California Man (song)

"California Man"
US single of the Move recording
Single by The Move
B-side"Do Ya", "Ella James"
ReleasedApril 1972
Recorded1971
StudioPhilips (London)
GenreRock and roll
Length3:37
LabelHarvest (UK)
United Artists (US)
SongwriterRoy Wood
ProducersRoy Wood, Jeff Lynne
The Move singles chronology
"Chinatown"
(1971)
"California Man"
(1972)
"Do Ya"
(1972)
Official audio
"California Man" on YouTube

"California Man" is a song by British rock and roll band the Move. It was written by the band's guitarist/vocalist Roy Wood, who has said he wrote it as a pastiche of Little Richard (Wood's favourite musician of the time) and Jerry Lee Lewis (fellow Move member Jeff Lynne's favourite musician at the time). The song was also produced by him, alongside Jeff Lynne, and recorded in 1971 at Philips Studios, based in London. The song became the band's final charting single in the United Kingdom, charting at number 7, and was covered by acts such as Cheap Trick and Cliff Richard.