The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin' REACTION!! 

A lot of haters out there, but if you were around in the 60's u knew Mama Cass carried the vocals. If she was alive today she would have had a great solo career. See Adele. People Judged her on her weight. SO SAD!!!

Love this group so much - Mama Cass's voice is gorgeous but they all blend beautifully together - Glorious - love it

He went into the church on that cold winters day to seek warmth, not because he wanted to pray. That’s why he pretended. 😉

Mama Cass had a show..A lot of duets on RU-vid...John Denver and Mama Cass

Their harmonies are incredible. Another good one by them is "This Is Dedicated to the One I Love"

Harmonizing at its best! "Creeque Alley", "I Saw Her Again", "Go Where You wanna Go"

Mama Cass had the best voice of the generation. And Michelle Philips was about the most beautiful singer in history. Just sayin'

Thank you India for that one.... Takes me back to my childhood... These guys were on the radio EVERY DAY... There is a music video to this one also...

OH! you found the Olde 'Hippy' music, the Flower Child movement of the 1960's was a free love and peace movement that made an indelible mark on Counter Culture of the time. the Mamas and the Papas were a major musical voice of the time, I'm so glad you enjoyed them.

John Phillips was inspired to write the song when he and his family went on a trip to New York, and one of his children, who was little, said, "I don't like it here. All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray." He stopped on the spot and wrote that down.

This song vaulted them into popularity. Harmonies are flawless. Cass Elliott had one of the best voices ever.

This will ALWAYS go down as one of my favorite songs ever in the history of my life. I can remember being about 7 or 8 maybe, it must have been fall of 1986-87...my dad and I were walking up the street to go to my grandmother's house (it was only about a mile away from our old house)...our house was still within sight of us...and dad and I just started talking about the fall colors etc, this conversation started us singing this song on the walk to grandma's, I mean we were even breaking it down and everything. LOL. I'm 41 now, there are only a few vague memories I have of anything before age 10 or 11, there are somethings I would have no memory of at all if it wasn't for photographic evidence....but this is one of those memories that is hanging on for dear life.

Very talented group of artists. They blazed a trail of hits that kept them at top. Very smooth group from the hippy, maryjane era. If your still listening to them 60 years later, that the testament to their greatness.

I would suspect he only went into the church to get warm but he had to pretend he is there to pray.

Michelle Philips was a serious hottie. Looks like she was beamed back in time from today. Many movie stars of the time were after here inc the rogue Warren Beatty.

Don't know why, but I always want to cry when I hear this song.

these guys could of sang a phone books contents and it would of been a masterpiece 😍

There was a documentary back in the 1990s about John "Papa John" Phillips and the Mamas and the Papas. At one point, he's in a restaurant on his birthday. With him are the interviewer and his daughter Mackenzie Phillips (who is an actress in her own right). He said, "I just wish I had done more. I don't think I made my mark, and that would have been nice." His daughter told him that he was crazy and that he made a huge mark. When he scoffed at her, she stood up in the middle of the restaurant, asked everyone's pardon, and said, "This is my dad, John Phillips. Back in the 60s he wrote this song and I want to sing it to him now because its his birthday. If you know the words, join in." And she gets as far as "All the leaves are brown..." before the entire freaking restaurant is singing along. John Phillips is just sitting there, his jaw on the floor, because the idiot really didn't think he was as influential when it came to music as he was.

Great band. Here in Argentina, is not so known now but it was in the 60's. Still great music after so many years, always will be.

Mamas and Papas were famous for their beautiful harmonies, and "California Dreamin'" is a perfect example of it. They were quite popular in the mid to late 60's.

Absolutely love their music. Beautiful, goosebumps, memories.

cant say enough about the talent of mama cass... unfortunately the unkind false hurt full rumors about her death is all any one remembers

"If I didn't tell her, I could leave today". So he's pretending to pray in a church and thinking about running off to CA and leave his significant other.

They were from California, but I think this was written while they were on tour in New York. Amazing voices and arrangements. RIP Mama Cass, who died far too young.

Yessss, one of my favorite songs ever. Also, the pretending to pray was just so he could stay in the nice warm church...❤️

This reminds me of the Dead Milkmen song "Punk Rock Girl" "We went to the Philly Pizza Company and ordered some hot tea The waitress said "well no, we only have it iced" So we jumped up on the table and shouted anarchy And someone played a Beach Boys song on the jukebox It it was California Dreamin' So we started screamin' On such a winter's day"

This song makes me emotional. I cry to the melody, heart, and soul of the song. Songs like these you can taste, you can feel, it can change your whole mood around. Cause Music is power. Music is eternal and a universal language. Wish I would of been born in the 60’s... The Golden Age of Music and Television.

Yes, that was a wooden flute that you heard playing the Solo

They have sooo many good songs. Monday, Monday. No Salt on Her Tail. I Saw Her Again Last Night. I even love their version of Twist and Shout. And Mama Cass is awesome in Dream a Little Dream Of Me.

Yes, Cali is warm - 103 degrees today in Sacramento, to top out at 110 degrees on Monday (Monday Monday - another song by them).

Oh Mama Cass...you are so missed and always loved! What an amazing voice she had! This family was royalty in 60's pop music. Their voices blended so perfectly.

Yep, it’s a flute, I think an alto flute, which is a little lower than a regular flute! Classic sound for the mid-late 60s!

Hey India, here's a little background on the meaning of this song: The Mamas and The Papas were recording an album in New York in the Winter months and Michelle Phillips (The blonde on the far left and only surviving member of this group) was feeling kinda homesick for L.A. So, John Phillips (The one playing guitar) wrote this song as a an attempt to cheer her up

try creeque alley, story of all of em starting out and wanting to go to cali.

Such a beautiful song 🎧🎶 pretty harmonies!

FYI the blonde Michelle Phillips and John Phillips daughter is Chyna Phillips from Wilson Phillips the band

The vocalizing is amazing harmonies are spot on bravo

Mama Cass had such a great voice. If she hadn't had died from a heart Attack at a young age, I think she would have had a huge solo career. She had the voice, personality, and stage presence and other intangibles.

Not a flute - a Descant Recorder. Difficult for someone of my generation to understand that there are people who have never heard these songs before.

The harmony from these guys was AWESOME.

Always LOVED THIS SONG, but you should HEAR Queen Latifah's version AND THEN Dalton Harris!! Please!

Love this song. Timeless classic. Just awesome.

Big girl Mama Cass had such a beautiful voice. Loved all their songs.

I love this song. Their harmony is fantastic. Mama Cass had a beautiful voice. Sadly, shes gone way too soon. I've been to Los Angeles a couple times. I LOVE it. This song makes me want to go back. Another bomb reaction! Keep dropping them, sister!

California Dreamin' & Monday Monday are perfect pop songs (if there is such a thing). Great lyrics, music fits the lyrics, the vocals harmonize perfectly with each other and the recording production was spot on. There's a reason people still listen to this almost 60 years later.

Cass Elliot......'Dream a Little Dream of Me'

The Mamas and the Papas, once described as 4 people trying to sound like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Sweetie........get some background Information.........really!....sorry

For those of us fortunate enough to live back in the 60's, we were able to see the multitude of talented groups like The Mamas And The Papas. There will never again be a generation of talent like the 60's.

I have seen them several times in my life, nice folk songs, its all about the harmony. There is a lot of back story about Mama Cass and the other band members.

Grew up listening to this. This was one of my moms favorite bands growing up (she's 70 now) and I heard this my whole life

What I truly love about you is the fact that you react to so many different genres of music! I’m 36 years old and I listen to music ranging from the 1920’s through today. I’m big on if I like the beat and the just the music in general, I’m going to listen. Thank you for for showing all the different sides of music!

The weather wasn't it. It was California. Escape from the doldrums. Escape from the small town up tight worlds we all lived in. In California you could be what you wanted to be. Love who you wanted to love. You should check out another tune of theirs. 'Go Where You Wanna Go.'

Oh man, one of my favorite songs of all time. Thanks for this reaction. :)

Michelle Phillips, the skinny blonde, became an actress, and some 22 years later practically invented the concept of MILFdom when she joined the cast of Knott's Landing in 1987. She was WAAAAAAYYYY hotter at age 43 than she was at age 21.

Hello, I recommend you listen to the version of dream a little dream of me, sung by one of the members of mamas and the papas (cass elliot). I love your reactions

They were based in NYC and Michelle, the blond, wanted to go Cali but the scene was still in NY. So John wrote this based on her longing. When they did relocate to CA, Cass Eliot/Mama Cass was at the center of much of the creativity that occurred at that time. I highly recommend reacting to her vocal tour de force “Words Of Love”

You must go to California. No life should be lived without that.

I love Mama Cass. Dream a little dream of me is fantastic. All her songs are great. I think Dedicated to the One I Love is my favourite song by the song, gentle and beautiful. I also like their versions of Spanish Harlem and My Girl. Creeque Alley is a great song telling the story of the forming of the group. I think you can probably tell I'm a big fan lol 😆

Go Where You Wanna Go, I Call Your Name, Dedicated To The One I Love, Twelve Thirty.

the backstory is that they were in NYC to record and it was cold, they were all from California and hated being in NYC and wanted to go back home.

A recorder and not a flute was used for that great instrument solo and the harmony of these four people was divine,then and for all time!

Papa John had an incestuous relationship with his daughter Mackenzie for years.I'd say that's a bit on the creepy side would you not agree?

Based on what I've read, the song takes place in New York City.

This is the perfect song! The the video that you're watching is the biggest festival ever in the world.. Woodstock 😊❤️ I actually taught my primary school kids this song and the kids who have graduated from high school still remember the song. Very catchy tune! This is the original!❤️🥰

You ever watch One day at a time, tall guy in blue shirt is McKenzie Phillips Dad.

To learn more about The Mamas and The Papas, I highly recommend the Documentary film "STRAIGHT SHOOTERS: The Story of The Mamas and The Papas" Fascinating, hilarious, terrifying, riveting! Amazing back stories to the songs and the band...like how Mama Cass brought a bottle of liquid LSD to the U.S. Virgin Islands in order to change John's mind about letting her join the group. How the American Express Office on said Islands gleefully cut up John's American Express Card while exclaiming "This is IT! THIS is the Card we've been LOOKING FOR!" And how the group, after living on the Islands for the past 6 months, pooled the little money they had left, took it the Casino, and watch Michelle make pass after pass at the Craps table, winning enough $ to purchase airline tickets to fly everyone back to NYC, where all the leaves were brown...and the skies were gray. But that's another story...! ✌🍁✌

Anybody who was around when the Woodstock festival was happening knew about The Mamas and The Papas and this song in particular was iconic and still is

This song came out before I was born, but is one of the few songs that my 80 year old mom and me both like! Lol

One of the greatest pop songs of ALL TIME!

Omg, cannot believe you really haven’t ever heard it, everybody has, all over the world

They don't Make Music like this no More...this is real Muisc...

Mama Cass and Michele Phillips were such a magical pairing of voices. That's what beauty sounds like.

The 39 dislikes are from ppl jalous of thier voices

Just hate that everytime I hear this song, I think of John abusing his daughter Mackenzie. 😢

This song was controversial because of the “pretended to pray” line. Some radio stations wouldn’t play it so they had to do an alternate version with different words.

Only the pretty blonde girl alive now! So sad.

My mum always played their music. Love em

Gitarrist war "Udo Jürgens " ......30 years schlager star in germany

I was just watching a Mamas and Papas documentary and have been playing their music ...then I see your reaction. I think John, Denny and Cass are trying to say something.. may they still be making beautiful and great music with their iconic harmonies in heaven ❤❤❤

React to "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Protocol Harum Awesome lyrics and just great song overall

The song was made in the early days of stereo and they mixed Michelle and Cass onto one channel, and John and Denny onto the other. On a number of occasions, I've gone into a supermarket or something where an overhead speaker is broken and all you can hear is Michelle and Cass's backing vocals. It's weird. In conclusion, this is one song that's probably better in a mono mix.

You should listen to Queen Latifah's version. I actually think she did a better job. My opinion

I'm so obsessed with this band, especially Denny. Way too sad that I miss those beautiful times. Looks way better than nowadays. But at least I can listen to them on my record player everyday. Love it sooooo much! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

He goes into the church and pretends to pray as as a way to get out of the cold, it's winter, the point of the song is dreaming of warm beautiful California. Yikes !!!

This is one of those songs that’s immediately speaks”Vietnam, Woodstock, hippie, free love. It’s basically part of a quilt that is that time.

Sadly the California dream is long gone. It's a crap hole now.

This song is on my all time favorite list. Love your review Michelle was originally from CA. She and John were living in NY. It was winter and she was missing CA. Hence the birth of the song. The line about "pretending to pray", supposedly they went into a church to warm up because it was so cold outside.

Some versions of the song say "begin to pray" instead of "pretend to pray".

The band was only together for two years.

Check out peter paul and mary if you liked this

The reason the flute sounds strange at the beginning of the solo is that it is being played at the very bottom of its range, and those low notes on the flute have a very soft, velvety quality with none of the brightness of the middle and high ranges.

Great group but they were original freaks.

Yes it was a flute. Mama Cass could out sing all of them.

: ) RIP Denny Doherty & Mama Cass Elliott.

December of '65, & January of '66-----------written by John Phillips & Michelle Phillips, in NYC during the winter of '63. --------Cass Elliott & Denny Doherty , & Denny had most leads. ---------------MJL, 76 y/o

But in a way I’m glad they don’t make music like this anymore cause if they did, I don’t think I could embrace the beauty of vintage sound as much ✨✨✨

Some of the most beautiful harmonies ever caught on tape. Pure magic!

I use to play my Mom’s 45 record of this when I was little like 45 years ago and I still love it

Their Harmonizing is Amazing