Make Your Own Kind of Music
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2016) |
| "Make Your Own Kind of Music" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Lady Love" |
"Make Your Own Kind of Music" is a pop song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, first recorded in 1968 by the New York City-based trio the Will-O-Bees (Janet Blossom, Steven Porter, and Robert Merchanthouse), who regularly performed Mann/Weil compositions. After Cass Elliot had a hit in the summer of 1969 with Mann/Weil's It's Getting Better, she recorded "Make Your Own Kind of Music" as the follow-up single, and her album Bubblegum, Lemonade, and... Something for Mama was re-released as Make Your Own Kind Of Music/It's Getting Better, the title cut having been added to the original track listing. However Elliot's Make Your Own Kind of Music single only just reached the Top 40 at #36 The similar chart impact of the follow-up single, another Mann/Weil composition entitled New World Coming, which reached #42, signaled Elliot's challenges in maintaining a profile as a current hitmaker, as the 1960s turned into the 1970s. The Cass Elliot track is in the key of E major.
Chart performance
- The Cash Box Top 100 Singles peak for Make Your Own Kind of Music and New World Coming was respectively #25 and #30.
- Billboard's Easy Listening chart peak for Make Your Own Kind of Music and New World Coming was respectively #6 and #4.
Remixes
A remixed version of the Cass Elliot track was featured in the 1997 Dance compilation Dance Across The Universe (Part 1), which was released by Universal Records,[1] along with a separate club-only promo which featured four different mixes (one of them dubbed "The Mama Cass Mix").[2]
Other versions
In 1972, Barbra Streisand released "Make Your Own Kind of Music" as a single in a medley with "Sing", which became an Easy Listening hit (#28) but only reached #94 on the Billboard Hot 100. Streisand also recorded parts of the song as a medley with The World is a Concerto for Barbra Streisand...And Other Musical Instruments.
Others who have performed the song include: Bobby Sherman, Paul Westerberg, and Ste McCabe. Mary Roos recorded a German-language version entitled Sing nochmal dieses Lied in 1970. It can also be found in the movie Beautiful Thing.
Sparky & Foe released a popular happy hardcore version of the song, featuring vocals by Charm.[3]
In popular culture
- Elliot's version of the song features in the television series Dexter, associated with the characters Dr. Evelyn Vogel and the Brain Surgeon, in the episodes "Every Silver Lining", "This Little Piggy", and "Are We There Yet". The song's title is also the title of the ninth episode of the show's eighth season.
- Elliot's version prominently featured in three episodes of the television series Lost, often associated with the character Desmond Hume, in the episodes: "Man of Science, Man of Faith", "Adrift", and "Flashes Before Your Eyes". A faint sitar version can also be heard at the end of "Live Together, Die Alone".
- The song appeared in the Swedish documentary I en annan del av Köping (2007).
- In February 2006, a Snickers commercial aired in the United States featured Sherman's version.
- Elliot's version also appears in the play and film Beautiful Thing, alongside many more of her recordings.
- It is used on one of Hallmark's musical greeting cards.[citation needed]
- It was featured on a flash animation on Newgrounds.com, called "We Are NativeAmericanCats", but was pulled because of a lawsuit involving the record company.[citation needed]
- In August 2009, it was used in commercials for home products retailer IKEA in Ireland, which opened its first store in that country that year.[citation needed]
- In November 2010, it was used in advertisements for the French mobile phone company Bouygues Telecom.[citation needed]
- In May 2015, Elliot's version was used for a montage of Sue Heck's years in high school, in the sitcom The Middle.[citation needed]
- In March 19, 2016, Fancy Lad's skateboarding company uploaded their video "Is This Skateboarding" where the song is used to exemplify their strange approach to skateboarding
References
- ^ "Various - Dance Across The Universe Volume 1 (CD)". Discogs.com. 1997-10-21. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- ^ "Mama Cass - Make Your Own Kind Of Music (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- ^ "Make Your Own Kind Of Music - Sparky & Foe feat Charm by CharmQDC | Charm QDC | Free Listening on SoundCloud". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.