Formed in New York City, the group consisted of Americans John Phillips, Cass Elliot, Michelle Phillips, and Canadian Denny Doherty. Their sound was based on vocal harmonies arranged by John Phillips – the songwriter and leader of the group – who adapted folk to the new beat style of the early 1960s.

Artists did sometimes play live on The Ed Sullivan Show, but sometimes technical issues meant they would instead mime to "playback" their records. That was the case when The Mamas & the Papas appeared on the show on September 24, 1967.

Elliot died of a heart attack in 1974, Phillips from heart failure in 2001, and the death of Denny Doherty earlier this year left Phillips as the last surviving original member.

The lyrics express the narrator's longing for the warmth of Los Angeles during a cold winter in New York City.