Creeque Alley

“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 #5 on the U.S. Billboard pop singles chart the week of Memorial Day 1967, becoming their last Top 10 hit.[1] It made #9 on the UK Singles Chart,[2] and #4 on the Australian and #1 on the Canadian charts.[3]

"Creeque Alley"
West German picture sleeve
Single by the Mamas & the Papas
from the album The Mamas & The Papas Deliver
B-side"Did You Ever Want to Cry"
ReleasedApril 1967
RecordedLate 1966
StudioWestern Recorders, Hollywood, California
Genre
Length3:45
LabelDunhill
Songwriter(s)John Phillips, Michelle Phillips
Producer(s)Lou Adler
The Mamas & the Papas singles chronology
"Dedicated to the One I Love"
(1967)		 "Creeque Alley"
(1967)		 "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)"
(1967)

Background

Title reference

The title of the song, which does not occur in the lyrics, is derived from Creque or Crequi (pronounced "creaky")[4] Alley,[5] home to a club in the Virgin Islands where the New Journeymen, John and Michelle Phillips' original group, spent time on vacation.[6] The lyric "Greasin' on American Express cards" refers to that time, during which they could only make ends meet by using their credit cards,[7] and the lyric "Duffy's good vibrations, and our imaginations, can't go on indefinitely" refers to Hugh Duffy, the owner of the club on Creeque Alley; Duffy later owned Chez Shack in Vieques, Puerto Rico.[8]

Lyrics: Name-dropping

The Phillips' lyrics mention, directly or indirectly, many artists and bands who were part of the folk music scene at the time, including fellow band members Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty, Zal Yanovsky and John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, and Barry McGuire of the New Christy Minstrels. Several locations important to the band's story are mentioned, such as the Night Owl Cafe in Greenwich Village. Michelle Phillips is referred to in the lyrics by her nickname Michi ("John and Michi were getting kind of itchy, just to leave the folk music behind"). John Phillips said that he wrote the song to tell their producer Lou Adler "who was who" in the band's history.[9]

Lyrics: Turn-around

The line that ends the first three verses is "And no one's getting fat, except Mama Cass". In the fourth verse, with the story of the genesis of the Mamas and the Papas nearing its denouement, Phillips changes the concluding line to "And everybody's getting fat except Mama Cass," with the word "fat" assuming the meaning of prosperous, alluding to the notion that the successes recently achieved by Cass' professional associates and friends had still eluded her. (During that Virgin Islands vacation, Cass became the last member to join the group when they were still known as the New Journeymen; the name change followed soon after.) The final line, "And California dreamin' is becoming a reality" is an apparent reference to their hit song "California Dreamin'", and marks the point at which the group achieved its breakthrough, leaving behind the lifestyle described in the rest of the song.

Versions

There are three mixes of the song, all with audible differences. The original single version includes a horn section that is not heard on the album versions and ends with Doherty singing an extra "becoming a reality." The mix that appears on the mono pressings of The Mamas and the Papas Deliver omits the horns completely. It contains the repeat of "becoming a reality" but, unlike on the single, Elliot can be heard singing in harmony with Doherty. The song as heard on stereo copies of The Mamas and the Papas Deliver, as well as on almost all Mamas and Papas compilations, also omits the horns, and the extra "becoming a reality" is not heard either, save for the "-ty" syllable of "reality" (sung by both Doherty and Elliot.) The middle flute solo is mixed differently in each version.

Reception

Cash Box called the single a "driving, pulsing, groovin’ ditty."[10] Record World called it "infectious."[11]

Chart history

References
  1. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 22. Nielsen Company. 1967. p. 20. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  2. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1967-08-01. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  3. "Archived copy". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2016-05-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Laredo, Joseph F. (1998). THE MAMAS and THE PAPAS: GREATEST HITS (CD liner). MCA Records, Inc. p. 5.
  5. Charles Washington Baird (1885). History of the Huguenot Emigration to America. p. 209. ISBN 9781548722708. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  6. "How It All Got Started". California Dreamin' with the Mamas and the Papas. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  7. "Creeque Alley". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
  8. "Hidden Secrets on the Island of Vieques". Travelandleisure.com. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  9. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 33 - Revolt of the Fat Angel: American musicians respond to the British invaders. [Part 1]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  10. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 29, 1967. p. 22. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  11. "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 29, 1967. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Creeque Alley". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  14. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  15. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  16. "Cash Box Top 100 6/10/67". Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  17. "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1967". Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  18. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  19. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 23, 1967". Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
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