“California Dreamin’ ” is a song by the American group The Mamas & The Papas, released in 1965. Written in 1963 by John Phillips and his wife Michelle Phillips (members of the band), during a cold winter in New York City. Michelle was missing the warmth of California, which inspired the lyrics about wanting to leave the cold behind and head to the West Coast.
The song, a timeless anthem of longing, escape, and the idea of the US West coast, has experienced periodic revivals. We have selected several distinctive versions here. But first, listen to the original, which notably features an unusual flute solo passage starting at 1’20”.
The Beach Boys covered the song in 1986 and it possibly became better known than the original to many young listeners.
Diana Krall released this version in her 2015 album “Wallflower.” Predictably, in her style, this version is slow, deliberate and intimate.
The song has been used in movies and TV shows. Sia performed this song with powerful vocals for the 2015 movie “San Andreas”. The story took place in California amidst a disaster, and the lyrics combined with the melancholy melody, evoke a sense of searching for comfort, both spiritually and physically.
The original is used persistently in the 1994 Hong Kong film Chungking Express 重慶森林 by Wong Kar-Wai to accompany the character, Faye. The song reflects her dreams and desire to escape from her reality in the beginning of the film. She later became a flight attendant. Enjoy the video.
Jose Feliciano released an acoustic guitar jazz version back in 1968.
DJ Sammy released an uptempo Euro dance version. This is our road trip favorite, best for listening on a Californian highway. If you enjoy this cover, try his version of the Boys of Summer (originally by Eagles’ Don Henley) at the end of this post.
Italy’s Royal Gigolos released a version in 1997 with an electro house sound likely engineered by Ben Benassi.
A tropical house version by German DJ/remixer Freischwimmer was released in 2015. It reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club chart in 2016.
As mentioned above, if you like DJ Sammy’s uptempo version of California Dreamin’, you will likely enjoy this Euro dance cover by him that captures the spirit of California Dreamin’.
Spotify is another way to enjoy the music. Although a subscription is required to listen to the full length of each tune, you can play a sample without a subscription.
Click ▶ to play
By the way, we became residents of California a couple of years ago, after having lived in Europe for more than 10 years.
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