Watch R.E.M.’s cover of ‘California Dreamin” in rare footage from 1984
Blending a garage band ethos with hooky riffs and cryptic lyrics, R.E.M were one of the most revered bands of the post-punk era. The band’s career began in the early 1980s when their first single, ‘Radio Free Europe’, sparked a DIY revivalist movement in the American underground rock scene. Over the next two decades, Michael Stipe and the band honed a tender brand of alt-rock, inspiring countless bands along the way. Below, you can see them performing a rendition of the hippie classic ‘California Dreaming’ in 1984.
Featured on the 1966 Mamas & The Papas album If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears, ‘California Dreamin” encapsulates the sun-dappled glory of the westernmost regions of hippiedom. Speaking to NPR IN 2002, Michelle Williams revealed that the song came to fruition in 1963. She had just married bandmate John Phillips, and the pair were living in New York during a particularly harsh winter. In those early days of their marriage, John would pace around the apartment, working on lyrics. One morning, he bought the first verse of ‘California Dreamin” to Michelle. Reading the lyric sheet, the West Coast native found her own longing and homesickness reflected back at her.
The Mamas & The Papas recorded ‘California Dreamin” at the same L.A. studio where The Beach Boys were working on their own 1966 album, Pet Sounds. The sessions began in November 1965 and featured some of the greatest session players working in Los Angeles, including drummer Hal Blaine, keyboardist Larry Knechtel, bassist Joe Osborn and guitarist P.F. Sloan. However, the iconic 12-string guitar part was played by John Phillips himself.
Discussing the fabled session with Songfacts, Sloan recalled: “The ‘California Dreamin” session was magical. John [Phillips] was very nervous. Nobody particularly liked the song, and to be honest with you, ‘California Dreamin” was maybe three or four chords. I added the ‘Walk – Don’t Run’ Ventures guitar riffs for that ‘da da da da da da.’ That was all creative work inside the studio when I heard them singing on mic. I had recorded them with Barry McGuire on his second album, so I knew how good they were.”
In the footage below, taken before R.E.M. achieved mainstream success, Michael Stipe and the band deliver an artful rendition of the ’60s pop classic, with Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry providing tight-knit backing harmonies.
