A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs Episode 151: “San Francisco” by Scott McKenzie
California Dreamin': A Hit
- 'California Dreamin'' was initially intended for Barry McGuire but became The Mamas & the Papas' first hit.
- Bud Shank's alto flute solo, recorded by chance, added a unique touch.
Strained Relationships
- The group's dynamic shifted after their initial success, impacting their chemistry.
- Petty disagreements and the pressures of the music business created tension.
Michelle Phillips Fired
- Michelle Phillips was fired from the group after John discovered her affair with Gene Clark.
- Jill Gibson, Jan Berry's ex-girlfriend, briefly replaced her.
We start season four of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs with an extra-long look at “San Francisco” by Scott McKenzie, and at the Monterey Pop Festival, and the careers of the Mamas and the Papas and P.F. Sloan. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.
Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on “Up, Up, and Away” by the 5th Dimension.
Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/
Errata: An incorrect version of the file was previously uploaded, with the wrong section edited in at approximately 57 minutes. This was fixed about three hours after uploading, but some streaming services may have cached the wrong file.
Also I say that John Phillips wrote “No, No, No, No”. I got this from an interview with McKenzie, but he must have been misremembering — the song is a cover version of “La Poupee Qui Fait Non” by Michel Polnareff, with English-language lyrics by Geoff Stephens