Piano Quintet Cello,Piano,Viola,Violin - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1111433 By The Mamas And The Papas. By John Phillips and Michelle Phillips. Arranged by Eric Stern. 20th Century,Film/TV,Folk,Pop,Singer/Songwriter. 16 pages. Nerds of Paradise Music #713721. Published by Nerds of Paradise Music (A0.1111433). California Dreamin' is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas and the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 1965. The lyrics express the narrator's longing for the warmth of Los Angeles during a cold winter in New York City. It is recorded in the key of C-sharp minor.