Cass Elliot Community Forum

I agree - we sang this song in high school and I still have the sheet music (music and lyrics by John Phillips and Michelle Gilliam) which we used - it clearly says "You know the preacher likes the cold - he knows I'm going to stay."
I sat in the first row of one of the New Mamas and Papas concerts back in 1982 and that's exactly the lyric that Denny sang. John even told the audience the history of the song since it was written here in NYC.

The song was written in the early winter of 1963 and in every book or interview both John and Michelle state the inspiration for the song was how they spent a very cold day in Manhattan which was Michelle's first exposure to snow. Michelle didn't have any winter clothes and they were so cold they stopped into St. Patrick's Cathedral to get warm. And that's another reason that "the preacher lights the coals" lyric would make no sense at all. I've been to St. Patrick's Cathedral and its one of the biggest churches in New York City and has a very modern heating system so the preacher wasn't lighting any coals there, lol!

Rob

here's a theory..my mother and Michelle are singing two different sets of lyrics on the record. .

Personally, I have no idea what JP or MP intended, but I hardly think the lyric makes sense as, "Preacher liked/likes the cold, he knows I'm gonna stay"
">>Preacher lights the coals, he knows I'm gonna stay" makes far more sense. I think that both things are actually being sung, thus making for a lot of confusion..!

-Owen

we could get barry macs advice on this he did in fact record this with the mamas and papas

I hear just Cas singing lead on 'Groovy' and would think that the 2 voices are double track

I did some audioedit to Monterey Pop California Dreamin' Live peformance since I have that track in stereo and Denny's/John's vocals come from other channel and Cass's from other. So I basically removed music and left just vocals.

Denny's/John's vocals:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/v5khco

Cass's vocals:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/dlysue

I hope this clears some air. I knew it already but if somebody didn't know it goes like this:

Denny: "Well I got on my knee" (without s)
Cass: "Got on my knees"

Denny: "You know the preacher liked the cold"
John: "Preacher likes the cold"
Cass: "Preacher likes the cold"

Also those files prove that Michelle didn't sing.

heard back from barry
who had recorded his version before the mamas and papas
and it is preacher likes the cold
Hi Terry,

You have my permission to post this. "The lyric is: "Preacher likes
the COLD." The context of the song is about "all the leaves are
brown and the sky is grey. I've been for a walk on a winter's day."
The word WINTER is the key that John used for the word COLD.

I can see how someone might think that the preacher is lighting the
coals in his furnace to keep the church warm, making it more inviting
to stay, but when I recorded the tune, which I actually did before
the Mamas and Papas took my voice off the recording and used my track
for their super-mega hit release (ah, there's no business like show
business), when I recorded the song, I sang, "Preacher likes the COLD."

Hope this helps.

By the way, if anyone wants to check it out and they just listen to
the left track on the stereo recording of California Dreamin', they
will still hear a little bit of my voice that didn't quite get
erased. And if you'd be so kind as to post my
www.trippinthesixties.com URL for all to see, I would really
appreciate it.

Barry

[quote][/quote]Also those files prove that Michelle didn't sing.


Her microphone was turned off...

Can Owen or anyone explain why Michelle's microphone was turned off? I've always wondered what the deal was with her missing vocals. If you watch the DVD footage, you can clearly see that she is singing along and getting into the performances - her vocals just aren't audible (although I can hear a couple of snippets of her singing). If you listen very closely during the middle part of "I Call Your Name," where the guys and Michelle sing in unison - "Since you've been gone," and at the very end of "California Dreamin," when there is a closeup of Michelle and Cass, you can hear her singing at the tail end of "on such a winter's day." Does anyone know if Michelle has ever addressed this? I know she has bemoaned the Monterey performance and the lack of rehearsal for it, but has she commented that no one can hear her vocals?