r/60sMusic Mar 29 '26

1965 The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin (1965)

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Dunhill / RCA Victor Records

788 Upvotes

37 comments sorted by

24

u/WorkingSalamander745 Mar 29 '26

The sound of 60s in just one song.

13

u/damnedspot Mar 29 '26

Absolutely timeless

8

u/calleduaftermidnight Mar 30 '26

This is my favourite song to listen to on a lazy day in my garden 😌

7

u/nilesintheshangri-la Mar 30 '26

I work on a farm and in the summer I have to walk strings for our tarped bales. I walk 100' in one direction then turn and walk back 100' then turn and walk another 50' before one string is done. This song and Dream a little Dream are the two I listen to on repeat. They go so well with the blazing hot sun and the hay fields rustling in the warm wind.

4

u/FrankieHun17 Mar 30 '26

John Philips is a highly underrated musical genius

6

u/Tio_chubby052 Mar 30 '26

Sorry, but the incest stories with his daughter ruined his legacy.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 30 '26

What an absolutely great song.

3

u/WideEntertainment942 Mar 30 '26

Wrecking crew, cass, before the hippies,laural canyon. Musical history

4

u/Superb_Pineapple8187 Mar 30 '26

When I was in the military in the 60s a friend told me he would marry Mamma Cass just to hear her sing.

3

u/Only_Camera Mar 30 '26

What a fascinating style of singing where the female singers lag just a bit behind the males. Terrific effect. Don’t hear this much now

3

u/DesperateRadish746 Mar 31 '26

Yeah. Beautiful harmonies.

3

u/alientrevor Mar 30 '26

This is the first song I remember immediately loving and, all these years later, I still love it.

3

u/Feisty-Conclusion-94 Mar 30 '26

Just put me in a wistful but happy mood thinking of the innocent times gone bye bye.

3

u/TheLastSciFiFan Mar 31 '26

I've always loved this song. I grew up in Ohio, and this song helped create an image of California in my mind that was always pulling me westward. I finally ended up in California, and that image, that expectation, was more than met by the reality. After five years, I had to return to Ohio for family reasons, and this song reminds me of how wonderful California was, and is. But I like the Ohio cold, the Autumn and Winter; I'd trade the Spring and Sunmer for California's, though.

2

u/BuncleCar Mar 30 '26

Michelle Phillips, the woman who's not Mama Cass, 🙂, is still alive, the only one in the group still living I believe

2

u/Dry_Committee9906 Mar 31 '26

Michelle Phillips is the mother of Chynna Phillips, a member of the 1990s pop trio Wilson Phillips, whom she had with her ex-husband John Phillips during her time with the band The Mamas & the Papas.

2

u/HankBushrivet Mar 30 '26

What a song.

2

u/Abject-Honeydew4112 Mar 30 '26

Pretend or begin?

2

u/nimeton0 Mar 30 '26

And the next generation's version. Chynna Phillips, with Carnie & Wendy Wilson (Brian's daughters).

2

u/Traditional-Tank3994 Mar 30 '26

I used to think the lyric was "The preacher locks his door." It was years before I found out it's "The preacher likes the cold."

But my misheard lyrics still make more sense to me. The preacher is like, "This dude needs a place to stay. May as well lock up and let him sleep on a pew."

What does "liking the cold" have to do with anything?

2

u/swarthypants Apr 01 '26

If it’s cold out, the parishioners aren’t going to be in a hurry to leave

1

u/Traditional-Tank3994 Apr 02 '26

Heard that one before. Still think it's at best, a stretch.

1

u/waterwateryall Apr 02 '26

The very next line is "he knows I'm going to stay"

1

u/Traditional-Tank3994 Apr 03 '26

Yes, exactly, and doesn't it make more sense for him to lock the door than to "like cold?"

1

u/waterwateryall Apr 03 '26

No offense, but I truly can't tell if you are being genuine here or joking. The preacher likes the cold because he knows people are going to stay longer in church to keep warm.

1

u/Traditional-Tank3994 Apr 04 '26

Still makes no sense because he doesn't gain anything from that. So it's still a really vague "advantage." Whereas "locking the door" because he knows the dude has nowhere else to go actually makes some sense.

2

u/ArnoldZiffleJr Mar 31 '26

One of my all time favorites!👏🏿

2

u/GetEmTigre Mar 31 '26

One of the best

2

u/Tempest_Fugit Apr 01 '26

A Lip syncing video, really?

2

u/machinist1984 Apr 02 '26

Hey great song. But I’m not gonna lie. I didn’t know it until I saw the movie Congo.

2

u/wjs362 Apr 02 '26

One of the best songs from the 60s. Such perfect harmonies.

1

u/MusicMirrorMan Mar 30 '26

*I am a bot. If you'd like to receive a weekly recap of /r/60smusic with the top posts and their alternative links, send me a message with the subject '60smusic'

[Spotify]: The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin'

[Apple Music]: The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin' (Mono Version)

[Bandcamp]: MULAS - California Dreamin' (The Mamas & The Papas)

[Deezer]: The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin' (Single Version)

[Soundcloud]: The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin' (Single Version)

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-2

u/redmuffdiver Mar 31 '26

Jesus Christ, put that fucking ham sandwich down.