Love. She is very impressive 👍. The performance you need to see is them on The Ed Sullivan show from 1966.
I so enjoy your reactions, you get the music and the singers.
The correct name of the group is "The Mamas & The Papas". They were huge in the music business 1965-1968. This song was written in 1963 but wasn't recorded until November4, 1965 and released December 8, 1965. The instrument you asked about is an alto flute played by the late Bud Shank (Clifford Everett "Bud Shank Jr.). Alto flutes are pitched to the key of G, offering a range from G3 to G6. They're usually made from nickel, silver-plated brass, or silver. Like all flutes, alto flutes have three main parts: the headjoint (which contains the mouthpiece), the body, and the foot joint.
I remember that song blaring out of the cheap radio in our kitchen when I was a little boy. Thanks for taking me to a trip down memory lane... 👍🏻
Their voices blended together so well all of their records are a joy to listen too, you should have a listen to Mama Cass singing Dream a little dream or It's getting better, another great tune from the same era is Marlena Shaw California Soul
The two on the outside as they stood, blonde on the left Michelle Phillips (later became an actress on various tv shows notably Knots landing) and the guitar player , John Phillips were married. They had a daughter chyna Phillips who later would be in a successful band with brian Wilson’s (beach boys) daughters called Wilson Phillips. The other female singer was Mama Cass Elliot, and the other male singer was Denny Doherty a former band mate of mama cass in a previous band. They actually took their name in part from the name given to the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club members women who were called mamas.
John Phillips was the songwriter of the group, but Michelle Phillips got a partial credit on this song. She was the only group member from California and was tired of the gray winters of New York.
** For the '4th of JULY' weekend it would be nice if you would consider reacting to an amazingly patriot song by: "Lee Greenwood Feat. Home Free & the USA Air Force Band singing "GOD BLESS the USA"
Never comment before but you have got it right! Groovy! Ageless.
The story goes that Cass Elliot was watching something from Hell's Angels where they said they call their women mamas, she said we got mamas now we need papas, thus the name. Michelle and John Phillips were married members of the band.
The actual performance is an old TV show performance, The other pictures are superimposed over the top of the performance. John Phillips (fuzzy hat guitarist) wrote and arranged the music. He had been married previously, and had a daughter with his first wife. She later became an actress, MacKenzie Phillips.Michele was his second wife, she later divorced John and went into acting. Mama Cass Elliot had hit records of her own, and a child.
The young blonde lady is Michelle Phillips who is the mother of Chynna Phillips of the 90s vocal trio Wilson Phillips. Michelle is the only member of the band still living at 78.
Queen Latifah has a beautifully soulful version of this great classic!
Left side, right side was one of the early ways stereo soumd was used. Sometimes, it was music on one side, vocals on the other.
The then nameless group were all watching TV one day. A news segment came on about the Hells Angels & their "Women" and the reporter reported the members referred to each other as Mama's and Papa's. Cass Elliot, stood up and said, I "wanna be a Mama". The rest is history....
The taller man is John Phillips. He was married to the thinner girl Michelle Philips. The larger girl is Cass Elliot who has a wonderful voice and had an excellent solo career after the breakup of the group. Last is Denny Doherty. The band broke up because of an affair between Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty. Chynna Phillips of the group Wilson Phillip is the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips. Actress Mackenzie Phillips who was one of the stars of the movie hit American Graffiti is John Phillips daughter from his first marriage and Michelle Phillips step daughter.
Get any collection of their greatest hits, put it on, and enjoy.
No edit. They sang on this harmony. ❤
Your headphones are showing you the way music was produced at the time...its called STEREO, as it was done then. Much music was broken in LEFT and RIGHT, common in all Beatles tracks as well.
Great song, I think this was released in 1965. I remember seeing them on The Ed Sullivan show performing this one.
I had to have the single after that. No, they weren't moms and dads, just a band name. John Phillips may have been a dad, not sure. They were a California based band and that's were the cool, chill vibe comes from in their music.
Check out "Monday Monday" a huge hit I think in 1966. Yeah they were a great band.
Peace ❤
One of the BEST vocal groups of all time!! M&P's was the soundtrack of a generation!!! Their song |"Creeque Alley" tells THE story of the folk/rock history of the 60's a great listen just for it's history of all musicians who started & evolved this music-many of whom Mama Cass sang with or backed up at one time or another!!!
Everyone talks about Mama Cass and hardly anyone ever talks about how talented Michelle Phillips was. She had such a sweet, tender voice. Cass had more range, but Michelle was no slouch herself. She just didn't get much notoriety because in reality she was incredibly shy and suffered almost overwhelming stage fright to where they just kinda began "taking it easy" on her.
The solo was an alto flute played by the late Bud Shank.
A great 60s folk rock group!
Mama Cass couldn't get to some of the higher notes when the group first got together. One day she was helping move some stuff and dropped something heavy on her foot which caused her to scream in pain and it broke open access to additional and higher notes. Thus the Mama's and Pappa's were born. John and Michelle were married for a while and Denny and Cass were an item for awhile. But they eventually went their own ways personally and eventually musically as well. Cass Elliott had just had a hugely successful concert in London and had just finished talking to friends and loved ones when sometime in the night her heart disappointed her and quit working. Many mourned her death. Awful jokes started about how she died cruel thoughtless people having a moment of total classlessness. The only one left today is Michelle and hers and John's daughter Chynna Phillips who partnered up with Brian Wilsons, of The Beach Boys, his two daughters Carnie and Wendy Wilson and had a relatively successful career as a singer.
The Duet of John Denver with Mama Cass on "Leaving on a jet plane" is wonderful too and "Creeque Alley"
Wilson Phillips was a band formed by Wendy and Carnie Wilson the daughters of the Beach Boys Brian Wilson and Chynna Phillips the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and Papas. So at least 2 of them were parents :)
L.A. has changed so much since the 60's, the L.A. they are singing about is long gone unfortunately.
Check out classical gas by Mason Williams. You won't be sorry.
Best harmonies.
Some of the "edit" visuals are tapes of the Mamas and the Papas at the Monterey Pop Festival. Get a hold of the music to that, or the movie made of it. It has a lot of what the 1960s music was like, and finishes up with Ravi Shankar. Saw it in a theater right after it came out. When the Monterey Pop crowd gives Shankar a standing ovation everybody in the movie theater did too.
need to launch into the beach boys next. Rock flute is so classic.