The “mistake” that gave The Mamas and the Papas their next big hit in 1966
The article recounts how a studio error became a defining feature of The Mamas and the Papas’ 1966 single ‘I Saw Her Again’. Engineer Bones Howe brought Denny Doherty’s vocal in too early during the third chorus, but producer Lou Adler liked the resulting hesitation and kept it in the final recording, illustrating how an accidental moment can strengthen a pop record.
Written by John Phillips and Doherty, the song was reportedly shaped by Doherty’s affair with Michelle Phillips, who was married to John at the time. Released in June 1966, it followed the group’s US number-one ‘Monday, Monday’ and reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, number 11 in the UK and number one in Canada.
- A mistimed vocal was retained in ‘I Saw Her Again’.
- Producer Lou Adler judged the error effective.
- The 1966 single became another major hit.
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The studio recording had barely been a topic before this – here's what a reader needs to know.
The Mamas and the Papas were an American vocal group formed in the mid-1960s, made up of John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot. They rose to fame with tightly layered harmonies and became one of the defining pop acts of the era, scoring a US number one with 'Monday, Monday' in 1966 before following it up with 'I Saw Her Again' later that same year.
The song's backstory is tied up with the group's own relationships: it was co-written by John Phillips and Denny Doherty, and is widely understood to reflect Doherty's affair with Michelle Phillips, who was married to John at the time. That tension within the band, alongside their commercial success, is part of what makes their history of lasting interest to music fans and historians alike.