Michelle Phillips (3,706 views)

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Michelle Phillips
Birth name: Holly Michelle Gilliam
Voice Type: Soprano
Vocal Range: D3–C6
Associated acts: The New Journeyman (1962–1964), The Mamas & the Papas (1965–1968, 1971), Solo (1975–1978)

SPOILER: Click to show

{Vocal Range Timeline}The New Journeyman:
Before They Were The Mamas & The Papas... The Magic Circle [recorded 1962–1964, released 1999]: G♯3–C5

The Mamas & the Papas:
If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears [1966]: G♯3–E5
The Mamas & the Papas [1966]: A3–E5–G♯5–B5
The Mamas & the Papas Deliver [1967]: G3–F5
The Papas & the Papas [1968]: F♯3–D5–G5
People Like Us [1971]: G3–E5

Solo:
Victim of Romance [1977]: D3–E5–F5
Heaven on Earth [guest appearance as backing singer; 1987 Belinda Carlisle album]: B4

^{NOTE: Any bonus tracks and/or remixes are counted within their respective album's range.}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}E♭5: "Heaven Is a Place on Earth"
^{Reason: Ambigous harmony; may or may not be Michelle Phillips - numerous other backing vocalists are credited.}
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Questionable notes are any notes of questionable significance. In short, this section acknowledges known questionable notes, that would not contribute to the singer's range. These involve (but are not limited to) notes of questionable identity, notes of questionable legitimacy and notes of significantly poor quality.

Significant High Notes:

C6: "Words of Love " live on the Ed Sullivan Show
B5: "Words of Love "
G♯5: "Words of Love"
G5: "For the Love of Ivy", "Words of Love"
F♯5: "For the Love of Ivy"
F5: "Aces With You", "My Girl"
E5: "Aces With You", "For the Love of Ivy", "Free Advice", "Gemini Child", "The 'In' Crowd", "I Saw Her Again Last Night", "My Girl", "No Dough/Honeymoon", "Words of Love"
E♭5: "Midnight Voyage", "No Salt on Her Tail", "Pacific Coast Highway"
D5: "Aces With You", "Aloha Louie", "Boys & Girls Together", "Dancing Bear", "Dedicated to the One I Love", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "Even If I Could", "For the Love of Ivy", "Gemini Child", "I Call Your Name", "The 'In' Crowd", "I Saw Her Again Last Night", "Mansions", "Midnight Voyage", "My Girl", "Showing the Way" New Journeyman, "String Man", "You Baby"
C♯5: "Trashy Rumours", "Boys & Girls Together", "Did You Ever Want to Cry", "Do You Wanna Dance", "Even If I Could", "Free Advice", "Having His Way", "I Saw Her Again Last Night", "Look Through My Window", "Midnight Voyage", "No Dough/Honeymoon", "No Salt on Her Tail", "Pearl", "People Like Us", "Straight Shooter", "Step Out", "There She Goes" Original version, "Trip, Stumble and Fall"
C5: "Aloha Louie", "Boys & Girls Together", "Dedicated to the One I Love", "Did You Ever Want to Cry", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "For the Love of Ivy", "Gemini Child", "Go Where You Wanna Go", "Go Where You Wanna Go", "Having His Way", "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man" New Journeyman, "I Call Your Name", "The 'In' Crowd", "Just One Look", "Lady of Fantasy", "Let the Music Begin", "Look Through My Window", "Mansions", "Midnight Voyage", "Monday, Monday", "My Heart Stood Still", "My Girl", "No Salt on Her Tail", "Once Was a Time I Thought", "Pearl", "People Like Us", "Safe in My Garden", "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)", "Showing the Way" New Journeyman, "Sing for Your Supper", "Snowqueen of Texas", "Somebody Groovy", "String Man", "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)", "You Baby", "You Give Good Phone"
B4: "Aloha Louie", "Dancing Bear", "Trashy Rumours", "Bound for Higher Ground" New Journeyman, "Boys & Girls Together", "Champagne and Wine", "Creeque Alley", "Dedicated to the One I Love", "Do You Wanna Dance", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "Even If I Could", "Gemini Child", "Glad to Be Unhappy", "Go Where You Wanna Go", "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", "I Call Your Name", "I Saw Her Again Last Night", "I Wanna Be a Star", "Mansions", "Meditation Mama", "Midnight Voyage", "Monday, Monday", "My Girl", "My Heart Stood Still", "No Dough/Honeymoon", "No Love Today", "Once Was a Time I Thought", "People Like Us", "Safe in My Garden", "Sing for Your Supper", "Snowqueen of Texas", "Step Out", "Strange Young Girls", "Twist & Shout", "Where's Mine?"
B♭4: "Champagne and Wine", "Did You Ever Want to Cry", "Had a Lot of Love Last Night", "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", "Glad to Be Unhappy", "Got a Feelin'", "I Wanna Be a Star", "Lady Genevieve", "Look Through My Window", "No Love Today", "Nowhere Man" live 1966 - Hulabaloo, "Once Was a Time I Thought", "Somebody Groovy", "Too Late", "Where's Mine?"

Significant Low Notes:

B♭3: "Got a Feelin'", "Lady Genevieve", "Pearl", "Snowqueen of Texas", "Somebody Groovy"
A3: "Guerita", "Just One Look", "Lady of Fantasy", "Let the Music Begin", "Once Was a Time I Thought", "Paid the Price", "Practice What You Preach", "Rooms",  "Strange Young Girls"
G♯3: "Having His Way", "Got a Feelin'", "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man", "Just One Look", "Lady of Fantasy", "Nowhere Man" live 1966 - Hulabaloo, "People Like Us", "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)"
G3: "Aces With You", "Aching Kind", "Aloha Louie", "Baby as You Turn Away", "Champagne and Wine", "Dedicated to the One I Love", "Forever", "Had a Lot of Love Last Night", "I Wanna Be a Star", "Just One Look", "Lady of Fantasy", "Paid the Price", "Practice What You Preach", "String Man", "There She Goes", "You Give Good Phone"
F♯3: "Creeque Alley" live July 2018 - Laurel Canyon, "No Love Today", "The Right Somebody to Love"
F3: "Baby as You Turn Away", "Forever", "Had a Lot of Love Last Night", "No Love Today"
E3: "Champagne and Wine", "Guerita", "Creeque Alley" live July 2018 - Laurel Canyon
D3: "There She Goes"

Note: For Michelle's Victim of Romance album, much of the (higher) harmonies were handled by singers Tricia Johns, Laura Creamer, Cherie English, Myrna Matthews, Maxine Willard and Cathy Ward, and not Michelle, so only that album's 'lead' vocals are credited here.
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Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Bold marks particularly impressive vocal moments.

Best known as the higher voiced 'Mama' of The Mamas & the Papas, Michelle Phillips used her delicate voice to help soften the group's sound, and provide higher and brighter harmonies to their eclectic sonic signature. During that time her role seemed less prominent with mostly her middle and head voice being displayed, yet in the mid '70s Michelle signed with A&M Records to record some solo material, including some self-penned songs. It was then that her 'belting' register and supple lower register were displayed. Songs such as "No Love Today", "Paid The Price", "Baby as You Turn Away", "Just One Look" and "There She Goes" showcased said registers particularly well, which complete her (somewhat surprisingly) broad vocal range.