Considering how much it gets played on oldies radio, it would seem like “Go Where You Wanna Go” by The Mamas & The Papas was a big hit. In fact, the band decided against releasing it as a single at the last minute.
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But it did turn into a hit a few years down the road. A cover version by The 5th Dimension did the trick. In any case, the song shines as an example of how a sad story can become a universal sing-along.
From Folk to Pop
The Mamas & The Papas formed in the early 60s when singer-songwriter John Phillips and his wife Michelle joined up with Denny Doherty, another performer on the folk scene in New York City. The last piece of the puzzle came when Cass Elliott, who had been in a group with Doherty, came aboard.
Phillips had initially fought to keep the band in a more traditional folk music lane. As the group’s chief songwriter, he soon realized that the pop music of the day held interesting musical possibilities. Even though they hailed from the East, the band cultivated a sound that would come to characterize the West Coast. Their sunny harmonies and ornate arrangements made sure of it.
After working up a batch of material on a group getaway to the Virgin Islands, The Mamas & The Papas returned and scored a record deal. They initially intended their first single to be a song that spoke to the troubled marriage between John and Michelle Phillips.
A Belated Hit Single
John Phillips wrote “Go Where You Wanna Go” as a kind of message to Michelle. Not long after they married in 1962, their relationship was already on the rocks. Michelle embarked on an affair with Russ Titelman, a music producer. The song switches the perspective, as it’s the girl who tells the guy that he’s free to leave and find another.
The group originally earmarked “Go Where You Wanna Go” as the A-side to their first-ever single. But they changed their mind and pulled back the release. Instead, they went with “California Dreamin’”, which turned into a massive single for them.
But “Go Where You Wanna Go” wasn’t exactly put out to pasture. The group included the song on their debut album If You Believe Your Eyes And Ears in 1966. A year later, The 5th Dimension did their own take on the song, and it gave them their first Top 20 single.
Behind the Lyrics of “Go Where You Wanna Go”
The permission slip is handed out right off the bat in “Go Where You Wanna Go.” “Go where you wanna go / Do what you wanna do/With whoever you wanna do it with.”
You might think that the song is a reaction to the free love era. In actuality, it’s a more personal tale, as the narrator realizes something in her that won’t allow her to stay faithful.
“You don’t understand / That a girl like me can’t love just one man,” she explains.
She doesn’t want to be defined by a relationship: “You’ve been gone a week and I tried so hard / Not to be the cryin’ kind / Not to be the girl you left behind.”
The surging melody and the ebullient vocal harmonies of The Mamas & The Papas make “Go Where You Wanna Go” sound like a joyous exercise. It’s a bit more bittersweet than that, as it hints that the freedom to find someone new generally comes at the cost of another relationship being shattered.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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