Credited to Stookey-Mason-Dixon, the song's lyrics reference contemporary rock artists including the Mamas & the Papas, Donovan, and the Beatles. The song parodies and satirizes the vocal style of the Mamas & the Papas in the first verse, Donovan in the second verse and the Beatles in the third verse.[1][2] Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic commented that the song "simply celebrates the simple joy of pop music at the time."[3]
In an interview with the Chicago Daily News in 1966, a year before the song's release, Mary Travers expressed contempt for the emergence of the folk rock genre: "(It's) so badly written. ... When the fad changed from folk to rock, they didn't take along any good writers."[4]
The line "When the words don't get in the way, yeah" and especially the phrasing of "yeah" is a reference to the line "Every other day, every other day, every other day of the week is fine, yeah" from the Mamas & the Papas' song "Monday, Monday".[citation needed]
The line about Donovan and "his crystal images" refers to the mention of "crystal spectacles" in "Epistle to Dippy". The song is also noted for its psychedelic feedback effects, miming the volume swell on the electric guitar from Donovan's 1966 song "Sunshine Superman". The backing vocal effect in the verse parodying the Beatles reflects "Yellow Submarine".[citation needed] The backing band on the recording was The Paupers, a rock band from Toronto.
Cash Box said the song is "a rollicking trip with a sense of humor."[5]
Chart history
The song was a hit single for the group and reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] In Australia, the song reached No. 4.
