Among a number of groups who helped define the Motown Sound of the 1960s, including The Miracles, The Marvelettes, The Temptations and The Supremes, The Four Tops were notable for having Stubbs, a baritone, as their lead singer; most groups of the time were fronted by a tenor. The group was the main male vocal group for the songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, who crafted for the group a stream of popular hit singles, including two #1 hits: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "Reach Out I'll Be There". After Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1967, the Four Tops were assigned to a number of producers, primarily Frank Wilson. When Motown left Detroit in 1972 to move to Los Angeles, California, the Tops stayed in Detroit and moved over to ABC Records, where they continued to have charting singles into the late-1970s. Since the 1980s, The Four Tops have recorded for, at various times, Motown, Casablanca Records, and Arista Records.
As an unofficial record, it is believed that The Four Tops were the band to continue performing the longest without a lineup change. Levi Stubbs, Abdul Fakir, Renaldo Benson and Lawrence Payton sang together as the Four Tops from 1954 until 1997, when Lawrence Payton died of cancer. That's an astonishing 43 years without a lineup change. The three surviving members continued to tour as "The Tops."
California Dreamin'
The Four Tops Lyrics
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I've been for a walk on a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day
Stopped into a church now I passed along the way
Oh, I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray
You know the preacher likes the cold now, he knows I'm gonna stay
(California dreamin', such a winter's day)
All the leaves, all the leaves are brown now, and the sky is gray
I've been for a walk on a winter's day
If I didn't tell her, I could leave today
California dreamin' on such a winter's day
California dreamin', dream on
California dreamin', dream on
California dreamin', dream on
...
The Four Tops's California Dreamin' is a song that portrays the longing to escape the bleakness of winter and head towards a warmer location. The opening lyrics "All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray, I've been for a walk on a winter's day" sets the wintery melancholic tone, but there's an underlying desire to escape. The singer wants to be "safe and warm" in L.A, where the sun is shining, and the mood is brighter. There's a sense of escapism as the singer daydreams of heading to California where life is better, and it's the perfect antidote to the dreary winter.
The second verse tells of the singer's visit to a church where he pretends to pray. The preacher may like the cold, but the singer does not. The singer is only planning on staying until he can find a way to leave for California. The bridge brings us back to the opening lyrics of "All the leaves, all the leaves are brown now, and the sky is gray". The chorus repeats the longing for the California dream. The dream of heading towards the light, of warmth and good times. The famous "California Dreamin', dream on" lyrics encompass the dream of all the people who want to escape the bleakness of their reality to a paradise away from home.
Line by Line Meaning
All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray
The trees are bare and the sky is cloudy
I've been for a walk on a winter's day
I took a stroll on a cold day
I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A.
I'd feel secure and cozy if I were in Los Angeles
California dreamin' on such a winter's day
Thinking about sunny California on a bleak winter day
Stopped into a church now I passed along the way
I entered a church while walking
Oh, I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray
I knelt down and acted like I was praying
You know the preacher likes the cold now, he knows I'm gonna stay
The pastor is accustomed to the cold weather and expects me to stay
All the leaves, all the leaves are brown now, and the sky is gray
The foliage is dead and the sky is overcast
If I didn't tell her, I could leave today
If I didn't inform her, I could depart now
California dreamin' on such a winter's day
Pining for the Golden State on a cold winter day
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: John Edmund Andrew Phillips, Michelle Gilliam Phillips
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind