(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Thu 25 December 2025 16:37, UK
By the end of The Mamas and the Papas’ reign, it became clear that most people who couldn’t keep up with certain talents would surely be left behind. Thankfully, Cass Elliot wouldn’t be one of them.
The tail-end of the 1960s was strange for most musicians, even the ones riding high in their respective careers. This was due to a multitude of reasons, the first of which was, as John Phillips once said, the standard had become so high that people either rose to the challenge or got left behind. This was one of the reasons why the Papas eventually split – because, in his words, “It was tough to keep up”.
Cass Elliot had her own challenges. 1968’s Dream a Little Dream of Me was indicative of a star who longed to break free from the shackles of a group entity, and its success only proved how fated such a step would turn out to be. The end of the Papas was a struggle for its members, not just because bands like The Beatles had pushed the industry’s competitiveness to new heights, but because Elliot was already looking elsewhere for the respect and recognition that she deserved.
The funny thing was that the band’s split wasn’t ever officially confirmed as much as implied when its members started to break off, but this came to a more substantial endpoint when in 1968, Elliot gave a definitive interview with Rolling Stone, in which she reflected on her time in the band, why they gained popularity, and how she really felt about their fourth record – all while looking forward and discussing her new debut album.
Elliot was noticeably diplomatic about how the band soared to the top, especially since certain professional and personal aspects left a bitter taste in her mouth. However, while looking back at what they had seemed special at the time, Elliot praised the ways that they performed together with such ease, and in a way that made her excited about what they could achieve together.
The Mamas and The Papas in the 1960s. (Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
This was especially hard to find in her circles. And often, when magic struck as organically as it did when the members of the Papas came together, diving in headfirst was a no-brainer. And that’s precisely what they did, until it simply didn’t work anymore. But when it worked, there was nothing complicated about it. It just was.
As Elliot put it, “If you are good, you can always create a place for yourself. […] When I heard us sing together the first time, we knew, we knew, this is it.”
Elliot also said that she missed being part of the group and that she hoped they would one day get together again. But she also seemed more privy to the fact that, often in music, reunions only ever happen when the timing is right. And even then, there needs to be an appetite for the music and the musicians themselves for it to work. And judging by her feelings towards their 1968 self-titled record, any longer future for the band might have been out of the question.
In the same interview, Elliot was particularly forthcoming about how she felt during the record’s creation. “I didn’t quite understand that last album,” she said. “I thought it was overdone. My role in The Mamas and Papas was basically just to sing. John (Phillips) did all the arranging, and although there were a lot of things I didn’t really understand, we did them.”
She also listed her favourite tracks from the band, while noting how none of them come from that specific record. “‘No Salt on Her Tail’, ‘Look Through My Window’, ‘Monday, Monday’, ‘Go Where You Want to Go’, ‘Got a Feeling’,” she concluded. “Notice I haven’t mentioned any songs from the last album. I wonder what that is. Maybe because that album was such an arduous task. We spent one whole month on one song, just the vocals for ‘The Love of Ivy’ took one whole month!”
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