California Love

"California Love"
Single by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre
from the album All Eyez on Me (UK Version)
A-side	"How Do U Want It"
Released	December 28, 1995
Format	12-inch single, CD single
Recorded	October 1995
Genre	West Coast hip hop, gangsta rap, G-funk
Length	4:45 (Single version) 6:25 (Album version/Remix)
Label	Death Row
Writer(s)	Joe Cocker, Woodrow Cunningham, Norman Durham, Mikel Hooks, Ronald Hudson, Christopher Stainton, Larry Troutman, Roger Troutman,
Producer	Dr. Dre
Certification	2x Platinum (RIAA) Gold (CRIA)
2Pac singles chronology
"Temptations" (1995) "California Love" (1996) "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" (1996)
Dr. Dre singles chronology "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" (1996) "California Love" (1996) "No Diggity" (1996)

"California Love" is a hip hop song by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single upon his release from prison in 1995. A popular remix version of the song appeared on his 1996 double album All Eyez on Me. This is perhaps 2Pac's best-known song and his most successful, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks (as a Double-A side single with "How Do U Want It"). The song was nominated for a posthumous Grammy Award as a Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman) in 1997.

The original version of the track was not available on any of Shakur's studio albums due to it being intended for Dr. Dre's shelved album The Chronic II: A New World Odor (Poppa's Got A Brand New Funk). But it can now be found on Shakur's compilation of Greatest Hits.

The tune was taken from Joe Cocker's song "Woman to Woman". The line, "California knows how to party", and mention of Los Angeles, the neighborhood of Watts and the city of Compton are sung by Roger Troutman, which in turn are taken from Ronnie Hudson and the Street People's "West Coast Poplock". The remix features sample from the song "Intimate Connection" by Kleeer written by Norman Durham and Woody Cunningham. Pac and Dre mention the following other California cities in their verses and the outro: San Diego, Bay Area (includes San Francisco and Oakland), Long Beach, Sacramento, Pasadena, Inglewood and Hollywood.

"California Love" was Shakur's only entry on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, ranked #346 and #51 on VH1's countdown of the 100 Greatest songs of the 90s. The song has sold over 1,300,000 digital copies despite being released almost a decade before the digital era.

Writing and background

"California Love" was one of two songs produced by Dr. Dre on All Eyez on Me -- the other one being "Can't C Me". The first session of the song has three verses featuring Dr. Dre's rapping. The only copy of this session is now in the possession of DJ Jam, Snoop Dogg's personal concert DJ. Dr. Dre's first session was unedited and home-studio recorded, and therefore differs to the version later included in 2Pac's Greatest Hits as well as the "How Do U Want It" (CD Maxi Single).

2Pac first heard Dr. Dre's session while at his Dr. Dre's in-house studio and asked Dre to put him on the song. Dre did an additional mix for All Eyez on Me as Dre wanted to use the original on his album, so All Eyez on Me received the remix version while the original was going to come on Dre's album.

Videos were shot at the same time for both versions and released and played seamlessly on MTV in late December 1995. The original version was produced Hype Williams with a Mad Max Theme (Part 1 of the video), the remix version starts out with Pac waking up from a dream, which is the Mad Max themed original video and is a house party celebrating 2Pac's welcome to Death Row.

Musically it is based on an Ultramagnetic MC's single Funky from their debut album Critical Beatdown where they use a Joe Cocker piano sample.

In the song where Roger sings "shake it, shake it baby", he interpolates the chant he used on his 1982 Zapp single, "Dance Floor".

Music videos

Two versions of music video exist. The first video (directed by Hype Williams) was inspired by the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and takes place in a desert in the year 2095. The casting includes actor Chris Tucker (then-known only for his role in the 1995 film Friday) playing the evil tribal chief's yes-man, Tony Cox as the dwarf soldier and Roger Troutman (formerly with the band Zapp) carrying a talk box. The shooting took place in the Thunderdome set known from the movie. It ends with a cliffhanger cut by a "To Be Continued" closing. An alternative version, featuring the remix song re-cut, removes the final caption and features 2Pac and Dr. Dre naming West Coast towns.

The second video is based on a remix version of the song from the album All Eyez on Me and is a continuation of the video's story. The premise is that the desert scenes of the previous videos were merely a nightmare 2Pac was having. When he wakes up, he finds himself in his bed beside a woman. He calls Dr. Dre, who tells him to get over to his summer house because he's throwing a party. The rest of the music video takes place as if it were a home video and features several cameos, notably Roger Troutman who is now playing the piano, and guest appearances from DJ Quik, Big Syke, Danny Boy, Jodeci, Deion Sanders, B-Legit and E-40. The video was made for the remix of the song.

The first video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video in 1996. It achieved #9 of the top 10 on MTV's 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made list in 1999. In April, 2005 it reached the Bronze medal spot on MTV2 and XXL's 25 Greatest West Coast Videos. It also achieved #1 on the French MTV's 100 Greatest Rap Music Videos in 2006 (featured from 23 till 30 of July).

Covers

• My American Heart covered this song for the Punk Goes Crunk compilation album.
• A Swedish rock band Tribal Ink also covered this song for their debut album Surrounded by Freaks.
• The Glitch Mob remixed the song in 2008.
• On several compilation albums of Roger Troutman & Zapp you can hear a completely different version form of the song with raps from Big Robb and Dale De Groat. 2Pac and Dr. Dre are not on this version.
• Coalinga, California death metal/electronics band Faxed Head covered the song on their 2001 album Chiropractic, although changing the name to "Coalinga Love", and altering the lyrics to tell their story of Coalinga.
• The Game recorded a remix to this song. It features a remixed beat and lyrics provided by The Game at the intro. 2Pac's original verses are included on the track as well as Dr. Dre's background vocals.
• A spoof version with different lyrics was featured in the South Park episode "Night of the Living Homeless".
• On Phish's Live Phish Volume 17, recorded on July 15, 1998, an improvised jam from the song "Tweezer" becomes "California Love" for a brief segment, before returning to the Tweezer Jam.
• Dubstep artist Rusko has remixed the song, called "Da Cali Anthem".
• It was performed by Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

In popular culture

• The song was used in the 2010 films Valentine's Day and Iron Man 2, the 2011 film Battle: Los Angeles, and in promos for the 2010-2011 television series Law & Order: LA.

• The song was used in The Simpsons when Homer Simpson and Marge Simpson were going to the Oscars with some gangsters in their car.

• The song was used in Dr. Dre's "Up In Smoke Tour, which Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg played as tribute, out of 3 songs, for 2Pac. The song plays and Dr.Dre raps his part, but after that, before it can go to 2Pac's part and the crowd singing the chrous of the song, Snoop Dogg has the DJ cut the music and play, "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted." Also a tribute to 2Pac.

• The song is used by UFC fighter Urijah Faber as his entrance music.

• A "remix" of this song, entitled "California City of the Homeless", was used in the South Park episode "Night of the Living Homeless" as Cartman and his friends attempted to rid South Park of homeless people.

• The band School Boy Humor remixed the song in 2010 featuring Jeffree Star.

Personnel

• Writer - Tupac Shakur
• Keyboards - Sean 'Barney' Thomas
• Percussion - Carl 'Butch' Small
• Producer, Mixing, Featuring (Rap) - Dr. Dre
• Vocals, Talkbox - Roger Troutman
• Background vocals: Danette Williams, Dorothy Coleman, Barbara Wilson
• Engineer : Keston E. Wright
• Production Assistant: Larry Chatman
• Video Direction: Hype Williams

Charts

Weekly charts

Charts (1996)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	4
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)	9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	21
Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)	13
Canadian RPM Singles Chart	51
Canadian RPM Dance Chart	1
Germany (Media Control AG)	7
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)	7
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	11
France (SNEP)	13
New Zealand (RIANZ)	1
Norway (VG-lista)	4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	7
UK Singles Chart	6
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	11
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position
Canada Dance (RPM)	5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	17

Decade-end charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	97

Certifications

Country	Provider	Certification
Canada	CRIA	Gold
Norway	IFPI	Gold
United States	RIAA	2x Platinum

Chart successions

Preceded by "Love is Paradise" by First Base

Canadian RPM Dance chart number-one single March 25, 1996 - April 8, 1996 (3 weeks)

Succeeded by "Feels So Good" by Lina Santiago

See also

• List of number-one singles in 1996 (New Zealand)
• R&B number-one hits of 1996 (USA)
• Hot 100 number-one hits of 1996 (United States)
• List of Swedish number-one hits

External links

• Music video
• Chart Data