"Go Where You Wanna Go" is a 1965 song written by John Phillips. It was originally recorded by

the Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...

on their LP ''

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears ''If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears'' is the debut album by the Mamas and the Papas (written as ), released in 1966. The stereo mix of the album is included in its entirety on '' All the Leaves are Brown'' (2001), a two-CD retrospective compil ...

'' and given limited release as a single. However, the record was withdrawn, and its A-side was reassigned to "

California Dreamin' "California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 196 ...

". "Go Where You Wanna Go" later became a hit for

the 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwee ...

P.F. Sloan Philip Gary "Flip" Sloan (born Philip Gary Schlein; September 18, 1945 – November 15, 2015), known professionally as P. F. Sloan, was an American singer and songwriter. During the mid-1960s, he wrote, performed, and produced many Billboard H ...

played guitar on the song. John Phillips said that he wrote it about

Michelle Phillips Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish wi ...

's affair with

Russ Titelman Russ Titelman (born August 16, 1944, Los Angeles, California) is an American record producer and songwriter. He has to date won three Grammy Awards. He earned his first producing the Steve Winwood song " Higher Love", and his second and third f ...

, a songwriter and record producer.

The Fifth Dimension version

The 5th Dimension recorded "Go Where You Wanna Go" for their debut studio album in 1967, '' Up, Up and Away''. The song was the group's first single to chart (after their first Soul City release, "Train Keep On Movin'", was unsuccessful), reaching number 16 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also did well in Canada. It is among the group's 10 biggest hits. Producer

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

suggested the group record the song. According to

Marilyn McCoo Marilyn McCoo (born September 30, 1943) is an American singer, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group the 5th Dimension, as well as hosting the 1980s music countdown series ''Solid Gol ...

, "the record company wasn't going to release it as a single, but we put our whole thing into it, released it and it was a hit."

Chart performance

References

External links

"Go Where You Wanna Go" at SongFacts
* (Mamas & Papas) * (5th Dimension) 1965 songs 1965 debut singles 1967 singles The Mamas and the Papas songs The 5th Dimension songs Dunhill Records singles Songs written by John Phillips (musician) Song recordings produced by Lou Adler {{1960s-single-stub