Popular TikTok meme responsible for Cass Elliott resurgence

Donaldson Collection/Getty Images

A whole new generation of music fans are learning about The Mamas and the Papas singer Cass Elliot thanks to a meme that’s been going viral on TikTok.

The meme in question features a clip from the 2022 film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which has star Nicolas Cage looking at a carefree Pedro Pascal as they ride in a convertible, set to Cass’ 1969 song “Make Your Own Kind of Music.”

According to Rolling Stone, the meme, which folks are using to illustrate various disagreements between people, is so popular that the song has been featured in at least 46,000 videos, with over 32.1 million views.

And Elliot’s daughter, Owen Elliot-Kugell, is thrilled by the resurgence of her mother’s tune.

“It’s the coolest thing I could possibly even conceptualize,” she tells the mag. “I’m a total TikTok junkie, and I’m loving, in particular, the context that people are using the song because it’s completely accurate in the whole attitude.”

She adds, “‘Make Your Own Kind of Music’ is really about like ‘f*** you. I’m gonna do whatever I want, no matter what anybody thinks.’”

Prompted by the meme’s popularity, some folks on social media have taken to trying to educate younger music fans about Cass and the challenges she faced as an overweight woman in the music industry, something her daughter is also happy about.

“One of my main goals in my life is to make sure that her legacy stays prominent and alive,” she says. “The thing that people connect with about my mom is the idea of triumphing over adversity. She was a woman in a man’s world who paved the way for other women of size. And that’s important.”