56 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their 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. In the spring of 1979, the band America reached No. Michelle Phillips wrote the lyrics, 'Well, I got down on my knees, and I pretend to pray,' but Cass Elliot had sung 'began' on the original recording and had continued doing so on tour until corrected by Phillips. The song is repeatedly used in the 1994 Hong Kong film Chungking Express as a central plot point. Billboard described the song as having 'a fascinating new sound with well written commercial material' and praised Lou Adler's production.' 'California Dreamin '' also reached number 23 on the UK charts upon its original release, and re-charted after its use in a Carling Premier commercial in 1997, peaking at number nine there. Barry Sadler's ' Ballad of the Green Berets' tied for #1 on the Cashbox end-of-the-year survey for 1966. 4 in March on both the Billboard Hot 100, lasting 17 weeks, and Cashbox, lasting 20 weeks. After making its chart debut in January 1966, the song peaked at No. After gaining little attention in Los Angeles upon its release, a radio station in Boston was the catalyst to break the song nationwide. The single was released in late 1965 but was not an immediate breakthrough. McGuire's original vocal can be briefly heard on the left channel at the beginning of the record, having not been completely erased. The guitar introduction was performed by P. F. Sloan. Adler, impressed with the Mamas and the Papas, then had the lead vocal track re-recorded with Denny Doherty singing and paired with the same instrumental and backing vocal tracks and an alto flute solo by Bud Shank, reportedly improvised. In thanks to Adler, they sang the backing vocals to 'California Dreamin '' with members of the session band The Wrecking Crew on McGuire's album This Precious Time. They earned their first record contract after being introduced to Lou Adler, the head of Dunhill Records, by Barry McGuire. At the time, John and Michelle Phillips were members of the folk group the New Journeymen, which evolved into the Mamas and the Papas. He would work on tunes late at night and one morning brought her the first verse. The song was written in 1963 while John Phillips and Michelle Phillips were living in New York City during a particularly cold winter, and she was missing sunny California.

California dreamin song