Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CLIII--The Mamas and the Papas: California Dreamin'

A few years back I attended my oldest son's graduation from law school in Washington, D.C., and for whatever odd ass reason (especially considering it's on the opposite coast), it made me quite nostalgic for my birthplace in the San Francisco Bay Area which in turn led me to realize that after forty years of living in the midwest I really didn't like living in the midwest all that much, and thus began a fervent desire to move back to my home state of California (I play the lottery as much to retire as to move back to my home state).  Not coincidentally I'm sure, it was about the time that this week's tune went from a song I liked to one that I adored....

The Mamas and the Papas formed in 1965 and by 1968 managed to create a legacy that lasts to this very day.  One of the original purveyors of what would come to be known as folk rock, the Mamas and the Papas released only five albums before breaking up (though the band would reunite in various incarnations off and on through the nineties, they never made another studio album)--and those five albums resulted in 40 million copies sold, six top ten singles, a Grammy Award, an album on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, a single on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and their eventual induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.  Sadly, fame also took its toll--John Phillips (heroin) and Denny Doherty (alcohol and various drugs) suffered from addictions for years and both died relatively young (Phillips in 2001, Doherty in 2007).  Cass Elliot also had her demons and died of heart failure in 1974 at the age of 38, leaving Michelle Phillips as the only surviving member.  

Released in 1965 on their debut album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (#127 Greatest Albums), "California Dreamin'" (#89 Greatest Songs) would go on to reach #4 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.  Though "Monday Monday" was their biggest hit, "California Dreamin'" (written by John and Michelle Phillips) remains their signature song and has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Fun Fact:  When "California Dreamin'" was originally released it garnered little attention in California and actually became a hit thanks to a radio station in Boston that broke the song nationally.  So many cool kids in Boston....

Oddly enough, "California Dreamin'" is a song about a young man missing California on a wintry day in New York City.  The lyrics are sparse--the chorus is only seven words repeated often (the song itself is a mere two minutes and forty four seconds long), but so much is packed into those so few words--especially about the power of one's home.  I'd like to tell you about the instrumentation, but other than the flute solo (these last few weeks have seen a slew of odd instruments in pop songs here on FNJ) and a teensy bit of acoustic guitar, I don't really recall--mostly because the harmonies are so other worldly that they literally carry the entire song.  If a scientist ever set out to clone the perfect harmonies, the DNA of "California Dreamin'" would be all he'd need.  And for me, it will always be a beautiful reminder of how much I miss living in California, even all these many years later.

Liner Notes:  "I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A./California dreamin' on such a winter's day..."

Enjoy:

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