Early life
Phillips was born Holly Michelle Gilliam in Long Beach, California, the daughter of Joyce Leon (née Poole), an accountant, and Gardner Burnett Gilliam, a merchant marine.[1] She grew up partly in Mexico City where her father was attending college on the GI Bill. She married John Phillips on December 31, 1962, when she was 18 years old, long before the formation of the band. In 1968 they had a child together, Chynna Phillips, who went on to co-found the singing group Wilson Phillips.
The Mamas & the Papas
Early on in the band's history (in 1965), Phillips and fellow band member Denny Doherty began an affair. They were able to keep it secret from the other two band members for quite some time. During a trip to Mexico, Doherty revealed the affair to band member Cass Elliot, who was furious. Soon afterwards, John Phillips caught Michelle and Doherty in the act. He moved himself and Michelle out of the house the band shared.[2]
John Phillips soon left his wife and moved back in with Doherty. At this point she started an affair with Gene Clark of The Byrds. After a concert where she blew kisses to Clark in the front row, her husband said he could not stand to perform with her any longer. Consulting both their attorney Abe Somer as well as their label Dunhill Records, the band then drafted a formal statement kicking Michelle out of the group in June 1966. She was replaced by Lou Adler's then-girlfriend, singer-songwriter Jill Gibson. Phillips was invited back into the group in late August, while Gibson received a lump sum for her two and a half months in the band. The band continued to have problems even after her return. The Mamas and the Papas would eventually disband in July 1968 and then again in 1971 after a brief reunion. The couple eventually divorced in 1970.
Musical career
Phillips helped co-write some of the band's most popular hits, including "Creeque Alley" and "California Dreamin'". During 1970, Phillips sang backup vocals on a Leonard Cohen tour. That same year, Phillips married actor Dennis Hopper for eight days. Of that marriage, Phillips said: "I will say this about Dennis Hopper: We were married for eight days and truly... they were the happiest days of my life."
In 1973, Phillips recorded vocals as a cheerleader along with Darlene Love, for the Cheech & Chong single "Basketball Jones" which peaked at No.15 on the Billboard singles chart. In 1975 Phillips signed a solo recording contract with A&M Records and released a promo single, "Aloha Louie", that she had written with ex-husband John Phillips. Phillips released her first solo single in 1976, "No Love Today", on the Mother, Jugs & Speed movie soundtrack. In 1977, Phillips released her debut solo album, Victim of Romance, produced by Jack Nitzsche for A&M Records. Her first two solo singles from the album failed to make the U.S. music charts. That same year she sang backup vocals with former stepdaughter actress Mackenzie Phillips on a track called "Zulu Warrior", for her ex-husband second solo album, Pay Pack & Follow, which was eventually released in 2001.
In 1979, she recorded a song called "Forever" for the motion picture soundtrack of California Dreaming, a surf film that had nothing to do with her old band. In late 1987, Phillips sang backup vocals on Belinda Carlisle's number one hit, "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", as well as on the Carlisle LP, Heaven on Earth.
On January 12, 1998, Phillips was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York City, along with her fellow bandmates. For the first time in over two decades Michelle performed California Dreamin live with Denny Doherty and John Phillips. Phillips was later inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000 (for the Mamas & Papas) where she again performed live with Denny Doherty, but without John.
On March 29, 2001, Phillips was one of several performers who gathered at The Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, California, for a John Phillips memorial tribute. Michelle performed live with Scott McKenzie and Denny Doherty on two numbers, while other live performances included Barry McGuire, John Stewart of The Kingston Trio, Mackenzie Phillips, Spanky McFarlane of Spanky & Our Gang, Owen Elliot-Kugell, Bijou Phillips, Sean Lennon, and Tamerlane Phillips. Non-performers who also attended included Lou Adler, The Mamas & the Papas' original record producer, among the three hundred other invited guests.
Acting career
Phillips continues to act in movies and in television today. In 1977, she appeared with Rudolph Nureyev in the film Valentino where she performed daring nude scenes. Her chemistry with Nureyev was so poor that they were rumoured to have slapped each other during a love scene.[3]
She has made many guest appearances on programs as diverse as Spin City and Star Trek: The Next Generation (where she appeared the episode "We'll Always Have Paris" as a former love-interest of Captain Picard). Phillips' most recent serious acting job has been a recurring role on the WB drama 7th Heaven as Lily Jackson, sister of family matriarch Annie Jackson Camden (Catherine Hicks). She played Laura Collins in the 1996 television movie No One Would Tell.
However, Phillips is best known to modern television audiences for her roles as mother to two prime-time vixens. She starred for several seasons on Knots Landing as Anne W. Matheson Sumner, playing the mother of future Desperate Housewives star Nicolette Sheridan (a role which Phillips returned to for the 1997 TV-Movie Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac). Then in the mid-1990's she gained a whole new generation of fans for playing Abby Malone, mother of Valerie (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen) on Fox's Beverly Hills, 90210.
Personal life
Phillips married Dennis Hopper on October 31, 1970 but filed for divorce just a week later. She then married radio executive Robert Burch in 1978, and would divorce again, in 1980. Phillips gave birth to her second child, a boy named Austin Hines, in 1982.
In 1986, she penned her autobiography, California Dreamin': The True Story of the Mamas and the Papas, released just weeks after her former husband John Phillips' autobiography Papa John. In it Phillips describes such events as the first meeting between her and fellow Mama, Cass Elliot (Phillips had just taken acid for the first time, and "came on" to it just as she opened the door), winning 17 straight shoots at a crap table in the Bahamas when the band was broke and couldn't afford plane fare back to the States (winning enough for first class, no less), and how her writing credit on "California Dreamin'", which still nets her royalties, was "the best wake-up call" she ever had (she was asleep in a New York Hotel room when her then husband John Phillips woke her up to help him finish a new song he was writing).
Phillips is renowned for her youthful appearance which she attributes, in part, to staying completely away from direct sunlight. With the death of Doherty on January 19, 2007, Phillips became the only surviving member of the original Mamas and the Papas. She also sang at Doherty's funeral in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
She was good friends with Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring and Wojciech Frykowski, who were killed by members of Charles Manson's cult on August 9, 1969. In a 2006 interview for the History Channel show Our Generation: Death of the Counterculture, she said that it was still hard to talk about the murders.
There She Goes
Michelle Phillips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And hold her tight
At the Bluebird Nightclub
But she lives out on the coast
Driven mad by the smog and work
That she loves
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
On a summer night, drinking beer
They swing in his hammock softly
And though she curses her career
And she knows that her lifestyle's costly
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
The lyrics of Michelle Phillips's "There She Goes" tell the story of a woman who is caught between two worlds: the world of work and city life where she lives, and the world of love and freedom that she desires. The singer describes this woman as someone who is driven mad by the smog and work, yet still loves it. She is torn between what she has and what she longs for. The man in the song wants to see her up close, but she lives out on the coast. Despite this, they share moments together where they swing on his hammock and drink beer.
The title of the song, "There She Goes", can be seen as an expression of the singer's admiration for the woman's strength and determination. She is constantly moving and running, never satisfied with her current situation. She has a "fresh gardenia in her hair", which could symbolize her desire for beauty and elegance in her life. The woman in the song is constantly searching for something, but the song suggests that she may never find it.
The lyrics of "There She Goes" are simple yet powerful. They tell the story of a woman who is searching for something she may never find. The song is a testament to the human desire for freedom and love, and the struggles that come with pursuing these ideals.
Line by Line Meaning
He wants to see her up close
The person mentioned wants to get a closer look at the woman he is interested in.
And hold her tight
Additionally, he desires to embrace her tightly.
At the Bluebird Nightclub
It seems that he wishes to see her at a specific location, the Bluebird Nightclub.
But she lives out on the coast
However, the woman resides far from the mentioned location, somewhere on the coast.
Driven mad by the smog and work
She seems to be overwhelmed with the pollution and long working hours.
That she loves
Nevertheless, despite all the difficulties, she still enjoys her job.
There she goes
The woman of interest is on the move.
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
She is running out of someplace with a flower in her hair.
Running fast
She is in a hurry and is moving quickly.
To no one, nowhere
It is unclear where she is headed or who she is rushing to meet.
On a summer night, drinking beer
Despite the uncertain circumstances with the woman, the person mentioned is enjoying a summer night while drinking beer.
They swing in his hammock softly
The person mentioned is enjoying the night while swinging softly in his hammock with a companion.
And though she curses her career
Even though she complains about her job earlier,
And she knows that her lifestyle's costly
she understands that her current lifestyle comes at a great expense.
Contributed by Thomas M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joshua Xavier
He wants to see her up close
And hold her tight
At the Bluebird Nightclub
But she lives out on the coast
Driven mad by the smog and work
That she loves
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
On a summer night, drinking beer
They swing in his hammock softly
And though she curses her career
And she knows that her lifestyle's costly
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
Eran Edry
Wonderful! More people should get to enjoy Mich's work.
Eran Edry
I could not agree more, Johnny. No one is more humble or gracious than Michelle herself about her musical body of work which makes listening to it even more special because you get to appreciate how much talent she did bring to the fold not only with The Mamas and Papas but also on her own. I can tell you some of the tracks that never made it onto Victim of Romance are hauntingly beautiful.
JohnnyM Fan
True. Too bad her album wasn't a success. I would have loved to hear more from her ,instead of her acting career, She was a good songwriter,too. She wrote There She Goes.
R Ski
Wish I could find more of Michelle live.
JohnnyM Fan
I didn't know she did live recordings. About 8 years ago, I saw her at a M & P performance here in nyc. I dont know why,but I asked MackKenzie to sign a M & P cd I never got to meet Michelle..
Markus Kozlik
So her first solo album wasn't successful, no reason to stop making records. I would like to hear more of her.
JohnnyM Fan
there are about 20 total tracks from her most on youtube.
Joshua Xavier
He wants to see her up close
And hold her tight
At the Bluebird Nightclub
But she lives out on the coast
Driven mad by the smog and work
That she loves
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
On a summer night, drinking beer
They swing in his hammock softly
And though she curses her career
And she knows that her lifestyle's costly
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
There she goes
Running out with a fresh gardenia in her hair
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
Running fast
To no one, nowhere
Awake 7
Underrated song
Projekt Doskonały
Very nice song. She has a very soft voice.
Im sorry that Michelle recorded only one album.