The Mamas and the Papas
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The Mamas and the Papas was a - no, the - 1960s folk-pop band from Southern California. What made them stand out at first was that, in an age of girl groups and boy bands, they had a mixed-gender lineup: Cass Elliot, Michelle Phillips, John Phillips, and Denny Doherty, backed by session musicians. Then people heard their music, and they didn't need a gimmick to stand out.
They are the Trope Codifier for '60s folk-pop. Even in the early 2020s, people still remember "Califormia Dreamin'" (1965), "Monday Monday" (1966, the song that won them a Grammy Award), and other songs by The Mamas and the Papas.
They played the Monterey Pop Festival, cementing them as one of the musical voices of the Summer of Love. John Phillips co-produced Monterey Pop, the movie of the festival, setting the example of filming music festivals that would be followed at Woodstock and Altamont.
- [Band of Relatives]]: John and Michelle Phillips were husband and wife.
- Covered Up: The Mamas and the Papas are examples of both sides of this trope.
- Their version of "Dedicated to the One I Love" is much better known than the earlier version released by The Shirelles. Similarly, their cover of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (in which Mama Cass did her own whistling) charted much higher than the 1931 original by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra.
- Everybody thinks of The Beach Boys' cover of "Califormia Dreamin'" before the original version, even though John and Michelle Phillips were in the music video.
- They Changed It, Now It Sucks: The New Mamas and the Papas, formed in 1980, never did as well as the original group.
- Throw It In: "I Saw Her Again" was mixed incorrectly, leading to the famous and often-imitated intro "I saw her ... I saw her again".
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"That has to be a mistake: nobody's that clever"
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The Mamas and the Papas only released five studio albums:
- If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966)
- The Mamas & the Papas (1966)
- The Mamas & The Papas Deliver (1967)
- The Papas & the Mamas (1968)
- People Like Us (1971)
For singles and compilation albums, see the list on The Other Wiki.