The Shirelles' version speaks softly to a faraway lover over sweet, gentle harmonies. A hook that stays in the ear, a skipping beat, and carefully layered voices. A teenager's confession became the template for craft-conscious pop songwriting.
The Mamas & the Papas' version redefines the song with folk-rock harmonies. Michelle Phillips takes her first lead vocal, and the girl-group grammar survives as a vocabulary of psychedelic pop.
The same song moves from a girl group’s crafted pop to the golden harmonies of folk rock.