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.
Winken' Blinken and Nod
The Mamas & the Papas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sailed off in a wooden shoe
Sailed on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew
"Now where are you going
And what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three
That live in this beatiful sea
Nets of silver and gold have we,"
Said Wynken and Blynken and Nod
The old moon laughed and sang a song
As they rocked in the wooden shoe
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew
Well the little stars where the herring fish
That lived in the beautiful sea
"Now cast your nets where ever you wish
Never afraid are we,"
So sang the stars to the fishermen three
Wynken and Blynken and Nod
All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe
Bringing the fishermen home
'Twas all so pretty a sight it seemed
As if it could not be
But some folks thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing the beautiful sea
But I shall name you the fishermen three
Wynken and Blynken and Nod
Now Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes
And a Nod is a little head
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee-one's trundle bed
So close your eyes while daddy sings
Of the beautiful sights that be
You will see the wonderful things
As you rock in the misty sea
Where the old moon rocked the fishermen three
Wynken and Blynken and Nod
(Wynken and Blynken and Nod)
Wynken and Blynken and Nod
The Mamas & the Papas's song "Winken' Blinken and Nod" tells the story of three fishermen, Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, who sail off in a wooden shoe on a river of crystal light into a sea of dew. When the old moon asks them where they are going and what they wish, they respond that they have come to fish for the herring fish that live in the beautiful sea. The stars, which are actually the herring fish, guide them and sing to them to cast their nets wherever they wish without fear. The fishermen catch many fish and return home in the wooden shoe. The song is actually a lullaby, as the last stanza tells the listener to close their eyes and imagine themselves on a misty sea, just like Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
The lyrics of "Winken' Blinken and Nod" are based on a poem by Eugene Field, an American writer, and poet who lived in the 19th century. The original poem was titled "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" and was first published in 1889.
The song was released by The Mamas & the Papas in 1969, and it was the last single the band released before they disbanded.
The song has been covered by several artists over the years, including Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Dylan.
The song was used in a commercial for Volkswagen in the 1990s.
The term "wooden shoe" in the lyrics refers to a traditional Dutch clog.
The song was not originally intended to be recorded by The Mamas & the Papas. The band was approached by the producer Lou Adler to record the song for a children's album he was working on.
The song features John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, and Denny Doherty on lead vocals, with Cass Elliot providing backing vocals.
The song was not as successful as some of The Mamas & the Papas's earlier hits, but it still reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The chords for "Winken' Blinken and Nod" are G, C, D7, and Em.
Line by Line Meaning
Wynken and Blynken and Nod one night
Two little eyes and a little head went to bed one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe
Went to sleep in a small bed
Sailed on a river of crystal light
Fell asleep surrounded by a dreamy atmosphere
Into a sea of dew
Into a peaceful sleep
"Now where are you going
And what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three
A peaceful night's sleep was interrupted by a dream conversation with the moon
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea
Nets of silver and gold have we,"
Said Wynken and Blynken and Nod
The dreamers explained their reason for being in this dreamy world
The old moon laughed and sang a song
As they rocked in the wooden shoe
The moon provided comfort to the sleepy dreamers
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew
The noises around them became part of the dream, a peaceful lullaby
Well the little stars where the herring fish
That lived in the beautiful sea
"Now cast your nets where ever you wish
Never afraid are we,"
So sang the stars to the fishermen three
Wynken and Blynken and Nod
In their dream, stars sang them a song to help them catch the fish they were after
All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam
The dreamers spent the night trying to catch the herring fish
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe
Bringing the fishermen home
Morning arrives, the dream ends and it is time to wake up
'Twas all so pretty a sight it seemed
As if it could not be
But some folks thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of sailing the beautiful sea
The dream was so beautiful it seemed unreal
But I shall name you the fishermen three
Wynken and Blynken and Nod
Names were given to the dreamers
Now Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes
And a Nod is a little head
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee-one's trundle bed
The names represent the parts of the body in the bed, and the dream was a child's imagination
So close your eyes while daddy sings
Of the beautiful sights that be
You will see the wonderful things
As you rock in the misty sea
Where the old moon rocked the fishermen three
Wynken and Blynken and Nod
(Wynken and Blynken and Nod)
Wynken and Blynken and Nod
The dream was actually a bedtime story being told by the father
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LUCY SIMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sbarr10
Isn't it amazing how Cass Elliott's voice could be so powerful and like honey at the same time?
@1charlastar
This is my favorite version of this song. Cass Elliot had an incredible voice.
@JLMBme
Lovely harmonies they set this lovely poem so "WINKEN, BLINKEN, and NOD" by Eugene Field................I .LIKE VERY MUCH, THanks for sharing.
@mznanbme
Beautiful version of this song.
@Gotostep2
One of my favorites from the Mamas and the Papas.
@walthanas
One of my favourite songs. Thanks for posting this!
@vakantieland4
Her voice is unique, warm and so beautiful. No female singer can match her. Wish she was still here.
@rslitman
This is one of at least two recordings of this song in the 1963-1964 time frame that, while not big hits, featured future hit recording artists. The other one was by the Simon Sisters, one of which was Carly Simon.
@moonbeamchaos
rslitman Of Simon and Shuster, which I only recently learned. They had a great family.
@emmaschneider4693
So beautiful Cass.