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California Dreamin' " is a song by The Mamas & the Papas, first released in 1965. The song is #89 in Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The lyrics of the song are about a man in a cold winter landscape longing for the warmth of California.
History According to John Phillips in a Bravo documentary, and Michelle Phillips in an NPR piece, the song was written in 1963 while they were living in New York. He dreamed about the song and woke her up to help him write it. At the time, the Phillipses were members of the folk group The New Journeymen which evolved into The Mamas & the Papas.
They earned their first record contract after being introduced to Lou Adler, the head of Dunhill Records, by the singer Barry McGuire. In thanks to Adler, they sang the backing vocals to "California Dreamin' " on McGuire's album This Precious Time. The Mamas and the Papas then recorded their own version, using the same instrumental backing track to which they added new vocals and an alto flute solo by Bud Shank. McGuire's original vocal can be briefly heard on the left channel at the beginning of the record, having not been completely wiped.
The single was released in late 1965 but it was not an immediate breakthrough. After gaining little attention in Los Angeles upon its release, Michelle Phillips remembers that it took a radio station in Boston to break the song nationwide.
By early 1966, the song peaked at #4 and stayed on the charts for 17 weeks.
Cover versionsDue to the enduring popularity of this song, it has been covered numerous times
. Some high profile artists who have covered this song include Jose Feliciano (B-side on his 1968 hit single Light My Fire), America, The Beach Boys (two versions), The Carpenters, Four Tops, Bobby Womack, Queen Latifah, Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Eddie Hazel and John Phillips without The Mamas & the Papas. House versions are also covered by Royal Gigolos, Benny Benassi and DJ Sammy. The John Mayer Trio covered California Dreamin' on the June 4, 2009 episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. A more up tempo version was recorded by the Japanese punk band Hi-Standard. Their California Dreamin' EP was released on Fat Wreck Chords in 1996.
The Beach Boys recorded a second version of "California Dreamin' "when, produced by Terry Melcher, and featuring Roger McGuinn from The Byrds on 12-string guitar, John Phillips on saxophone; Michelle Phillips and McGuinn appear in the video. Denny Doherty was on the East coast and declined; Cass Elliot had died in 1974.
Copyright Citations
This article is licensed under the GNU License
Click here for original article: California Dreaming
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