California Nights

1967 single by Lesley Gore

"California Nights"

Single by Lesley Gore

from the album California Nights

B-side

"I'm Going Out (The Same Way I Came In)"

Released

January 1967

Recorded

November 1966

Genre

Pop

Length

2:49

Label

Mercury Records 72649

Songwriter(s)

Marvin Hamlisch, Howard Liebling

Producer(s)

Bob Crewe

Lesley Gore singles chronology

"Treat Me Like a Lady"
(1966)

"California Nights"
(1967)

"Summer and Sandy"
(1967)

"California Nights" is a song written by Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Liebling and recorded by Lesley Gore. The song appeared on her 1967 album, California Nights.^[1]

Composition

The song was produced by Bob Crewe and arranged by Hutch Davie.^[2] The track features guitars and drum set in a 1960s pop fashion. The chorus includes multiples long tones over abnormal chords and the verses are noticeably accompanied by a soft electric piano. The lyrics speak of reminiscing about romantic evenings on the beach with a lover.^{[original research?]}

Billboard described the song as a "production rhythm ballad with groovy dance beat and strong vocal work has the hit ingredients to put Miss Gore back up the Hot 100."^[3]

Commercial performance

The single peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1967 but stayed on the chart for a then-lengthy 14 weeks,^[4] ranking 61 in the year-end Top 100.^[5]

Use in media

An edit of the song (removing the second verse and refrain) was lip-synced by Gore on the January 19, 1967 episode of the TV series Batman, "That Darn Catwoman". She played Pussycat, the Catwoman's protégé, who also wanted to be a singer.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1967)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	16
US Cashbox Top 100	11

Year-end charts


Chart (1967)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100	61

Other versions

Wes Montgomery released an instrumental version of the song on his 1967 album, A Day in the Life.^[6]
Four King Cousins released a version of the song on their 1968 album, Introducing the Four King Cousins.^[7]

References

^ Lesley Gore, California Nights Retrieved January 30, 2014
^ Lesley Gore, "California Nights" single release Retrieved January 30, 2014
^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. January 7, 1967. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
^ Lesley Gore, "California Nights" Chart Positions Retrieved January 30, 2014
^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1967". Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
^ Wes Montgomery, A Day in the Life Retrieved January 30, 2014
^ Four King Cousins, Introducing the Four King Cousins Retrieved January 30, 2014