The Beach Boys released 'California Girls' on July 12, 1965, entering the charts at number 28 before climbing to the third position by late August, behind only the Beatles and Bob Dylan. The track became one of the band's most commercially successful recordings and solidified pop music's fascination with California culture during the 1960s.

Band leader Brian Wilson conceived the song's central melody and chord progression during his first LSD experience, later completing the composition with co-founder Mike Love. The April 1965 recording session at a Hollywood studio involved professional musicians and proved painstaking, requiring 44 takes before Wilson approved the final version. The song's influence extended far beyond its initial release, inspiring numerous California-themed pop records and drawing cover versions from major artists including David Lee Roth, whose 1984 interpretation also reached number three on the charts.