California Love

"California Love" is a hip hop song by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first single as a Death Row Records artist. 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") and 5 weeks at number one in New Zealand. 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.

A popular remix version of the song appeared on his 1996 double album All Eyez on Me, the first double album in the history of Death Row Records.

Original version

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 and on the United Kingdom version of All Eyez on Me. The original version also exists in extended form and is 6:29 in length. This particular version was never released to the public and is now only available on 12" promo vinyl records.^[3] Aside from the extended track being on limited quantities of vinyl promo records, very few uploads to YouTube exist of the original, 6:29-length extended song.^[4]

Writing, samples 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 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. Dre also did an additional remix of this song. 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 Larry Troutman and Roger Troutman. In the song where Troutman sings "shake it, shake it baby", he interpolates the chant he used on his 1982 Zapp single, "Dance Floor".

The chorus mentions Los Angeles, the neighborhood of Watts and the city of Compton. 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.

Music videos

Two versions of the music video exist. The first video (directed by Hype Williams)^[5] was inspired by the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and was Jada Pinkett Smith's idea. It takes place in a desert in the year 2095. The casting includes actor Chris Tucker^[6] (then known for his role in the 1995 film Friday) playing the evil tribal chief, 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^[6] 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 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 woman. He calls Dr. Dre, 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, Jodeci, B-Legit and E-40.

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. The first video was shot November 10, 1995 and the second one 18 days later. It also won the 1996 MOBO Award for Best Video.

Accolades

"California Love" was voted the 11th best single of 1996 in the Pazz & Jop, an annual critics poll run by The Village Voice.^[7] Robert Christgau, the poll's creator, ranked it 10th in his own year-end list.^[8] 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 (featured from 23 till 30 of July). It went number 51 on VH1's countdown of the 100 Greatest songs of the 90s.^[9]

The information regarding accolades attributed to California Love is adapted from Acclaimed Music.^[10]

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Ego Trip	United States	Hip Hop's 40 Greatest Singles by Year 1980-98	1999	22
VH1		100 Greatest Songs of the 90's	2014	51
Blender		The 1001 Greatest Songs to Download Right Now!	2003	*
rap.about.com		50 Great Hip Hop Songs	2001	6
Rolling Stone		The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time	2004	346
Bruce Pollock		The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000	2005	*
Rolling Stone		The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (Updated 2010)	2010	355
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame		The Songs That Shaped Rock (Additions 2011)	2011	*
Slant		The 100 Best Singles of the 90s		17
TIME		The All-Time 100 Songs		*
Pause & Play		Songs Inducted into a Time Capsule, One Track at Each Week		*
Gary Mulholland	United Kingdom	This Is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock	2002	*
Paul Morley		Words and Music, 210 Greatest Pop Singles of All Time	2003	*
Q		The 1001 Best Songs Ever	2003	118
Q		The 1010 Songs You Must Own	2004	*
Giannis Petridis	Greece	2004 of the Best Songs of the Century	2003	*
Technikart	France	Top 20 Songs per Year 1991-2011	2012	13
Village Voice	United States	Singles of the Year		11
Face	United Kingdom			3
Melody Maker				24
Vox				8

In popular culture

My American Heart covered this song for the Punk Goes Crunk compilation album.
A spoof version with different lyrics was featured in the South Park episode "Night of the Living Homeless". In another episode "#Rehash", an instrumental remake was used when a Hologram of 2Pac came down the stairs of the Marsh House after sleeping with Sharon.
MMA/UFC bantamweight fighter "The California Kid" Urijah Faber uses the song as his entry music before each fight.
It was performed by Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.^[11]
It was one of the songs featured in Holler if Ya Hear Me, a 2014 jukebox musical of Tupac's work. The cast performed the song on Good Morning America on July 8, 2014.^[12]
The song also appears in the films Valentine's Day, Iron Man 2, Marmaduke, and Battle: Los Angeles.
A sample of it is used in a commercial promoting a series between the Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants on ESPN.
A sample was also used at the beginning of German Singer Sarah Connor's "He's Unbelievable".
The recording of the song and "Hail Mary" are briefly portrayed in the film Straight Outta Compton.
It was played at least once during every batting practice prior to the baseball games, in the 1997 season for the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field.
Honey G covered the song in the first live show of series 13 of The X Factor.

Song versions

There are several different versions (and duration lengths) of California Love recorded and released by 2Pac.

California Love [Official/"Full" Original Track] - 6:29 (the unmodified, uncut original track, released only on promo vinyl records)
California Love [Remix/"Full" Original Track] - 6:26 (the unmodified, uncut remixed track, released on All Eyez On Me)
California Love ["Original"] - 4:45 (the "original" released track, shortened down from 6:29 to 4:45)
California Love [Short Radio Edit] - 4:05 (modified version of the cut "original" track [shorter, modified outro])
California Love [LP Instrumental] - 4:15 (instrumental version of the "original" track)
California Love [Short Remix Edit] - 4:07 (remixed version of the "original")
California Love [Remix Instrumental] - 4:12 (instrumental version of remix)

Some tracks listed above are available through iTunes and other music providers, while others are from CD discs only believed to be released in the UK. The "official/original" track can only be found on promo vinyl records or through YouTube.

Personnel

Writer – Tupac "2Pac" Shakur (2nd Verse); James "J-Flexx" Anderson (1st 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^[5]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[13]	4
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[14]	9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[15]	21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[16]	13
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[17]	51
Canada Dance (RPM)^[18]	1
Germany (Official German Charts)^[19]	7
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[20]	11
France (SNEP)^[21]	13
Italy (FIMI)^[22]	1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[23]	10
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[24]	1
Norway (VG-lista)^[25]	4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[26]	1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[27]	7
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)	6
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)^[28]	2
US Billboard Hot 100	1
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	1
US Billboard Hot Rap Singles	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position
Canada Dance (RPM)^[29]	5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[30]	17

Decade-end charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[31]	97

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)^[32]	Gold	35,000^{^}
Canada (Music Canada)^[33]	Gold	40,000^{^}
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[34]	Platinum	0^*
Norway (IFPI Norway)^[35]	Gold	5,000^*
United States (RIAA)^[36]	2× Platinum	2,404,000^[37]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone

Preceded by "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single July 13, 1996 – July 30, 1996	Succeeded by "You're Makin' Me High"/"Let It Flow by Toni Braxton
Preceded by "Love is Paradise" by First Base	*Canadian RPM* Dance chart number-one single** March 25, 1996 – April 8, 1996	Succeeded by "Feels So Good" by Lina Santiago

Notes and references

↑ Ascap entry for song ASCAP, accessed May 1, 2011
↑ "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 2012-02-15.
↑ http://www.discogs.com/2Pac-California-Love/release/1607375
↑ YouTube. youtube.com.
1 2 "Hype Williams: His 10 Greatest Videos: 2". Factmag.com. 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2014-03-24.
1 2 Wilson, Elliott (April 2005). "XXL". Pop Shots. Harris Publications. pp. 131–135.
↑ "Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 1996: Critics Poll". robertchristgau.com.
↑ Christgau, Robert (1997). "Pazz & Jop 1996: Dean's List". The Village Voice (February 25). New York. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
↑ "Week Ending June 19, 2011. Bad Teenage Dreams - Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
↑ "Acclaimed Music - California Love". Acclaimed Music.
↑ Kung, Michelle (September 30, 2010). "Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon's 'History of Rap' Duet: The Full Set List". The Wall Street Journal.
↑ Weber, Imogen Lloyd (July 8, 2014). "Watch the Cast of Holler If Ya Hear Me Get Some 'California Love'". Broadway.com.
↑ "Australian-charts.com – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
↑ "Austriancharts.at – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
↑ "Ultratop.be – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
↑ "Ultratop.be – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in French). Ultratop 50.
↑ "Top Singles - Volume 63, No. 9, April 15, 1996". RPM. Retrieved 2011-02-21.
↑ "Item Display - RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Retrieved 28 December 2012.
↑ "Musicline.de – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
↑ "2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre: California Love" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
↑ "Lescharts.com – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love" (in French). Les classement single.
↑ "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: 0". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
↑ "Charts.org.nz – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love". Top 40 Singles.
↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love". VG-lista.
↑ "Swedishcharts.com – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love". Singles Top 100.
↑ "Swisscharts.com – 2 Pac feat. Dr. Dre – California Love". Swiss Singles Chart.
↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/r-and-b-singles-chart/19960407/114/
↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1996". Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
↑ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
↑ Kent, David (2006). Australian Chart Book 1993-2005. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-45889-2.
↑ "Canadian single certifications – 2 Pac – California Love". Music Canada.
↑ "New Zealand single certifications – 2Pac & Dr Dre – California Love". Recorded Music NZ.
↑ "Norwegian single certifications – 2Pac – California Love" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
↑ "American single certifications – 2 Pac – How Do U Want It/California Love". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
↑ "Nielsen SoundScan Charts". Nielsen. April 4, 2016.

External links

Music video on YouTube
Chart Data

Tupac Shakur

Studio albums	2Pacalypse Now Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... Thug Life: Volume 1 Me Against the World All Eyez on Me The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory

Posthumous albums	R U Still Down? (Remember Me) Still I Rise Until the End of Time Better Dayz Loyal to the Game Pac's Life

Live albums	2Pac Live Live at the House of Blues

Compilation albums	Greatest Hits The Rose That Grew from Concrete The Prophet: The Best of the Works Nu-Mixx Klazzics Tupac: Resurrection The Rose, Vol. 2 The Prophet Returns Beginnings: The Lost Tapes 1988–1991 Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2 Best of 2Pac

Related albums	Nothing but Trouble (soundtrack) Sons of the P Juice (soundtrack) Poetic Justice (soundtrack) Above the Rim (soundtrack) Gridlock'd (soundtrack) Gang Related (soundtrack) A 2Pac Tribute: Dare 2 Struggle

Extended plays	Makaveli & Dillinger Don't Go 2 Sleep

Singles	"Brenda's Got a Baby" "If My Homie Calls" "Trapped" "Holler If Ya Hear Me" "I Get Around" "Keep Ya Head Up" "Papa'z Song" "Cradle to the Grave" "Dear Mama" "So Many Tears" "Temptations" "California Love" "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" "How Do U Want It" "All Bout U" "I Ain't Mad at Cha" "Life Goes On" "Toss It Up" "To Live & Die in LA" "Hail Mary" "Wanted Dead or Alive" "Made Niggaz"

Posthumous singles	"I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" "Do for Love" "Changes" "Unconditional Love" "Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)" "Who Do U Believe In" "Until the End of Time" "Letter 2 My Unborn" "Thugz Mansion" "Still Ballin'" "Runnin' (Dying to Live)" "One Day at a Time (Em's Version)" "Thugs Get Lonely Too" "Ghetto Gospel" "Untouchable" "Pac's Life" "Playa Cardz Right"

Other songs	"I Don't Give a Fuck" "Runnin' (From tha Police)" "Hit 'Em Up" "Are U Still Down" "Panther Power"

Featured singles	"Smile" "Playa Cardz Right"

Books	The Rose That Grew from Concrete

Stage	Holler If Ya Hear Me

Filmography	Nothing but Trouble Juice Poetic Justice Above the Rim Bullet Gridlock'd Gang Related

Documentaries	Biggie & Tupac Tupac: Resurrection Tupac: Assassination

Outlawz	Yaki Kadafi Kastro Napoleon E.D.I. Mean Hussein Fatal Mussolini Komani Young Noble

Related articles	Discography List of songs Outlawz Digital Underground Afeni Shakur Assata Shakur Mopreme Shakur Mutulu Shakur East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry Makaveli Branded Clothing Niccolò Machiavelli Orlando Anderson Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts Billy Garland Kadafi List of awards and nominations received by Tupac Shakur Murder of Tupac Shakur

Dr. Dre songs

Discography Production discography

The Chronic	"Fuck wit Dre Day" "Let Me Ride" "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" "Bitches Ain't Shit"

2001	"The Watcher" "Still D.R.E." "Xxplosive" "Forgot About Dre" "The Next Episode"

Compton	"Talk About It" "Medicine Man" "Talking to My Diary"

Collaborations	"We Want Eazy" "U Better Recognize" "California Love" "No Diggity" "Ghetto Fabulous" "Guilty Conscience" "Hello" "Just Be a Man About It" "The Knoc" "Symphony in X Major" "Encore" "Crack a Bottle" "Old Time's Sake" "Hell Breaks Loose" "The Recipe" "New Day" "Stronger"

Other singles	"We're All in the Same Gang" "Deep Cover" "Natural Born Killaz" "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" "Been There, Done That" "Zoom" "Bad Intentions" "The Wash" "Kush" "I Need a Doctor"

Other songs	"Put It on Me" "Just Dippin'" "Imagine" "Under Pressure" "3 Kings"

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