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Make Your Own Kind of Music

This article is about the Cass Elliot song. For the TV series, seeMake Your Own Kind of Music (TV series).

"Make Your Own Kind of Music"is a song by American singerCass Elliotreleased in September 1969 byDunhill Records.It was written byBarry MannandCynthia Weil,with production bySteve Barri.In the United States, "Make Your Own Kind of Music" was aTop 40hit, peaking at number 36 on theBillboardHot 100.

"Make Your Own Kind of Music"
SinglebyCass Elliot
from the albumMake Your Own Kind of Music/It’s Getting Better
B-side"Lady Love"
Released1969
StudioWestern Recorders(Hollywood)
GenrePop
Length2:25
LabelDunhill
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Steve Barri
Cass Elliotsingles chronology
"It's Getting Better"
(1969) 		"Make Your Own Kind of Music"
(1969) 		"New World Coming"
(1970)

Background

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Elliott recorded "Make Your Own Kind of Music" after she had a hit in the summer of 1969 with "It's Getting Better",another Mann/Weil song and the second single from her second solo album,Bubblegum, Lemonade and... Something for Mama.That album had been produced byDunhill Recordsvice president ofA&RSteve Barri,who said: "[Since Dunhill] didn't have much success with [the debut Cass Elliot solo album]Dream a Little Dreamwe wanted to get her back on the [upper] charts and we tried to find some commercial songs. "[1]Barri also attributed thebubblegum musicfocus of his output with Elliot to a desire "to capture who she was... this real fun-loving positive... person I couldn't imagine anybody... not loving."[2]In a September 1969Melody Makerinterview a week prior to the US release of the "Make Your Own Kind of Music" single, Elliot stated: "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".[3]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."[4]Barri, while admitting—also in 1971—that "Cass was one artist I couldn't find the answer for,"[1]would maintain: "We never recorded anything that she didn't want to do."[2]

Elliot also toldMelody Makerthat "It's Getting Better" was "musically... not quite what I want to be doing... It's a good recording for what it is, but you wouldn't exactly call itsocial commentary."[3]"Make Your Own Kind of Music", while similar in structure to "It's Getting Better",[5]could be considered social commentary:[6]Steve Barri would rank "Make Your Own Kind of Music" in with "pop songs [that] really kind of say something".[2]Released in October 1969, "Make Your Own Kind of Music" swiftly ascended theHot 100inBillboard,and in November 1969 Dunhill reissued Elliot's second solo album reformatted to include "Make Your Own Kind of Music", the album's title being changed toIt's Getting Better/ Make Your Own Kind of Music.[7]Steve Barri considered "Make Your Own Kind of Music" to be a guaranteed Top Ten hit; the single would garner heavy radio airplay but comparatively meager sales,[1]stalling at #36 on the Hot 100 ( "Make Your Own Kind of Music" would reach #6 on the airplay drivenBillboardEasy Listening chart).[8]

The follow-up single to "Make Your Own Kind of Music": "New World Coming"—another Mann/ Weil song—was similarly a sugarcoatedmessage songand would have similar soft chart impact—with a #42 Hot 100 peak—signaling Elliot's challenges in maintaining a profile as a current hitmaker, as the 1960s turned into the 1970s.[4]Dunhill Records president Jay Lasker would say of the underperformance of "New World Coming": "The message here—at least to us—is that 'the message record has had it'. [Now] Mama Cass is going to do love songs."[9]The follow-up to "New World Coming", "A Song That Never Comes", would be Elliot's final single to reach the Hot 100, spending two weeks at #99 in August 1970.[10]Dunhill released Elliott's third solo album in October 1970,Mama's Big Ones,compiling seven of her eight Hot 100 singles plus some previously unreleased tracks, as her final solo album on the label. Subsequent to the one-off collaborative albumDave Mason & Cass ElliotonBlue Thumb,Dunhill announced in July 1970 that Elliot would reunite with her former bandmates for afinal Mamas & Papas album,after which she would depart Dunhill to record forRCA Victor.[11]

Critical reception

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In an August 14 2019 "Staff Picks" ranking of the 100 Best Songs of 1969 inBillboard,Elliott's "Make Your Own Kind of Music" was ranked at #89, with the evaluation: "Though just a modest hit, Elliot's ode to striking out on your own was a crucial evolution in self-referential pop. [In 1968] herdebut album[had] stiffed, and... her three-weekVegasresidency closed after a single awful performance. In this light, the sunshine pop of "Make Your Own Kind of Music"... sparkled even more defiantly. "[12]

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The presiding rabbi at Elliot's funeral on 3 August 1974 included the lyrics of "Make Your Own Kind of Music" in the eulogy.[citation needed]

Elliot's recording of "Make Your Own Kind of Music" was featured prominently in the television showLost,first appearing in the episode "Man of Science, Man of Faith",and was rated as one ofSpinmagazine's "Best Musical Moments From TV's Latest Golden Age".[13]"Make Your Own Kind of Music" is the title of season 8 episode 9 ofDexter,and features prominently throughout the season as a motivator for the primary antagonist. In 2015, in the Season 6 finale ofThe Middle,the song was used during a montage, as the overlooked character Sue Heck gets recognition from her students at graduation. In 2024, "Make Your Own Kind of Music" was featured in episode 10 of the CBS seriesElsbeth.

After a viral mashup featuring "Make Your Own Kind of Music" with a clip from the 2022 filmThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talentbecame a meme onTikTok,the song was used in 46,000 videos.[14]It continued to go viral in TikTok trends throughout 2023. These trends were satirized onSaturday Night Live's December 2, 2023 episode, withChloe Troastplaying Cass, andEmma Stoneas the song's recording producer.[15]

Chart performance

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Chart (1969) Peak
position
CanadaRPMTop Singles[16] 20
CanadaRPMAdult Contemporary[17] 7
USBillboardHot 100[18] 36
USBillboardAdult Contemporary 6
USCash BoxTop 100[19] 25

Remixes

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In 1997 a remixed version by Carmen Cacciatore and Louie "Balo" Guzman titled the "Yum Club Mix" was released officially on the re-released single "California Dreamin'"byThe Mamas & the Papas.There was also a 12 "vinyl promo-only release to promote the soundtrack for the filmBeautiful Thing,with four different versions: including Yum Club Mix (9:48), Yum Beats (3:12), Da Yum Flute Dub (7:11), and Mama Cass Mix (3:24). The Yum Club Mix was also featured on the 1997 dance compilationDance Across the Universe (Part 1),released byUniversal Records.[20][21]This version would reach #11 on theDance Club Songschart inBillboard.[22]

Paloma Faith version

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"Make Your Own Kind of Music"
SinglebyPaloma Faith
from the albumThe Architect
Released19 March 2018
Length2:43
LabelSony
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Paloma Faithsingles chronology
"Lullaby"
(2018) 		"Make Your Own Kind of Music"
(2018) 		"Warrior"
(2018)
Music video
"Make Your Own Kind of Music"onYouTube

Overview

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"Make Your Own Kind of Music" became a top 30 hit in the United Kingdom in 2018 via a cover version byPaloma Faith.It was announced on 1 February 2018 thatŠkoda Autohad commissioned Faith to record a version of "Make Your Own Kind of Music" to serve asjinglefor anad campaignto launch theKaroq,Škoda's newcompact crossover SUV.[23]Faith said: "The reality of Škoda is it was the car people took the piss out of you for having...That's how they enticed me in really, it was like that thing or person who people tease for being who they are but is now celebrated for being who they are."[24]Faith subsequently introduced "Make Your Own Kind of Music" in concert, with the statement that she "doesn't usually approve of celebrity endorsements for products, but felt that Škoda was a brand worth celebrating due to how it's gradually become more respected over the years."[25]

The track was made available forstreamingas of 2 March 2018, with a promotionalvideomade available 20 March 2018, and a year-long television ad campaign featuring a 60 second edit of the video inaugurated on 24 March 2018.The video "follows Paloma through a series of flashbacks as she fights to make it in the music industry. It depicts her struggling to fit in as a young child to performing to empty pubs, to an iconic moment early in her career where she rebukes a music executive for not listening to her sing. The flashbacks are juxtaposed with images of her now as she enjoys chart-topping success and a new period in her life as a mother."[26](Faith had given birth to her first child in December 2016.)[27]

"Make Your Own Kind of Music" debuted on theUK chartdated 19 April 2018 at No. 59, to enter the top 40 at No. 28 on the chart dated 10 May 2018. The track spent only that one week in the top 40, and its typical ranking during its ten week chart tenure was between No. 43 and No. 49. However, the track was certified gold for sales and streams of 400,000 units.[28]Included in the tracklist of Faith's fourth studio albumThe Architect,on sites such asSpotifyandApple Musicas of 20 April 2018,[29]"Make Your Own Kind of Music" was officially added to the album's tracklist on its 16 November 2018 re-release. LabeledThe Zeitgist Edition,this re-release also added "Lullaby"to the tracks on the original album.[30]

Charts

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Chart (2018) Peak
position
Scotland(OCC)[31] 8
UK Singles(OCC)[32] 28
UK Singles Downloads(OCC)[33] 4

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Gold 400,000‡

‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

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The first recording of "Make Your Own Kind of Music" was on a 1968 single by the New York City-based triothe Will-O-Bees(Janet Blossom, Steven Porter, and Robert Merchanthouse), who regularly performed Mann/Weil compositions.

In 1972,Barbra Streisand's concert albumLive Concert at the Forumfeatured themedley"Sing"/" Make Your Own Kind of Music ". Released as a single, it reached No. 94 on theBillboardHot 100, and No. 28 on the magazine's Easy Listening chart.[34]On her 1973 albumBarbra Streisand...And Other Musical Instruments,Streisand sings "Make Your Own Kind of Music" in a medley with "Sing".[35]

"Make Your Own Kind of Music" has also been recorded byRoslyn Kind(onThis Is Roslyn Kind,1969);Bobby Sherman(onHere Comes Bobby,1970);Marilyn Maye(onGirl Singer,1970);Paul Westerberg(on a flexidisc withThe Bobmagazine #53 and on the "Love Untold" single, 1996);[36]Telly Leung(onSongs for You,2015);Cock Robin(onChinese Driver,2016);[37]andAlex Lahey(forLike a Version,2024).[38]

References

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  1. ^abcRecord Worldvol 26 #1267 (2 October 1971) "Dialogue — the Viewpoint of the Industry: Steve Barri on producing singles" by Tony Lawrence pp.6, 26
  2. ^abcFiegel, Eddi (2005).Dream a Little Dream of Me: the life of 'Mama' Cass Elliot.London: Sidgwick & Jackson.ISBN0-283-07331-4.
  3. ^abMelody Maker27 September 1969 "Mama Cass Elliott [sic] Makes It On Her Own" by Bob Dawbarn p.7
  4. ^abLos Angeles Times5 December 1971 "Mamas & Papas: four rugged individuals getting back together" by Nat Freedland p.705
  5. ^New Musical Express15 November 1969 "Mama Cass Jogs Along" by Derek Johnson p.8
  6. ^Davis, Sheila (1985).The Craft of Lyric Writing.NYC: F=W Media. p. 100.ISBN978-0898791495.
  7. ^Billboardvol 81 #46 (15 November 1969) Album Reviews p.53/ Billboard Hot 100 p.96
  8. ^"Mama Cass Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts".Musicvf.
  9. ^Los Angeles Times22 March 1970 "The Dunhill David vs Grammy Goliaths" by Wayne Warga p.438
  10. ^"The Hot 100 Chart".Billboard.January 2, 2013.
  11. ^Cash BoxVol 33 #3 (10 July 1971) "Mama Cass Signs With RCA Records" p.9
  12. ^"The 100 Best Songs of 1969: Staff Picks".Billboard.August 14, 2019.
  13. ^"SPIN's 30 Best Musical Moments From TV's Latest Golden Age: Mama Cass Elliot's" Make Your Own Kind of Music "on Lost".Spin.April 8, 2014. Archived fromthe originalon January 29, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 5,2019.
  14. ^Jones, CT (March 9, 2023)."How A TikTok Meme Is Inspiring A New Generation To Learn About Cass Elliot".Rolling Stone.RetrievedMarch 10,2023.
  15. ^Zoladz, Lindsay (May 9, 2024)."Cass Elliot's Death Spawned a Horrible Myth. She Deserves Better".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  16. ^"Image: RPM Weekly".Collectionscanada.gc.ca.July 17, 2013.RetrievedMay 26,2018.
  17. ^"Item".Bac-lac.gc.ca.July 17, 2013.RetrievedMay 26,2018.
  18. ^Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002
  19. ^"Cash Box Top 100 11/29/69".Tropicalglen.Archived fromthe originalon September 6, 2017.RetrievedMay 26,2018.
  20. ^"Various - Dance Across The Universe Volume 1 (CD)".Discogs.October 21, 1997.RetrievedOctober 2,2016.
  21. ^"Mama Cass - Make Your Own Kind Of Music (Vinyl)".Discogs.1997.RetrievedOctober 2,2016.
  22. ^"Make Your Own Kind of Music (Song by Mama Cass) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts".Musicvf.
  23. ^"Paloma Faith features in Škoda TV commercial".Sounds-familiar.info.March 26, 2018.
  24. ^"Paloma Faith enjoying being treated like 'one of the mums'".February 2018.
  25. ^"Girl next door' Paloma Faith wows Newmarket".June 25, 2018.
  26. ^"Paloma Faith stars in advert for ŠKODA Driven By Something Different".Mervynstewart.RetrievedMay 23,2022.
  27. ^"Paloma Faith finally reveals gender of her three-year-old child".July 2020.
  28. ^ab"British single certifications – Paloma Faith – Make Your Own Kind Of Music".British Phonographic Industry.RetrievedSeptember 29,2023.
  29. ^"The Architect by Paloma Faith on iTunes".iTunes.April 20, 2018.RetrievedJuly 14,2018.
  30. ^"Paloma Faith to release the Zeitgeist Edition of her Number 1 album the Architect".Official Charts.
  31. ^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  32. ^"Official Singles Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  33. ^"Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  34. ^"Barbra Streisand Songs • Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography • Music VF, US & UK hits charts".Musicvf.
  35. ^"Barbra Streisand – Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments (1973, Gatefold, Vinyl)".Discogs.1973.
  36. ^"Paul Westerberg – Make Your Own Kind of Music".Genius.RetrievedMay 23,2022.
  37. ^"Cover versions of Make Your Own Kind of Music by Roslyn Kind | SecondHandSongs".SecondHandSongs.
  38. ^deejaysdestiny (August 24, 2023)."Alex Lahey covers Cass Elliot's 'Make Your Own Kind Of Music' for Like A Version".r/triplej.RetrievedJanuary 17,2024.
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