| "It's Getting Better" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Solid center variant of the UK single | ||||
| Single by Mama Cass | ||||
| from the album Bubblegum, Lemonade, and... Something for Mama | ||||
| B-side | "Who's to Blame" | |||
| Released | May 1969 | |||
| Genre | Sunshine pop [1] | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Dunhill Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil | |||
| Producer(s) | Steve Barri | |||
| Mama Cass singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"It's Getting Better" is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was a sunshine pop hit single in 1969 for Mama Cass.
The song describes the singer's satisfaction with a love relationship that is down-to-earth rather than extravagantly romantic, a subgenre of love song exemplified by the Jerome Kern/ P. G. Wodehouse composition "Bill". Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil had previously written the similarly themed "He's Sure the Boy I Love", a hit for the Crystals in 1963.
The earliest evident recording of "It's Getting Better" was by the Vogues for their August 1968 album release Turn Around, Look at Me (Reprise Records). Also in 1968, the song was featured on the Leonard Nimoy album The Way I Feel (Dot Records) released that October. The first evident single release of "It's Getting Better" was by Pierre Lalonde on the Montréalais label Disco Prestige in September 1968 with the track's parent album: Introducing Peter Martin, being released that November.
In March 1969, the Will-O-Bees, a New York City-based trio (Janet Blossom, Steven Porter, and Robert Merchanthouse) who recorded a number of Mann-Weil compositions, had a single release of "It's Getting Better" on the SGC label (Screen Gems Columbia). Overall 1969 saw the release of several single versions of "It's Getting Better" but only Cass Elliot's was by an established artist at that time, the other versions being by Ronnie Buskirk, Freddie Gelfand, and P. K. Limited. The song has since been recorded and covered by many well-known artists around the world including UK singer and ex-cruise star Jane McDonald. [2]
"It's Getting Better" has also been recorded by Richard Barnes, the Günter Kallmann (de) Chorus, Louise Morrissey, the Popinjays, Kevin Rowland and John & Anne Ryder. Bobby Rydell recorded the song for his 1976 album release Born With a Smile, his sole album released after 1964, and his version was issued as a single in 1977. [2] [3] Jane McDonald's rendition of "It's Getting Better" can be heard on her 2010 concert album Live at the London Palladium . A Swedish rendering of "It's Getting Better" by lyricist Stig Anderson entitled "Det Känns Bara Bättre" was cut by Anna-Lena Löfgren in 1970.
"It's Getting Better" had been recorded by Cass Elliot for inclusion on her June 1969 album release Bubblegum, Lemonade, and... Something for Mama , which was produced by Steve Barri and arranged by Jimmie Haskell. The Wrecking Crew (James Burton on guitar, Hal Blaine on drums, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, and Joe Osborn on bass) — who'd regularly backed the Mamas & the Papas — were among the instrumentalists on the album.
"It's Getting Better" was issued as the second advance single in May 1969 following the release that March of "Move in a Little Closer, Baby", a single reminiscent of the Mamas & the Papas sound which reached a Billboard Hot 100 peak of #58 (#30 Canada). Steve Barri would recall that "Move in a Little Closer, Baby" was "one [album track] [Elliot] wasn't too thrilled about...but she loved 'It's Getting Better'". [4]
Elliot herself did convey reservations about "It's Getting Better", stating in a September 1969 Melody Maker interview that while pleased with the single was rising toward the UK Top Ten - "It shows I am being accepted on my own and that is something I've worried about ever since I left the Mamas & Papas" - "musically, though, it's not quite what I want to be doing. It doesn't satisfy me, It's a good recording for what it is, but you wouldn't exactly call it social commentary and musically it's not very complicated." Elliot further told Melody Maker - regarding "It's Getting Better" or perhaps the overall focus of its parent album - "Bubblegum music is very pleasant to listen to...but it's like they say about Chinese food: half an hour after tasting it you are hungry again", although she did concede "maybe [bubblegum] is what I am supposed to be doing [since] my voice is very light...I just can't sing heavy material". [5] Elliot would be less easygoing in her 1971 summation of her 1968-1970 tenure with Dunhill Records, saying she had been "forced to be so bubblegum that I'd stick to the floor when I walked." [6]
A #13 Easy Listening hit, "It's Getting Better" peaked at #30 in August 1969 during what was then considered an unusually lengthy 19-week run on Billboard's Hot 100. Only five other 1969 releases had longer chart runs on the Hot 100. [7] The single's regional success was staggered, and it reached the Top Ten in several markets, ranking as high as #2 in Minneapolis-Saint Paul and San Diego. [8] Its estimated U.S. sales were 500,000 copies. [9]
Cass Elliot made her first solo appearance on American Bandstand belatedly promoting "It's Getting Better" on its broadcast of November 8, 1969.
Elliot's "It's Getting Better" had a more pronounced chart impact in the UK, reaching #8 in October 1969 and selling almost 100,000 copies. The single bested the UK chart performance of Elliot's signature song, "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (#11), which had lost some popularity to a rival version by Anita Harris. [9] In Ireland, where "Dream a Little Dream of Me" had reached #13, "It's Getting Better" reached #3.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" and "It's Getting Better" would be Elliot's only charting singles in the British Isles. In the U.S., "It's Getting Better" was the fourth of Elliot's seven solo Billboard Hot 100 appearances and her second Top 40 hit after "Dream a Little Dream of Me".
In Australia, Cass Elliott's "It's Getting Better" charted concurrently with a version by Paul Jones, these singles peaking at respectively #53 and #52. Produced by Jones himself and arranged by Tony Visconti, the Paul Jones version was featured on his album Inside My Music Box and was released concurrently as a single with the Cass Elliott version in both the UK and Ireland without reaching the chart in either territory.
In the wake of the success of "It's Getting Better", Elliot's next two singles were recordings of Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil compositions: "Make Your Own Kind of Music" — which like "It's Getting Better" had been recorded by the Will-O-Bees in 1968 — and a new song, "New World Coming". Although both songs are now considered soft rock classics, their original chart success was fairly mild: "Make Your Own Kind of Music" peaked at #36 (Elliot's third and final solo Top 40 appearance) (#20 Canada), and "New World Coming" peaked at #42 [3] (#22 Canada).
In 2011, Cass Elliot's "It's Getting Better" was employed in a television advertisement for Nestea.
The song was also featured in Season 4 Episode 8 of abc's LOST , "meet kevin johnson".
Bobby Rydell covered "It's Getting Better" on his 1976 LP Born with a Smile. [16]
The Mamas & the Papas was an American folk rock vocal group that recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, with a brief reunion in 1971. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. Formed in New York City, the group consisted of Americans John Phillips, Cass Elliot, Michelle Phillips, and Canadian Denny Doherty. Their sound was based on vocal harmonies arranged by John Phillips – the songwriter and leader of the group – who adapted folk to the new beat style of the early 1960s.
Ellen Naomi Cohen, known professionally as Cass Elliot, was an American singer. She was also known as "Mama Cass", a name she reportedly disliked. Elliot was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot received the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance for "Monday, Monday" (1967). In 1998, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her work with the Mamas & the Papas.
"California Dreamin'" is a song written by John and Michelle Phillips in 1963 and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in December 1965. The lyrics express the narrator's longing for the warmth of Los Angeles during a cold winter in New York City. It is recorded in the key of C-sharp minor.
"Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson, and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha and the Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks, behind "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" by Manfred Mann and it also peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. It is one of Motown's signature songs and is the group's premier signature song.
Jill Gibson is an American singer, songwriter, photographer, painter and sculptor. She is mostly known for her collaboration work with Jan & Dean and for having briefly been a member of the successful 1960s rock group the Mamas and the Papas. She was also one of the main photographers at the historic Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
The Papas & the Mamas is the fourth studio album by the American folk rock vocal group the Mamas and the Papas, released in 1968.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" is a 1931 song with music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt and lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was first recorded in February 1931 by Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra, soon followed by Wayne King and His Orchestra with vocals by Ernie Birchill. A popular standard, it has seen well over 400 recorded versions.
"Make Your Own Kind of Music" is a song by American singer Cass Elliot released in September 1969 by Dunhill Records. The song was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, while production was helmed by Steve Barri. In the United States, "Make Your Own Kind of Music" was a Top 40 hit, in which it peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Mamas & the Papas is the second studio album by the Mamas and the Papas, released on August 30, 1966. The album peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard 200 album chart and number 24 in the UK. The lead off single, "I Saw Her Again", reached number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 11 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was especially unique because of its origins."Words of Love" was released as the second single in the US peaking at number 5. In the UK, it was released as a double A-side with "Dancing in the Street" and charted at number 47 in the UK.
"Dedicated To The One I Love" is a song written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass that was a hit for the "5" Royales, the Shirelles, the Mamas & the Papas and Bitty McLean. Pauling was the guitarist of the "5" Royales, the group that recorded the original version of the song, produced by Bass, in 1957. Their version was re-released in 1961 and charted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Creeque Alley" is an autobiographical hit single written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas in late 1966, narrating the story of how the group was formed, and its early years. The third song on the album Deliver, it peaked at number 5 on the US Billboard pop singles chart the week of Memorial Day 1967, becoming their last Top 10 hit. It made number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 4 on the Australian and number 1 on the Canadian charts.
"Baby I'm Yours" is a song written by Van McCoy which was a hit in 1965 for Barbara Lewis, the original recording artist.
Bubblegum, Lemonade &... Something for Mama is the second solo album released by Cass Elliot under the billing "Mama Cass". It was recorded in 1969 and arranged and produced by Steve Barri. The album was originally released in June 1969, with only 11 tracks. It was released again in November 1969, under a new title and with a different album cover as Make Your Own Kind of Music/It’s Getting Better. "Make Your Own Kind of Music" had just become a hit and was added to the album.
Dream a Little Dream is the debut solo album by American singer Cass Elliot immediately following the breakup of The Mamas & the Papas, though she was still billed as "Mama Cass" for this release. Capitalizing on the success of her first solo song as the album's title, it was released in October 1968 by Dunhill Records. The album was re-released by MCA Japan in 2001.
Mama's Big Ones is a compilation album of previously released material as noted below, by Cass Elliot.
"New World Coming" is a pop song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil which became a hit for Cass Elliot in early 1970.
"Easy Come, Easy Go" is a song written by Jack Keller and Diane Hildebrand that was a hit single for Bobby Sherman in 1970.
"Move in a Little Closer, Baby" is a pop song, first recorded by Harmony Grass as "Move in a Little Closer." The song became an international hit for Cass Elliot in the spring of 1969.
The Mamas & the Papas were a vocal group from Los Angeles, California that was active from 1966 to 1969. Their discography consists of a total of five albums and 17 singles, six of which made the Billboard top ten, and sold close to 40 million records worldwide. "Monday, Monday" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1966 and "California Dreamin'" was the top song on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1966.
The Will-O-Bees were an American folk rock and sunshine pop trio in the 1960s comprising Janet Blossom, Steven Porter, and Robert Merchanthouse.
