California Dreamin'

Infobox Single
Name = California Dreamin'

| Caption
Artist = The Mamas and the Papas
from Album = If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
Released = November, 1965
Format = Vinyl record (7") 45 RPM
Recorded = 1965
Genre = Pop rock, folk rock
Length = 2:42
Label = Dunhill
Writer = John Phillips, Michelle Phillips
Producer = Lou Adler
Certification =
Last single =
This single =
Next single =

"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. [cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/11028260/the_rs_500_greatest_songs_of_all_time/1|title=The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|publisher=RollingStone.com|accessdate=2007-06-02]

History

According to John Phillips in a Bravo documentary, and Michelle 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. She had stopped in St. Patrick's a few days earlier, which led to the second verse. At the time, the Phillipses were members of the folk group The New Journeymen which evolved into The Mamas and 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. 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. [ [http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/californiadreamin/index.html NPR : California Dreamin', Present at the Creation ] ] By early 1966, the song peaked at # 4 and it stayed on the charts for 17 weeks. McGuire later claimed that you can hear his vocals in the background on the record. [Rock Family Trees, BBC, interview with McGuire, 1999]

Cover versions

*Wes Montgomery as an instrumental.
*Royal Gigolos created an underground rave anthem in 2005 based from the song
* Ace Andres --2002 album "Cowboy Hat Blues" features former Mamas & Papas member Jill Gibson .
* America -- Used in their live set. Dewey Bunnell handled the lead vocals and Gerry Beckley did the backgrounds.Fact|date=July 2007
* "American Idol" Season 1 contestants.Fact|date=July 2007
* Jann Arden -- 2007 album "Uncover Me".
* Baby Huey -- 1971 album "".
* Beach Boys -- two cover versions. One was released on a Radio Shack sampler cassette Rock 'N' Roll City in 1983 Fact|date=July 2007 and a re-recorded version appeared on the CD "Made in The USA" (1986) The music video for this latter version features cameo appearances by John Phillips, Michelle Phillips (Mamas and Papas) and Roger McGuinn (The Byrds). McGuinn also contributes a 12-string guitar solo on that version.
* The Bridges cover this song live in concert.
* The Carpenters -- rough demo version recorded in 1967. This song was one of 5 that was sent out as part of their demo tape and won them a recording contract with A&M Records in 1970. Appears on their "Gold" compilation.Fact|date=July 2007
* DJ Sammy -- featured on his 2002 album Heaven.
* José Feliciano -- 1968 album "Feliciano!" and used as the b-side of his "Light My Fire" single.Fact|date=July 2007
* The Flashbulb -- album "Kirlian Selections".
* The Four Tops-- 1969 Motown album "Soul Spin" [ [http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/four_tops/albums.jhtml?albumId=389532 Soul Spin | Album Track Listing | MTV ] ]
* Dada -- bonus track on the reissue of El Subliminoso
* Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic -- album "Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs" as a guitar jam.
* Hi-Standard -- Japanese punk, 1997 EP "Californian Dreamin'"
* Queen Latifah -- 2004 album "The Dana Owens Album".
* The Lettermen -- 1969 album "I Have Dreamed".
* Mower -- heavy metal, 2006 album "Not For You".Fact|date=July 2007
* John Phillips -- solo acoustic version, background vocals sung in Spanish.Fact|date=July 2007
* River City People -- 1990 album "Say Something Good".
* Shaw Blades -- on the 2007 album "Influence".
* The Ventures -- 1966 album "Go With The Ventures" -- an instrumental version
* Dik Dik -- "Sognando California" (1966)
* Lee Moses -- an Atlanta R&B artist on his one release, "Time and Place" [ [http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7099783&BAB=M Lee Moses Time & Place CD Bonus ] ] [ [http://indangerousrhythm.blogspot.com/2005/10/lee-moses.html In Dangerous Rhythm: Lee Moses ] ]
* Bobby Womack -- R&B remake, 1968 (Minit 32055) reached #43 Pop, #20 R&B.Fact|date=July 2007
* Jack Frost. A Doom metal band from Austria. In "Gloom Rock Asylum" (LP, 2000)
* Fleming & John, a folk-pop band, for the album "Vietnam -- A Musical Retrospective" (1998)
* Benny Benassi released a house remix in 2004.
* Many jazz musicians
* Farhad Mehrad, Iranian blues singer, did an acoustic guitar cover in 1970, re-released after his death on the album "Phoenix"
* Royal Gigolos -- in 2004
* Gary Hoey as a guitar instrumental.
* American Music Club -- bonus track on their 1994 album "San Francisco".
* 386 DX - The Russian "cyberpunk-rock band" in 2000.
* Tapani Kansa -- in Finnish "Kalajoen hiekat" 1978
* Mocedades -- in Spanish "California espera" 1992
* Six Pack -- on the 2008 cover album "Discover" (lyrics are in Serbian language).

ignificant artistic and commercial uses

Movies and television

* The small 1979 movie "California Dreaming" used the song for its soundtrack very effectively at the dramatic highlight of the film; however, the song was replaced for the VHS release, presumably due to royalty concerns. [imdb title|id=0078928|title=California Dreaming]
* The song was used extensively and as a leitmotif in the Hong Kong movie "Chungking Express" (1994) by Wong Kar-Wai, and is often referred to as the theme song to that film.
* "Congo" [cite web | url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112715/soundtrack | title=Soundtracks for "Congo" | publisher=at the Internet Movie Database | accessdate=2008-01-07 ]
* The song is in the soundtrack for the independent action film Quiet Cool.
* "Forrest Gump" [cite web | url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/soundtrack | title=Soundtracks for "Forrest Gump" | publisher=at the Internet Movie Database | accessdate=2008-01-07 ]
* Played by the protagonist several times in the film "He Died with a Felafel in His Hand". The original version is played during the final credits.
* 2006 remake of "The Hills Have Eyes" [cite web | url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454841/soundtrack | title=Soundtracks for "The Hills Have Eyes" (2006) | publisher=at the Internet Movie Database | accessdate=2008-01-07 ]
* An episode of "Jackass".
* First episode of the 1996 Korean television drama Papa, when Han In-pyo (played by Jeong Chan) jumped about on his own bed mindlessly.
* Was the theme song for the 2001 Japanese drama "Yume no California" (California Dreams).
* The song is included in the soundtrack of the Argentine movie "Tango Feroz" about the life of rocker Tanguito.
* A 'tribute' to the song was done by Matt Berry in the cult show Snuff Box, with lookalikes of the band (and Matt).
* Played as an intro theme to TV coverage of the 1974 World Series, the first all-California-teams Fall Classic.
* Played as soundtrack and motif in "California Dreamin'" by Cristian Nemescu (2007).
*"Saturday Night Live" spoofed the song once.
* Performed by Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon, in "" (1993)
*Sung in the second episode of the third series of The Two Ronnies.
*Briefly played in an episode of "The Critic" when Jay leaves New York City for Los Angeles.
* A remixed version is featured in the film "The Big Tease"
* The song features prominently in the Australian movie "He Died with a Felafel in His Hand" (2001), where Noah Taylor tries to master its guitar chords.

Video games

* This song is part of the soundtrack of the FPS "Men of Valor".
* BeautifulDay, a video game music composer in "O2Jam" has a remix available in the game.
* It is in the game "Karaoke Revolution Volume 3".

Other

* The Beach Boys' rendition of the song is mentioned to be playing in a jukebox in the Dead Milkmen's song "Punk Rock Girl."
* Is played amongst other California-themed songs in the Golden State section of Disney's California Adventure theme park.
* The name of California Screamin' at Disney's California Adventure is a play on the name of the song.
* Australian band The Smallgoods make mention of the song in a track on their album "Down On The Farm."
* The song's title is used as the name of a sandwich sold at Deli counters at some Safeway supermarkets. It contains Turkey, bacon, avocado, and lettuce.
* California Dreaming is the name of a restaurant chain in South Carolina and Georgia.
* The song forms a large part of Current 93's collage album "Dawn".
* The song is played by a band in the 1993 movie "Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story" when Bruce Lee (starred by Jason Scott Lee) and his wife Linda go to a party in California.
* The song inspired the name of the fictional band California Dreams, from the series of the same name.

References

External links

* [http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/californiadreamin/ NPR's "Present at the Creation" segment on the origins of the song]
* [http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_mamas_papas_california/ Technical article describing how California Dreamin' was originally mixed]
* [http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2016 facts and discussion about the song]