Written by Roy Wood, this was The Move's last officially released single; it was released in April 1972, bearing "Do Ya" and "Ella James" as a double B-side. A pastiche of Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Larry Williams, the composition is recorded in a high-energy rock and roll style, with lead vocals by both Wood and Jeff Lynne, who were at the time jointly leaders of both the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and The Move. "California Man" reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1972. The ELO, originally conceived as a side-project of The Move, issued its first single, "10538 Overture", a month after this track.

In the U.S., "California Man" was issued on the United Artists record label. It was flipped after release, when Lynne's "Do Ya" B-side proved more popular. It became The Move's only U.S. charting single, peaking at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1972. Only Wood, Lynne and drummer Bev Bevan appear on the recording. The picture sleeve has an older picture of The Move, including bassist Rick Price, who was no longer a member of the group by then. The Move's version of the song never originally appeared on one of its studio albums; however, it does appear as a bonus track on the reissue of Message from the Country.

"Ella James" was a song written by Roy Wood and taken from the band's final album Message from the Country.

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