I remember a long interview with John Phillips that ran in my local paper. Wish I had kept it. A lot of fascinating stuff about the Mamas and the Papas and his marriage to Michelle.
She never let the wedding ring stop her from bedding down any guy with a pulse. One of her favorites was Denny Doherty, the other male vocalist in the group. Phillips said that sometimes she’d be brazen enough to do the deed in the adjoining hotel room while he was trying to write songs.
I’ve never been able to listen to their music in the same way ever since. “Words of love so soft and tender won’t win a girl’s heart anymore”. What do you suppose was going on as THAT was being written?
John wrote “I Saw Her Again Light” specifically about Michelle and Denny’s adultery.
IIRC, the marriage was basically over by the time they moved to LA. Michelle was actually fired from the group during their second album and replaced by Jill Gibson who was an ex-girlfriend of Jan Berry, of Jan & Dean. Eventually, Michelle was rehired and, to this day, there is disagreement on who sang on which tracks on that second album.
That said, John wrote a slew of iconic pop songs and was an extraordinary vocal arranger.
Fun facts....
Their first paying gig was as backup singers for Barry McGuire who introduced them to Lou Adler who owned Dunhill Records. When he first saw and heard them, he exclaimed “If you can believe your eyes and ears”...which became the title of their first album.