McKenzie grew up in North Carolina and Virginia, where he became friends with the son of one of his mother's friends, John Phillips. In the mid 1950s, he sang briefly with Tim Rose in a high school group called The Singing Strings, and later, with Phillips, Mike Boran and Bill Cleary, he helped form a doo wop band, The Abstracts. In New York, The Abstracts became The Smoothies and recorded two singles with Decca Records, produced by Milt Gabler.
In 1961 Phillips and McKenzie met Dick Weissman and formed The Journeymen, which recorded three albums for Capitol Records. After the Journeymen disbanded in 1964, the members discussed forming a group called The Mamas & the Papas. McKenzie wanted to perform on his own, so Phillips formed the group with Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot and Michelle Phillips, his second wife. The group soon moved to California. Two years later, McKenzie followed from New York and signed with Lou Adler's Ode Records. Phillips wrote and produced "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)" for McKenzie, which was released in 1967. Phillips played guitar on the recording and Michelle Phillips played bells. It became a top-five smash in the United States and a number one hit in many other countries in the world.
"San Francisco" became a hippie anthem in the United States and was popular around the world. It was played during the Summer of Love in San Francisco. McKenzie followed it with "Like An Old Time Movie", also written and produced by Phillips, which was a minor hit. His first album, The Voice of Scott McKenzie was followed with an album called Stained Glass Morning. He stopped recording about that time in the early-1970s and lived in Joshua Tree, California and Virginia Beach.
In 1986, McKenzie started singing with a new version of The Mamas and the Papas. In 1988 he co-wrote the Beach Boys hit "Kokomo" with Phillips, Mike Love and Terry Melcher; the song featured in the hit Tom Cruise movie Cocktail. In 1998 he retired from the road version of The Mamas and Papas.
McKenzie died on August 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA.
Reason To Believe
Scott McKenzie Lyrics
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I'd find a way to believe that it's all true
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
Someone like you makes it hard to live without somebody else
Someone like you makes it easy to give, never think about myself.
I'd find a way just to leave the past behind
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
If I listened long enough to you
I'd find a way to believe that it's all true
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
The lyrics of Scott McKenzie's song Reason To Believe are about a person who is struggling to let go of a past relationship, despite knowing that their partner had lied to them. The singer of the song admits that they would believe anything their partner tells them, even knowing that they had lied to them while they were crying. However, they still holds on to the hope that there is a reason to believe that their love was genuine.
The song expresses the emotional difficulty of letting go of someone who has hurt you deeply, and the power that love holds over our feelings and decisions, even in the face of deception. The song suggests that even when we know something is not true, we may still cling to it if we see it as a way to find meaning or purpose in our lives.
Overall, the lyrics of Reason To Believe are a poignant exploration of the complexities of human relationships and the power of hope and love to keep us holding on, even when the odds seem stacked against us.
Line by Line Meaning
If I listened long enough to you
If I paid attention to you for a considerable amount of time
I'd find a way to believe that it's all true
I would convince myself that everything you say is factual
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried
Despite being aware that you deceived me with a calm expression as I wept
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
I continue to search for evidence that supports my faith in you
Someone like you makes it hard to live without somebody else
A person of your type makes it challenging to exist without a companion
Someone like you makes it easy to give, never think about myself.
An individual similar to you makes it effortless to be selfless without care for oneself
If I gave you time to change my mind
If I allowed you an opportunity to persuade me otherwise
I'd find a way just to leave the past behind
I would discover a means to forget about past situations
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried
Despite being aware that you deceived me with a calm expression as I wept
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
I still search for a rationale that supports my faith in you
If I listened long enough to you
If I paid attention to you for a considerable amount of time
I'd find a way to believe that it's all true
I would persuade myself that everything you proclaim is accurate
Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried
Despite being aware that you deceived me with a calm expression as I wept
Still I look to find a reason to believe.
I continue to search for proof that supports my faith in you
Contributed by Colton G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.