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.
Rooms
Scott McKenzie Lyrics
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The things that they have seen;
Rooms that you shared with me,
And the rooms in between...
When you're gone, there's a drought of love.
Mornings we would wake up
Afraid of some break-up
Before the day could end.
When you're gone, there's a drought of love;
Empty rooms without your love.
Why can't we seem to get it on?
(Why can't we seem to get it on)
Words remain unspoken (words...);
Thoughts cannot be heard
(Thoughts...cannot be heard).
Love's just a token
Without some spoken word.
When your gone, there's a drought of love.
When you're gone, there's a drought of love;
Empty rooms without your love.
Why can't we seem to get it on?
(Why can't we seem to get it on)
Rooms that you will live in
Not a part of me.
(They'll never see...)
Rooms that you'll make love in;
Rooms I've never seen.
When you're gone, there's a drought of love...
When you're gone, there's a drought of love...
The lyrics of "Rooms" by Scott McKenzie evoke the memories of the singer's past relationships and the rooms they have lived in. The singer speaks to someone who has left them, and reminisces about their shared spaces and experiences. As they go through their quiet, empty rooms, they feel a sense of loneliness and loss. They are haunted by the memories of the mornings they woke up together, the fear of breakups before day's end and the love they shared. They realize the power of love to transform a room, to make it a sacred shared space, and regret that without the love of the one they lost, these spaces have lost all meaning. While love is a powerful force, it is fragile too, and without shared words and thoughts, it is only a token. The singer aches for the return of this love and wonders why they can’t make it work.
The song's message is simple and universal: the importance of communication and the shared experience. No matter how beautiful a space may be, it is the people and love that fill it that make it special. Without that love, a room can become an empty shell. The song builds a sense of longing and melancholy with slow, mournful instrumentation and the mournful delivery of McKenzie's vocals. Thus, "Rooms" is not only a tale of lost love, but a powerful reminder of the importance of communication and sharing our lives with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Rooms that we have lived in,
We have lived in so many different rooms and experienced so many different things together.
The things that they have seen;
These rooms have been witness to all of our joys, sorrows, and memorable moments.
Rooms that you shared with me,
We have shared so many different rooms together, each with their own unique memories.
And the rooms in between...
Even the in-between spaces have their own significance and memories attached to them.
When you're gone, there's a drought of love.
When you're not here with me, it feels like there is a severe lack of love and affection in my life.
Mornings we would wake up
Early mornings spent together are some of our fondest memories.
Just to taste our love again,
The physical expression of love is so important to us, and it is what we look forward to each day.
Afraid of some break-up
We are always fearful of the possibility of our relationship coming to an end.
Before the day could end.
We want to cherish every moment we have together, and try to avoid anything that could potentially cause conflict or a break-up.
Empty rooms without your love.
The rooms we shared together feel empty and meaningless without you here with me.
Why can't we seem to get it on?
We are struggling to keep the spark and passion in our relationship alive, and are not sure how to reignite it.
(Why can't we seem to get it on)
This is a reflection of our persistent thoughts and anxieties about not being able to maintain the same level of love and passion in our relationship.
Words remain unspoken (words...);
There are things that we want to say to each other, but we hold back or struggle to articulate them properly.
Thoughts cannot be heard
Even though we think about each other all the time, we struggle to express these thoughts in verbal communication.
(Thoughts...cannot be heard).
This creates a sense of disconnect and frustration, as we are unable to communicate and connect with each other on a deeper level.
Love's just a token
Without any genuine emotional connection or communication, love can feel shallow and like nothing more than a mere symbol or gesture.
Without some spoken word.
Verbal communication is essential for any meaningful connection, and without it, we struggle to maintain our relationship.
Rooms that you will live in
As life moves forward, there will be new rooms and spaces that you will inhabit without me, and vice versa.
Not a part of me.
These new spaces will be separate from our shared experiences and memories together, and over time we will slowly drift apart.
(They'll never see...)
These rooms will never be able to witness or hold the same meaning that the rooms we shared together did.
Rooms that you'll make love in;
There will be new intimate spaces where you will express your love and affection, but these spaces will not hold the same memories or significance as the ones we shared together.
Rooms I've never seen.
I will never be able to fully know or understand the new spaces that you will inhabit and share with someone else.
When you're gone, there's a drought of love...
This repeated line drives home the central theme of the song: when we are apart, there is a profound sense of loss and a lack of fulfillment in our lives.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN EDMUND ANDREW PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind