LJ Idol Week #6 - Topic: Ovary Punch
This is my entry for week #6 of therealljidol.
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I'm Coming To The Best Part Of My Life
The final straw for Cass Elliot was when fellow The Mamas and The Papas member John Phillips insulted her in front of her hero, Mick Jagger. She quit the band that night and only returned to record their contractually obligated final album under duress.
Now to sing this lovely ballad, here is... Cass Elliot:
Elliot had one of the most beautiful singing voices of the rock era and an unmistakably sensual stage presence that captivated audiences right up to her untimely death at age 33. She died right after completing a run of solo shows at the London Palladium. She received standing ovations every night.
She died in the exact same hotel room that Who drummer Keith Moon died in a few years later. Rock and Roll creates weird situations like that. Elvis Presley and David Bowie shared a birthday. Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison and Cobain all died at age 27. Jan Berry of Jan and Dean crashed his car near the same Dead Man's Curve that he sang about. Everyone hates Mike Love of the Beach Boys. Spooky stuff, man.
Cass Elliot was (and continues to be) treated badly by the world. She was a big lady and though she was very comfortable with her body, the world frequently wasn't. Indeed, John Phillips (who was kind of a douche) wouldn't let her join The Mamas and The Papas at first - even though he acknowledged she had a killer voice - because he thought she was too big. When Phillips finally let her in, he made up a story about how a head injury she suffered knocked three more notes into her vocal range. According to fellow Papa Denny Doherty, that story was basically bullshit. Phillips just didn't think she was the right fit next to three skinny pretty people.
And then there's the song "Creeque Alley." The song is so damn catchy and fun and Cass apparently had a good sense of humor about it, the but the refrain in the first three verses specifically calls out Cass' weight. You'll read a lot of commentary about how "getting fat" was actually a metaphor for Cass' early success but let's be real. Phillips was making Cass sing about her size because that's the kind of asshole he was.
When Papa Denny Doherty and Phillip's wife, Mama Michelle, had an affair, John wrote "I Saw Her Again" about it and made them sing that. While this was a deliberate jerk move aimed at Doherty and Michelle Phillips, what makes it even worse is he made Cass - who was in love with Doherty - sing it too. So, yeah, she had to sing a song about how the man she loved (who didn't love her back) had an affair with her other band mate. Nice work, Phillips, and I hope in the afterlife you have to sing nothing but commercial jingles for eternity.
That was just within her own band. Cass (who, for the record, hated being called "Mama Cass" once she went solo) was the subject of ridicule and criticism for her size for the rest of her career. She was a punch line of jokes on talk shows. She was asked to do sketches on variety shows that referenced her weight, like talking about yogurt while sitting next to a mound of empty containers. Her size was brought up critically in reviews (though most critics had the good sense to also mention that she was a rare talent).
This cycle culminated in a totally false fat-shaming-themed story about her death. Now, repeating a rumor (even to debunk it) lends it credence, so I'll just say that she really just simply died of a heart attack.
The real pisser is even as I write this entry to decry how the media focus on her weight took focus away from her music, I am actively ignoring her talent to discuss her weight. I can't think of a way to address the subject without punching her (figuratively) in the ovaries.
Now that "literally" can be used as a synonym for "figuratively," I no longer have any confidence that either word has any meaning anymore. Now I'm sad about both Elliot and about the state of grammar in the 21st century.
Let's talk about her performance of "Dream a Little Dream of Me." The first recorded version of the song was by the Ozzie Nelson Orchestra. You'll note that this version is more uptempo than Elliot's version. Her version has more in common with Kate Smith's slowed down take on the song, which really allowed Smith to show off her vocal range.
There's a couple of things that make Elliot's version special. First, I think Elliot correctly identifies that this is essentially a seduction song. The key phrase in the lyrics is "I linger on, dear." The singer and her lover haven't parted yet, though the separation is imminent. When Cass sings "I'm longing to linger 'til dawn, dear," she's making him an offer that, if he's not a complete bonehead, he'll accept.
Second, Cass makes some particularly effective vocal choices that make the song sound a little more dramatic. For example, the first verse is understated so that she can cut loose on the bridge and then pull back a little for the final verse. While this isn't exactly innovative, her expert delivery helps to focus the little story embedded in the song.
And finally, Elliot had an excellent sense of vocal control. There's a saying in acting that you should "feel 10, but show 7." This means that even if your internal level of emotion is maxed out, you should only ever let the audience see like 70% of that emotion. It gives you some where to go if you have to, but also seeing a person control a strong emotion is a more effective way of creating an impact on the audience. Elliot might be feeling level 10 infatuation here, but she shows maybe level 6 and it makes the song all the more erotic.
And the song as sung by Elliot is totally erotic. Imagine its late at night after a date with a person that you're totally in love with. Then imagine them leaning in (after a long kiss( and softly singing this song to you in Cass' style as you're getting ready to part for the night. Not to reference a second of this weeks topics, but when I picture that I literally can't even.
We - the people of Earth - lost Cass Elliot far too young. We didn't get to experience her as a disco diva or a Broadway star or an elder of pop music singing duets with Adele. That thought is another punch right there.
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I'm Coming To The Best Part Of My Life
The final straw for Cass Elliot was when fellow The Mamas and The Papas member John Phillips insulted her in front of her hero, Mick Jagger. She quit the band that night and only returned to record their contractually obligated final album under duress.
Now to sing this lovely ballad, here is... Cass Elliot:
Click to viewElliot had one of the most beautiful singing voices of the rock era and an unmistakably sensual stage presence that captivated audiences right up to her untimely death at age 33. She died right after completing a run of solo shows at the London Palladium. She received standing ovations every night.
She died in the exact same hotel room that Who drummer Keith Moon died in a few years later. Rock and Roll creates weird situations like that. Elvis Presley and David Bowie shared a birthday. Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison and Cobain all died at age 27. Jan Berry of Jan and Dean crashed his car near the same Dead Man's Curve that he sang about. Everyone hates Mike Love of the Beach Boys. Spooky stuff, man.
Cass Elliot was (and continues to be) treated badly by the world. She was a big lady and though she was very comfortable with her body, the world frequently wasn't. Indeed, John Phillips (who was kind of a douche) wouldn't let her join The Mamas and The Papas at first - even though he acknowledged she had a killer voice - because he thought she was too big. When Phillips finally let her in, he made up a story about how a head injury she suffered knocked three more notes into her vocal range. According to fellow Papa Denny Doherty, that story was basically bullshit. Phillips just didn't think she was the right fit next to three skinny pretty people.
And then there's the song "Creeque Alley." The song is so damn catchy and fun and Cass apparently had a good sense of humor about it, the but the refrain in the first three verses specifically calls out Cass' weight. You'll read a lot of commentary about how "getting fat" was actually a metaphor for Cass' early success but let's be real. Phillips was making Cass sing about her size because that's the kind of asshole he was.
When Papa Denny Doherty and Phillip's wife, Mama Michelle, had an affair, John wrote "I Saw Her Again" about it and made them sing that. While this was a deliberate jerk move aimed at Doherty and Michelle Phillips, what makes it even worse is he made Cass - who was in love with Doherty - sing it too. So, yeah, she had to sing a song about how the man she loved (who didn't love her back) had an affair with her other band mate. Nice work, Phillips, and I hope in the afterlife you have to sing nothing but commercial jingles for eternity.
That was just within her own band. Cass (who, for the record, hated being called "Mama Cass" once she went solo) was the subject of ridicule and criticism for her size for the rest of her career. She was a punch line of jokes on talk shows. She was asked to do sketches on variety shows that referenced her weight, like talking about yogurt while sitting next to a mound of empty containers. Her size was brought up critically in reviews (though most critics had the good sense to also mention that she was a rare talent).
This cycle culminated in a totally false fat-shaming-themed story about her death. Now, repeating a rumor (even to debunk it) lends it credence, so I'll just say that she really just simply died of a heart attack.
The real pisser is even as I write this entry to decry how the media focus on her weight took focus away from her music, I am actively ignoring her talent to discuss her weight. I can't think of a way to address the subject without punching her (figuratively) in the ovaries.
Now that "literally" can be used as a synonym for "figuratively," I no longer have any confidence that either word has any meaning anymore. Now I'm sad about both Elliot and about the state of grammar in the 21st century.
Let's talk about her performance of "Dream a Little Dream of Me." The first recorded version of the song was by the Ozzie Nelson Orchestra. You'll note that this version is more uptempo than Elliot's version. Her version has more in common with Kate Smith's slowed down take on the song, which really allowed Smith to show off her vocal range.
There's a couple of things that make Elliot's version special. First, I think Elliot correctly identifies that this is essentially a seduction song. The key phrase in the lyrics is "I linger on, dear." The singer and her lover haven't parted yet, though the separation is imminent. When Cass sings "I'm longing to linger 'til dawn, dear," she's making him an offer that, if he's not a complete bonehead, he'll accept.
Second, Cass makes some particularly effective vocal choices that make the song sound a little more dramatic. For example, the first verse is understated so that she can cut loose on the bridge and then pull back a little for the final verse. While this isn't exactly innovative, her expert delivery helps to focus the little story embedded in the song.
And finally, Elliot had an excellent sense of vocal control. There's a saying in acting that you should "feel 10, but show 7." This means that even if your internal level of emotion is maxed out, you should only ever let the audience see like 70% of that emotion. It gives you some where to go if you have to, but also seeing a person control a strong emotion is a more effective way of creating an impact on the audience. Elliot might be feeling level 10 infatuation here, but she shows maybe level 6 and it makes the song all the more erotic.
And the song as sung by Elliot is totally erotic. Imagine its late at night after a date with a person that you're totally in love with. Then imagine them leaning in (after a long kiss( and softly singing this song to you in Cass' style as you're getting ready to part for the night. Not to reference a second of this weeks topics, but when I picture that I literally can't even.
We - the people of Earth - lost Cass Elliot far too young. We didn't get to experience her as a disco diva or a Broadway star or an elder of pop music singing duets with Adele. That thought is another punch right there.