Make Your Own Kind of Music by Mama Cass Elliott ( 1969)

About the song

“Make Your Own Kind of Music” is a song by American singer Mama Cass Elliot, released in September 1969 by Dunhill Records. The song, written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and produced by Steve Barri, became a Top 40 hit in the United States, peaking at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. This single followed Elliot’s summer hit of 1969, “It’s Getting Better,” another Mann/Weil collaboration from her second solo album, “Bubblegum, Lemonade and… Something for Mama.” Produced by Dunhill Records vice-president of A&R Steve Barri, the album aimed to recapture the commercial success that had eluded Elliot’s debut solo album, “Dream a Little Dream.”

Steve Barri attributed the bubblegum music style of Elliot’s output to a desire to capture her fun-loving and positive personality. He believed this musical direction would appeal widely and help Elliot regain her place on the upper charts. In a September 1969 interview with Melody Maker, Elliot expressed mixed feelings about this musical direction. She described bubblegum music as pleasant but insubstantial, likening it to Chinese food that leaves you hungry shortly after consuming it. Despite her reservations, she conceded that her light voice might be better suited to this genre, although she preferred more substantive material.

In 1971, Elliot reflected on her tenure with Dunhill Records, expressing frustration at being forced into a bubblegum music mold, which she felt limited her artistic expression. Barri, however, maintained that they never recorded anything Elliot didn’t want to do. Despite this, Elliot admitted that songs like “It’s Getting Better” did not fully align with her artistic vision, lacking the depth of social commentary she desired.

“Make Your Own Kind of Music,” while structurally similar to “It’s Getting Better,” carried a more substantial message. Barri regarded it as a pop song with something meaningful to say. Released in October 1969, the single quickly climbed the Billboard Hot 100, and in November 1969, Dunhill reissued Elliot’s second solo album to include the song, retitling it “It’s Getting Better/Make Your Own Kind of Music.” Despite heavy radio airplay, the single’s sales were modest, stalling at number 36 on the Hot 100, although it reached number 6 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.

The follow-up single, “New World Coming,” also written by Mann and Weil, had a similarly modest chart impact, peaking at number 42 on the Hot 100. This signaled Elliot’s struggles to maintain her status as a hitmaker as the 1960s transitioned into the 1970s. Dunhill Records president Jay Lasker remarked that the performance of “New World Coming” suggested that message records were no longer resonating with the public, prompting a shift in focus to love songs for Elliot.

In October 1970, Dunhill released Elliot’s third solo album, “Mama’s Big Ones,” compiling her Hot 100 singles and some previously unreleased tracks, marking her final solo album on the label. Following a collaborative album with Dave Mason, Dunhill announced Elliot’s reunion with her former bandmates for a final Mamas & Papas album before she moved to RCA Victor.

Despite its modest commercial success, “Make Your Own Kind of Music” holds a significant place in pop history. Billboard ranked it number 89 in their August 2019 “Staff Picks” list of the 100 Best Songs of 1969, highlighting its importance in the evolution of self-referential pop. The song’s defiant optimism shone through in a difficult period for Elliot, making it a timeless anthem for individuality.

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Lyrics

Nobody can tell you
There’s only one song worth singing
They may try and sell you
Cause it hangs them up
To see someone like you

But you gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along

You’re gonna be nowhere
The loneliest kind of lonely
It may be rough going
Just to do your thing is the hardest thing to do

But you gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along

So if you cannot take my hand
And if you must be going, I will understand

You gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along

You gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own kind of song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along

You gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own kind of song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along

No no no no
Even if nobody else sings along
If nobody else sings along