Creeque Alley by The Mamas & the Papas

Album: Deliver (1967)

Charted: 9 5

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Songfacts®:

"Creeque Alley" is the story of how The Mamas & The Papas met and formed. The title doesn't show up in the lyric but is a reference to a club on a road called Creeque Alley in the Virgin Islands, where the four members of the group came together in 1965 and hatched the band.
The group was comprised of John Phillips, his wife Michelle, Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty. Here's where they show up in the lyrics:

John and Mitchy were gettin' kind of itchy
Just to leave the folk music behind

John and Michelle Phillips had been part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in New York City for a while, but were California Dreamin'," ready to move to the West Coast.

Zal and Denny workin' for a penny

Zal Yanovsky, who went on to form The Lovin' Spoonful, had been in a band with Denny Doherty called the Halifax Three.

When Denny met Cass he gave her love bumps
Called John and Zal and that was the Mugwumps

Cass Elliot formed a group called the Mugwumps with Doherty.

What's glossed over in the song is that Elliot wasn't part of the original plan for the group - John Phillips wanted them to be a trio centered around Michelle. Elliot basically crashed the party, showing up in the Virgin Islands and making it clear she was too good a singer to turn down. That part is distilled into this line:

Cass can't make it, she says we'll have to fake it
We knew she'd come eventually
The punch line at the end of each verse is "no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass." This sounds rather mean, and it is. Cass Elliot could tip the scales at 300 pounds, and her weight was a running joke. She smiled through it and often made fun of it herself, but it stung, as her daughter Owen revealed in the book My Mama, Cass.
While the song is about the formation of The Mamas & The Papas, it mentions other artists who were getting their starts at the same time:

In a coffee house Sebastian sat

This is John Sebastian, who with Zal Yanovsky (also mentioned in the song), formed the Lovin' Spoonful.

McGuinn and McGuire, couldn't get no higher

Jim "Roger" McGuinn was the lead singer for The Byrds, who were starting to take flight at the time and who had two #1 songs in 1965: "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)." Barry McGuire had a #1 in 1965 with the anti-war song "Eve Of Destruction." In other words, at #1 they "couldn't get no higher."
The line, "Greasin' on American Express cards" refers to a time when the band was in the Virgin Islands and living off their credit cards, running up balances they couldn't (and didn't intend to) pay.
"Creeque Alley" was the last big hit for The Mamas & The Papas, the sixth in a string of Top 5 hits that includes "Monday, Monday" and "I Saw Her Again." They were one of the most successful American groups during the British Invasion, but they didn't last. By 1968 they were fractured, at odds with each other and with their record company. They split up that year and worked on solo projects - Cass Elliot was by far the most successful, landing a hit with her rendition of the standard "Dream A Little Dream Of Me."

Comments: 22

Jen from Los AngelesWonderful song. It tells a story..most songs now are just jibberish.
Bob S. from Bernardsville, NjAnother big fan of the groups (MUSIC). "Creque Alley", one of many fantastic songs by them. Anyone know where the "Night Owl" was located and any information about it.
Bruce from Schertz TexasSpent my summer listening to them. My dad and I did the conversion of duffeys space from rooms to a bar. I knew the mamas and paps well. I was 14 and fell in love with Michele. The summer of my life any questions please ask as I will never forget I had the converted Jeep into a hot dog stand next to trader dans
Olthe3rd from Chicago, Illinois, UsaThere is some truth to the lines about Mana Cass planning to go to college but dropping out to pursue her singing career. But according to her biography on Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Elliot), she had planned to go to American University in Washington, DC. "Sophomore" and "Swarthmore" were apparently substituted for the actual facts because they rhyme better.
Fran From Swarthmore from Swarthmore, Pa.I live in a small town outside of Philadelphia, with a small, prestigious Swarthmore College!!!
Always dug the line, “When Cass was a sophomore, planned to go to Swarthmore....!!”
Is there any truth or knowledge about this line?! Just wondering.... Great tune by a fun band!!!!
Seventhmist from 7th HeavenKen, John probably had a few other nicknames for "Mitchie" after she bedded half the musicians in California, including the other Papa. But since he had cheated on his first wife with her, hard to feel any pity.
William from Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, Us Virgin IslandsI live down the road from "Creque's Alley" (and it is indeed pronounced "creaky's") and there are actually two Creque's Alleys (West & East) around the old Creque family's' warehouses on the wharf in Charlotte Amalie. The center "alley" is the one with the original iron gate. That alley turns right at the north end and connects with Trompeter Gade (Danish for Trumpetes Street). At the south end of the warehouses was where the four of them (at that time the New Journeymen + Cass Elliot) first sang together! It was replaced by modern buildings but they saved the original iron gate still in place. I have pictures of the original "Trader Dan's" above which was Hugh Duffy's place. Duffy's boarding house is still there (now offices and a watch repair shop) and is the upstairs over the "Side Street Pub" where the balcony's are. Some of the seating for the pub is in the turn of the alley from Creque's to Trompeter Gade. There is a newer "Creque's Alley" iron gate there.
Duffy's descendants own "Duffy's Love Shack" in Red Hook, St Thomas USVI.
Matt Maloney from FlThe alley still exists, but the wrought iron sign that identify it and access to it from the waterfront street have been hidden behind a wall. But locals we asked for help in finding it gladly clued us in to access from the other end via a restaurant's outdoor seating area. And we now have a treasured photo of it which I would be glad to share here if possible.
Matt Maloney from FlMispronunciation of this song's title as "creek" alley is common around here, but the locals in St Thomas pronounce it "creaky".
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn June 11th 1967, the Mamas and the Papas performed "Creeque Alley" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'...
At the time it was at #21 and in its eighth week on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart...
(See next post below).
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 23rd 1967, "Creeque Alley" by the Mamas and the Papas entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #83; and on May 28th it peaked at #5 (for 1 week) and spent 9 weeks on the Top 100...
It reached #9 on the United Kingdom's Singles chart...
Was track 3 of side 1 on the quartet's third studio album, 'Deliver', and the album peaked at #2 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart...
Two other tracks from the album also made the Top 100 chart; "Dedicated to the One I Love" (at #2) and "Look Through My Window" (at #24)...
Sadly, three of the group's four members have passed away, Cass Elliot (1941 - 1974), John Phillips (1935 - 2001), Denny Doherty (1940 - 2007), and Michelle Phillips will celebrate her 70th birthday in less than two months on June 4th, 1944.
Ken from Louisville, Ky"Getting fat" is musician's slang for being successful. "Mitchie" was John Phillips' nickname for Michelle.
Jb from Hanover, NhThe lyrics "Duffy's good vibrations, and our imaginations, can't go on indefinitely" refer, in part, to Hugh Duffy, the owner of the club on Creeque Alley. Duffy now owns Chez Shack in Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Kirk Kirkpatrick from Palm City, FlActually the references to Mama Cass "getting fat" was because she was working when everyone else was not working. She was singing at Bar Mitzvas and weddings and was in demand.
Joan from Columbia, ScIn response to DC in Seattle, Washington: I just registered to answer your question. I checked wiki and got this answer - The lyrics "Duffy's good vibrations, and our imaginations, can't go on indefinitely" refer, in part, to Hugh Duffy, the owner of the club on Creeque Alley.
Dc from Seattle, WaMy favorite out of all great songs by the Mamas. Who is Duffy?
Esskayess from Dallas, TxI always wondered how Cass felt about that repeated "gettin' fat" line. I think it referred to her pregnancy, as she was already portly when she joined. She grew to despise the "Mama" in front of her name for that reason, though you can hear her introduced that way before she sings "Dream a Little Dream of Me." Ironically, she was the one who thought up the group's name.
Ekristheh from Halath, United StatesI love these sorts of subterranean homesick tunes.
George from Salvador, BrazilIf you have never heard this song, then go buy it, download, whatever. Just listen to it! It is an instant favorite with everyone.[2]
Mary from London, EnglandGreat song, I love it. It always make me sad about Mama Cass's death.
Ashlee from Jacksonville, Flgreat.
Kristi from Lake Ariel, PaIf you have never heard this song, then go buy it, download, whatever. Just listen to it! It is an instant favorite with everyone.

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