#john phillips

Photos by Oscar Abolafia

The best Rolling Stones song you've never heard. Ok, John Phillips wrote and sang it, but the Stones' imprint is all over this marvelous tune - produced by Mick and Keith, with Mick's backing vocals and a fantastic solo by Mick Taylor. And John Phillips was actually from Virginia.

The Mamas & The Papas - John Phillips

We hope the good people of San Francisco won’t mind us adapting this iconic track (about their city in the sixties, in the midst of protests and the counterculture movement) to treat the tragedies in recent days and weeks in Minneapolis. The original song was written by John Phillips (of "The Mamas & the Papas") and first released (sung by Scott McKenzie) in 1967, reaching number one in the UK, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand charts, though only fourth in the US. We chose it because of its link to protest, its soaring refrains, its simplicity, its earnestness, and its celebration of love and solidarity. In our arrangement we haven’t double tracked the vocals but have added harmonies and mandolin/violin lines. We hope it serves its aim, which is to express solidarity with the courageous and valiant protesters in Minnesota (and beyond), and to memorialise Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and sing their names across the ocean: two innocent American citizens executed on the streets in appalling scenes that so obviously echo waypoints in the historical march of fascism. Taking on the guns, masks, fear, and falsehoods requires more than flowers and songs. But they are powerful nonetheless, especially if they remind folk of previous generations that navigated trauma, and that you are not alone, and others are being inspired your courage and actions in the face of the winter of our times.

16's All-Star Birthday & Gift Guide 16 October 1967

[now-playing] - ost - various artists - brewster mccloud - 1970

The single was mostly ignored when it was first released, but by March 1966 it had reached #4 on the Billboard Singles chart and would go on to sell more than 4 million copies. It was named the top single by the magazine for 1966.