Misplaced Pages

"California Love"
Single by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman
A-side	"How Do U Want It"
Released	December 3, 1995 (1995-12-03)
Recorded	November 2, 1995 (1995-11-02)
Studio	Can-Am (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	West Coast hip hop gangsta rap G-funk
Length	6:29 (original version) 6:26 (remix)
Label	Death Row Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Tupac Shakur Andre Young Roger Troutman Larry Troutman Mikel Hooks Norman Durham Ronald Hudson Woody Cunningham Joe Cocker Chris Stainton James Anderson (uncredited)
Producer(s)	Dr. Dre
2Pac singles chronology
"Temptations" (1995) "California Love" (1995) "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" (1996)
Dr. Dre singles chronology
"U Better Recognize" (1995) "California Love" (1995) "No Diggity" (1996)
Audio sample
file help
Music video
"California Love" on YouTube
Music video
"California Love" (Remix) on YouTube

"California Love" is a song by American rapper 2Pac featuring fellow American rapper and producer Dr. Dre. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first single as the newest artist of Death Row Records. The original version is featured on the UK version of his fourth album, All Eyez on Me (1996), and is one of 2Pac's most widely known and most successful singles. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks (as a double A-side single with "How Do U Want It") and also topped the charts of Italy, New Zealand, and Sweden. The song was posthumously nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997.

Writing, samples and background

"California Love"'s first recording sessions began in November 1995. It was one of two songs produced by Dr. Dre on All Eyez on Me—the other one being "Can't C Me". The first version 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. 2Pac first heard Dr. Dre's session while at Dre's in-house studio and asked Dre to put him on the song. Producer Laylaw also did an additional remix of the song which is often erroneously credited to Dr. Dre and has been suggested to be one of the reasons for the fallout between Dre and 2Pac a few months later. The original was released as a double-A side single together with "How Do U Want It" and intended for the Dr. Dre album The Chronic II, while the remix was included on 2Pac's All Eyez on Me. The song was made and written in Dr. Dre's in house studio, 2Pac came in and wrote his verse straight away; it took him just 15 minutes to write his verse. The weekend after the song was completed the video was then recorded.

The original version contains a sample taken from Joe Cocker's 1972 song "Woman to Woman". The remix version contains a sample taken from Kleeer's 1984 song "Intimate Connection". The chorus, "California knows how to party", was sung by Roger Troutman using his characteristic talk box and was taken from the 1982 song "West Coast Poplock" by Ronnie Hudson & The Street People which was written by Ronnie Hudson and Mikel Hooks and was itself a reworking of Troutman's 1981 song "So Ruff, So Tuff." In the song where Troutman sings "shake it, shake it baby", he interpolates the chant he used on his 1982 Zapp single, "Dance Floor".

Composition

Sheet music for "California Love" shows the key of G minor, and a moderate tempo of 92 beats per minute.

Critical reception

Michael Hill from Cash Box noted that 2Pac and Dr. Dre "are clicking some smooth lyrics together over this killer ass dance track. This track is smoking, and with the introduction of funk royalty Roger Troutman on the vocoder, it simply bursts into flames. If you haven't heard one of the six mixes available, be patient because it's bound to reach your area soon." Will Hermes from Entertainment Weekly viewed it as "a West Coast rump shaker". Victoria Segal from Melody Maker wrote, "Vocoders. The squelchiest synths. Slippery background harmonies. Shake it baby. You are in a disco dotted with palm trees, smothered in Gracelands-style soft furnishings and dancing with a coked-out Ray Liotta, looking like hell at the end of Good Fellas. That's 'California Love'." Ralph Tee from Music Week's RM Dance Update rated the song four out of five, describing it as "a fusion of funk and hip hop on this excellent rap cut about the splendour of the US's sunshine state." He added further, "Dr. Dre's production sparkles on this potential hit which takes the vocoder and horns from Zapp's 'So Ruff So Tuff' (Roger Troutman also appearing in the Mad Max-style video) and on its best mix the sticky bassline from Kleeer's 'Intimate Connection' underlines it all."

Music videos

Two versions of the music video were filmed. Shakur's longtime friend, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, came up with the concept inspired by the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. She was expected to direct the video, but she removed herself from the project and was replaced by Hype Williams. The video was filmed November 10-13, 1995 in El Mirage, California. It takes place in a desert in the year 2095. The casting includes actor Clifton Powell as the evil tribal chief, actor Chris Tucker (then known for his role in the 1995 film Friday), Tony Cox as the dwarf soldier, and Roger Troutman (formerly with the band Zapp) carrying a talk box. 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 the 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 young woman. He calls Dr. Dre on a cordless phone, who tells him to get over to his summer house because he's throwing a house party. The rest of the music video takes place as if it were a home video celebrating 2Pac's welcome to Death Row and features several cameos, notably Roger Troutman who is now playing the piano, and guest appearances from DJ Quik, Big Syke, Deion Sanders, Danny Boy, Nadia Cassini, Jodeci, B-Legit and E-40. The video was shot in Compton, California.

The first video can be found on the DualDisc of All Eyez on Me and the second video can be found on Tupac: Live at the House of Blues DVD. It also won the 1996 MOBO Award for Best Video. The music video was released in December 1995.

Live performances

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

2Pac performed the song live on January 6, 1996 at Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans during the Tribute to Eazy-E tour. He then performed the song live with Roger Troutman on Saturday Night Live on February 17, 1996. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg performed the song during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show on February 13, 2022. Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar performed the song at The Pop Out: Ken & Friends show on June 19, 2024.

Accolades

"California Love" was voted the 11th best single of 1996 in the Pazz & Jop, an annual critics poll run by The Village Voice. Robert Christgau, the poll's creator, ranked it 10th in his own year-end list. The song's first video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video in 1996. It achieved number 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 number 1 on the French MTV's "100 Greatest Rap Music Videos" in 2006. It went number 51 on VH1's countdown of the 100 Greatest songs of the 90s in 2007.

Personnel

• Writer – Tupac "2Pac" Shakur (2nd Verse); James "J-Flexx" Anderson (first verse)
• 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
• Engineer – Rick Clifford
• Assistant Engineer: Alvin McGill
• Production assistant – Larry Chatman
• Video direction – Hype Williams

Charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

See also

• List of number-one singles in 1996 (New Zealand)
• List of number-one R&B singles of 1996 (U.S.)
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1996 (U.S.)
• List of number-one singles (Sweden)
• List of number-one hits of 1996 (Italy)

References

1. Smith, Troy L. (August 13, 2015). "25 best West Coast rap songs since N.W.A.'s 'Straight Outta Compton'". cleveland.com. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
2. Campbell, Michael (2019). "Chapter 76: Mainstream Rap". Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On (5th ed.). Cengage. pp. 327–328. ISBN 978-1-337-56037-5.
3. Bell, Max; MacAdams, Torii (July 26, 2016). "The 30 best G-Funk tracks of all time". Fact. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
4. Interscope Records (December 3, 2007). "California Love - Original Version". Spotify. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
5. "HipHop-Elements.Com - Rap, R&B, Neo Soul, Pop, Rock, Latin, Reggae, Celebrity News and Gossip - HipHop-Elements.com". hiphop-elements.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012.
6. "Laylaw Discusses His History with Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Ghost-Producing "California Love (Remix)"". June 7, 2011.
7. 2Pac "California Love" Sheet Music in Bb Major
8. Hill, Michael (February 10, 1996). "Urban: Urban Single Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 13. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
9. Hermes, Will (December 11, 1998). "The Week: Music". Entertainment Weekly. Issue 462.
10. Segal, Victoria (April 13, 1996). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 36. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
11. Tee, Ralph (March 30, 1996). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 10. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
12. ^ McQuillar, Tayannah Lee; Johnson, Fred L. (January 26, 2010). Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon. Hachette Books. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-7867-4593-7.
13. ^ "Hype Williams: His 10 Greatest Videos: 2". Factmag.com. March 9, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
14. "Tupac & Dr. Dre Behind the Scenes of 'California Love' Unedited". February 2, 2021.
15. 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman: California Love (Music), retrieved January 6, 2024
16. Wilson, Elliott (April 2005). "XXL". Pop Shots. Harris Publications. pp. 131–135.
17. "2Pac Feat. Dr. Dre: California Love (Version 2) (Video 1996) - IMDb". IMDb.
18. "Billboard". Billboard. January 13, 1996. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
19. "Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 1996: Critics Poll". robertchristgau.com.
20. Christgau, Robert (1997). "Pazz & Jop 1996: Dean's List". The Village Voice. No. February 25. New York. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
21. "Week Ending June 19, 2011. Bad Teenage Dreams – Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. June 22, 2011. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
22. "500 Best Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
23. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
24. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
25. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
26. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in French). Ultratop 50.
27. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9194." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
28. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2928." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
29. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 19. May 11, 1996. p. 24. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
30. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 17. April 27, 1996. p. 13. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
31. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre: California Love" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
32. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in French). Les classement single.
33. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
34. "Íslenski Listinn Nr. 161: Vikuna 16.3. – 22.3. '96". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). March 16, 1996. p. 26. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
35. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – California Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
36. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 17. April 27, 1996. p. 15. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
37. "Nederlandse Top 40 – 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
38. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
39. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love". Top 40 Singles.
40. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love". VG-lista.
41. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
42. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love". Singles Top 100.
43. ^ "Årslistor > Year End Charts > Swedish Dance Chart 1996" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 11. March 15, 1997. p. 30 (see appendix to the magazine). Retrieved December 8, 2020.
44. "2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love". Swiss Singles Chart.
45. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
46. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
47. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
48. "2Pac Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
49. "2Pac Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
50. "2Pac Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
51. "2Pac Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
52. "2Pac Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
53. "2Pac Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
54. "2Pac Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
55. "2Pac Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
56. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1996". ARIA. Retrieved June 14, 2017 – via Imgur.
57. "Rapports Annuels 1996" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
58. "RPM Year End Dance Top 50". RPM. Retrieved November 26, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
59. "Year End Sales Charts – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1996" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 51/52. December 21, 1996. p. 12. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
60. "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1996" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
61. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1996" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
62. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1996". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
63. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1996" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
64. "End of Year Charts 1996". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
65. "Årslista Singlar, 1996" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
66. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1996". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved February 26, 2020.
67. "Top 100 Singles 1996". Music Week. January 18, 1997. p. 25.
68. "Billboard Top 100 – 1996". Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
69. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
70. "The Year in Music: Hot Rap Singles". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 52. December 28, 1996. p. YE-42.
71. "Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-20. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
72. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
73. "Canadian single certifications – 2 Pac – California Love". Music Canada.
74. "Danish single certifications – 2Pac, Roger & Dr. Dre – California Love". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
75. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (2Pac feat. Dr. Dre; 'California Love')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
76. "Italian single certifications – 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
77. "New Zealand single certifications – 2Pac & Dr. Dre – California Love". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
78. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
79. "British single certifications – 2Pac ft Dr. Dre – California Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
80. "American single certifications – 2 Pac – How Do U Want It/California Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
81. "Nielsen SoundScan Charts". Nielsen. April 4, 2016.
82. Allah, Sha Be (December 3, 2015). "Today in Hip Hop History: Tupac's "California Love" Featuring Dr. Dre Turns 20". The Source. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
83. "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1130. January 26, 1996. p. 33. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
84. "カリフォルニア・ラブ | 2パック" [California Love | 2Pac] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
85. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. March 30, 1996. p. 35. Retrieved August 12, 2021.

• 1995 singles
• 1995 songs
• Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
• Tupac Shakur songs
• Dr. Dre songs
• G-funk songs
• Gangsta rap songs
• Music videos directed by Hype Williams
• Number-one singles in New Zealand
• Number-one singles in Italy
• Number-one singles in Sweden
• Song recordings produced by Dr. Dre
• Songs about California
• Songs about Los Angeles
• Songs written by Larry Troutman
• Songs written by Roger Troutman
• Death Row Records singles
• Interscope Records singles
• Songs written by Tupac Shakur
• Songs written by Dr. Dre
• Culture of Los Angeles