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.
String Man
The Mamas & the Papas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who played guitar in a rock and roll band.
And every night I'd watch them play
But it happened at the matinee
How I squirmed when he bent those strings,
And I screamed when he started to sing.
The way he moved and looked so groovy,
Well, ya know, he did something to me.
So I followed the string man
Who played guitar in a string band.
And every night I'd watch them play,
And they got better everyday.
Pretty soon, and what do ya think
(What do you think)
Everybody's saying they're the biggest thing
(The biggest thing)
Hit records and making the scene
(The scene)
Sexy pictures in the fan magazines.
String man...string man...string man...string man...
I strung along with the string man;
He always called me his biggest fan.
Though he was kind, I should have known better
Than to think we'd always stay together.
And then one night the show was wild and loud,
And I saw a pretty girl out in the crowd.
She waved at him and caught his eye
The way he looked at her it made me cry.
String man
String man...string man...string man...
String man...string man...string man...
String man...string man...string man...
In "String Man," The Mamas & the Papas sing about falling in love with the guitarist in a rock and roll band. The song shows how the singer becomes infatuated with the string man and his various skills and moves on stage. The lyrics emphasize how the string man's skills at playing the guitar and singing mesmerize the singer to the point of obsession. The singer continues to follow him and his band everywhere and describe how their popularity grows with every performance. Yet, the once-beloved string man falls for a pretty girl in the audience, and the singer experiences heartbreak, leading her to call out his name one last time, ultimately expressing her longing and yearning for him.
The song contains a narrative about the power of music and how it can affect our emotions, attitudes, and changing our lives. The Mamas & the Papas express how people become infatuated with performers' performances and how they seem to live a charmed life regardless of the circumstances. The lyrics show the singer's admiration, love, and ultimately, heartbreak in the face of a musician who she fell for early on.
Line by Line Meaning
I fell in love with the string man
I developed feelings for the guitarist of a rock and roll band.
Who played guitar in a rock and roll band.
The man I fell in love with was the guitarist of a band that played rock and roll music.
And every night I'd watch them play
I would attend their concerts every night to watch him play.
But it happened at the matinee
However, something significant occurred during a daytime performance.
How I squirmed when he bent those strings,
I was aroused by the way he played his guitar and bent the strings.
And I screamed when he started to sing.
His singing also excited me to the point where I would scream in excitement.
The way he moved and looked so groovy,
I found his movements and demeanor to be effortlessly cool and suave.
Well, ya know, he did something to me.
In short, he had a significant effect on my feelings and emotions.
So I followed the string man
I began frequently attending the band's concerts and following him.
Who played guitar in a string band.
He later played guitar in a band that specialized in string music.
And they got better everyday.
As time went on, the quality of their performance gradually improved.
Pretty soon, and what do ya think
Before long, something significant occurred.
(What do you think)
The artist leaves this space for the listener to contemplate or add their thoughts.
Everybody's saying they're the biggest thing
The band became widely recognized and acclaimed.
(The biggest thing)
The artist hints that the band had become one of the most well-known and successful acts around.
Hit records and making the scene
They produced hit songs and achieved mainstream popularity.
(The scene)
The artist hints at the band's widespread success and recognition among the public.
Sexy pictures in the fan magazines.
Their growing popularity meant that they began appearing on magazine covers and had followers who found them sexually attractive.
I strung along with the string man;
I followed the guitarist, who had become my romantic partner.
He always called me his biggest fan.
He repeatedly told me that I was his most significant supporter.
Though he was kind, I should have known better
Despite his kindness, I should have realized that our romantic relationship was not meant to last.
Than to think we'd always stay together.
I held misguided and unrealistic expectations of our future.
And then one night the show was wild and loud,
One night, during a particularly energetic and boisterous performance,
And I saw a pretty girl out in the crowd.
I noticed a beautiful woman in the audience.
She waved at him and caught his eye
The woman waved at my partner, who took notice of her.
The way he looked at her it made me cry.
His gaze towards her was so intense that it caused me to shed tears of sadness and disappointment.
String man
A phrase that reminds the audience of the guitarist's passion and mastery of the instrument.
String man...string man...string man...
A rhythmic repetition of the phrase 'string man' that emphasizes its significance.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN EDMUND ANDREW PHILLIPS, MICHELLE GILLIAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind