Beyond the Sunshine of California Dreamin’

The song that gave the Mamas & the Papas that California sound

The Mamas & the Papas’ 1965 recording of “California Dreamin’” ushered in the counterculture era and helped flute solos gain acceptance in the popular music scene.

Newlywed singer-songwriters, John and Michelle Phillips, wrote “California Dreamin’” in 1963. Their song is about longing for the warmth of Los Angeles during a cold New York winter.

The Phillips’ group, the Mamas & the Papas, released “California Dreamin’” in December 1965. The song is widely recognised for changing the direction of 1960s music from a “yeah-yeah-yeah” sound to “hippie” music.

Folk rocker Barry McGuire recorded the first version of “California Dreamin’” earlier that year. The Mamas & the Papas sang backups for McGuire’s original version.

I find “California Dreamin’” highly relatable. That’s because I detest the cold and am constantly dreaming of someplace warm. Even now, as I sit here writing on a steamy Barcelona evening in July, I’m worrying about what I’ll do when December comes around.

Inspired by cold weather and churches

In the early 1960s, John and Michelle Phillips lived in New York City during a particularly cold winter. This made Michelle miss her native California. Inspired by his wife’s homesickness, John paced their apartment at night, thinking up tunes. Eventually, he came up with the first verse of a song and presented it to Michelle.

A few days earlier, Michelle and John had visited St Patrick’s Cathedral in midtown Manhattan. The visit gave Michelle the idea for a second verse starting with, “Stopped in to a church, I passed along the way.”

In a 2012 interview with Spin magazine, Michelle said that John initially didn’t like that second verse.

“Poor John had been sent off to Catholic military school when he was just seven years old, so he didn’t like the religiosity of it.” Michelle Phillips

The couple planned to rewrite the lyrics of the second verse. But other people heard the words and liked them, so they kept them as they were.

Barry McGuire

Born in 1935 in Oklahoma City, McGuire first worked as a commercial fisherman, then as a pipe fitter before commencing his music career.

Known for his raspy singing voice, McGuire became one of the pioneering folk-rock musicians. He is best known for his protest song, 1965’s “Eve of Destruction.” The song reached number one on the Billboard pop charts, displacing the Beatles’ “Help!”

McGuire and the Mamas & the Papas

The Mamas & the Papas formed when Michelle and John Phillips of the New Journeymen joined forces with Denny Doherty and Cass Elliott of the Mugwumps.

In 1965, McGuire introduced his friends, the Mamas & the Papas, to Lou Adler, head of Dunhill Records. The band auditioned for Adler and subsequently signed to their first label. In return, the Mamas & the Papas agreed to provide McGuire with backing vocals on his second Dunhill album, This Precious Time.

“California Dreamin’” was slated to be McGuire’s next big hit after “Eve of Destruction.” McGuire recorded “California Dreamin’” with members of session band, the Wrecking Crew, and the Mamas & the Papas on backing vocals. The recording featured a harmonica instead of the flute that appeared in the Mamas & the Papas’ version.

McGuire’s singing voice was known for being rough and ragged. This worked well on “Eve of Destruction” but less so on “California Dreamin’.” I think John Phillips’ and Doherty’s sweeter-sounding voices better fit a song like “California Dreamin’.”

Erasing McGuire

Shortly after recording the original version of “California Dreamin’,” Phillips wiped McGuire’s vocals and substituted them with vocals by himself and Doherty.

The original instrumental and backing tracks remained much the same. Only McGuire’s harmonica solo was replaced by a reportedly improvised alto flute solo by jazz musician Bud Shank. Dunhill preferred this new version and put McGuire’s original on hold.

Although it’s a shame that McGuire’s version of “California Dreamin’” was shelved, I do think the Mamas & the Papas recorded the better version. The flute solo really brings out the song, and the lead vocals are better.

McGuire wasn’t happy about what happened and didn’t speak to Phillips for several years. “Eve of Destruction” was his only song to reach the top 40.

In 1971, McGuire became a born-again Christian and spent the rest of his career recording contemporary Christian music.

That California sound

The song that would make the Mamas & the Papas synonymous with the California sound was recorded in Los Angeles at United Western Recorders, in the same studio where the Beach Boys recorded Pet Sounds.

Session musicians included Hal Blaine on drums, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass, and PF Sloan on guitar. Phillips also played 12-string guitar during the intro. Bones Howe was the engineer on the track. McGuire’s original vocals can be briefly heard on the left channel at the beginning of the record.

“California Dreamin’” is one of the few pop songs containing a flute solo. The flute was an alto flute, larger than a regular flute and played on a lower register.

Mamas & Papas’ legacy

The Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreamin’” featured on the band’s debut album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. It came out as a single in December 1965.

“California Dreamin’” didn’t do that well on the charts until a Boston radio station helped break the song nationwide. It peaked at number 4 on Billboard Hot 100 and Cashbox both. By 1966, “California Dreamin’” had become a big hit and staple song for the counterculture movement.

In the UK, “California Dreamin’” reached number 23 and re-charted at number nine 30 years later, following its use in a 1997 Carling Premier commercial.

Consistently found in top 100 song lists, “California Dreamin’” reached number 89 in Rolling Stone‘s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” Certified Gold in 1966, the song was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

“California Dreamin’” propelled the Mamas & the Papas into stardom.

Their second single, “Monday, Monday,” shot to number one in America, and the band had a string of hits until messy love triangles, personality problems, and addiction issues caused the Mamas & the Papas to split up in 1968. They reunited occasionally until Mama Cass Elliot’s death in 1974.

Today, Michelle Phillips is the only surviving member of the Mamas & the Papas.

Other versions of California Dreamin’

Several other artists released versions of “California Dreamin’”, including:

• Jose Feliciano (1968) — a string version with Latin jazz influences that featured in the 2019 film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
• Bobby Womack (1968) — recorded for his debut album Fly Me to the Moon.
• Colorado (1978) — Italian disco version.
• America (1979) — became the band’s live performance staple.
• Beach Boys (1986) — number 8 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts and featured John and Michelle Williams in the video clip.
• River City People (1990) — folk version that reached number 13 in the UK.
• Royal Gigolos (2004) — German techno-punk version that reached number two in France.
• Freischwimmer (2015) — tropical house version that reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. This was the first version of “California Dreamin’” to make it to number one. It’s a bit too stylised for me, so I’ll stick with the Mamas & the Papas.
• Sia (2015).

What’s your favourite version of “California Dreamin’”?

References Barry McGuire California Dreamin’ California Dreamin’: Barry McGuire; The Mamas and the Papas; Bobby Womack California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & the Papas California Dreamin’ — The Mamas & The Papas The Mamas & The Papas’ “California Dreamin’” Lyrics Meaning

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