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David Lee Roth - California Girls

Music Video
ArtistDavid Lee Roth
SongCalifornia Girls
DirectorDavid Lee Roth
DirectorPete Angelus?
IntroNo
OutroNo
Sound MixStereo
Technical Specificationscolour - format unknown

Wiki

Synopsis

David Lee Roth turns the Beach Boys classic into a surreal, comic showcase for his larger-than-life persona. Playing a flamboyant host-like figure, he presents a fantasy world of beaches, tourists, and swimsuit models representing women from different parts of the United States. Roth dances through the staged spectacle, while some of the women remain frozen like mannequins before suddenly coming to life. The deliberately exaggerated presentation blends music-video glamour with television parody and a dreamlike, Fellini-inspired visual style.

Factoids & Trivia

  • The video accompanied Roth's 1985 cover of the Beach Boys' "California Girls," released on his debut solo EP, *Crazy from the Heat*. His version reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, matching the peak of the original Beach Boys recording.
  • Roth's visual concept drew inspiration from Federico Fellini's *Amarcord*, giving the clip its theatrical, deliberately artificial atmosphere rather than presenting a straightforward beach performance.
  • The character Roth plays was identified by the singer as "Diamond Dave," the persona that would become central to his solo image.
  • The clip knowingly references television conventions, including the surreal logic of *The Twilight Zone*. Its comic tone and conspicuous visual spectacle helped make it a regular request during MTV's early music-video era.
  • The recording features Beach Boy Carl Wilson on background vocals, along with Christopher Cross. Ted Templeman, Roth's former Van Halen producer, produced the track.
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