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| "California Dreamin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US picture sleeve (restored) | ||||
| Single bythe Mamas & the Papas | ||||
| from the albumIf You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears | ||||
| B-side | "Somebody Groovy" | |||
| Released | December 1965 | |||
| Recorded | November 1965 | |||
| Studio | United Western, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:42 | |||
| Label | Dunhill •RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Lou Adler | |||
| The Mamas & the Papas singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "California Dreamin'" onYouTube | ||||
"California Dreamin'" is a song written byJohn andMichelle Phillips in 1963 and first recorded byBarry McGuire.[5] The best-known version is bythe Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in December 1965.
"California Dreamin'" became a well-known example of the "California sound",[6] and the1960s counterculture era.[7][8] It wascertified three-times platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America in June 2023[9] and was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame in 2001.[10] In 2021,Rolling Stone placed the song at number 420 in its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.[11]
The song was written in 1963 whileJohn Phillips andMichelle Phillips were living in New York City during a particularly cold winter, and the latter was missing sunny California. John would work on compositions late at night and brought Michelle the first verse one morning.[12] At the time, John and Michelle Phillips were members of the folk group the New Journeymen, which evolved intothe Mamas and the Papas.
They earned their first record contract after being introduced toLou Adler, the head ofDunhill Records, byBarry McGuire. In thanks to Adler, they sang the backing vocals to "California Dreamin'" with members of the session bandthe Wrecking Crew,[13] on McGuire's albumThis Precious Time. Adler, impressed with the Mamas and the Papas, then had the lead vocal track re-recorded withDenny Doherty singing,[5] but paired with the same instrumental and backing vocal tracks,[14] and analto flute solo byBud Shank, reportedly improvised.[5] The guitar introduction was performed byP. F. Sloan.[15] McGuire's original vocal can be briefly heard on the left channel at the beginning of the record, having not been completely erased.[16]
The single was released in late 1965 but was not an immediate breakthrough. After gaining little attention in Los Angeles, a radio station inBoston was the catalyst to break the song nationwide.[17] After making its chart debut in January 1966,[18] the song peaked at No. 4 in March on both theBillboard Hot 100, lasting 17 weeks, andCashbox, lasting 20 weeks.[19] "California Dreamin'" was the top single on theBillboard end-of-the-year survey for 1966. As well, it tied for #1 on the Cashbox end-of-the-year survey withSSgt.Barry Sadler's "Ballad of the Green Berets".[20]
"California Dreamin'" reached number 23 on the UK charts upon its original release, and re-charted after its use in aCarling Premier commercial in 1997, peaking at number nine.[21]
Billboard described the song as having "a fascinating new sound with well written commercial material" and praisedLou Adler'sproduction".[22]Cash Box described it as a "medium-paced, rhythmic shufflin' romantic woeser [sic] with a plaintive, lyrical undercurrent".[23]
The song is used repeatedly in the 1994 Hong Kong filmChungking Express as a central plot point[24] and a cover bythe Beach Boys was used onseason 4 ofStranger Things.[25]
Michelle Phillips wrote the lyrics "Well, I got down on my knees / And I pretend to pray", butCass Elliot had sung "began" on the original recording and had continued doing so on tour until corrected by Phillips.[26]
According to Dan Daley:[15]
The Mamas & the Papas
Additional musicians
Production
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[33] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| France (SNEP)[34] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[35] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[36] | Platinum | 100,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[38] | 3× Platinum | 1,800,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[39] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "California Dreamin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byAmerica | ||||
| from the albumCalifornia Dreaming soundtrack | ||||
| B-side | "See It My Way" (by F.D.R.) | |||
| Released | March 1979 | |||
| Recorded | Studio 55 (Hollywood) 1978 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 2:44 | |||
| Label | American International | |||
| Songwriters | John Phillips,Michelle Phillips | |||
| Producers | Dewey Bunnell,Gerry Beckley | |||
| America singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In the spring of 1979, the bandAmerica reached No. 56 on theBillboard Hot 100 with its remake of "California Dreamin'" which was the first studio recording by America as the duo ofGerry Beckley andDewey Bunnell, without third founding memberDan Peek, who had departed the group in 1977. Bunnell – who sang lead – and Beckley – who sang background – self-produced the track, which featured America's touring musicians: David Dickey, drummer Willie Leacox, guitarist Michael Woods, percussionist Tom Walsh, and Jim Calire who played keyboards and also saxophone.[40][41]
America performed "California Dreamin'" at least once in concert in 1974,[42] "California Dreamin'" being a sentimental favorite of the band's members having been a set list staple of thecover band in which all three had performed whileLondon Central High School students in the late 1960s.[43][44][45][46] The recording of "California Dreamin'" by America was specifically made to play under the closing credits of theAmerican International Pictures (AIP) movie releaseCalifornia Dreaming,[47] which had been shot in the final months of 1977 for release in the summer of 1978, although the movie was held back from wide release until March 16, 1979[48] with America recording the song "California Dreamin'" in the autumn of 1978:[49] Beckley and Bunnell agreed to record the song after being (at least partially) shown the movie –(Gerry Beckley quote:) "We liked what we saw"[41] – and the track was recorded at Studio 55 (Hollywood):(Gerry Beckley quote:) "We did it more as a rock thing [compared to the original], [with] a full sound but reliant on the harmonies."[41]
The track was originally scheduled for a January 15, 1979, release[49] which was delayed until after AIP's February 1979 pacting withCasablanca Records to distribute theCalifornia Dreaming soundtrack, Casablanca having recently managed to bolster the modest success of the filmThank God It's Friday through a hit soundtrack album:[50][51] the recording of "California Dreamin'" by America was therefore given parallel release with the movie, another soundtrack item: "See It My Way" by session group F.D.R., serving asB-side. Both the America single and (in April 1978) the soundtrack album were issued by AIP on its own label (distributed by Casablanca): outside the US and Canada, Casablanca acted as label of release.
By the spring of 1979, America were involved in sessions for itsCapitol Records debut albumSilent Letter[52] and were either unable or uninterested in promoting its version of "California Dreamin'," which single proved unable to buoy its parent film's faltering box office take. However, the publicity inherent in the film's release was evidently enough to afford minor hit status for America's soundtrack item (heard in the film's trailer, America's "California Dreamin'" was also cited in the movie's poster), and despite its lowly chart peak, America's "California Dreamin'" remake was more successful than any of its first five Capitol single releases, none of which ranked in the Hot 100 (the band's sixth Capitol single release, "You Can Do Magic" in 1982 afforded the band a sole latter-day top ten hit).[53][54]
"California Dreamin'" continued to be featured in America's live gigs, eventually being established as a mandatory America concert title.[55] A live performance of the song by America is featured onIn Concert, the band's 1996 album release of a 1982 live gig.[56] The band's 1978 recording was included on the 2000 America retrospective boxed setHighway: 30 Years of America[57] as well as onThe Complete Greatest Hits in 2001.[58]
| "California Dreamin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bythe Beach Boys | ||||
| from the albumMade in U.S.A. | ||||
| B-side | "Lady Liberty" | |||
| Released | September 1986[59] | |||
| Recorded | May 1986 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:10 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Terry Melcher | |||
| The Beach Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "California Dreamin'" onYouTube | ||||
The Beach Boys recorded "California Dreamin'" in 1986 for their greatest hits compilationMade in U.S.A. It was produced byTerry Melcher and featuredRoger McGuinn ofthe Byrds on12-string guitar. This version of the song was referenced in the lyrics ofthe Dead Milkmen's 1988 novelty hit "Punk Rock Girl".
Although the song only charted at a modest No. 57 on theBillboard Hot 100, it reached No. 8 on theBillboard Adult Contemporary chart[60] and it was supported by a music video that saw heavy rotation on MTV. The video featured the Beach Boys along with John Phillips, Michelle Phillips andRoger McGuinn.Denny Doherty was on the East coast and declined;Cass Elliot had died in 1974.
Credits sourced from Craig Slowinski and Andrew G. Doe.[61]
The Beach Boys
unknown –bass,drums,acoustic lead guitar,synthesizer
Released as a single onRCA Records in the summer of 1968,José Feliciano's arrangement reached number 43 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart and number 20 on theBillboardRhythm & Blues Singles chart. The song was the A-side of a single that became a big hit when radio stations started to play the B-side with his cover of "Light My Fire", which reached number 3 on theBillboard Hot 100 and was popular in many other countries around the world. This elaborate string version with jazz Latin influences serves as the opening track of Feliciano's 1968 hit albumFeliciano! (Gold status in 1968), and was heard in a key sequence in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 filmOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, and is included on itssoundtrack.
Credits sourced from album liner notes.
A tropical house version by German DJ/remixerFreischwimmer was released in 2015. This version reached number one on theBillboardDance Club Songs chart in its February 13, 2016, issue.[62][63] "Dreamin'" had never before hit No. 1 on any ranking, making this version the first in its nearly 50-year history to reach the top spot on aBillboard chart.[64]
The gently psychedelic pop song pays homage to the enduring allure of the Golden State...
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CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' The Mamas & the Papas Dunhill (1966) (Single) Inducted 2001
