"California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and

Michelle Phillips Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish ...

and first recorded by

Barry McGuire Barry McGuire (born October 15, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter primarily known for his 1965 hit " Eve of Destruction". Later he would pioneer as a singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian music. Early life McGuire was born in O ...

. The best-known version is by

the Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...

, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 1965. The lyrics express the narrator's longing for the warmth of Los Angeles during a cold winter in New York City. It is recorded in the key of

C-sharp minor C-sharp minor is a minor scale based on C, with the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of four sharps. The C-sharp natural minor scale is: : Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale ar ...

. "California Dreamin'" became a signpost of the California sound, heralding the arrival of the nascent

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

era. It was

certified gold Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the Recording Industry Association of America in June 1966 and was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 2001. In 2021, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' placed the song at number 420 in its "

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

" list.

History

The song was written in 1963 while John Phillips and

were living in New York City during a particularly cold winter, and the latter was missing sunny California. He would work on compositions late at night and brought her the first verse one morning. At the time, John and Michelle Phillips were members of the folk group the New Journeymen, which evolved into

the Mamas and the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of A ...

. They earned their first record contract after being introduced to

Lou Adler Lester Louis Adler (born December 13, 1933) is an American record and film producer and the co-owner of the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California. Adler has produced and developed a number of iconic musical artists, including The Grass R ...

, the head of Dunhill Records, by

. In thanks to Adler, they sang the backing vocals to "California Dreamin with members of the session band The Wrecking Crew on McGuire's album ''This Precious Time''. Adler, impressed with the Mamas and the Papas, then had the lead vocal track re-recorded with

Denny Doherty Dennis Gerrard Stephen Doherty (November 29, 1940 – January 19, 2007) was a Canadian singer. He was a founding member of the 1960s musical group the Mamas and the Papas for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. ...

singing and paired with the same instrumental and backing vocal tracks and an alto flute solo by

Bud Shank Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...

, reportedly improvised. The guitar introduction was performed by P. F. Sloan. McGuire's original vocal can be briefly heard on the left channel at the beginning of the record, having not been completely erased. The single was released in late 1965 but was not an immediate breakthrough. After gaining little attention in Los Angeles upon its release, a radio station in Boston was the catalyst to break the song nationwide. After making its chart debut in January 1966, the song peaked at No. 4 in March on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, lasting 17 weeks, and '' Cashbox'', lasting 20 weeks. "California Dreamin'" and SSgt.

Barry Sadler Barry Allen Sadler (November 1, 1940 – November 5, 1989) was an American soldier, singer/songwriter, and author. Sadler served as a Green Beret medic, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. He served in the Vietnam War from late December 1964 ...

's "

Ballad of the Green Berets "The Ballad of the Green Berets" is a patriotic song in the ballad style about the United States Army Special Forces. It is one of the few popular songs of the Vietnam War years to cast the military in a positive light and in 1966 became a major h ...

" tied for #1 on the Cashbox end-of-the-year survey for 1966. "California Dreamin" also reached number 23 on the UK charts upon its original release, and re-charted after its use in a Carling Premier commercial in 1997, peaking at number nine there. '' Billboard'' described the song as having "a fascinating new sound with well written commercial material" and praised

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

." '' Cash Box'' described it as a "medium-paced, rhythmic shufflin’ romantic woeser with a plaintive, lyrical undercurrent." The song is repeatedly used in the 1994

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

film '' Chungking Express'' as a central plot point and a cover by

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

was used on

season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also * ...

of '' Stranger Things''. Michelle Phillips wrote the lyrics, "Well, I got down on my knees, and I pretend to pray," but Cass Elliot had sung "began" on the original recording and had continued doing so on tour until corrected by Phillips.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other versions

America version

In the spring of 1979, the band America reached No. 56 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with their remake of "California Dreamin'" which was the first studio recording by America as the duo of

Gerry Beckley Gerald Linford Beckley (born September 12, 1952), better known as Gerry Beckley, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician, and a founding member of the band America. Early life Beckley was born to an American father and an English moth ...

and

Dewey Bunnell Lee Merton "Dewey" Bunnell (born 19 January 1952) is a British-American musician, singer, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a member of the folk rock band America. Biography Bunnell was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, to an Americ ...

without third founding member Dan 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. America performed "California Dreamin at least once in concert in 1974, "California Dreamin'" being a sentimental favorite of the band's members having been a setlist staple of the

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. ...

in which all three had performed while London Central High School students in the late 1960s. The recording of "California Dreamin'" by America was specifically made to play under the closing credits of the

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

(AIP) movie release '' California Dreaming'' 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 16 March 1979 with America recording the song "California Dreamin'" in the autumn of 1978:''Detroit Free Press'' "Shirlebreties" by Shirley Eder 30 November 1978 p.17B Beckley and Bunnell agreed to record the song after being (at least partially) shown the movie – (Gerry Beckley quote:) "We liked what we saw" – and the track was recorded at Studio 55 (Hollywood): (Gerry Beckley quote:) "We did it more as a rock thing ompared to the original

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

a full sound but reliant on the harmonies." The track was originally scheduled for a 15 January 1979 release which was delayed until after AIP's February 1979 pacting with

Casablanca Records Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label current ...

to distribute the ''California Dreaming'' soundtrack, Casablanca having recently managed to bolster the modest success of the film '' Thank God It's Friday'' through a hit soundtrack album: 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 as B-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 their Capitol Records debut album ''

Silent Letter In an alphabetic writing system, a silent letter is a letter that, in a particular word, does not correspond to any sound in the word's pronunciation. In linguistics, a silent letter is often symbolised with a null sign . Null is an unprono ...

'' and were either unable or uninterested in promoting their 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 to 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 their 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). "California Dreamin continued to be featured in America's live gigs eventually being established as a mandatory America concert title. A live performance of the song by America is featured on '' In Concert'', the band's 1996 album release of a 1982 live gig. The band's 1978 recording was included on the 2000 America retrospective box set '' Highway: 30 Years of America'' as well as on '' The Complete Greatest Hits'' in 2001.

Beach Boys version

Background

The Beach Boys recorded "California Dreamin'" in 1986 for their greatest hits compilation '' Made in U.S.A.'' It was produced by

Terry Melcher Terrence Paul Melcher (born Terrence Paul Jorden; February 8, 1942 – November 19, 2004) was an American record producer, singer, and songwriter who was instrumental in shaping the mid-to-late 1960s California Sound and folk rock movements. His ...

and featured

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

12-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

. This version of the song was referenced in the lyrics of

the Dead Milkmen The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist Da ...

's 1988 novelty hit "

Punk Rock Girl "Punk Rock Girl" is a song by American rock band the Dead Milkmen. It was the first single released from the band's fourth album '' Beelzebubba'' (1988). Released in December 1988, the track was primarily composed by guitarist and vocalist Joe ...

". Although the song only charted at a modest number 57 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, it reached number 8 on the ''Billboard Adult'' Contemporary 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 and Roger McGuinn.

was on the East coast and declined; Cass Elliot had died in 1974. This version would later appear in the fourth season of '' Stranger Things''.

Personnel

Credits sourced from Craig Slowinski and Andrew G. Doe. The Beach Boys * Carl Wilson – vocals *

Al Jardine Alan Charles Jardine (born September 3, 1942) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best known as the band's rhythm guitarist and for occasionally singing lead vocals on singles such as " Help Me, Rh ...

– vocals *

Mike Love Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bas ...

– vocals * Brian Wilson – vocals *

Bruce Johnston Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a member of the Beach Boys. Johnston also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bru ...

– vocals ;Additional musicians and production staff *

– 12-string lead guitar * Jeff Foskett – possible vocals *

Adrian Baker Adrian Baker (born 18 January 1951, London) is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. Career Baker made his debut as a singer on Magnet Records/Epic Records in the United Kingdom. In 1975, he released his first solo album, ''Into ...

– possible vocals ''unknown'' – bass, drums, acoustic lead guitar, saxophone, synthesizer

Jose Feliciano version

Credits sourced from Disco GS and Allmusic guide. Released as a single on

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

in the summer of 1968,

José Feliciano José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " F ...

's arrangement reached number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Rhythm & Blues Singles chart. The song was the A-side of a single which became a big hit when radio stations started to play the B-side with his cover of "

Light My Fire "Light My Fire" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It was recorded in August 1966 and released in January 1967 on their eponymous debut album. Released as an edited single on April 24, 1967, it spent three weeks at number one on ...

", which reached number 3 on the ''Billboard'' 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 album ''

Feliciano! ''Feliciano!'' is a 1968 album by Puerto Rican guitarist José Feliciano. All of the tracks are acoustic cover versions of songs popularized by other artists, including The Mamas & the Papas, The Doors, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Beatles, Jo ...

'' (gold status in 1968), and was heard in a key sequence in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film '' Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' and is included on its

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

Personnel

Credits sourced from album ''Feliciano!'' *

– vocals, guitar * Ray Brown – bass *

Jim Horn James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician. Biography Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for f ...

– flute, alto flute *

Milt Holland Milton Holland (born Milton Olshansky; February 7, 1917 – November 4, 2005) was an American drummer, percussionist, ethnomusicologist, and writer in the Los Angeles music scene. He pioneered the use of African, South American, and Indian percus ...

– percussion *

– vocals ;Additional musicians and production staff *

George Tipton George Aliceson Tipton (January 23, 1932 – February 12, 2016) was an American composer, musical arranger, and conductor, who is well known for his work in television and for his collaborations with singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson. Among Tip ...

– orchestral arrangements *

Rick Jarrard Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

– producer

Freischwimmer version

A tropical house version by German DJ/remixer ''Freischwimmer'' was released in 2015. This version reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart in its February 13, 2016 issue. "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 a ''Billboard'' chart. This version was later used in the '' Star Trek: Picard'' second season episode "Assimilation".

Other notable versions

*In 1966, the

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

album with "California Dreamin'" as the title track, was released and reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Jazz chart, and No. 4 on the R&B chart. *Also in 1966, French-Egyptian singer Richard Anthony recorded a cover in French titled ''Le Terre Promise'' (" The Promised Land"), whose lyrics evocates biblical

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

. *In 1969,

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing gui ...

's cover of "California Dreamin'" from his debut album ''

Fly Me to the Moon "Fly Me to the Moon", originally titled "In Other Words", is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was closely associated with the Apollo missions ...

'' proved a hit, spending two weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. *In 1978, a disco version proved popular in European clubs for the Italian project

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, reaching 45 on the British charts. *In 1996, Japanese punk band

Hi-Standard Hi-Standard (stylized as Hi-STANDARD) is a Japanese punk rock band formed in 1991 by bassist and lead vocalist Akihiro Nanba, guitarist and vocalist Ken Yokoyama, and drummer Akira Tsuneoka. The release '' Making the Road'' sparked sold-out Jap ...

released a cover on their 7" ''California Dreamin on the

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990. The label has released mater ...

label. This cover was later included on the Fat Wreck Chords compilation album

Survival of the Fattest ''Survival of the Fattest'' is a compilation album released by the Fat Wreck Chords record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a re ...

. *In 2004, German techno house group

Royal Gigolos Royal Gigolos were a German tech house group, formed in late 2003 by DJ/producers Michael Schmidt (Mike Moore) and Michael Nehrig (Kosmonova) with vocalists Melanie Stahlkopf and Kristian Romeo, and later in 2008 with Layla and Thorsten Kaiser ...

sampled the song on a track by the same name from their ''Musique Deluxe'' album. The song reached number 2 on the French charts and reached the top 40 of various charts across Europe. *

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

recorded the song for the disaster film '' San Andreas''. The song came out in May 2015 and was featured in the movie's trailers. The song reached the top 20 in Lebanon, peaking at No. 14. The song also reached No. 92 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, on the

Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

, and No. 87 on the SNEP singles chart. *Jazz artist Aubrey Logan and former ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' contestant

Casey Abrams Casey Abrams (born February 12, 1991) is an American musician from Idyllwild, California, who finished in sixth place in the 10th season of ''American Idol,'' five weeks after being saved from elimination by the judges. A self-titled debut al ...

recorded a new version in 2017, featured on Logan's album ''Impossible''. *Gothic rock band

Dead Artist Syndrome Dead Artist Syndrome was a Christian gothic rock band formed in 1989 in Orange County, California. The group consisted of singer-songwriter Brian Healy and a rotating cast of side men. Healy was dubbed the "father of Christian goth" by Rozz Wil ...

recorded a version of this song for their 1992 album ''Devils Angels & Saints''. *

Omar Apollo Omar Apolonio Velasco (born May 20, 1997), known professionally as Omar Apollo, is an American singer and songwriter. After signing a record deal with Warner Records, his debut album, ''Ivory'', was released in 2022 to positive reviews for his ...

recorded an acoustic version of this song as a

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

two-single exclusive as part of the platform's

Spotify Singles Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active users ...

in 2022.

References

External links

''California Dreamin
at Myspace (streamed copy where licensed)
NPR's "Present at the Creation" segment on the origins of the songTechnical article describing how California Dreamin' was originally mixedFacts and discussion about the songReview Of California Dreaming
* * {{authority control 1963 songs 1965 singles 1968 singles 1979 singles 1986 singles Songs written by John Phillips (musician) The Mamas and the Papas songs Bobby Womack songs The Lettermen songs The Carpenters songs America (band) songs The Beach Boys songs Sia (musician) songs Song recordings produced by Lou Adler Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs about California Songs about Los Angeles Songs about hippies 2004 debut singles Royal Gigolos songs 2016 singles Dunhill Records singles RCA Victor singles Capitol Records singles Minit Records singles