[monkeyshine]

Lee Moses’ version is way better.

https://youtu.be/wHfF0yXKDHc?feature=shared

[JBW1949]

Mama Cass had such a pure voice....

[rlmorel]

I always liked the way the background vocals did that little lilt upwards at the end of some of the lines, such as:

“All the leaves are brown-owwwn”

[EliRoom8]

Both Spotify and Pandora are great. If you spend lots of time driving, you’ll get more than your money’s worth.

[Enterprise]

I remember a time when I was California dreamin’. I was on active duty and I wasn’t in California anymore.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Great song. Has always been a favorite. :)

Of course, I HAD to go look! ;)

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/harry-styles-as-it-was-2022-1234952641/

#50 to #1: SPOILER! #1. It’s Aretha Franklin! ‘Respect.’

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/

[ncalburt]

Original

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N-aK6JnyFmk

[irishjuggler]

Great song... songwriter John Phillips, per claims by his daughter(s), was a degenerate perv of the highest order, but, yeah, helluva song.

[Verginius Rufus]

“The preacher locked the door. He knows I’m gonna stay.”

[HonkyTonkMan]

“California Dreamin’” came in at number 420

Ha! And yes, Mama Cass' voice is phenomenal.

[heavy metal]

today’s version is california leaving...

[Bon of Babble]

Some would say the lead singer of the Mamas and Papas was Denny Doherty - he certainly was on the song “California Dreamin.’”

I would say John Phillips fronted the band - he wrote most of the great songs, including “California Dreamin’”

Michelle Phillips said John Phillips didn’t want Cass in the group because of the way she looked, and often didn’t treat her well.

[plain talk]

I was fortunate to have the 45 which got a lot of play.

[Locomotive Breath]

Why is Michelle Phillips singing with and eating a banana? It’s not like she couldn’t sing. And oh dear Lord, I’d forgotten what a knockout she was.

[xp38]

I’ve only met a few celebrities in my life but Michelle Philips is one of them. She was promoting a solo album of hers way back in the day and signing at a local record store. I brought in a Mamas and Papas greatest hits album and she was surprised by it but was quite nice and signed it for me. Her daughter Chynna Phillips Baldwin has a flaky Christian youtube channel called California Preaching and sometimes has her mom on. I pray for them all. The Lord moves in mysterious ways out there in la la land. :)

[Fiji Hill]

I first heard the song over the Armed Forces Network (AFN) when I was living in Darmstadt, Germany. The AFN DJs eschewed Top 40 songs, so we were fed a steady diet of Adult Contemporary tunes--Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, Jack Jones, and so on--but somehow, the Mamas & Papas' disc snuck onto the playlist.

For me, the timing was perfect. It was March, when winter wasn't quite over and spring had not begun, so the song got me dreaming about my home in the Southland.

[Fiji Hill]

On July 27, 1966, this was blazing away on an AM station as we fought the traffic in the streets of Naples, Italy. The translation is approximate, but not quite literal.

Sognando la California (I'm dreaming of Calfornia)--The Dik Diks (1966)

[poinq]

Mama Cass was just a backup singer in this song. Denny Doherty was the lead. John Phillips and Michelle wrote it. And Michelle should get most of the credit for being amazingly beautiful. This song was one of the least attributable to Mama Cass of all the Mamas and Papas songs.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Meant to ping you to Post #54. :)