#songmeaning #californiadreaming #mamasandpapas
On a cold winter day in Manhattan, a song came to John Phillips in the middle of the night.
He woke up his young wife, Michelle, who was homesick for the West Coast, to help him finish writing “California Dreamin’. The lyrics express the longing for the warmth of Los Angeles during a cold winter in New York City.
John would work on compositions late at night and brought Michelle 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 tune was first recorded by Phillips’ folk group the New Journeymen, and later given to Barry McGuire as a thank-you after McGuire, riding high with “Eve of Destruction,” introduced the group to producer Lou Adler, who convinced the Mamas and the Papas to cut it themselves.
"California Dreamin'" became a signpost of the California sound, heralding the arrival of the nascent counterculture era
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. The song entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001
www.songcontext.com/songs/cal...