America version In the spring of 1979, the band
America reached No. 56 on the
Billboard Hot 100 with its remake of "California Dreamin which was the first studio recording by America as the duo of
Gerry Beckley and
Dewey Bunnell, without third founding member
Dan Peek, who had departed the group in 1977. Bunnell – who sang lead – and Beckley – who sang background – self-produced the track, which featured America's touring musicians: David Dickey, drummer Willie Leacox, guitarist Michael Woods, percussionist Tom Walsh, and Jim Calire who played keyboards and also saxophone. America performed "California Dreamin at least once in concert in 1974, "California Dreamin being a sentimental favorite of the band's members having been a set list staple of the
cover band in which all three had performed while
London Central High School students in the late 1960s. The recording of "California Dreamin by America was specifically made to play under the closing credits of the
American International Pictures (AIP) movie release
California Dreaming, which had been shot in the final months of 1977 for release in the summer of 1978, although the movie was held back from wide release until March 16, 1979 with America recording the song "California Dreamin in the autumn of 1978: Beckley and Bunnell agreed to record the song after being (at least partially) shown the movie – (Gerry Beckley quote:) "We liked what we saw" the recording of "California Dreamin by America was therefore given parallel release with the movie, another soundtrack item: "See It My Way" by session group F.D.R., serving as
B-side. Both the America single and (in April 1978) the soundtrack album were issued by AIP on its own label (distributed by Casablanca): outside the US and Canada, Casablanca acted as label of release. By the spring of 1979, America were involved in sessions for its
Capitol Records debut album
Silent Letter and were either unable or uninterested in promoting its version of "California Dreamin'," which single proved unable to buoy its parent film's faltering box office take. However, the publicity inherent in the film's release was evidently enough to afford minor hit status for America's soundtrack item (heard in the film's trailer, America's "California Dreamin was also cited in the movie's poster), and despite its lowly chart peak, America's "California Dreamin remake was more successful than any of its first five Capitol single releases, none of which ranked in the Hot 100 (the band's sixth Capitol single release, "
You Can Do Magic" in 1982 afforded the band a sole latter-day top ten hit). "California Dreamin continued to be featured in America's live gigs, eventually being established as a mandatory America concert title. A live performance of the song by America is featured on
In Concert, the band's 1996 album release of a 1982 live gig. The band's 1978 recording was included on the 2000 America retrospective boxed set
Highway: 30 Years of America as well as on
The Complete Greatest Hits in 2001.
Beach Boys version }}
Background The Beach Boys recorded "California Dreamin in 1986 for their greatest hits compilation
Made in U.S.A. It was produced by
Terry Melcher and featured
Roger McGuinn of
the Byrds on
12-string guitar. This version of the song was referenced in the lyrics of
the Dead Milkmen's 1988 novelty hit "
Punk Rock Girl". Although the song only charted at a modest No. 57 on the
Billboard Hot 100, it reached No. 8 on the
Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and it was supported by a music video that saw heavy rotation on MTV. The video featured the Beach Boys along with John Phillips, Michelle Phillips and
Roger McGuinn.
Denny Doherty was on the East coast and declined;
Cass Elliot had died in 1974.
Personnel Credits sourced from Craig Slowinski and Andrew G. Doe.
The Beach Boys •
Al Jardine –
lead vocals and
backing vocals •
Carl Wilson – lead vocals and backing vocals,
acoustic guitar •
Brian Wilson –
synthesizer and backing vocals •
Mike Love – backing vocals •
Bruce Johnston –
bass and backing vocals ;Additional musicians and production staff •
Roger McGuinn – 12-string electric guitar • Joel Peskin – saxophone •
Jeff Foskett – backing vocals •
Adrian Baker – backing vocals •
Mike Kowalski –
drums Jose Feliciano version Released as a single on
RCA Records in the summer of 1968,
José Feliciano's arrangement reached number 43 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 20 on the
Billboard Rhythm & Blues Singles chart. The song was the A-side of a single that became a big hit when radio stations started to play the B-side with his cover of "
Light My Fire", which reached number 3 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and was popular in many other countries around the world. This elaborate string version with jazz Latin influences serves as the opening track of Feliciano's 1968 hit album
Feliciano! (Gold status in 1968), and was heard in a key sequence in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and is included on its
soundtrack.
Personnel Credits sourced from album liner notes. •
José Feliciano – vocals, guitar •
Ray Brown – bass •
Jim Horn – flute, alto flute •
Milt Holland – percussion •
Bruce Johnston – vocals ;Additional musicians and production staff •
George Tipton – orchestral arrangements •
Rick Jarrard – producer
Freischwimmer version A tropical house version by German DJ/remixer
Freischwimmer was released in 2015. This version reached number one on the
Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in its February 13, 2016, issue. "Dreamin had never before hit No. 1 on any ranking, making this version the first in its nearly 50-year history to reach the top spot on a
Billboard chart. ==See also==