What We Know About The Mamas & The Papas 'Rebelling' to Lip-Syncing on 'Ed Sullivan Show'
Claim:
In 1967, folk-rock group The Mamas & The Papas were forced to lip-sync their song "California Dreamin'" on "The Ed Sullivan Show," and rebelled by making this obvious to viewers.
Rating:
Context:
While the band's actions on stage are well-documented, there is no definitive evidence to confirm this was a deliberate protest against lip-syncing.
A viral claim that has circulated on social media suggests that the 1960s-era folk-rock group The Mamas & The Papas rebelled against being forced to lip-sync during a televised performance of their hit song "California Dreamin'" on "The Ed Sullivan Show" by making their lip-syncing obvious to viewers.
For example, on July 14, 2024, the X account Historic Vids shared the claim (archived) that "in 1967, The Mamas and The Papas were forced to lip-sync their hit song 'California Dreamin' on The Ed Sullivan Show. They rebelled by making this obvious to viewers." That post received 18.7 million views as of this writing.
Facebook and Reddit users in 2020 also shared the claim, with similar assertions about the group's apparent act of rebellion.
The Sept. 24, 1967, performance by the four-piece vocal group on Sullivan's iconic variety show is available to watch on YouTube:
In the video, during the group's performance of "California Dreamin'," singer Michelle Phillips holds a peeled banana before eating it during her harmonies. Additionally, singer and guitarist John Phillips (Michelle's then-husband) strums an acoustic guitar that appears to have no amplification, nor is it plugged in, shortly before conversing with his wife during his vocal performance.
Meanwhile, vocalist Denny Doherty waves his microphone around while singing, and singer "Mama" Cass Elliot appears to hold her unplugged microphone cord bundled up in her hand, making it obvious she was not singing live.
However, this performance does not conclusively prove their antics were an act of rebellion.
Snopes reached out to Michelle Phillips (who is now 80) and her team — including her daughter with John Phillips, singer and actress Chynna Phillips — but did not receive an immediate response. No other members of The Mamas & the Papas are alive to corroborate or refute the story of their lip-syncing performance being an act of rebellion.
However, we found a video on Chynna Phillips' official YouTube channel — where she uses the last name of her husband, actor William Baldwin — that was posted in November 2021, in which she and Mama Cass' only daughter, Owen Elliot-Kugell, discuss the history of the folk group.
Around the 14-minute mark of the video, the two women laughingly talk about their parents' 1967 performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," recalling Michelle Phillips eating the banana while singing. "She missed a lot of vocal cues," Elliot-Kugell joked. "She's singing into the freaking banana!"
The video then cuts to Chynna Phillips calling her mother to ask about "The Ed Sullivan Show" performance. Following is a transcript of that conversation:
Chynna Phillips: Mom, I have the most random question for you.
Michelle Phillips: Uh-huh?
Chynna Phillips: So, remember when you did that TV show back in the '60s with The Mamas & The Papas and you had that banana in your hand? Do you know why you had that banana in your hand?
Michelle Phillips: Uhh, you know what, Chynna? It was so random, as you put it. You know, we were just lip-syncing to the song. And then I looked over and there was this plate of fruit, and there was this banana there, and so I just reached over and started peeling it, and I ate it!
Chynna Phillips: While the cameras were rolling? Like, you just started eating it?
Michelle Phillips: Yeah.
Chynna Phillips: I love that. I just love that.
Michelle Phillips: Well, it was very spontaneous.
Chynna Phillips: I'll say!
Michelle Phillips: I looked over, and I was trying to do something with my hands, to do anything because I felt a little awkward.
Chynna Phillips: Mom, it was an iconic moment!
The claim that The Mamas & The Papas rebelled against lip-syncing by making it obvious during their performance of "California Dreamin'" on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1967 remains unproven.
While Michelle Phillips' spontaneous act of eating a banana on stage is documented and lends some credence to the idea of defiance, it is primarily anecdotal. She has never admitted that it was an act of rebellion, rather, she said she did it as a "spontaneous" act because she felt "a little awkward" about what to do with her hands. There is no definitive evidence to confirm this was a deliberate protest against lip-syncing orchestrated by the band members.
Snopes has previously written about other music-related claims including the rumor that Diddy pays Sting $2,000 a day for sampling "Every Breath You Take," and Dolly Parton's alleged quotes about drag queens.
Sources:
Alec. The TRUE Story behind Michelle Phillips and the Banana #themamasandthepapas #californiadreamin. 2024. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bH1acqoBks.
"All About Cass Elliot's Daughter Owen Elliot-Kugell." Peoplemag, https://people.com/all-about-cass-elliot-daughter-owen-elliot-kugell-8406171. Accessed 18 July 2024.
Chynna Phillips Baldwin. Mama Cass's Daughter Reveals The Truth About Her Life And Death. 2021. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQdnxmnxeAY.
Fan, Knots Landing. "The Michelle Phillips Exclusive Interview Part One." Knots Landing.Net, 7 July 2024, https://www.knotslanding.net/interviews/michelle.htm.
---. "The Michelle Phillips Exclusive Interview Part Two." Knots Landing.Net, 25 June 2024, https://www.knotslanding.net/interviews/michelle2.htm.
"Mamas & Papas." Ed Sullivan Show, https://www.edsullivan.com/artists/mamas-papas/. Accessed 18 July 2024.
Martoccio, Angie. "Michelle Phillips Finally Reveals the Secret History of the Mamas and the Papas." Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2022, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/michelle-phillips-mamas-papas-secret-history-1356633/.
N, et al. "Dreaming Of 'California' From Far Away." NPR, 1 Dec. 2011. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2011/12/01/143005609/winter-songs-dreaming-of-california-from-far-away.
The Ed Sullivan Show. The Mamas & The Papas "California Dreamin'" (September 24, 1967) On The Ed Sullivan Show. 2020. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNlwimUxUME.
Trakin, Roy. "'Dedicated to the One I Love': Cass Elliot's Daughter Gets Her 'Mama' a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame." Variety, 2 Oct. 2022, https://variety.com/2022/music/news/cass-elliot-mamas-papas-hollywood-walk-of-fame-star-1235390478/.
Weller, Sheila. "California Dreamgirl." Vanity Fair, 20 Nov. 2007, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/12/phillips200712.
