California (Phantom Planet song)
| "California" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Phantom Planet | ||||
| from the album The Guest | ||||
| Released | January 28, 2002 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length |
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| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | ||||
| Phantom Planet singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "California" on YouTube | ||||
"California" is a song by American rock band Phantom Planet. It was released as a single from their second album The Guest in 2002. The song is about driving on U.S. Route 101, traveling to see a concert.[1] Both the song and the band received major attention when it became the theme song on the Fox television show The O.C., and it soon became a top-10 hit in Austria, Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
Song information
[edit | edit source]The estates of Al Jolson and his songwriting team are co-credited for "California", presumably because the title and chorus bear strong resemblances to his own "California, Here I Come". Some websites refer to the Phantom Planet song as a cover of the Jolson tune. Some parts of the song, particularly the piano solos at the beginning and end, are similar to the Jolson song, but still contain several differences in melody. It also bears some thematic and melodic resemblance to Joni Mitchell's "California" from her 1971 album Blue.
The song was re-recorded in 2005 by Phantom Planet and re-released as "California 2005", a much mellower version of the song than the original. "California 2005" had its debut in the second episode of The O.C.'s third season, and is featured on Music from the OC: MX-5. Although normally this version of the song runs as the title song for The O.C., it was switched out for the Mates of State's cover version in a special episode where everything in the show took place in an alternate universe, hence a different song for the title sequence.
Music video
[edit | edit source]The music video for "California" was directed by Roman Coppola,[2] the cousin of the band's then-drummer Jason Schwartzman who co-wrote the song, and documents the band on tour, intercut with footage of the song dubbed over live performances of it at various tour stops.
Track listings
[edit | edit source]EP
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "California" (Tchad Blake Mix) | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Always on My Mind" (London Version) | 3:16 |
| 3. | "The Living Dead" | 3:28 |
| 4. | "Stiffs" | 2:37 |
| 5. | "California" (Demo) | 3:15 |
Single
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "California" (Jack Joseph Puig Mix) | 3:18 |
| 2. | "The Guest" | 3:44 |
| 3. | "Do the Panic" (Live) | 3:03 |
| 4. | "California" (Live) | 3:19 |
Charts
[edit | edit source]
Weekly charts[edit | edit source]
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Year-end charts[edit | edit source]
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Certifications
[edit | edit source]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[18] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[19] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
[edit | edit source]| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | January 28, 2002 |
|
[20] | |
| March 18, 2002 | Hot adult contemporary radio | [21] | ||
| April 29, 2002 | Contemporary hit radio | [22] | ||
| United Kingdom | May 6, 2002 |
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[23] | |
| Australia | May 20, 2002 | CD | [24] | |
| United Kingdom (re-release) | March 7, 2005 | [25] |
Notable cover versions
[edit | edit source]The song was covered in 2006 – again for The O.C., this time being covered by Mates of State for the sixth installment of the Music from the OC series.
References
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- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "Phantom Planet Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "Phantom Planet – California" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "Phantom Planet – California" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – California". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Phantom Planet – California". Top Digital Download.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "Phantom Planet – California". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Phantom Planet: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
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External links
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- 2002 songs
- 2002 singles
- Phantom Planet songs
- The O.C.
- Songs about California
- Music videos directed by Roman Coppola
- Song recordings produced by Mark Ronson
- Songs written by Al Jolson
- Song recordings produced by Tchad Blake
- Song recordings produced by Mitchell Froom
- Songs with lyrics by Buddy DeSylva
- Television drama theme songs
- Daylight Records singles
- Epic Records singles
