At first so strange to feel so friendly/
To say good morning and really mean it.

The Mamas and Papas’ “Twelve Thirty” explores a theme that was near and dear to Papa John Phillips: the feeling of community, specifically in northern California. We saw him write about that in “San Francisco”, recorded by Scott McKenzie. We’ll see it again later in this list.

At the beginning of the song he writes that he used to live in New York and everything there was dark and dirty. A symbol of his old life was the church steeple outside his window that was neglected…it always read 12:30. (Get it? The clock is broken.) Now, in the canyon of California he is feeling different and is happy with the community around him.

Like all Mamas and Papas songs, Twelve Thirty works because of the amazing harmonies. The four of them: Mama Cass, Michele Phillips, Papas John and Dennis could harmonize with the best bands of all time. If you think they are the best of all time, I wouldn’t argue with you. But they are certainly top 5. (Off the top of my head I’d say them, the Beach boys, CSNY, the Bee Gees, and Simon and Garfunkel are a league above the rest). One aspect of the Mamas & Papas music that is unique is that most of their songs are upbeat. They don’t have any real dark songs. That just wasn’t their style.

Lyrics Twelve Thirty
I used to live in New York City
Everything there was dark and dirty
Outside my window was a steeple
With a clock that always said twelve thirty

Young girls are coming to the canyon
And in the mornings I can see them walking
I can no longer keep my blinds drawn
And I can’t keep myself from talking

At first so strange to feel so friendly
To say good morning and really mean it
To feel these changes happening in me
But not to notice till I feel it

Young girls are coming to the canyon
And in the mornings I can see them walking
I can no longer keep my blinds drawn
And I can’t keep myself from talking

Cloudy waters cast no reflection
Images of beauty lie there stagnant
Vibrations bounce in no direction
And lie there shattered into fragments

Young girls are coming to the canyon
(Young girls are in the canyon)
And in the mornings I can see them walking
(In the mornings I can see them walking)
I can no longer keep my blinds drawn
(Can no longer keep my blinds drawn)
And I can’t keep myself from talking

Songwriters: John Edmund Andrew Phillips