Nancy Reynolds, daughter of Malvina Reynolds, the writer of ‘Little Boxes’, tells us about the day her mother wrote the song that started it all ....
“My mother and father were driving South from San Francisco through Daly City when my mom got the idea for the song. She asked my dad to take the wheel, and she wrote it on the way to the gathering in La Honda where she was going to sing for the riends Committee on Legislation. When Time Magazine (I think, maybe Newsweek) wanted a photo of her pointing to the very place, she couldn’t find those houses because so many more had been built around them that the hillsides were totally covered.Θ
“As for ‘protest’ I think it was more social commentary."
“rom what I’ve read, I think Levittown was built more for working class families than for doctors and lawyers and was more community oriented than the aly City sprawl, with community centers and stuff.Θ
“When I went with her to Japan in 1970 we saw suburbs where the little boxes had flat tile roofs, very Japanese, but they still all looked just the same."
“I’m delighted that you will have the McGarrigles and hope you can get Bebel Gilberto next year! My mom thought the song sounded better in rench than in English."