“Come To Me” by California featuring Les Fradkin, bounces to a jaunty keyboard rhythm. It’s a love song filled with plenty of romantically good vibes.
It sounds a little like a Neil Sedaka song from the ‘70s. It’s not complicated or labored over sounding. Rather, it’s a song that beautifully expresses the feeling of new love. It’s not a lyric where California attempts to put into words how much this one person means to another person. Instead, a little like a bubblegum pop song, it just exudes giddiness. And this giddiness is infectious.
https://californiatm-featlesfradkin.bandcamp.com/track/come-to-me-2
One is left with the impression this song was tracked years ago (in 1980, to be precise) and then revisited in 2023. It features Mick Ronson on guitar and Phil Spector on Wurlitzer electric piano, and if these are those two very famous musicians, they’ve each since passed on.
Both melodically and rhythmically, this song has a strong resemblance to “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” a hit song for the Four Seasons in 1975. That one also is equally celebratory. You just can’t listen to it sitting still. Another reference point is the Bee Gees. This tune is similar to that brotherly act’s upbeat pop concoctions.
Although there is guitar on the track, it’s not very noticeable. There isn’t any lead guitar solos or any riffs running through the song that stand out. Percussion also mostly takes a backseat in the mix. Fradkin sings it with a nearly breathless lead vocal. He also provides backing vocals, fender bass and drum programming.
When Fradkin sings, “Come to me,” it gives the impression he’s far more into this relationship than the other person is. He’s ready for love, but maybe this other person is still a little hesitant. Nevertheless, he sings about getting a strange vibration when he holds this person in his arms. Maybe they already have a relationship, but it’s not nearly as strong of a bond as he wants it to be. Perhaps this other stays away for periods of time, whereas he wants to be with this person 24/7.
Paul McCartney once sang about his love for silly love songs. Serious people hate silly love songs. Heck, some likely despise all love songs. California echoes McCartney’s assertion with this sugary track. He may not want to fill the world from top to bottom with lighthearted romantic musical pieces, but this song easily fits that bill. It may come off a little nostalgic for some. After all, it was partially recorded at the beginning of the ‘80s, a decade when some of the most colorful music of all time was written and recorded.
https://lesfradkin.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6k4xzlaWTGPL8KuYFNuma3
If you’re an overly serious person, this song might just be the exact thing you need right now. Let your guard down, put your dancing shoes on and sing along with “Come To Me” like a schoolchild. This act may not save the world, but it might just put a smile on your face. What’s wrong with that? Smiling, like the music bed for this song, is contagious, so let its magic spread all around you.
-Dan MacIntosh
