Song of the Day: 'Different' by Cass Elliot

Because I can't think of a better way to head into the weekend than watching Cass Elliot sing the anthemic "Different," in a scene from "Pufnstuf," Sid and Marty Krofft's 1970 fantasy musical. The film, which starred Cass, Jack Wild, Billie Hayes and Martha Raye(!), was based on the children's television series "H.R. Pufnstuf," featuring a cast of puppets on a "living island." 

Crazy how much this song meant to people:

Fifty years later and this song is more relevant than you would know. What a voice.

This song was my childhood anthem. My mom watched this show growing up and raised me on it. This song meant a lot to me when i was little. And with the way that i dress now and how im seen by society the lyrics ring even truer to me.

"what did I do to be so different?" Every time I hear this line I choke up, it hits so close to home.

Cass is singing from experience. This was a beautiful and highly talented woman  but far too many people judged her by her weight. To this day people make jokes about her dying while stuffing herself, when her death was actually caused by extreme dieting.

As a black woman This is my theme song,has been my whole life and the mentality I raised my children with. They are all adults now and they love themselves and THAT is what is powerful about music

Mama Cass would be dead four years later at just 32 years of age. Billie Hayes, who also played Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo on the TV series, only died in 2021, living to be 96. Check her out with hunky (not-so-)L'il Abner co-star Peter Palmer HERE!