Who Did It Better? Go Where You Wanna Go

Who Did It Better? 

Go Where You Wanna Go

Remember that whole six-degrees of separation game? In show business it's fun and not uncommon at all to be able to find connections between this star and that one. Well, it happens in music circles, too... and that's part of what interested me about today's song, because it turns out that these two very different musical groups happen to have a number of industry heavyweights in common.  

You'll see what I mean. Let's dive in...

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Go Where You Wanna Go is a song written by John Phillips for his group, The Mama & The Papas.

While the song appears to be celebrating a carefree, freewheeling lifestyle, it's actually written from the perspective of one dealing with the ambiguities of infidelity. Phillips is on record saying "that he wrote it about Michelle Phillips' affair with Russ Titelman, a songwriter and record producer... who would do production work for Randy Newman, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and Chaka Khan."

Bandmates, John and Michelle married in 1962, but by 1963 "their marriage was on the rocks." Michelle went so far as to move from Los Angeles to New York, in order to be with her lover, Titelman, which prompted John to write the song, including the following lines:

Three thousand miles, that's how far you'll go
And you said to me "Please don't follow"

While Michelle would eventually leave Titleman and return to the fold, it was clear that her concept of marriage was quite nontraditional and things between she and John would never be the same. 

Go Where You Wanna Go was recorded by The Mamas & the Papas for their album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. In February of 1966, it was released as a single, but was quickly withdrawn, with the track California Dreamin' being given preferential treatment and promotion instead. 

 

A bit of trivia... P.F. Sloan, who would later be immortalized in a song bearing his name written by Jimmy Webb, played guitar on Go Where You Wanna Go. 

Sloan, who is most famous for writing the song  Eve Of Destruction, was a friend  of John Phillips. In an interview with SongFacts, Sloan described Go Where You Wanna Go as "An absolutely stupendous record. It's magical. I thought it had everything. And it was a complete stiff. It just goes to show you that everything is timing. You'd think that if the song is great and the vocals are great and the band is great, you've got a hit, but... timing is everything."

Both Sloan and Jimmy Webb would play a part in the story of the group that did end up making Go Where You Wanna Go a hit. Sloane wrote Another Day, Another Heartache, which would serve as The 5th Dimension's second single, while Webb would write their third charting single and one of their biggest hits, Up, Up and Away.

Signed to Johnny Rivers' Soul City Records, The 5th Dimension recorded Go Where You Wanna Go in December of 1966 at Rivers suggestion. According to group member Marilyn McCoo, "the record company wasn't going to release it as a single, but we put our whole thing into it, released it and it was a hit," - reaching #16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #18 in Canada. Once the song established the group as potential hitmakers, a whole album was put together, spurring the group on to international stardom.  

And there you have it, the whole story.

Now? On to the competition!

The Song: Go Where You Wanna Go

The Competitors: The Mamas & The Papas vs. The Fifth Dimension

Go Where You Wanna Go - The Mamas & The Papas

Go Where You Wanna Go - The 5th Dimension

The Mamas & The Papas

Love the opening riff. Big jangly guitars and a damn tambourine. An incredibly syncopated vocal arrangement. Lazy? Not these kids. Very bright sounding and speedy. When the ladies take center stage, it's like they are breaking through a surface. When they hold on to the word 'man', it gets a bit shrill, but then Mama Cass had a huge voice. 

While the women are holding court, if you listen to the arrangement it sounds very much like something Phil Spector would have put together. And listen to how the strings enter, dovetailing perfectly with the lady's vocals. 

That bridge is very sweet, so why is it being sung in such an urgent, strident manner? Listen to the way they sing 'please.' Musically? It makes no sense. 

Now, I must go on record as being a fan of The Mamas & The Papas music. Their greatest hits album? One of my favorite listens. But I never actually sat down and started pulling apart their music or vocals from an interpretive standpoint. The sheer power and complexity of their vocals are so impressive, I never thought to consider the other musical aspects that go into a performance. 

As I'm listening to this, I don't believe they're very emotionally in touch with the lyrics - and it's not that I think they need to include the storyline that inspired Phillips in the first place, but I do feel they need to convey some kind of emotional content. Joyful? This doesn't sound joyful to me. This sounds speedy, complex and shouted.

And everything seems to be competing for attention. Those strings? When the ladies repeat their part for a second time, those flourishes and string stings feel thrown on top and not an integral part of the song. I realize the song is simply the same three musical sections repeated twice and that the producers and the group wanted to distinguish the first from the second, but simply throwing more stuff on top and getting louder and more piercing isn't the best musical choice, here.

At the same time... those voices, that blend? That's magical. And they certainly would show off their talents much better on other songs. 

Not that I need all the edges to be smoothed or filed down - part of the fun of folk music is a crisp tambourine and jangly guitars, both of which, if you listen, end up getting lost in the mix, here. Maybe my expectations are wrong. I wanted to hear unadulterated freedom, the footloose and fancy free kind celebrated by this generation.

This? This is not carefree... this is a jackhammer during rush hour. 

The 5th Dimension

Now keep in mind, this is early in The 5th Dimension's career. They may have become variety show staples at one point, but here? They are simply a fresh-faced vocal group looking for a break. 

I like the bass. And you can hear Johnny River's influence when it comes to this arrangement. So, this is just as driven as The Mamas & The Papas' version, but their vocals are fully meshed. I hear the ladies right away and their sound is just as rounded and full as the guys'. And when the ladies move front and center? Well, it's a little too 'old lady-ish' for my taste. Is it Marilyn's vibrato? Not sure. It feels better, more like a Phil Spector song, when they hold on to to "just one man", flaring it out a bit. 

Oh, my... I rather love what they do with the bridge. That's a lovely sound. Huh. In comparison, it's like The Mama & Papas were yelling at each other. Here? The 5th Dimension have their blend down to a lovely sheen. I wonder what John Phillips thought of this version? Did he care? He was getting royalties. 

Does it sound like elevator music? I'm going to say no; it simply sounds like a group of singers really in touch with one another and the song. Keep in mind, it's 1966. Despite their smoother edges, a lot of personality comes through. Up With People, this is not. 

The tambourine is always there. There are two kinds of strings at work... there's those shrill ones riding on top and then those fun flourishes bubbling up from underneath. Interestingly mixed, nothing really gets in the way of or competes with the group vocals. 

Odd key change. And the song still ends sounding a bit like a battle. 

The Verdict

Maybe I am in a weird mood where I can't appreciate the vintage qualities of this tune, but I don't think I like the song itself much. 

I don't like The Mamas and The Papas' version much at all. It feels screechy and makes me anxious - and not in a good way. If you had asked me what I thought of this song before today, I would have told you I loved it and I loved their version - it's the first song on their greatest  hits album - and I used to love cleaning house while listening to it. But today? It's not working for me. The only thing it is working is my nerve.

And I am not familiar with The 5th Dimension's version at all. This is the first time I am hearing it. I like their vocals better, in some ways. They seem more in tune with one another, having developed a fuller sound, but then they also tend to move toward the middle of the road with their 'hip youthful' sheen. 

I do like The 5th Dimension's arrangement better and the overall recording is more thoughtful. 

I could get away with saying it's sort of a tie, with no winners, but that's the cowards way out.

I'm giving it to The 5th Dimension... because I like what they do with it musically much more than what The Mamas & The Papas have done with it. 

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And that's my two cents worth!

Okay, your turn. You know what to do. Leave your choice in the comments section. Disagree? Let me know why. I'm always open to a differing opinion.

That's all for now.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

Go Where You Wanna Go - The Mamas & The Papas

Go Where You Wanna Go - The 5th Dimension

on Shebang