In 1965, The Mamas and The Papas recorded a song that would define an era. The folk star they took it from was left to be forgotten

The Mamas and The Papas recorded “California Dreamin’” in December 1965, and the article presents the song as an emblem of the hope and disillusionment associated with the 1960s. It argues that the story behind the hit is also Michelle Phillips’s: her homesickness and difficult experience in New York helped inspire its lyrics, though she was later left in the background of its legacy.

John Phillips began writing the song during the couple’s time in Greenwich Village, where Michelle felt isolated, cold and eager to return to Los Angeles. She contributed the lyric about seeking warmth in a church, and the song gained momentum after they returned to California and formed the group with Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty. The supplied article text ends mid-sentence, so it does not include the rest of the song’s recording history.