Music Monday #38: Mama's Big Ones by Cass Elliot

I came out when I was 17 years old, first to my close friends then to my family, but I still kept one foot in the closet for a time.  It wasn't until my time at University when I decided from day one to be out and never make any attempt to hide that fact.  No one give a shit.  That was a period of liberation for me, to be surrounded by people for whom it was a complete non issue.  I could relax, open up, and be myself.  During that time I dipped my toe slowly at first into the LGBT world.  From the start I wanted to explore the culture and the history behind the community because I knew there would be things that others would reference that I had never experienced - for what it's worth in hindsight this wasn't really necessary at all but it did give me the confidence to feel as if I knew what I was talking about and the most important thing when stepping into a world you want to be part of, I believe, is having confidence and feeling as though that is where you belong.

In my attempts to explore LGBT culture I watched countless movies and TV shows that featured LGBT story lines and characters and seminal works that form part of the LGBT Zeitgeist.  That journey for me like many of my generation began with a movie released in 1996 released by Channel 4 Films called 'Beautiful Thing' written by Jonathan Harvey, a man who I knew of for his work on sitcoms, soaps, and most notably for me, 'Gimme Gimme Gimme' a very British sitcom about a gay guy named Tom Farrell played by James Dreyfus and his now legendary flatmate Linda La Hughes played by Kathy Burke.  I could write an entire post on GGG, but I'll save that for another time.

Beautiful Thing is the story of a young closeted gay boy named Jamie and his coming of age who falls in love with his neighbour Ste.  The movie still means a lot to me not just for the setting and the themes it touches on which I connected with but also because of the soundtrack.  One of Jamie's other neighbours is a girl named Leah whose mother loved the music of Cass Elliot also known as Mama Cass.  Her music featured heavily in the soundtrack and it was this movie more than anything that led me to explore her back catalogue which led me to 'Mama's Big One's one of her greatest hits albums of which she has quite a few not least of all for her musical journey that saw her start out in The Big 3 before moving on The Mugwamps then eventually The Mamas And The Papas whilst also recording solo works along the way.

Right off the bat the track most people probably know Mama Cass for is 'Make Your Own Kind Of Music' which remains something of an anthem for gay people in particular as it centres around the notion of walking your own path and not worrying about moving in a direction other people aren't.  The lyrics open with "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" which speaks directly to this feeling before breaking straight into the chorus with "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" which has gone on to inspire countless covers, features in movies, and become a panacea for the disparate.  An honourable mention here goes to one particular cover by Paloma Faith which I think does the original justice.

Mama Cass is very easy to listen to, her voice is melodic and provides warmth and comfort.  'Dream A Little Dream Of Me' exemplifies this feeling, the lyrics "Sweet dreams 'til sunbeams find you, Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you, But in your dreams, whatever they be, Dream a little dream of me" speaks volumes to that want to be constant both in search of something reassurance but also in aspiration of being that for someone else. 

The choice of Mama Cass and her music was the perfect accompaniment to Beautiful Thing, I will always associate the two for this reason and I will always associate the lyrics with love and hope, but also with the feeling of longing and to an extent the feeling of heartache too.  Mama Cass has a style of music that doesn't need to be aggressive to connect with the listener on an emotional level, there's no confrontation, no hostility just pure emotion being expressed in a way that draws pure emotion out in response.

My journey through LGBT culture started at that time in my life but time and again Mama Cass has popped up in unexpected places, even those who have never seen Beautiful Thing have mentioned their love of her music which to me speaks volumes as to the emotional connection and the affinity that LGBT people in particular have for her.  This is one of those albums that I listen to when I can't feel anything and I want to clear that blockage away and let something out, that may not sound like the most eloquent way of putting it but Mama Cass had a talent for making people feel something when no-one else could and for that reason more than anything she remains in my music library as comfort, reassurance, and warmth.