Music of our Parents?

Greatest Hits; The Mamas and The Papas; Cass Elliot, John Phillips, Denny Doherty and Michelle Phillips

I really don’t have any history to speak of with the Mamas and the Papas. But I do enjoy their music and their unique sound and blend. I suppose that fans would regard “California Dreamin’” and “Monday, Monday” as the two penultimate Mama/Papa songs. It would be hard to argue with that assessment, what with “California Dreamin’” holding the position of eighty-nine on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of all Time”.

My favorite is “Dedicated to the One I Love”. Originally a hit of The Shirelles in 1961, the Mamas and the Papas recorded a more famous remake of the Ralph Bass and Lowman Pauling tune in 1967. Why do I like it? There’s a gouging little dissonance that bores into my ear on the word “little” when they sing:

Each night before you go to bed, my baby

Whisper a little prayer for me, my baby

And then they take this little harmonic detour on the word “all” in the following line:

And tell all the stars above.

This is dedicated to the one I love.

The genius in this scoring is what I label “Brian Wilson” genius. I think it’s fantastic.

I wanted to end my time with you today with a joke about how this is “Dedicated to My One-Eyed Glove”, but I can’t think of a plot to go with the punch line. Sorry.

Credits: To Mama Cass Elliot, for one of the most gorgeous voices of her generation. You left us too soon, Mama. I love "Dream a Little Dream of Me".

This is the sixteenth of my final forty-five CD's.