When the Beach Boys released “California Girls” in 1965, it quickly became a classic — but the song wasn’t done making history. Two decades later, a rock star’s remake gave it a surprising second life.
Written by Brian Wilsonand Mike Love, “California Girls” featured a catchy pop-rock melody as it celebrated a carefree West Coast lifestyle and the girls of California. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1965, becoming one of the Beach Boys' most iconic hits.
Fast forward to 1985, and David Lee Roth reimagined the song with a rock star fantasy spin for his EP Crazy From the Heat. Roth’s “California Girls” also hit No. 3 on Billboard as it found a new audience with the MTV generation.
Despite a 20-year gap, the two versions of the song shared a remarkable connection: both featured harmony vocals by Beach Boys band member Carl Wilson.
Roth’s solo hit also featured Christopher Cross, the Grammy-winning hitmaker behind the 1979 soft rock hit “Sailing.” Cross once explained that producer Ted Templeman wanted a connection to the original Beach Boys sound for Roth’s record, so he sought out the ‘60s music legend.
“In the case of David and Ted Templeman, I think what happened was…they really wanted a stamp of approval and validation on doing 'California Girls,'” Cross told Popdosein 2011. “And truth be told, I think they knew I was close to Carl, and they thought, 'Well, if we get Christopher, then we can get Carl! And they didn’t care about me, ‘cause they got a real Beach Boy! So it was fun”
The music video for Roth’s “California Girls" was nothing like a sunshiny Beach Boy clip. The rocker’s mini film was more of a rock star fantasy than a California dream, complete with bikini models and flamboyant rocker energy.
In an interview shared by Something Else Reviews, Roth summarized his cheeky “California Girls” video.
“They really held on to what for me was vaudeville,” the Van Halen alum said. “It was the Sunshine Guys. It was ‘Hell’s a’ Poppin.’ It was the Marx Brothers meets a little Spiderman times, I don’t know, Dean Martin and the Golddiggers times Wizard of Oz, and a whole lot of rock and roll thrown in. You can’t get past ‘California Girls’ musically without a whole… it’s quintessential popular, rock and roll of a certain time frame. Actually, it’s not even a time frame, it’s a place: You’re at the beach. If you’re driving, and that music comes on, you’re somewhere where there’s salt water, and skimpy bathing costumes.”
While the two versions of the song were very different, Roth did indeed get the approval of one of the original songwriters. In 2005, Brian Wilson told the New York Times he was a fan of Roth in the 1980s. “I thought that his version of ‘California Girls’ was really, really good,’” the Beach Boys legend added.
More than 60 years after its original release, "California Girls” remains a summertime anthem, proving that even a classic can be reinvented for a new generation of fans.
Related: 1979 Rock Classic, Reimagined from 1975 No. 1 Hit, Remains a Timeless Breakup Anthem 47 Years Later
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