A Bite of Cass Elliot 🍪
The iconic powerhouse that stole my heart
Monday Bites are bite-sized musician spotlights & playlists by Grace Lilly.
Enjoying the series? Support here to keep the good stuff coming 😊
• 3 min read •
No one makes me feel like Cass does
It’s like my body can sense her strength, her supersaturated spirit. I even limit how often I listen to her music because it’s so affecting.
It feels weird to listen to Cass when I’m doing something else. She deserves my full attention.
Growing up, I heard The Mamas & The Papas playing around the house constantly. But I didn’t fall in love with Cass until I graduated college. The first time I heard her solo, it hit me that she was the reason I loved listening to The Mamas & The Papas. There’s something undeniable about her voice. It’s strong and sweet like a candy apple, and she uses it masterfully.
Cass Elliot
The basics
🤝 American singer
🤝 b. 1941 (Baltimore, MD) - 1974 (London, UK)
🤝 one of the defining voices of the counterculture movement of the 60s & 70s
Why you should know her: a pioneer pop-culture feminist and icon; one of the greatest singers of her generation
If you like
✨ Haim
✨ Carol King
✨ Lady Gaga
✨ Florence and the Machine
✨ Elton John
Known for
🏆 Her distinctive powerhouse voice that defined a new musical era by blending folk, rock and pop into a trademark sound
🏆 Her optimistic, magnetic personality that crowds loved; unapologetically flirtatious & hilarious, she charmed audiences
🏆 Being a member of The Mamas & the Papas; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
🏆 Garnered immense respect in a male-dominated industry, setting the stage for the then-nascent feminist movement
Bite-sized facts
🍪 Born Ellen Naomi Cohen, she adopted “Cass” in high school and “Elliot” in memory of a friend who died
🍪 All 4 of her grandparents were Russian-Jewish immigrants; her family was subject to significant financial stresses during her childhood
🍪 Released 5 solo albums after The Mamas & The Papas broke up
🍪 A beloved fixture on American television, performed on musical variety shows; hosted 2 of her own specials
🍪 Nicknamed “The Queen of Los Angeles Pop Society,” friends with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, The Beach Boys
🍪 A natural-born matchmaker, Cass was at least partially responsible for the unions of Crosby, Stills & Nash, and The Lovin’ Spoonful
Songs & dates
♫ 1968 Her single “Dream a Little Dream of Me” from her first solo album hits No. 2 on the Billboard charts
♫ 1969 "It's Getting Better" and "Make Your Own Kind of Music" from her second album reach the Billboard Top 20
♫ 1970 "New World Coming" hits No. 4 on the charts
♫ 1972 Releases "Baby I'm Yours" off her first album for RCA, Cass Elliot
She said
⭐ “If you truly dig what you are doing, if you lay it out that way, nobody can not respond. That's what rock and roll is; it's relentless.”
⭐ “Honesty is all you need.”
⭐ “There's so much talk about the drug generation and songs about drugs. That's stupid. They aren't songs about drugs; they're about life.”
My Cass Playlist
I gathered my fav Cass songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week 💗
Where to start
“Make Your Own Kind of Music”
Performing one of my favorite of her songs, live in 1969
〰️
On The Tonight Show
Watch footage from the “Cass Elliot Day” parade in Baltimore in this interview with Johnny Carson (1973)
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
The Mama Cass Television Program on Youtube
Cass with Joni Mitchell and Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary. Watch here. (Plus, check out the program’s epic intro here).
Like this?
If you enjoyed this post, leave a comment! It makes me very happy ✨
Latest diary entry 🤫
“What’s your favorite movie?”
Ever since I saw it ten years ago, Xavier Dolan’s 2012 masterpiece Laurence Anyways has been my go-to response whenever someone asks that question.
To me, it’s perfect.
It’s one of those movies that just talking about it gives me goosebumps. I feel like a crushing schoolgirl. I get butterflies.
Music lover? Subscribe! It’s fun and free.
Real people, real stories
Join our community of music lovers and brighten up your week.
“I love getting those emails! My inbox is so bleak it brings so much joy!” - Olivia
“We need more things like this in the world!” - Paul
“Such a great idea, and so much better than just a song rec.” - Madeline
In an increasingly lonely world, This Song Changed My Life exists as an antidote to the sterility of the algorithm. Here you’ll find ultra-personal stories from real people all over the globe, gathered intentionally to make you feel more connected to others through music ❤️
If you like this
Please consider upgrading your free subscription to paid to support my work and get exclusive content 😊
“This post was worth a paid sub alone.”
Paid subscribers get a secret post every month. I open up, get personal, and share extra special music — and you help keep TSCML going.
What people are saying
〰️ “This is my favorite post yet.”
〰️ “I so love when you introduce new things to me.”
〰️ “Great great playlist. Honestly you have the best taste.”
Learn more about me and my other projects: check out my personal newsletter, Weirdly Good <3
Explore
The ballad that soundtracked Luke McCanna's early crushes, and steered him toward a career in live music — No. 029 - Elvis Costello's Alison changed my life
Sources
https://www.casselliot.com/biography.htm
https://www.biography.com/musicians/mama-cass
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Elliot
Good God do I love Cass. And to look at what she put up with body shaming, her reputation, etc it makes her output even more remarkable. What a talent!