Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot, John Phillips, and Michelle Phillips formed the group in New York after previous folk groups (The Mugwumps, The New Journeymen) failed. The foursome hit it big immediately after forming The Mamas & the Papas with "California Dreamin'", still their most recognizable and enduring song (The group's early history is amusingly chronicled in the song "Creeque Alley").
The name of the band was inspired by a daytime television talk show. Before the group recorded their debut album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, the band was known for a short time as The Magic Circle. Wanting an easier name to remember, they were sitting around their house (which all four band members initially shared) brainstorming on a new name. Someone switched on the TV and a talk show was on with a Hells Angel. The first thing they heard was: "Now hold on there, Hoss. Some people call our women cheap, but we just call them our Mamas." Cass jumped up and exclaimed, "Yeah! I want to be a Mama!" Michelle chimed in that she wanted to be a "Mama" too. John and Denny looked at each other and John said, "Papas? Okay, problem solved." And the band had a new name.
In interviews, former band members confide that their recording sessions (and lifestyles) were usually heavily drug-laden, with large reserves of marijuana and other popular 1960s drugs on hand. They even admit that their young children, also usually present at recording sessions, openly witnessed their drug activities. Said drug usage clearly contributed to inter-group tensions.
John Phillips had married Michelle Gilliam back on December 31, 1962, long before the formation of the band. Early on in the band's history, when they were still "The Magic Circle", Michelle and Doherty began an affair in 1965. They were able to keep it secret from the other two band members for quite some time. During a trip to Mexico, Doherty revealed his affair to Elliot, who was furious (since she was secretly in love with Doherty). Soon afterwards, John Phillips caught Michelle and Doherty in the act and moved out of the house.
John could not stand to live with Michelle afterwards and so moved back in with Doherty. At this point Michelle fled into the arms of Gene Clark of The Byrds (friends and rivals of The Mamas & the Papas). After one concert where Michelle blew kisses to front-row-seated Clark, John said he could not stand to perform with Michelle 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.
At this point they hired a new band member to replace Michelle, Jill Gibson, girlfriend of their producer Lou Adler. Gibson was already a singer/songwriter who had performed on several Jan and Dean albums. In fact, she had once been involved with Jan Berry for seven years before becoming romantically linked to Adler. Gibson was however not known as a strong singer, but learned to sing Michelle's parts within three weeks while the band was in London, England. Jill Gibson's vocals are featured on the band's second album The Mamas & the Papas, except for two tracks that include Michelle. Gibson's most important asset, however, was that she was a good replacement for Michelle: long blond hair, slim figure, pretty face, good voice, etc. Shortly after recording and touring with Gibson, it became apparent that some fans were not happy with the substitution while others did not mind. Afterwards, largely due to John, the band reintroduced Michelle to the lineup in late August 1966. Gibson received an undisclosed lump sum for her part and later would admit to feeling betrayed by John Phillips.
Michelle and John reconciled and bought a home together in Bel Air, while the band tried to forge ahead. Things seemed fine for a while (at least they pretended they were). The group recorded their third album Deliver, which became a huge hit, and during this same time Denny was drinking heavily trying to forget Michelle. He still had a hard time seeing her back with John. Eventually the band closed the first ever Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967, but performed dismally. John Phillips, Michelle Phillips and Lou Adler organized the festival, and according to interviews with the members of the group, they were all so caught up in the festival they never got around to rehearsing. That, combined with Denny Doherty's last minute arrival from Canada, created an unmemorable performance.
The band tried to work on another album (to which they were contractually bound). After making no progress, they decided to take a trip in October of 1967, to Europe to spark their creativity. While in England at a party thrown by Dunhill Records, their record label, Elliot was talking to Mick Jagger. John approached them and made an insulting remark about her in front of the guests. Disgusted and humiliated, she stormed out of the party and quit the band. Their record company released a Greatest Hits compilation as a stopgap measure. Cass was contractually bound for the band's next LP, and therefore appeared on The Papas & the Mamas, the group's fourth album.
The band broke up in July 1968. In a rare interview, after the group's break up, with Rolling Stone magazine, Cass admitted she wanted to go solo and that this is what had caused the official break up of the band.
Cass Elliot started a very successful solo career and toured the U.S. and Europe, becoming popular with hits such as "Make Your Own Kind of Music." In reviewing their contracts, the record company decided the band owed them one more album. After about a year apart, the band regrouped and released their final album People Like Us in 1971. They disbanded in 1972.
While on tour, Elliot died of a heart attack on July 29, 1974 (not from choking on a ham sandwich, as is sometimes reported). John Phillips died of heart failure on March 18, 2001. Michelle Phillips went on to a successful acting career, appearing in the 1973 movie Dillinger as well in the television drama Knots Landing, among others. Denny Doherty went on to host a popular variety show in Canada. Denny Doherty died on January 19, 2007. His sister Frances Arnold said the singer-songwriter died at his home in Mississauga, a city just west of Toronto, after a short illness. Michelle Phillips is now the only surviving member of the band.
John's eldest daughter from his first marriage, Mackenzie Phillips, had a moderately successful career as an actress in the mid-70s, having first appeared in George Lucas's hit film American Graffiti (1973) and then in the successful TV series One Day at a Time, but found her success so overshadowed by her problems with drug addiction—habits that she had shared personally with her father—that by 1979 her career had effectively ended due to her inability to work. She had been in the spotlight in recent days for her tell-all book in which she reveals that she has consensual sex with her father, John Phillips, for a period of over ten years, ending when she was around eighteen. John and Michelle's daughter, Chynna, would go on to form the band Wilson Phillips along with Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson (the daughters of Beach Boys' Brian Wilson), with whom she's been friends since infancy. John's youngest daughter, Bijou Phillips, is a successful actress and model.
The Mamas & the Papas were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000.
In recent years, entirely new, succeeding incarnations of The Mamas & the Papas have toured small cities nationwide—most notably featuring Spanky McFarlane and Scott McKenzie as part of the lineup—but none of them have the spirit and impact of the original group that John Phillips helped to build.
Nothing's Too Good for My Little Girl
The Mamas & the Papas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To talk with your dad.
He said that the organization
Makes his heart feel glad.
I picked out a movie, we went with your dad.
And he said that it's this kind of movie
That'll turn a good kid bad.
He should know cause he's a dad
Yes, I guess you'll never be had
Cause how many times have I heard him say...
Nothing's too good for my little girl
Give her the best, I say.
It's always first class
For my little girl all the way.
One night in a nightdream,
I dreamt of your daddy.
He was making up a list
Of all the things he thought I should have.
One day in a daydream, I found you alone,
But I didn't try to kiss you
Or even make you my own
Cause you belong to Dad
You're not on the list of things I should have
And I'm the kid who went bad.
How many times have I heard him say...
Nothing's too good for my little girl
Give her the best, I say.
It's always first class
For my little girl all the way.
No, nothin's too good for my little girl
Give her the best, I say.
It's always first class
For my little girl all the way.
Nothing's too good for my little girl...
The song "Nothing's Too Good for My Little Girl" by The Mamas & the Papas is a tale of unrequited love that is subtly implied through the lyrics. The singer is dreaming of a girl who is already taken by her dad, who wants nothing but the best for his daughter. The singer seems to be in love with the girl and expresses his love for her through the things he imagines buying her. He goes out of his way to please her and imagines her father as a hindrance to his love.
The first stanza of the song seems to describe the singer's meeting with the girl's father. The father is happy with the organization he works for and the singer takes the girl out to a movie, only to have her father warn them that the movie would turn them bad. This could be interpreted as the father trying to protect his daughter, but it also shows how he is wary of the singer's intentions towards his daughter.
The second stanza is where the singer's feelings become more apparent. He dreams of the girl's father making a list of things he should have to impress her. Later, he finds her alone but does not pursue his desires because he thinks she belongs to her father. The song ends with the singer lamenting the fact that he cannot have the girl he loves.
Overall, the song's lyrics do not explicitly state the singer's love for the girl, but rather hint at it. It is a subtle, almost tragic, tale of unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
A Thursday night meeting
We had plans to meet on Thursday night
To talk with your dad.
To have a conversation with your father
He said that the organization
Your father expressed that the organization
Makes his heart feel glad.
Brings joy to him
I picked out a movie, we went with your dad.
I chose a movie and we watched it with your dad
And he said that it's this kind of movie
He commented on this specific genre of movie
That'll turn a good kid bad.
He believes it can influence behavior in a negative way
He should know cause he's a dad
He has experience in parenting
and he knows what's good and what's bad;
And can differentiate between right and wrong
Yes, I guess you'll never be had
I assume you won't be negatively impacted
Cause how many times have I heard him say...
I've heard him say this often
Nothing's too good for my little girl
He believes his daughter deserves the best
Give her the best, I say.
He urges giving her the best things in life
It's always first class
Only the best quality will suffice
For my little girl all the way.
He wants the best for her always
One night in a nightdream,
In a dream I had at night
I dreamt of your daddy.
I dreamt about your father
He was making up a list
He was creating a list
Of all the things he thought I should have.
Of possessions he believed I should acquire
One day in a daydream, I found you alone,
In another dream, I encountered you by yourself
But I didn't try to kiss you
I refrained from making any advances
Or even make you my own
Or claiming possession of you in any way
Cause you belong to Dad
Because you are his daughter
You're not on the list of things I should have
You are not considered an object to be obtained
And I'm the kid who went bad.
I'm the one who has turned out poorly
No, nothin's too good for my little girl
He reiterates that his daughter deserves only the best
Give her the best, I say.
And he insists on others giving her the best
It's always first class
First class treatment is a must
For my little girl all the way.
He reiterates his unwavering stance on what his daughter deserves
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NED WYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind