I’ve been in one of those weird musical slumps where I’ve just been listening to the same things over and over because 1) I can’t remember what other music I like and 2) I am just really vibing with Van Halen (as always). So, when I was cruising around in a the other day, I put on an old driving playlist I made when I was fresh out of high school — y’know, for a taste of something familiar but that feels fresh because I haven’t listened to it for ages. And there it was: The Mamas & The Papas.

I don’t really know why, but I got into a big 1960s music phase when I was readying to graduate high school. Something about the burgeoning freedom of adulthood seemed particularly enticing, and for once, I wasn’t so miserable that all I wanted to listen to was angsty goth music. In that time, I transitioned from angry metal to classic rock to the sweet, groovy tunes of a bygone era.

My first introduction to The Mamas & ThePapas came from a fairly strange place: gymnastics. I was under a brief delusion that I would grow up to become a rhythmic gymnast, so I joined a gymnastics class, and my instructor decided that “California Dreaming” would be our recital song. It was a strange choice, but listening to that song on repeat every Wednesday was the highlight of my gymnastics classes, since it turned out that I was not flexible in the slightest.

As a grown human, “Somebody Groovy” has become one of my favorite jams, and I generally listen to it about five times in a row any time I remember that it exists. Today is one of those days. Enjoy.