It's Getting Better (Cass Elliot song)
Encyclopedia
It's Getting Better is a song written by Barry Mann
and Cynthia Weil
that was a sunshine pop
hit single in 1969 for Cass Elliot
.
The song describes the singer's satisfaction with a love relationship that is down-to-earth rather than extravagantly romantic, a subgenre
of love song
exemplified by the Jerome Kern
/ P. G. Wodehouse
composition "Bill
". Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil had previously written the similarly themed "He's Sure the Boy I Love", a hit for the Crystals
in 1963.
"It's Getting Better" was first recorded by Bobby Rydell
and released in 1968 as a single coupled with a cover of Marmalade
's UK hit "The Lovin' Things". That same year The Will-O-Bees, a New York City based trio (Janet Blossom, Steven Porter, and Robert Merchanthouse) who recorded a number of Mann-Weil compositions, also had a single release of "It's Getting Better"; and the song was cut by the Vogues
for inclusion on their Turn Around, Look at Me
album.
1969 saw the release of several single versions of "It's Getting Better" but only Cass Elliot's was by an established artist, the other versions being by Ronnie Buskirk, Freddie Gelfand, and P. K. Limited.
"It's Getting Better" was recorded by Cass Elliot for inclusion on her July 1969 album release Bubblegum, Lemonade, and... Something for Mama
, which was produced by Steve Barri
and arranged by Jimmie Haskell. The Wrecking Crew
(James Burton
on guitar, Hal Blaine
on drums, Larry Knechtel
on keyboards, and Joe Osborn
on bass) — who'd regularly backed the Mamas & the Papas
— were among the instrumentalists on the album.
"It's Getting Better" was issued as the second advance single in May 1969 following the release that March of "Move in a Little Closer, Baby", a single reminiscent of the Mamas & the Papas
sound which reached a Billboard Hot 100
peak of #58. Steve Barri says that "Move in a Little Closer, Baby" was "one [album track] [Elliot] wasn't too thrilled about...but she loved 'It's Getting Better'".
A #13 Easy Listening
hit, "It's Getting Better" reached #30 on the Hot 100. It remained on the U.S. charts for 18 weeks. The single's regional success was staggered, and it reached the Top Ten in several markets, ranking as high as #2 in Minneapolis-Saint Paul and San Diego. Its estimated U.S. sales were 500,000 copies.
"It's Getting Better" had a more pronounced chart impact in the UK, reaching #8 in October 1969 and selling almost 100,000 copies, despite a potential rival version by Paul Jones
. The single bested the UK chart performance of Elliot's signature song, "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (#11), which had lost some popularity to a rival version by Anita Harris
.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" and "It's Getting Better" would be Elliot's only two UK chart appearances. In the U.S., "It's Getting Better" was the fourth of Elliot's seven solo Billboard Hot 100 appearances and her second Top 40 hit after "Dream a Little Dream of Me".
In Australia "It's Getting Better" by Cass Elliott charted at #53.
In the wake of the success of "It's Getting Better", Elliot's next two singles were recordings of Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil compositions: "Make Your Own Kind of Music" — which like "It's Getting Better" had been recorded by the Will-O-Bees in 1968 — and a new song, "New World Coming". Although both songs are now considered soft rock
classics, their original chart success was fairly mild: "Make Your Own Kind of Music" peaked at #36 (Elliot's third and final solo Top 40 appearance), and "New World Coming" peaked at #42.
"It's Getting Better" has also been recorded by Richard Barnes
, New Cactus Band
, Louise Morrissey, the Popinjays
, Kevin Rowland
and John & Anne Ryder. Bobby Rydell (who made the first recording of "It's Getting Better" in 1968) remade it in 1976 for Born With a Smile, his sole album released after 1964. A Swedish rendering of "It's Getting Better" by lyricist Stig Anderson
entitled "Det Känns Bara Bättre" was cut by Anna-Lena Löfgren
in 1970.
In 2011 Cass Elliot's "It's Getting Better" was employed in a television advertisement for Nestea
.
Barry Mann
Barry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:...
and Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with her husband Barry Mann....
that was a sunshine pop
Sunshine pop
Sunshine pop is a subgenre of pop music originating in the United States, mainly the state of California, in the mid-1960s. Sunshine pop, by nature, is cheerful and upbeat music which is characterised by warm sounds, prominent vocal harmonies, as well as sophisticated productions...
hit single in 1969 for Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot , born Ellen Naomi Cohen and also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London, England, from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out...
.
The song describes the singer's satisfaction with a love relationship that is down-to-earth rather than extravagantly romantic, a subgenre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
of love song
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
exemplified by the Jerome Kern
Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
/ P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
composition "Bill
Bill (Show Boat)
"Bill" is a song heard in Act II of Kern and Hammerstein's classic 1927 musical Show Boat. The song was written for Kern and P.G. Wodehouse's 1917 musical Oh, Lady! Lady!! for Vivienne Segal to perform, but withdrawn because it was considered too melancholy for that show...
". Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil had previously written the similarly themed "He's Sure the Boy I Love", a hit for the Crystals
The Crystals
The Crystals are an American vocal group based in New York, considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era of the first half of the 1960s. Their 1961–1964 chart hits, including "Uptown", "He's a Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron " and "Then He Kissed Me", featured three successive female lead...
in 1963.
"It's Getting Better" was first recorded by Bobby Rydell
Bobby Rydell
Bobby Rydell is an American professional singer, mainly of rock and roll music. In the early 1960s he was considered a so-called "teen idol"...
and released in 1968 as a single coupled with a cover of Marmalade
Marmalade (band)
Marmalade were a successful Scottish pop rock group, from the east end of Glasgow, originally formed in 1961 as "The Gaylords", later "Dean Ford and The Gaylords". In 1966, they changed the group name to 'The Marmalade'. The most successful period for the band, in terms of UK chart success, was...
's UK hit "The Lovin' Things". That same year The Will-O-Bees, a New York City based trio (Janet Blossom, Steven Porter, and Robert Merchanthouse) who recorded a number of Mann-Weil compositions, also had a single release of "It's Getting Better"; and the song was cut by the Vogues
The Vogues
The Vogues are an American vocal group from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The original group consisted of Bill Burkette , Don Miller , Hugh Geyer and Chuck Blasko .-Career:...
for inclusion on their Turn Around, Look at Me
Turn Around, Look at Me (album)
Turn Around, Look at Me was an LP album by The Vogues, released by Reprise Records in 1968, under catalog number RS-6314.The album was reissued, combined with the 1969 Vogues album Till, in compact disc format, by Taragon Records on November 6, 2001....
album.
1969 saw the release of several single versions of "It's Getting Better" but only Cass Elliot's was by an established artist, the other versions being by Ronnie Buskirk, Freddie Gelfand, and P. K. Limited.
"It's Getting Better" was recorded by Cass Elliot for inclusion on her July 1969 album release Bubblegum, Lemonade, and... Something for Mama
Bubblegum, Lemonade, and... Something for Mama
Bubblegum, Lemonade and… Something for Mama is the second solo album released by Cass Elliot. It was recorded in 1969 and arranged and produced by Steve Barri. The album was originally released on July 5, 1969 with only 11 tracks. It was released again on December 6, 1969 under a new title and with...
, which was produced by Steve Barri
Steve Barri
Steve Barri is an American songwriter and record producer.Early in his career Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He frequently collaborated with P.F. Sloan, and the partners were responsible for the success of The Grass Roots and contributed largely to the band's first album...
and arranged by Jimmie Haskell. The Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew (music)
The Wrecking Crew was a nickname coined by the drummer Hal Blaine after the fact for a group of session musicians in Los Angeles, California, who earned wide acclaim in the 1960s. They backed dozens of popular singers, and were one of the most successful "groups" of studio musicians in music history...
(James Burton
James Burton
James Burton is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 , Burton has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...
on guitar, Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
on drums, Larry Knechtel
Larry Knechtel
Lawrence William "Larry" Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Partridge Family, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s...
on keyboards, and Joe Osborn
Joe Osborn
Joe Osborn is an American bass guitar virtuoso, notable for his work as a session musician in Los Angeles and Nashville during the period from the 1960s through the 1980s. Osborn's work is widely admired by fellow musicians.Osborn began his career working in local clubs, then played on a hit...
on bass) — who'd regularly backed the Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
— were among the instrumentalists on the album.
"It's Getting Better" was issued as the second advance single in May 1969 following the release that March of "Move in a Little Closer, Baby", a single reminiscent of the Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
sound which reached a Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
peak of #58. Steve Barri says that "Move in a Little Closer, Baby" was "one [album track] [Elliot] wasn't too thrilled about...but she loved 'It's Getting Better'".
A #13 Easy Listening
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
hit, "It's Getting Better" reached #30 on the Hot 100. It remained on the U.S. charts for 18 weeks. The single's regional success was staggered, and it reached the Top Ten in several markets, ranking as high as #2 in Minneapolis-Saint Paul and San Diego. Its estimated U.S. sales were 500,000 copies.
"It's Getting Better" had a more pronounced chart impact in the UK, reaching #8 in October 1969 and selling almost 100,000 copies, despite a potential rival version by Paul Jones
Paul Jones (singer)
Paul Jones is an English singer, actor, harmonica player, and radio personality and television presenter.-Career:As P. P...
. The single bested the UK chart performance of Elliot's signature song, "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (#11), which had lost some popularity to a rival version by Anita Harris
Anita Harris
Anita Harris is an English actress, singer and entertainer....
.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" and "It's Getting Better" would be Elliot's only two UK chart appearances. In the U.S., "It's Getting Better" was the fourth of Elliot's seven solo Billboard Hot 100 appearances and her second Top 40 hit after "Dream a Little Dream of Me".
In Australia "It's Getting Better" by Cass Elliott charted at #53.
In the wake of the success of "It's Getting Better", Elliot's next two singles were recordings of Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil compositions: "Make Your Own Kind of Music" — which like "It's Getting Better" had been recorded by the Will-O-Bees in 1968 — and a new song, "New World Coming". Although both songs are now considered soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
classics, their original chart success was fairly mild: "Make Your Own Kind of Music" peaked at #36 (Elliot's third and final solo Top 40 appearance), and "New World Coming" peaked at #42.
"It's Getting Better" has also been recorded by Richard Barnes
Richard Barnes (musician)
Richard Barnes was a British singer who saw limited chart success in the early 1970s.-Career:Barnes was a vocalist with the UK pop group the Quiet Five before departing for a solo career in 1969. Over the next four years he cut a handful of pop records before launching a career in the musical...
, New Cactus Band
Cactus (band)
Cactus is an American hard rock supergroup, formed in 1970.-Biography:Cactus was initially conceived as early as late 1969 by the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck and Xylophone player Adele Smitchell acted as the counterpart and...
, Louise Morrissey, the Popinjays
Popinjays
Popinjays were a British indie pop band, active between 1988 and 1994, the majority of whose records were released on the One Little Indian Records label in the UK, and Epic/One Little Indian in the US.-Career:...
, Kevin Rowland
Kevin Rowland
Kevin Rowland is an English singer-songwriter and former frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners, which had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being "Geno" and "Come On Eileen".-Career:...
and John & Anne Ryder. Bobby Rydell (who made the first recording of "It's Getting Better" in 1968) remade it in 1976 for Born With a Smile, his sole album released after 1964. A Swedish rendering of "It's Getting Better" by lyricist Stig Anderson
Stig Anderson
Stig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson was born in Hova, Sweden, and is best known as the manager of the pop group ABBA.- Polar Music:Anderson was the founder of the Polar Music record label in 1963...
entitled "Det Känns Bara Bättre" was cut by Anna-Lena Löfgren
Anna-Lena Löfgren
Anna-Lena Löfgren was a Swedish singer from Stockholm. During the years 1962 and 1995, more than 40 of her songs made it onto Svensktoppen, the record chart of Sveriges Radio. Löfgren became one of the most best known schlager singers in Sweden during the 1960s.She made her first public...
in 1970.
In 2011 Cass Elliot's "It's Getting Better" was employed in a television advertisement for Nestea
Nestea
Nestea is a brand of iced tea manufactured by Nestle and distributed by Nestle company's beverage department in the United States and byBeverage Partners Worldwide , a joint venture between The Coca-Cola Company and Nestle, in the rest of the world. It competes with Unilever/Pepsi's Lipton Iced Tea...
.