A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California
Songs About California
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These songs all refer to California in some way. Some of them are about the state itself, but most are either about a place in the state like a highway or a city, or they're about a girl - a California Girl, a particular subspecies of girl that singers like to sing about - even female singers. I'm the first to admit that this is just a cheap way to shoehorn my interest in music into a natural history web site, but this IS the Internet after all where anything goes. However, instead of just doing a web search and making a random list of songs, I have done my homework and included songs that I have found worth listening to - at least once, anyway. A lot of pop songs have been written about California. Many of them describe a journey to or a longing to return to a wonderful place with warm weather, pretty girls, and new opportunities - basically a fantastic mythical paradise that bears little resemblance to the real Golden State now or ever. (The Spanish named the territory after a mythical island paradise they were searching for that was supposed to be full of gold and inhabited by black women whose queen was Califa. How'd that work out for them?) Other songs describe the disappointment the singers find after getting to Cali when they discover that it's no better than where they came from. Apparently, writing a California song is now a requirement if you're a musician, even if it's only to show that you hate the California stereotypes or the Hollywood Entertainment Industry Establishment. Musicians such as Local H and Brooke White are even writing songs now about California Songs and others write about how much they hate the state. It's all good, and it's all here on the list. This list is in alphabetical order by artist, not by title. I'll add new songs to the list as I discover them. Let me know if there is something not here that should be. They lyrics come from the Internet, and we all know how unreliable that can be sometimes, so let me know if you find any mistakes. Also, some of these songs may contain explicit lyrics that may not be mentioned in the descriptions. Also check out Wickipedia's List of Songs About California which has many more titles. And here's a companion song list I've compiled for CaliforniaHerps - Songs About Herps. The lyrics quoted here are all the property and copyright of their owners and are provided here for educational purposes only. |
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Artist |
Title |
Description |
| Ryan Adams | Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd. | Alt country indie rock, whatever it is, New Yorker Adams does it very well. Well enough to marry Mandy Moore, I guess. From 2001, this is one of those slow sad piano songs with strings. "La Cienega Just Smiled" - could be a reference to La Cienega blvd. - is another slow Adam's song from the same album "Gold." "It's happening baby They're putting up the chairs Taking the money And all we can do is pray Pray for tomorrow So close your eyes So close your mouth And do this all in time to the music That screams like a child in the back of your mind In a clown's saloon So goodnight Hollywood Blvd, goodnight, See ya soon Goodnight Hollywood Blvd, see you sometime Yeah, right " |
| Admiral Radley | I Heart California | A 2010 song from a California Indie rock band made up of members of two influential California Indie rock bands, Earlimart, from LA, and Grandaddy, from Modesto. Long walks on the 5? What, did they break down? "I am California... yeah? Ice tea in my hair Drugs fall out of diaper bags As midwesterners stare I am California Long walks on the 5 Truck stops and the symphony And I'll be here when I die I heart California... I love California |
Gary Allan |
She's So California |
"She's a warm summer breeze with bleach blonde hair Like a fine red wine she can take you there She's a walk in the sand at sunset She's the top pulled down on the 405 She'll take you higher than Humboldt sky She's an earthquake And you're the fault line So, when you feel the ground start movin' around Hold on tight you're in for a ride 'Cause she's so California She's a wild fire out of control headed for ya So, when you get burned, don't say I didn't warn ya 'Cause she's so California." A 2008 country tune. |
| Dave Alvin | California Snow | Dave Alvin was one of the Blasters, great 80's roots rockers, who now sings beautiful folksy/country acoustic guitar-based songs. In this 1998 song, Alvin takes on the persona of a Border Patrol Officer who drives at night in San Diego County looking for snake hunters to harrass. (Just kidding.) "I'm just tryin' to make a livin' I'm an old man at thirty-nine With two kids and an ex-wife Who moved up to Riverside I'm workin' down on the border Drivin' back roads every night Mountains east of El Cajon North of the Tecate line. Where the California summer sun Will burn right to your soul But in the winter you can freeze to death In the California snow. " ... ... ... ... ... "I catch the ones I'm able to And watch the others slip away I know some by their faces And I even know some by name I guess they think that we're all Movie stars and millionaires I guess that they still believe That dreams come true up here. But I guess the weather's warmer down in Mexico And no one ever tells them 'bout the California snow." |
| Dave Alvin | Here In California | A nice cover version of the Kate Wolf song discussed below. |
Dave Alvin |
King of California |
A poor 19th century guy from east of the Ohio river promises his love that he will return and marry her after he makes his fortune in the California gold rush. That didn't work out too well for him, but it probably woudn't have been a great song if it had. This rootsy acoustic song from 1994 beautifully conjures up the era and the spirit of "Go west young man." One of my favorites. "Well I left my home and my one true love East of the Ohio River My father said we'd never wed For I had me no gold nor silver But my darling dear, please shed no tears But I think that it's fair to warn you That I return to claim your hand As the King of California" |
| Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women | California's Burning | After the death of a member of his backing band, The Guilty Men, Alvin assembled a new band composed of women called The Guilty Women, which adds a nice dimension to his harmonies. This one needs no explanation to those of us who have watched hillsides and homes go up in flames in the fall and mudslides cover what remains the next winter... "California's burning, you can smell it in the air. California's burning, you can smell it in the air. You may be rich or poor, but you know that fire don't care. … … … … ... No rain for four years, and the hills are dry and brown. Yeah, no rain for four years, and the hills are dry and brown. Yeah, well where you gonna run to when the whole wide world burns down? … … … … ... Black clouds are risin' and they're blockin' out the sun. Black clouds are risin' and they're blockin' out the sun. Some folks are sayin' the judgement day has come. California's burning, no one knows when it will end. California's burning, no one knows when this will end. What that fire burns down boys, we'll just build it back again." |
America |
Ventura Highway |
"Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair, and the days surround your daylight there. Seasons crying no despair, alligator lizards in the air, in the air." (These are probably San Diego Alligator Lizards, Elgaria multicarinata webbii.) An upbeat 1972 soft rock classic with a catchy acoustic guitar riff from the band who have been to the desert on a horse with no name. I always wondered how those gators got up in the air, but apparently they're cloud formations.This is one of the few songs about California, and herps. Or at least clouds that look like herps. |
| American Music Club | Highway 5 | A dark slow dirge off "California," a 1988 album from this San Francisco based alternative rock band. Maybe back in 1988 75 was the cruising speed, but 85 is more like it these days, and that's in the slow lane... "Highway five Takes so much to make us feel like we're alive A weary traveler at a smooth seventy-five Make pretend the landscape ain't so dry Do anything to maintain a lie To the left, a beautiful California landscape Dead ends in the sky And to the right, beautiful mountains rise High and dry Another futile expression of bitterness Another overwhelming sensation of uselessness Make pretend that the landscape ain't so dry Do anything to maintain a lie Make pretend that the lover ain't so barren Though in los angeles things like that don't matter" |
| Augustana | California's Burning | A 2005 song from a San Diego rock band. "California's burning, burning, burning to the ground... and my head is turning, turning, turning round and round... Allie's stomach's churning, churning, like a storm today... and your mother's crying, crying, closing up the safe... and I'm here, wondering where the sun has gone... driving through to Mexico, asking why there's no one home... Encinitas likes to miss me, like nobody's child.. and my eyes like rainy Tuesdays, like to watch you smile... and I'm here, wondering where the sun has gone... driving through a Midwest storm, asking why there's no one home..." |
| Eef Barzelay | Shaker Star | Eef Barzelay is a singer-songwriter from New Jersey, previously with the noise rock band Clem Snide. This song is from a 2009 album covering songs from the band The Transmissionary Six. It's a solo acoustic guitar number that is not really a California song, but it's such a great song, and it does mention Death Valley, so here it is. Terri Tarantula wrote it and released the song in 2009, but this is one of those rare times where I don't prefer the original version. "We could be unfettered This I know for sure Crystalize everything Ignition contact with you, with you Shaker shaker, start the car Shaker, shaker star Shaker shaker, start the car Shaker, shaker star Let's fall in love with a song Drums and guitar Drive around singin' Death Valley Rain Again" |
Eric Burden and the Animals |
San Francisco Nights |
A 1967 song about San Francisco and the Summer of Love, and all that Hippy stuff. But a WARM San Francisco night? That doesn't sound like summer in Don't Call it Frisco to me. "Strobe lights beam create dreams walls move minds do too on a warm San Franciscan night old child young child feel alright on a warm San Franciscan night angels sing leather wings jeans of blue Harley Davisons too on a warm San Franciscan night old angels young angels feel alright on a warm San Franciscan night. I wasn't born there perhaps I'll die there there's no place left to go, San Franciscan." |
| The Beach Boys | California Calling | One of many of the Beach Boys' California songs, this one is from 1985 during their later incarnations. "If everybody in the U.S.A Could come with us to Californ-i-a We could take 'em to a place out west Where the good sun shines everyday Now there's a touch o' Californ-i-a In everyone who's ever been this way And when your telephone begins to ring And the operator comes on the line California callin' I'll be there right away There's some beautiful women Gonna find me one To show me how to ride the ultimate wave Now I've joined the surfin' nation and so I'll take a permanent vacation and go To the golden shores of 'Frisco Bay I'll ride 'em all the way to Malibu And I'll take ya' boogie boardin' with me 'Cause when we're surfin' it's so great to be free And when you're on a California beach You might even find 'em windsurfin' too..." |
The Beach Boys |
California Girls |
The classic 1965 surf pop song that probably started the regional wars over whose girls look the best - another unnecessary war that can't ever be won.... "Well East coast girls are hip I really dig those styles they wear And the Southern girls with the way they talk They knock me out when I'm down there The Mid-West farmer's daughters really make you feel alright And the Northern girls with the way they kiss They keep their boyfriends warm at night I wish they all could be California I wish they all could be California I wish they all could be California girls" |
| The Beach Boys | California Saga: Beaks of Eagles California Saga: Big Sur California Saga: California |
The Beach Boys were sent to the Netherlands in 1972 to try to snap Brian Wilson out of his depression. The album that followed, Holland, contained three "California Saga" songs - Beaks of Eagles, Big Sur, and California: Beaks of Eagles "...An eagle's nest on the head of an old redwood on one of the precipice-footed ridges Above Ventana Creek, that jagged country which nothing but a fallen meteor will ever plow: no horseman Will ever ride there, no hunter cross this ridge but the winged ones, no one will steal the eggs from this fortress. The she-eagle is old, her mate was shot long ago, she is now mated With a son of hers. When lightning blasted her nest she built it again on the same tree, in the splinters of the thunder bolt. In a broken shack an old man takes his time about dyin' And just at the back a wild flowerbed that he'll lie in In dawn's new light a man might venture A horse drawn stage from Monterey. The she-eagle is older than I: she was here when the fires of eighty-five raged on these ridges, She was lately fledged and dared not hunt ahead of them, but ate scorched meat. The world has changed in her time; humanity has multiplied, But not here; men's hopes and thoughts and customs have changed, their powers are enlarged, their powers and their follies have become fantastic...." Big Sur "...Big Sur I've got plans for you Me and mine are going to Add ourselves to your lengthy list of lovers (Big Sur mount) And live in canyons covered in springtime green Wild birds and flowers to be heard and seen And with my old guitar I'll make up songs to sing. Where bubbling springs from the mountainside Join the Big Sur river to the oceanside Where the kids can look for sea shells at low tide Big Sur my astrology it says that I am made to be Where the rugged mountain meets the water ...." California "Water, water, get yourself in the cool, clear, water The sun shines brightly down on the bay The air's so clean it'll just take your mind away Take your mind away Take your mind away Have you ever been south of Monterey Barrancas carve the coast line and the chaparral flows to the sea ... ... ... ... Have you ever been down Salinas way? Where Steinbeck found the valley And he wrote about it the way it was in his Travels With Charley. And have you ever walked down through the sycamores Where the farmhouse used to be There the monarch's autumn journey ends On a windswept cyprus tree." |
| The Beatles | Get Back | It's a bit of a stretch to call this a California Song, but this 1969 song does include Jojo who heads west for some California grass, and I don't think they mean the front yard variety. This was the 12th and final song on their 12th and final studio album. "Jojo was a man who thought he was a loner But he knew it couldn't last Jojo left his home in Tucson, Arizona For some California grass Get back, get back Get back to where you once belonged Get back, get back Get back to where you once belonged Get back, Jojo Go home" |
Beck |
Hollywood Freaks |
The king of So Cal strip malls drops lobotomy beats and evaporated meats on hi-tech street, then he turns up the heat 'till the swimming pool boils with pop locking beats from Korea. Or... something like that. A 1999 release. "I wanna know what makes you scream Be your twenty million dollar fantasy Treat you real good Expensive jeans Hollywood freaks on the Hollywood scene Touch it real good if you want a piece Party people know I'm that type of freak" |
Chuck Berry |
Promised Land |
In this classic1964 rock 'n' roll version of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, the singer finally gets to L.A. and phones home. "I left my home in Norfolk Virginia, Straight off, I bought me a through train ticket, |
Frank Black |
Los Angeles |
A great 1992 indie hard rocker from Black Francis of the Pixies about several Los Angeleses - one in So Cal, one in Chile, one in the future (2525), and one in old movies. I choose the one in the old movies, as long as there the ones with Gene Tierney, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Grace Kelly.... "I met a man he was a good man. Sailin' and shorin' dancing the beta can-can making me foreign, aaaah yeah. I wanna live in Los Angeles not the one in Los Angeles not the one in South California they got one in South Patagonia I wanna live in Los Angeles not the one in Los Angeles They got a bunch down in moleville they got a bunch more still. I wanna live in Los Angeles not the one in Los Angeles They got one in 25-2-5 works just like a beehive." |
Cleo Brown |
When Hollywood Goes Black and Tan |
In this upbeat early 40's jazz classic, Harlem crooners, Louis Armstrong, and more will all be heading west when Hollywood goes black and tan. It's a celebration of African American entertainers in the movies, back when there were not many of them. "Creole babies from Manhattan, Will be leaving Harlem if they can, Yeah, man! Oh, yeah, man! When Hollywood goes black and tan! Louis Armstrong with his trumpet Will be heading westward with his band, Yeah, man! Oh, yeah, man! When Hollywood goes black and tan!" |
| Hoagy Carmichael | Hong Kong Blues | Carmichael sings this song in the classic Howard Hawks film "To Have and Have Not" with Humphry Bogart and 19-year-old Lauren Bacall in her first film. I don't understand why the gong-kicking guy says he lives in Frisco if he lives in Tennessee, or why they send rice there, but that's show biz... "It's the story of a very unfortunate colored man Who got arrested down in old Hong Kong He got twenty years privilege taken away from him When he kicked old Buddha's gong And now he's poppin' the piano just to raise the price Of a ticket to the land of the free Well, he says his home's in Frisco where they send the rice But it's really in Tennessee That's why he said, 'I need someone to love me I need somebody to carry me home to San Francisco And bury my body there I need someone to lend me a fifty dollar bill and then I'll leave Hong Kong behind me for happiness once again' Won't somebody believe I've a yen to see that Bay again Every time I try to leave Sweet opium won't let me fly away" |
| Carolina Liar | California Bound | Carolina Liar is an indie rock band from LA with a big bright sound, but the lead vocalist is originally from South Carolina, and other band members are from Sweden. But the guy in this 2008 song can't wait to get back to that California sun that everyone else is always singing about. But this time he's coming by train and not car. What does he they think he'll be able to do in California without a car? I'll bet he's planning on renting a convertible and driving down the coast highway with the top down just like they do in all the other songs. Then he'll write a song about it... "You're miles away You just can't relate Are you what surrounds you? You feel alive At least you think that life Is something in you What do we know? There's a southern bound train tomorrow Takes us out of this dirty town Chase the sun back to the west coast In eight hours we're California bound We're California bound … … … … Forget everything tomorrow We'll be on a brand new road Chasing the sun back to the west coast In eight hours we're California bound We're California bound We're California bound" |
Neko Case |
In California |
The Alt Country queen from the Northwest dreams of snow now that she's living in L.A. where the sun always shines and the palm trees are laughing at her. With a voice like that, she could sing the phone book and I'd still listen. "In California I dream of snow And all the places we used to go With the night falling down With the night falling down Now I'm living in Korea Town Waking to the sound of car alarms I remember your face when I showed you the ticket Said you were happy for me, your heart wasn't in it Just a phone call away Now there's nothing to say As the days roll by, disconnected In the land where the sun is always shining on Crying alone, palm tress are laughing at me Another fool playing songs that don't matter For people who chatter endlessly" |
Johnny Cash |
Folsom Prison Blues |
Folsom State Prison is near Sacramento. Cash said he wrote this 1955 song after watching a movie about the prison when he was in the Air Force in Germany, but it's clear he used the melody and many of the lyrics from the 1953 song "Crescent City Blues" written by Gordon Jenkins. Jenkins sued and Cash paid him a settlement in 1968. Some say that Sam Phillips of Son Records is the one who refused to credit Jenkins. In any case, Cash's song is much better. It became a huge hit and Cash later made a hit country album recorded live at the prison. "When I was just a baby, My Mama told me, 'Son, Always be a good boy, Don't ever play with guns,' But I shot a man in Reno, Just to watch him die, When I hear that whistle blowin', I hang my head and cry." |
Cheap Trick |
California Man |
A 1978 cover of the 1972 song by The Move (Roy Wood's band that became The Electric Light Orchestra) with a bunch of classic boogie rock nonsense lyrics about a party where the jive is really cool and he's a California man and can't stop dancing and all that. "Goin' to a party, Meet me on after school. Well we're goin to a place Where the jive is really cool. And if the band stops a playin' There's a jukebox down the hall. And with your blue dress on, your folks all gone. You're sure to give the guys a ball. Get that real guitar boy shakin', I'm a California man, Dance right on till the floors are breakin' I'm a California man." |
| Chicago | South California Purples | In this rock song with a horn section released in 1969, Chicago wonders where that the fabled California sun is. L.A. is cold and cloudy when you've lost your girl and you've got the blues. Or the purples, in this case. There must be something red in L.A. that mixes with the blues. "I thought this was a warm place I must be in the wrong place. Thought this was a warm place I must be in the wrong place. And I don't know where I'm going Since my lover left me. Never no smile on my face. I am he is you are he is you are me and we are all together, woah woah. Buddy, this ain't L.A. I've travelled such a long way. Buddy, this ain't L.A. I've travelled such a long way, And I still don't know where I'm going. But without my baby I better not stay." |
| Concrete Blonde | Still in Hollywood | The singer of this L.A. punk band is stuck in "the city of sin. in this song from 1986" "I was walking down the street early this morning Past the graveyard, voices singin' to me. I was walking down the street, early this morning And the silver drops of rain hung from the leaves And I swear I heard the voices singing to me... Singing to the rhythm of the beat of my feet, I swear I heard the voices singing to me - Keep on, keep on, keep on. Still in Hollywood! Oh WOW! Thought I'd be out of here by now. Still in Hollywood! My, my I'm running on a wheel and I don't know why I don't know why. ... ... ... ... ... ... And so it's three A.M., I'm out walking again. I'm just a spot on the sidewalk in the city of sin. He doesn't give a fuck, he's living under a truck. You know it coulda been me, guess it's just my luck. But I swear I hear the voices singing to me - Keep on, keep on, keep on. Still in Hollywood..." |
| Elizabeth Cook | Not California | A 2010 tune from the smart and quicky country roots rocker. She didn't write it, but she sings it. It seems to be about someone who moved away from California and misses it. I've put a song of hers about a snake in the bed on the herp song list, too. "Later on you're breaking the boxes down There's nobody out tonight, nobody's hanging 'round So you take the drive that used to be almost right But now it's just empty lots around you All these empty lots around you And they don't know What you hold dear and they can't see That it's not California here … And it's not true And it's not fair And they're not us And it's not California here...." |
| Jonathan Coulton | I Hate California | An upbeat acoustic guitar tune from the 2003 first album of the singer-songwriter from Brooklyn known for writing quircky songs about science fiction and technology and geek culture and became popular using the internet. "I hate California There's something out there I just don't get I know your friends out there must think I'm pretty strange Because I dress as if the weather's gonna change But it never does I hate California I hate California The sun goes down the wrong side Something in the water, maybe something in the sand Maybe some west coast thing I'll never understand Maybe just because I hate California I don't blame the Beach Boys I don't blame Hollywood I don't blame L.A. Although I probably should I don't blame the sky for its careless shade of blue Lord knows I don't blame you Lord knows I don't blame you I hate California One more beach day come and gone And by the time you've finished gazing at the sea 3,000 miles away there's nothing left for me If there ever was I hate California...." |
| Cracker | Big Dipper | This one's slow and moody, with only a brief California reference, but I've always enjoyed Cracker and David Lowery and his earlier band Camper Van Beethoven, both excellent California bands. "And we could wait our lives Before a chance arrives Before the passage From the top you can see Monterey Or think about San Jose Though I know it`s not that pleasant' |
Creedence Clearwater Revival |
Lodi |
"Rode in on the Greyhound I'll be walkin' out if I go I was just passin' through Must be seven seven months or more Ran out of time and money Looks like they took my friends Oh Lord I'm stuck in Lodi again." John Fogerty had never been to Lodi in 1969 when he chose the city to represent a dead-end town that a down on his luck musician couldn't escape after a one night stand. "Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi Again" is now the theme of some city events in Lodi, proving there's no such thing as bad publicity, and that the people there have a good sense of humor. |
Sheryl Crow |
All I Wanna Do |
This ain't no disco, it ain't no country club either. This is L.A. and girls just wanna have fun, by sitting around drinking beer at noon on a Tuesday with an ugly guy named Billy in a bar next to a car wash on Santa Monica Boulevard. Whatever works for you... It certainly worked for Sheryl; it's still her biggest hit, and the 1995 Grammys record of the year. |
The Dead Kennedys |
California Uber Alles |
"I am Governor Jerry Brown My aura smiles And never frowns Soon I will be president... Carter Power will soon go away I will be Fuhrer one day I will command all of you Your kids will meditate in school! Your kids will meditate in school! California Uber Alles California Uber Alles Uber Alles California Uber Alles California" Watching the Dead Kennedys at the Mabuhay back in the late 70's was one of the highlights of the SF Punk scene. But over 30 years later Jerry Brown became governor again in 2011, while the credibility of the DKs took a hit after Jello Biafra was convicted for cheating the rest of the band out of royalties and he countered that they stole his songs which they then sold to be used in video games. "Anarchy For Sale" is another one of the band's songs. "Money Uber Alles" should be another. |
| Death Cab For Cutie | Bixby Canyon Bridge | Indie rockers from Bellingham Washington in a song from 2007 about that tall bridge over the ocean on highway one near Big Sur that you've seen in movies and commercials. Jack Keroac ended up in Big Sur and this song is supposed to be about him. "I descended a dusty gravel ridge Beneath the Bixby Canyon Bridge Until I eventually arrived At the place where your soul had died Barefoot in the shallow creek I grab some stones from underneath And waited for you to speak to me In the silence it became so very clear That you had long ago disappeared And I cursed myself for being surprised That this didn't play like it did in my mind All the way from San Francisco As I chased the end of your rope 'Cause I've still got miles to go" |
| Death Cab For Cutie | Why You'd Want to Live Here | Another anti-L.A. song from 2001 by the Bellingham indie rockers. "I'm in Los Angeles today... |
The Decemberists |
California One/Youth and Beauty |
A 2003 indie pop song about the coast highway from some Oregonians. "Take a long drive with me On California one, California one ... We're lining up the light-loafere'd And the bored bench warmers Castaways and cutouts, fill it up Come join the youth and beauty brigade Nothing will stand in our way" |
| The Decemberists | Calamity Song | A 2011 tune that channels the upbeat jangly guitars of 80's REM (literally - because Peter Buck is playing them.) There's not much really about California, just the stereotypical end-of-the-world viewof the state destroyed by an earthquake, but it is a great great song. "Had a dream You and me and the war of the end times And I believe California succumbed to the fault line We heaved relief As scores of innocents died…" |
Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy |
California Uber Alles |
Sampling the Dead Kennedys with new lyrics and slamming then 80's Republican governor Pete Wilson this time. I'm waiting for someone to do a newer version skewering the Governator. (Well, it's now 2011, so it's too late for that. And Ahnold retired in a sex scandal - no surprise there.) |
The Doors |
LA Woman |
"L.A. Woman L.A. Woman L.A. Woman, Sunday afternoon L.A. Woman, Sunday afternoon L.A. Woman, Sunday afternoon Drive through your suburbs Into your blues Into your blues, yeah Into your blue, blue, blues Into your blues Ohh, yeah I see your hair is burnin' Hills are filled with fire If they say I never loved you You know they are a liar Drivin' down your freeways Midnight alleys roam Cops in cars, the topless bars Never saw a woman So alone, so alone So alone, so alone" In this classic rock song from 1971, LA is a lonely woman with freeways, midnight alleys and hair like a wildfire, and Jim Morrison's Mojo is risin'. |
The Eagles |
Hotel California |
I have no idea what this 1977 mega hit is really about, or if it's even about California. Some guy drives through the desert to a decadent hotel in the desert full of beautiful people, were you can check out but never leave. The best thing about it is the guitar solo. "Her mind is tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes Benz She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat. Some dance to remember, some dance to forget So I called up the captain, ’please bring me my wine’ He said, ’we haven’t had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine’ And still those voices are calling from far away, Wake you up in the middle of the night Just to hear them say... Welcome to the hotel California Such a lovely place Such a lovely face They livin’ it up at the hotel California What a nice surprise, bring your alibis" |
| EMA | California | From her 2011 album "Past Life Martyred Saints," this one is from a young but very bitter California Girl. Beware the expletives. "F... California, you made me boring I've bled all my blood out But these red pants they don't show that My old friends though they know that But when I sold them I sold that … … … … … You're bleeding from the fingertips You rubbed me raw, you rubbed me wrong And I hear you and I think of you Oh California Now you've corrupted us all with your sexuality Tried to tell me love was free… Tried to tell me love was free I said them? Maybe you you you you you and me " |
| Eminem | Say Goodbye to Hollywood | Marshall Mathers raps about his troubled life again, from his 2002 album "The Eminem Show." It's not really a California song, but he sings "Hollywood" so many times that it feels like it must be... "Bury my face in comic books, cause I don't want to look At nothin', this world's too much I've swallowed all I could If I could swallow a bottle of tylenol I would, and end it for good Just say goodbye to Hollywood I probably should, these problems are piling all at once Cause everything that bothers me, I got it bottled up I think i'm bottomin' out But i'm not about to give up, I gotta get up Thank God, I got a little girl And I'm a responsible father So not a lot of good, i'd be to my daughter layin' in the bottom of the mud Must be in my blood cause I don't know how I do it All I know is I don't want to follow in the footsteps of my dad Cause I hate him so bad The worst fear that I had was growin' up to be like his CENSORED If you could understand why I am the way that I am What do I say to my fans, when I tell 'em i'm... Sayin' goodbye, sayin' goodbye to Hollywood Sayin' goodbye, sayin' goodbye to Hollywood Sayin' goodbye, sayin' goodbye to Hollywood Sayin' goodbye, sayin' goodbye to Hollywood Sayin' goodbye, sayin' goodbye to Hollywood..." |
| Everclear | Like a California King | Singer, songwriter Art Alexakis grew up in L.A., but formed the band in Portland. This song's from '97, but it's not about the bed or about flippin' hillside board lines in the late winter and early spring, it's just more of the same intense brooding rock that made this album their best seller. "I see you have made yourself a brand new life Such a cool blue star with a bright new shine I see you wear your checkered past Just like a shining suit of gold I know you think you look so special I am told you have found yourself a brand new time Watch the world stand still as years go by I know you think you are so new and different But it makes no sense to me There is nothing new about you Just another self-made man There is nothing new that I see Enjoy it while you can I know you think you look so special What makes you think you are so special? What makes you think you are unique? I see you smile and I get angry As I watch you go colossal Like a California king ... What makes you think you are better than me? What makes you think you are better? What makes you think you are so complete? What makes you think you are the only one immune to falling down? Why can't you see? I see you fall and I get happy I will watch you burn like fire I will watch you burn like a California king I will watch you burn like a California king" |
The Fall |
L. A. |
"Odeon Sky Uncanny Bushes are in disagreement with the heat L.A. Uncanny Person They have filled boulevards with white snow, scum-ball L.A. This is my happening and it freaks me out" I really don't care what they're singing about. The music is hard and driving but sparse and minimal in that 80's post-punk way in this1985 release from the great English band. |
| Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard | Big Sur | Jay Farrar, of the pioneering Alt Country/No Depression band Uncle Tupelo (that he started in Illinois with his neighbor Jeff Tweedy, later the frontman of Wilco) and later with the band Son Volt, and Ben Gibbard, leader of Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service, got together and made an album in 2009 titled "One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Keroac's Big Sur" with lyrics based on Keroac's 1962 novel "Big Sur." This one is a beautiful slow steel-guitar drenched country folk number. I definitely need to hear some more of this album. "This whole surface of the world As we know it know Will be covered with the silt of a billion years in time I see as much as doors will allow A long way from The Beat Generation Here comes the nightly mark to his nightly death In Big Sur In Big Sur The best thing to do is not be false Rocks of the valley Have left no hall of complaints I'm just a sick clown, and so is everybody else In Big Sur In Big Sur" |
Fatboy Slim |
Kalifornia |
In this 1998 Electronica cut, a computerized voiced drones "California is druggy, druggy, druggy, druggy" over some crazy beats for a dancable six minutes. |
| The Fifth Dimension | California Soul | See Marlena Shaw's version. |
| Gin Blossoms | California Sun | This pop band from Arizona broke up, then re-formed and released a record in 2006, which contained this song. "Just three days and I'm missing you more than I thought I would I'm missing you more than i like to say I'm hanging on a hope swinging from a rope it's all a shame my biggest mistake was letting you get away. Oh baby California sun so bright and beautiful, yea but that was yesterday California sun how'd you slip away California sun. Been about a week and I finally fall asleep as the sun comes in through the broken blinds laying all alone sinking like stone wish you were here can't sleep you of my mind…." |
| Gomez | California | English Indie Rock from 1999. "California got her right You will have to wait Calling from the Golden Gate Sentimental sparrows Keeping me awake Funny how the morning's late Funny how the morning's late Come around with your heavenly smile Come around and drag me out again After a while we can sit and watch them all rush by Come around and drag me out again Come around and drag me out again Always wanted to leave Always felt that I'd get stopped But I could never see myself In anybody else's arms In anybody else's arms…." |
Lesley Gore |
California Nights |
When she wasn't singing about crying at her own party, or pre-feminist anthems like "You Don't Own Me", Lesley Gore sang this 1967 pop song about how much she likes nights in California. "Along the sand, Let's walk the shore together, now, just hand in hand. It's gonna be fair weather, now, When the stars come out, stop to count them in the sky. Love California nights, When I'm walkin' with you hand in hand by the shore, Yes, I love California nights, At the beach where we'd swim with the tide rolling in. And there will be beneath the midnight sky above Just you and me, and we will whisper words of love While the fire light softly flickers in the sand. Warm California nights, With the breeze blowin' in - time for love to begin. I would miss California nights if I went on my way, Thinkin' now that I'll stay." |
Grateful Dead |
Estimated Prophet |
Classic Dead acid rock with lots of wah wah guitar and harmonica (and girls twirling in Indian print dresses in the background, I'm sure.) "California, preaching on the burning shore California, I'll be knocking on the golden door Like an angel, standing in a shaft of light Rising up to paradise, I know I'm gonna shine." |
| Adam Gregory | She's So California | Here's a country singer who likes to objectify "California" girls, and country girls who look like they could be from California. At least he's not a hater. Of course, he's Canadian, and they're always nice and polite. This song's from 2006, two years before Gary Allan's country song with the same title, and the same appreciation for bleached blondes. "Bleached blonde hair and no tan lines at least that's what I dream at night. Star dust eyes that shine Pacific blue. From her toes to her halo she's been blessed with a body you would have to buy out west . She walks and talks a different attitude. Her smile is so much brighter than this stupid place. You can almost hear Hollywood calling her name. She's so California. She should have a star on Hollywood blvd. drive around in a Lamborghini sports car. Summer sun clear yeah she's sexy. She's so Sunset Strip teases me. Here right there on the front porch swing I swear I hear the Beach Boys sing. Peach street sign just like Rodeo Drive. Tight tank top and low rise jeans. Now I know what earthquake means. She really makes this small town come alive. When she walks into church in her summer dress Oh even the preacher has to confess. She's so California." |
| Margo Guryan | California Shake | An earthquake song from a 60's pop/folk/jazz singer-songwriter, whose songs were recorded by several well-known pop singers. She's known mainly for her 1968 album "Take A Picture". This song comes from a 2001 release "25 Demos," and as far as I can tell, it was also recorded in the late 60's but it holds up very well and doesn't sound too dated. And there are even some rumbling earthquake sounds, too. "Melon-rising California sun Drifting in a day not yet begun Six o'clock and peaceful and serene Floating in a Technicolor scene Something nearly peaceful in the sound Rising from the San Andreas ground Overground, it starts to feel strange Underground, it starts to rearrange You'd better get up And run for a doorway No time for thinking Your life is at stake Everyone's doing The California Shake California Shake" |
| Arlo Guthrie | Comin' into Los Angeles | Arlo's father sang great protest songs about Oakies fleeing the dust bowl and coming to California for work and Arlo sang about smuggling weed into L.A. on an airplane. Oh well... Arlo's a Republican now and his father must be rolling over in his grave. "Coming in from London from over the pole Flying in a big airliner Chicken flyin' everywhere around the plane Could we ever feel much finer. Coming into Los Angeles Bringing in a couple of keys, Don't touch my bags if you please Mister customs man." |
Woody Guthrie |
Do Re Mi |
"This machine kills fascists" was written on Guthrie's guitar. He wrote a number of songs about the great 1930's dust bowl and its refugees, including this one, where he warns that the Promised Land has a steep cover charge. (And it still does...) "California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see; but believe it or not, you won't find it so hot if you ain't got the do re mi." |
Merle Haggard |
Beer Can Hill |
"You could do better, but you won't do bad, in Bakersfield." The town could use that as its motto. The town of Oildale has named a street after Merle. I hope that's not all they've done... A song about Beer Can Hill outside of Bakersfield, where Mr. Haggard learned how to walk, run, fight, dance, romance, pick a little cotton and a lot of guitar, and also to do a little time. (I saw the pardon given him by Governor Ronald Reagan at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, just down the hall from Dolly Parton's wigs...) |
| Merle Haggard | Kern River | Another California song by this Country music great from Bakersfield about love one who drowned in the Kern River. When you're driving up to Lake Isabella from Bakersfield, just at the entrance to Kern Canyon where the "Killer" Kern River flows into the valley, there's a sign that says "Danger. Stay Out. Stay Alive" with a tally of how many people have drowned in the river. Last I saw it, it was over 250. "I'll never swim Kern River again. It was there that I met her. It was there that I lost my best friend. And now I live in the mountains. I drifted up here with the wind. And I may drown in still water, But I'll never swim Kern River again. I grew up in an oil town, But my gusher never came in. And the river was a boundary, Where my darlin' and I used to swim. One night in the moonlight, The swiftness swept her life away. And now I live on Lake Shasta, And Lake Shasta is where I will stay. There's the South San Joaquin, Where the seeds of the dust bowl are found. And there's a place called Mount Whitney, From where the mighty Kern River comes down. Now, it's not deep nor wide, But it's a mean piece of water, my friend. And I may cross on the highway, But I'll never swim Kern River again." |
Albert Hammond |
It Never Rains in Southern California |
Hammond must have visited So Cal in December in a wet year. It's a nice twist on the land of constant sunshine myth where the grass is always greener... "Got on a board a west bound 747 Didn't think before deciding what to do. All that talk of opportunities, TV breaks and movies Rang true, sure rang true. Seems it never rains in Southern California Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before It never rains in California But girl, don't they warn ya It pours, man it pours. Out of work, I'm out of my head Out of self respect, I'm out of bread I'm under loved, I'm under fed I wanna go home. It never rains in California But girl don't they warn ya, it pours, man it pours." |
Colin Hay |
Oh California |
"Thought I’d never reach the water Had to cross the desert and the great divide Drinking only golden promises With white lines in my eyes Oh, California It’s the one big love that you cannot end Oh, California Yeah I can’t leave you now Oh, California" An acoustic solo song from the smoky-voiced Australian singer from the 80's band Men at Work. Released in 2009. |
| Hawk Nelson | California | A 2004 pop punk tune that shows that even Christian Rockers from Ontario Canada can fall for the California as a sunshine and surfing paradise myth. What do all these people have against a few clouds and some rain, anyway? "...I'm so tired of everything here, The sun is calling me to the west, Everyone's having fun out there, My bags are packed as I'm looking out the window, Everything is so outdated here, I wanna move west where the sun is shining, I want my friends to all be there, Let's pack up and move to California, She's got lots of friends out there, We'll never get bored cause we can go boardin', Let's let the sunshine take us there ... Let's pack up and move to California, Hop on board before we get older, Raise your hand and shout for California" |
| Hem | Not California | A 2006 song from the Indie folk rock group from Brooklyn, with Sally Ellyson on vocals. This song was also recorded by Elizabeth Cook in 2010, by this might be the original (I can't find out who wrote it.) "Who's the girl inside of the blue-screen light The sun is just pouring out And everything is out of sight Turn around the room is just black and white She's whispering Na na na na na na na na Na na na na na na And it's not true And it's not fair And it's not you And it's not California here...." |
| John Hiatt | Adios to California | In this 2011 country rocker, Hiatt seems to recall his time trying to make it in LA in the 80s, stuggling with alcoholism, and his wife's suicide which left him with nothing to do but turn around and return to Nashville. "Smoky room and a thin blue light Her arms were pale as white Trying to outlast the night Howling at the moon Living in the Canyon Inn Hangdown Hanna and Whiskey Jim Dirty jeans and mudslide hymns It all began with [soon] So, adios to California Nothing to do but turn around Always thought there's someone coming for you Only way you'd leave this town." |
| Hole | Malibu | This 1998 alternative rock song has ocean, angels, driving down the coast highway, all those typical California references, but with added images of self destruction, suffering and suicide - all of which Courtney Love certainly understands better than most. "Crash and burn All the stars explode tonight How'd you get so desperate How'd you stay alive Help me please Burn the sorrow from your eyes Oh, come on be alive again Don't lay down and die Hey, hey You know what to do Oh, baby, drive away to Malibu Get well soon Please don't go any higher How are you so burnt when You're barely on fire Cry to the angels I'm gonna rescue you I'm gonna set you free tonight, baby Pour over me Hey, hey We're all watching you Oh, baby, fly away to Malibu" |
| Jolie Holland | Goodbye California | Jolie Holland, also a member of the Be Good Tanyas, is a singer from Texas who performs a mixture of folk, jazz and blues. In this song, the singer seems to be saying goodbye to California because she's contemplating suicide - to the accompaniment of a fairly upbeat band which includes a musical saw... "Goodbye, goodbye, California Goodbye and I’ll be moving on I sang you my songs I know i’m wrong Fare thee well And I’ll be moving on When I’m dead and gone My immortal home Will hold me in its bosom Safe and cold No more desires Will light their fires Or disturb my immaculate calm And the birds of the air And the beasts of the soil And the fishes of the desperate seas Will know who I am And our substance will expand As part of everything As part of everything, my God As part of everything And the clouds will roll And the wind will blow And the beautiful birds will sing Goodbye, goodbye, California Goodbye to your waving trees To you succulent wind And all my friends Fare thee well Goodbye So be it Amen Amen." |
| Hollywood Undead | California | Hollywood Undead is a rock rap group from L.A., and this 2008 song is all about booze and women and macho territorial swagger. Subjects not exactly foreign to rap music. I almost left this one off the list because of the content and the language. But who am I to censor art? OK, I did censor the lyrics for this all-ages site. "California show me love Get buzzed, let's get f***** up California So high, we'll ride all night Comin' straight outta Cali, what? The 818 valley, what? 323, f*** horse night alley And from Highland to Clayton, all these b****** are hatin' 'Cause the s*** that we're saying is the s*** that they're playin' … … … ... I'm a pirate on the streets of California Movin' and cruisin', we're boozin' all night to the mornin' So from dust 'till dawn, you know Undead is always on Hit it once like a bomb, hit it twice and then I'm gone California show me love Get buzzed, let's get f***** up California throw it up Get buzzed, let's get f***** up" |
| Ice Cube | Life in California | Ice Cube took some time away from the Barbershop to drop this 2010 rap, proving that he's still a gangsta, even if he has his own sitcom. Also see the 80' rap classic he did with NWA - Straight Outta Compton. "Dough We Get That Dough Ooh We Got To Get More Living Just Another Day AK Gun Play L.A. To The Bay Living Life In California Dough We Get That Dough Ooh We Got To Get More" |
Chris Isaac |
San Francisco Days |
A moody 1993 light rock tune from Ricky Nelson, I mean Roy Orbison, I mean Chris Isaac. "I'm heading for that golden gate hoping I won't be to late, to find the one that I still love. It's you I'm dreaming of, San Francisco nights. San Francisco days, San Francisco nights. San Francisco days, San Francisco nights." |
| Jack's Mannequin | Miss California | A 2008 song from an Orange County rock band. In this song, it seems like the singer is stalking Miss California and plotting to take her and hider her away somewhere. Pretty creepy.... "...I'm gonna take you to my boxcar on the beach And I'm gonna hang the sun above your bed And soak your hair in bleach You'll be missed Miss California You'll be kissed by only me When they can't find you you'll turn into a mystery but you're no mystery to me, Miss California I called Jesus but he heard I hurt his little girl, yeah, with my reckless stare, I've been so unfair Misplacing my affections She had a reason not to take me back into her care Oh, I'm just a stray dog now, I can't beg or bow Just give me some direction. And I'm gonna take you to the mansion where I hide and I'm gonna paint a diamond on your hand And you will be my bride You'll be missed Miss California You'll be kissed by only me When they can't find you you'll turn into a mystery But you're no mystery to me, Miss California Miss California I'll be around, I'll be around. You'll be missed Miss California. You'll be kissed by only me. When they can't find you you'll turn into a mystery But not to me." |
| Jan and Dean | The Little Old Lady From Pasadena | A classic 60's car song in the Beach Boys style.. "The little old lady from Pasadena Go granny, go granny, go granny go Has a pretty little flower bed of white gardenias Go granny, go granny, go granny go But parked in her rickety old garage Is a brand new shiny red Super Stock Dodge And everybody's saying that there's nobody meaner Than the little old lady from Pasadena She drives real fast and she drives real hard She's the terror of Colorado Boulevard It's the little old lady from Pasadena If you see her on the street don't try to choose her Go granny, go granny, go granny go You might drive a goer but you'll never lose her Go granny, go granny, go granny go Well, she's gonna get a ticket now sooner or later 'Cause she can't keep her foot off the accelerator" |
| Jamey Johnson | California Riots | A country tune from 2010. I think all country singers now are required to do a California song, just like rock groups. In this one, Mr. Johnson is not a fan of the perfect California girls. And I hope he never gets caught in the dark in when half of Alabama riots.... "Well I pulled off the Gravel, with my California dreams. Leaving everything I ever loved behind. Well I left Alabama, but it never once left me. And it's still the only refuge in my mind. Where you gonna be when half of California riots, All the women here look perfect, and it hardly ever rains, |
| Mason Jennings | California | From the 1990 home-recorded first album by this pop-folk singer-songwriter from Minneapolis.The singer is singing to someone he loves who is leaving for California and leaving him behind. "Don't you know baby I'm a leading man I dig down deep when I say I love you And I can hold my own with the best of them I guarantee you, you will never see nothing like this again California, I hope that it wakes you From all of the darkness That I couldn't break through 'cause I'm gonna miss you, I'm gonna miss you I'm gonna miss you, I'm gonna miss you Don't you know that I did the things I could I rubbed your back when you were sleeping But all along baby it was understood That you were leaving, absolutely Since the very first day we met California, I hope that it wakes you From all of the darkness That I couldn't break through 'cause I'm gonna miss you, I'm gonna miss you I'm gonna miss you, I'm gonna miss you Like I miss the ocean When I go to sleep Man, it's gonna break my heart" |
| Billy Joel | Say Goodbye to Hollywood | Somehow the New Jersey piano man snuck into tinseltown and populated it with characters from a Bruce Springsteen song in a Phil Spector arrangement. Nice end lyrics... "Bobby's drivin' through the city tonight |
Freedy Johnston |
California Thing |
A good upbeat 1992 rocker. "High off the roof we rise Flying to a hand up in the sky All the bells in the city ring I'm doing my California thing It was a la, a la, a la It was a lie, a lie, a lie I'm doing my California thing It's happening" |
Al Jolson (also Fats Waller) |
California Here I Come |
"California here I come, right back where I started from... open up that golden gate, California here I come" It's campy and dated, (1920's?) and you can't help but associate Jolson with offensive blackface makeup, but it's still one of the best coming back home songs ever. |
| Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground | Oh Lord, I Hate You California | A 2010 indie tune from a Seattle band whose genre on their Myspace page is listed as Alternative/Experimental/Lounge. As far as I can tell, and I could be wrong, the singer is talking to his father who lives in Portland and is moving to Santa Cruz to get out of the rain. The grass is greener again - but at least this time it's not in pursuit of California girls… "I'm always tryin' to call ya papa so Portland sounds aren't all ya know But I'm a 21st century hang-up who can hardly use his phone Oh no we don't mean nothin' by it Your boys will all be fine Sh*t I should hit I-5 south one hundred and eighty miles instead of droppin' you a line Well I used to shake a finger at my friends who up and went and moved Dude I am sympathizing with you more for seein' some new hues But oh lord I hate you California I guess give me Santa Cruz And I know it's rainin' outside and it's damn near end of June Damn if this old dope could go rope the sun Well I'd yank it over you And the dogs all howl behind me In front the cats they claw and hiss And i guess I'm blessed to know my place is right here sittin' in the midst [or is it "mist" ?] And that is why I got no reason to get on up and move Dude i can understand your rationale for seein' some new hues But oh lord I hate you California but please give me Santa Cruz" |
Kings of Leon |
California Waiting |
He's upset about losing his lonely life or something. I don't get it, but it's a good rootsy rocker from 2003. And yet another song that references "Crimson and Clover." "Little Mona Lisa laying by my side "Crimson and Clover" pullin' overtime Seem too close to be losin' touch By givin' in, what am I givin' up Am I losin' way too much Hey California waiting Every little thing's gotta be just right Say While you're tryin' to save me Can't I get back my lonely life" |
| The Kinks | Celluloid Heroes | A 1972 maudlin nostalgic classic from one of England's best and most influential bands. "Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star And everybody's in show biz, it doesn't matter who you are. And those who are successful, Be always on your guard, Success walks hand in hand with failure Along Hollywood Boulevard. I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show, A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes, Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain And celluloid heroes never really die. You can see all the stars as you walk along Hollywood Boulevard, Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of, People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame, Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain. Oh celluloid heroes never feel any pain Oh celluloid heroes never really die." |
Kris Kristofferson |
Me and Bobby McGee |
His girl Janis Joplin had the hit, but Kristofferson wrote it and sings it best. After thumbing a ride across the country, singing songs and all that, he goes and lets her get away near Salinas. |
| The Ladybug Transistor | California Stopover | A song from 2007 by a Brooklyn based Indie pop band with some country twang. I have no idea what the chorus means and what, if anything, it has to do with California. "Tell me there's no room left to reason And say it now if you dare. Lies, all these lies But I do hope that you still care. Time, precious time That I do hope that you can spare. California, stop on over California, stop on over California, stop on over California" |
Langhorne Slim |
Say Yes |
Upbeat American Indie folk rock from 2009 by Sean Scolnick from Langhorne Pennsylvania. "Darling, nobody plans it this way. We're floating or falling We're gonna land either way. Put on your blue lipstick and I'll put on my Venus boots. We're in California But it might as well be the moon. Say yes Say yes Say yes" |
Led Zeppelin |
Going to California |
This is the folksy acoustic Led Zep from 1971. "Spend my days with a woman unkind Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine Made up my mind, make a new start Goin' to California with an achin' in my heart Someone told me there's a girl out there With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair" More girls with flowers in their hair and other unattainable stuff. Some say it's about Joni Mitchell. |
LL Cool J |
Going Back to Cali |
Before appearing on sit coms and Sesame Street, LL Cool James made this hard-boiled jazzy horn-filled hip hop hit back in 1989, that still sounds as good today as it did then. His Califorinia is all about shiny black Corvette convertibles and beautiful girls in small bikinis and tall heels. No wonder he's going back. Notorious B.I.G. made his own very X -rated version, too. "I'm going back to Cali, Cali, Cali I'm going back to Cali.. hmm, I don't think so I'm going back to Cali, Cali, Cali I'm going back to Cali.. I don't think so Going back to Cali, stylin, profilin Growlin, and smilin, while in the sun The top is down, on the black Corvette And it's fly, cause it's sittin on Dayton's Laurents steering wheel, plushed out, gold-leaf phantom top and three girls waiting VRRRROOM engine's blowin, the chrome, is shining Passing all the cars on the way Movement of the wind, back wheels spin Pop in a cassette and push play I'm going back to Cali, Cali, Cali I'm going back to Cali - yea y'all, I don't think so I'm going back to Cali, Cali, Cali I'm going back to Cali.." |
| Local H | California Songs | Finally, a song about how there are too many California songs! I totally agree. At least, too many bad California songs, a few of them listed here, just for fun. This song is from 2004 and the band is from Chicago, so they even throw in a gratuitous dig at New York. Bicoastal haters is what they are. "Well I got your late night call You're in the center of it all You're havin’ a ball And your really doin’ fine A west coast time And I believe you But here’s one for the coast The people with the most The pretty, pretty folks The west coast folks Yeah here’s one for the coast The people with the most The pretty, pretty folks The west coast folks And here we go again It’s never gonna end We’re all so sick of California songs Yeah we know you love L.A. There’s nothing left to say Please no more California songs And f**k New York too Yeah your heaven is a lie Just more s**t that I don’t buy Well they're headin’ for the coast They’re movin’ out in droves Sendin’ back reports on the radio The message is the same It’s getting pretty lame California dreamin’s on the radio." |
Low |
California |
There just aren't many songs about California when it's cold and wet. After all, it's not all sandy beaches and palm trees. Low is one of those indie rock slowcore bands, but this 2005 tune has a little more energy and tempo than a lot of their music. "See your reflection in the mind You keep your revelations wide They knew just where to draw the line You let them got you every time Though it breaks your heart We had to sell the farm Back to California where it's warm" It fell around you like the stars You picked up everything they dropped And though it breaks you like a song You had some secrets of your own And though it breaks your heart We had to sell the farm Back to California where it's warm" |
| Luna | California (All the Way) | Upbeat guitar pop, the opening track on 1994's Bewitched, the second album from the now defunct Indie pop band fronted by Dean Wareham formerly the leader of Galaxie 500. "Well, she followed him from Phoenix out to California and then she passed out on the bed and all the little things he never even asked her for she simply smiled and shook her head why can't we smile just like we used to why don't you figure anymore why has my sympathy now turned to malice it doesn't matter any more and now i realize i'm livin' like a trucker does although i haven't got the belly and though she followed me to California all the way i only wanna watch the telly." |
| Lyrics Born | The Bay | Lyrics Born (formerly known as Asia Born) is a Tokyo born rapper/songwriter who eventually ended up in Berkeley. This is from a 2005 album. "Ladies and Gentlemen, We will soon touch down in the beautiful Bay area, Please lean your seats back, cut your turn tables up, and always hold a firm and forthright position. We ask that you permanently stow all of your baggage behind you. With temperatures about like this, with a slight ocean breeze, with crisp highs and deep lows. It's been our pleasure serving it, and we appreciate you riding high for the team. Ladies and Gentlemen, it's a new day in the Bay. Where the people are intelligent, articulate, eloquent, artistic, hard-working and diligent, both progressive and politically spirited(ed), definitely in possession of the ill-latent element, we hella independent, more than a little bit critical of the political system, and nobody bulls****in' the Bay, that aint the way we livin', women got that smart-ass charm, so uninhibited, they always catch us men off guard, but cool to kick it with. We hold a certain love for our own, known as Bay-love, but if push comes to shove we won't hesitate to raise up, we aint afraid of funk, the bay was made of funk, they say we help create the funk, baby take it from this native son. I dedicate this one to every neighborhood on every side of each bridge, Globally we known for bein' soulfully distinct, culturally rich, totally unique, emotionally I'm linked to the place I'm from, that's why I named this one: The Bay... The Bay... The Bay... The Bay…" |
The Magnetic Fields |
California Girls |
The woman who sings this indie song from 2008 has a fewissues with the standard media images of women that she associates with California. She has a brand new battle ax that she wants to use on them. I'd watch that if it was on TV... "See them on their big bright screen tan and blonde and seventeen Eating nonfood keeps them mean but they're young forever If they must grow up they marry dukes and earls I hate California girls … … ... So I have planned my grand attacks I will stand behind their backs with my brand-new battle ax Then they will they taste my wrath They will hear me say as the pavement whirls "I hate California girls..." |
The Magnetic Fields |
Come Back From San Francisco |
One of 1999's "69 Love Songs" from Stephin Merritt, in which a woman begs a man to come back from San Francisco, and not get distracted by pretty boys in discos. Sounds like maybe he's discovered the Castro and she's barking up the wrong tree... "Come back from San Francisco. It can't be all that pretty, when all of New York City misses you. Should pretty boys in discos distract you from your novel, remember I'm awful in love with you. You need me like the wind needs the trees to blow in. Like the moon needs poetry, you need me. Come back from San Francisco and kiss me; I've quit smoking. I miss doing the wild thing with you. Will you stay? I don't think so, but all I do is worry, pack bags, call cabs, and hurry home to me." |
The Mamas and the Papas |
California Dreaming |
Everybody knows this dreamy 1965 folk pop hit where the leaves are gone, the sky is grey, and the singers are dreaming of California where it's warm. Lots of harmonies, tambourines, and even a flute solo. It's been covered by a lot of people, including Queen Latifah, who's from Newark. "All the leaves are brown And the sky is gray 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" |
| The Mamas and the Papas | Pacific Coast Highway | More '60s folk pop and another one about driving on the coast highway. "Rollin' along Pacific Coast Highway - Hummin' along to my radio. Saw a blond hitchin' my way; Rolled up and said "How far do you wanna go?" She'd been hummin', thumbin', hitchin' and wishin' For a good day on Pacific Coast Highway." |
Mates of State |
California |
"On the stereo Listen as we go Nothing’s gonna stop me now California here we come Right back where we started from Pedal to the floor Thinkin’ of the roar Gotta get us to the show California here we come Right back where we started from California! Here we come!" Another one about driving and returning to California. I first heard the Mates of States' 2006 version of this indie pop song before I found out it was a cover of the Phantom Planets song that was used as the theme to the OC, a primetime soap opera about beautiful and spoiled California kids, the kind who always seem to be a staple on TV. The Mates of States version is moody - the Phantom Planets song rocks a bit more. |
John Mayall |
California |
"Goin' back to California, so many good things around. Don't wanna leave California, the sun seems to never go down... California, so many things to be free, California, that's where I wanna be." A 9 minute plus jazzy blues number with a great hypnotic bass line and a sax solo that was recorded live in 1969. This is the sort of free-form music you'd hear on the pioneer "underground" FM stations - KSAN in SF and KPPC in LA during their all-too-few years of brilliant independent programming before the corporations took control again in the late 60's and early 70's. Fortunately, we still have stations like KEXP in Seattle and KALX in Berkeley streamable online, so creative music radio is not dead yet. |
Scott McKenzie |
San Francisco |
This is the 1967 pop song that gave San Francisco bound travelers an important floral fashion tip. The song never sounded as hip as the era it described, but it was a massive hit and is credited with bringing lots of young people to the city. (It was also used as an anthem during Czechoslovakia's 1968 uprising against the Soviet Union. Who knew such wimpy pop could be so revolutionary?) "If you're going to San Francisco Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair If you're going to San Francisco You're gonna meet some gentle people there For those who come to San Francisco Summertime will be a love-in there In the streets of San Francisco Gentle people with flowers in their hair" |
Joe Dee Messina |
Heads Carolina, Tails California |
This was the first hit back in 1996 for this female country singer from Massachusetts, but it wasn't her last. "Heads, Carolina Tails, California. Somewhere greener, somewhere warmer. Up in the mountains, down by the ocean. Where? It don't matter, as long as we're goin' Somewhere together. I've got a quarter. Heads, Carolina Tails, California." I always flip a coin when I'm thinking of driving thousands of miles, don't you? I also like to spin a globe and stop it with my finger pointing to where ever I want to go before buying a plane ticket. |
| Metro Station | California | Another let's-get-in-the-car-and-drive-to-California song from this L.A. pop rock band's 2007 album. "What do you say we leave for California? If we drive all night, we can make it by the morning And, no one else will know if we decide to go, oh What do you say we leave for California? We could leave our friends And we could be together We could leave this town If only for the weather I could drive And you could sleep While the radio collides To the sound of our heartbeats What do you say we leave for California? If we drive all night, we can make it by the morning And, no one else will know if we decide to go, oh What do you say we leave for California?" |
| The Mighty Mighty Bosstones | To California | A 2007 song from the Ska-Core band from Massachusetts. In this one, a guy decided to take the California trip, ran into some obstacles, but got there anyway, only to end up in the L.A. County jail. "...To California. He said that's where he'd find his fortune. And where it's warmer The weather's warmer and the girls are scorching hot. He quit his job down at the diner. And then he loaded up his SUV. Just like a modern 49er. Except for the Schlager and the PCP. To California. He said he'd make it there come hell Or come high water. He isn't doing very well. He made it to Atlantic City. To try to double what he brought. Lost it to a voodoo girl named Kitty. Totaled the truck out in the parking lot. So he decided He was determined not to turn back. No way. So guess what he did? Well he snuck aboard an Amtrak Train. To California. He said that's where he'd find his fortune. And where it's warmer. The weather's warmer and the girls are scorching hot. To California. Just got a postcard in the mail. "Just to inform ya. I'm the LA County Jail. Right now." |
Missing Persons |
Walking in LA |
80's New Wave female vocals meet Hair Metal guitars in this 1983 American pop hit about someone who is shocked to see a pedestrian while driving in LA: "Walkin' in L.A., nobody walks in L.A. Could it be that the smog's playing tricks on my eyes or is it a rollerskater in some kind of headphone disguise Maybe somebody who just ran out of gas, Making his way back to the pumps the best way he can. Walkin' in L.A. Walkin' in L.A., nobody walks in L.A." |
Joni Mitchell |
California |
A 70's folk pop hit in which Joni dreams of California because Paris is too old and cold and settled in it's ways, some guy on the Greek Isles stole her camera, and she gets lonely with streets full of strangers. (It sure must be hard to be young and rich with lots of time to travel...) She keeps saying she's coming home, but then she flies to a beach in Spain to get a tan. And all this from a Canadian. |
| Keb Mo | House in California | Keb Mo, or Kevin Moore, is a Nashville-based blues guitarist whose been around for a while. This is off his 2004 Grammy Award-winning album "Keep it Simple." I don't think he'd have written the same lyrics after the housing bubble burst in 2008, especially in So Cal. More references here to good weather and earthquakes... "He said, 'boy you got to be a big time actor or a corporate lawyer, Cause it don’t snow and it don’t rain, Well I got me a job, my wife’s got two, |
| The Mountain Goats | Birth of Serpents | A 2011 song with references to both herps and California from John Darnielle who started performing in Claremont, CA in 1991. I think we've all seen those rooms with heat lamps and sweater boxes full of breeding snakes. "Let the camera pull back till the fullness of the frame is clear and plain Peer into the screen until you see it all like a vision in a crystal ball Let it all fill with smoke Is this somebody's idea of a joke? Let the fixer work until the silver's washed away And take the picture from the tray Look hard at what you see and then remember you and me And let the truth spring free Like a jack-in the box Like a hundred-thousand cuckoo clocks From the Oregon corners to the Iowa corn To the rooms with the heat lamps where the snakes get born Crawl through the tunnel and follow, follow the light north west See that young man who dwells inside his body like an uninvited guest See the tunnel twist Clutch your birth rite in your fist Let the camera do its dirty work down there in the dark Sink low, rise high, bring back some blurry pictures to remember all your darker moments by Permanent bruises on our knees Never forget what it felt like to live in rooms like these From the California coastline to the Iowa corn To the rooms with the heat lamps where the snakes get born" |
| The Mountain Goats | San Bernardino | One guy's voice and an acoustic guitar in this sweet song from 2008. The ending gives me the impression that they were driving there to give birth to their son. (But in the bathtub of a hotel? I don't knowwhat's going on...) "We got in your car and we hit the highway Eastern sun was rising over the mountains Yellow and blood red bits like a kaleidoscope And flaming swords may guard the garden of Eden But we consulted maps from earlier days Dead languages on our tongues Holding on to our last hope And the day was bright and fine And the highway sign said, 'San Bernardino welcomes you' I checked us into our hotel and filled the bathtub And you got in the warm warm water I pulled petals from my pocket I loved you so much just then And it was hard but you were brave, you are splendid And we will never be alone in this world no matter what they say We’re gonna be okay We were safe inside and our new son cried, “San Bernardino welcomes you” |
| The Move | California Man | The 1972 song by The Move (Roy Wood's band that became The Electric Light Orchestra) with a bunch of classic boogie rock nonsense lyrics about a party where the jive is really cool and he's a California man and can't stop dancing. Or something like that. A hit for Cheap Trick in 1978. "Goin' to a party, Meet me on after school. Well we're goin to a place Where the jive is really cool. And if the band stops a playin' There's a jukebox down the hall. And with your blue dress on, your folks all gone. You're sure to give the guys a ball. Get that real guitar boy shakin', I'm a California man, Dance right on till the floors are breakin' I'm a California man." |
| The Mr. T. Experience | Gilman Street | An upbeat fun punk classic from Frank Portman and his Berkeley band. 924 Gilman Street is an all-ages, not for profit, collective music club started in 1986 in Berkeley where no racist, homophobic, misogynistic, or major label bands are allowed, that is still in operation now, almost 26 years later. The song documents and parodies typical Berkeley grass roots democracy at the same time "you can vote on whether you're gonna vote," and turns it all into an anthem for all young punks and socially conscious do-it-yourselfers. "Seems like it was only yesterday nothing to do and nowhere to play but we could go down to Gilman Street and see Op Ivy every week no violence drugs or alcohol just maximum rock and roll at Gilman Street it's the place to be it's the seat of the punk rock scene cause we got the beat and we don't eat meat it's a club it's a place it's a thing and if the band is hell of rad Tim will start to bounce his head all the kids will jump up on the stage and they'll hit the microphone in your face and you will get a fat lip you will get a fat lip in the pit at Gilman street it's a safe retreat for a zillion punk rock bands cause they've got the club and it's not enough but at least it's not Bill Graham it's Gilman Street Radley does the sound Honey watches the door and James McKinney sweeps the floor Isocracy made a mess we demand nothing less and if you've got nothing better to do there's a meeting every Sunday afternoon you can talk about skinheads at the shows you can vote on whether you're gonna vote and you can make a speech you can rant you can rave you can preach at Gilman Street it's democracy it's just one big family it's a bunch of geeks it's a load of freaks it's a club it's a place it's a thing it's Gilman Street." |
My Morning Jacket |
One Big Holiday |
One of the best from this great great band from Kentucky, from their 2003 lp, "It Still Moves." "Wakin' up feelin' good and limber when the telephone it ring. Was a bad man from California tellin' of a stone he'd bring and of better days. From this town, we'd escape. If we holler loud and make our way we'd all live one big holiday." |
| Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack | Mendocino County Line | A sweet country duet from 2001 with Lee Ann Womack and the Country Music Icon. The sun sinking west of the Mendocino county line seems to signify the breakup of the singers' relationship, but I wonder if they know that the ocean is west of Mendocino county, so there's not really a county line there, just a shoreline? (Maybe they're in Lake County?) Whatever, it's a good line for singing... "Counted the stars on the 4th of July wishing we were rockets bursting into the sky. Talking about redemption and leaving things behind as the sun sank west of the Mendocino County Line. Scarce as as Monday morning feeling washed away I orchestrated paradise, couldn't make you stay You dance with the horses through the sands of time As the sun sinks west of the Mendocino County Line. I have these pictures and I keep these photographs to remind me of a time... These pictures and these photographs let me know I'm doing fine I use to make you happy once upon a time But the sun sank west of the Mendocino County Line." |
| Never Shout Never | California | Upbeat pop from 2010 recorded by Christofer Drew Ingle, who calls himself Never Shout Never. "...I had the most amazing time last night I dreamt I saw you again That's when the flashback started to begin They started slow But they picked up fast So I got off my ass And I ran away To Californ-I-A [La La La La] Oh my god I Should've never let you leave my side Should've never left you alone It probably seems like I'm never coming home But I'm so lost Living life fast Please get off your ass So I won't waste away In Californ-I-A [La La La La] Just so you know I'm never comin' home I'm having a great day [Great Day] In Californ-I-A [La La La La]" |
| New Amsterdams | From California | A 2003 release by the Lawrence Kansas indie pop band started by Matthew Pryor of The Get Up Kids. "I hope that you know this is killing me It's all in the name of the family We only can play the cards the dealer dealt us The end of the cycle is closing in With you I see new hope begin again There suddenly seems to be promise in California La da la da da da da da da da da da da (repeat) As heavy as all this is weighing me Believe in the words I am promising I'm still here for her The distance is only an obstacle Hardly a match for a miracle I'm finally ready to go to California" |
Randy Newman |
I Love L.A. |
I'm not crazy about this song, but I could never understand if this song is a satire or was commissioned by the LA City Council. Many of Newman's other songs are satirical, and there's some of that here - New York is too cold and the people dress like monkeys and Chicago is for Eskimos. But mostly, it seems he just loves driving around L.A. "Look at that mountain Look at those trees Look at that bum over there, man He's down on his knees Look at these women There ain't nothin' like 'em nowhere Century Boulevard (We love it) Victory Boulevard (We love it) Santa Monica Boulevard (We love it) Sixth Street (We love it, we love it) I love L.A. I love L.A. (We love it)" |
| Joanna Newsom | In California | Newsom is an amazing singer-songwriter from Nevada City with a harp, an unusual voice, and weird and often incomprehensible lyrics that I'm not going to try to deciper. Here are some of them from this song released in 2010: "My heart became a drunken (?) on the day I sunk in this shunt to tap me clean of all the wonder and the sorrow i have seen since I left my home my home on the old milk lake where the darkness does fall so fast it feels like some kind of mistake just like they told you it would just like they told you it would when I came into my land I did not understand neither dry rot or the burn pile or the bark beetle or the dry well or the black ale but there is another who is a little older when I broke my bone, he carried me up from the riverside to spend my life in spitting distance of the love that I have known I must stay here in an endless eveningtide and if you come and see me you'll upset the order you cannot come and see me for I set myself apart but when you come and see me in California you cross the border of my heart...." |
| N.W.A. | Straight Outta Compton | Ice Cube is angry and nasty in this classic 1988 rap song that probably didn't exactly put Compton on anybody's travel itinerary back in the day. But now Ice Cube doing sit-coms, so it looks like he got straight and got outta Compton after all. "Ain't no tellin when I'm down for a jack move Here's a murder rap to keep yo dancin with a crime record like Charles Manson AK-47 is the tool Don't make me act the m……….. fool Me you can go toe to toe, no maybe I'm knockin niggaz out tha box, daily yo weekly, monthly and yearly until them dumb m……….. see clearly that I'm down with the capital C-P-T Boy you can't f... with me So when I'm in your neighborhood, you better duck Coz Ice Cube is crazy as f... As I leave, believe I'm stompin but when I come back, boy, I'm comin straight outta Compton" |
| Oak Ridge Boys | All the Gold in California | Thick harmonies and a cautionary message about California fame and fortune from this long-running country gospel group. "All the gold in California, is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills, in somebody else's name. So if you dreaming, about Californias, it don't matter at all, where you've played before. California is a brand new game. Tryin'to be a hero, winding up a zero, can scar a man forever, right down to your soul. Living on the spotlight, can kill a man outright. 'Cause everything that glitters is not gold." |
| Ozomatli | City of Angels | A 2007 song from the L.A.Latin hip hop rock band that is not afraid to throw in shout outs to their high school or to Manicheism. "What you know about my city that's tic tac? Hustle to get stacks Fail get laughed at Even from here I hear the chit chat Grew up Miracle Mile Fairfax to tar traps, Hamilton High alumni What you know Ham and cheese supreme JB to Carthay cat LA it be the base and the catalyst Walk Crescent Heights worldwide back to strangle us Land of the saint and the land of the wicked Hollywood to Bell The Manichean kick it What a duality, arid reality Devon Brown Shot Minor technicality Brad Pits cheatin' front page reality Stanley Miller Beatin' DA don't want to touch it But I love my city Soft yet rugged Rep LA I know the Angels will love it City of angels! " |
Connor Oberst |
Sausalito |
Bright Eyes considers moving west and living on a houseboat in Susalito in this 2008 indie song. I hope he brings plenty of cash - it's in Marin County after all. And he should get a kayak .It's a good place to paddle. "We should move to Sausalito, Living's easy on a house boat. Let the motion rock us back and forth to sleep. And in the morning when the sun rise Look in the water, see the blue sky. As if heaven has been laid there at our feet. So we remain between these waves, sheltered for all our years. While bikers glide by highway shrines, Where pilgrims disappear. Where time takes icebergs, Where fields burn westward, Where pilgrims disappear." |
| Roy Orbison | California Blue | A song co-written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, released postumously in 1989 on the last album recorded by the late great tenor from Texas who began recording in the mid 1960's and produced such classics as In Dreams, Only the Lonely, Crying, In Dreams, and Oh, Pretty Woman. This one expresses the pain and loss and yearning present in most of his songs. "Working all day And the sun don't shine Trying to get by And I'm just killing time I feel the rain Fall the whole night through Far away from you California Blue California Blue Dreaming all alone Nothing else to do California Blue Everyday I pray I'll be on my way Saving love for you California Blue One sunny day, I'll get back again Somehow, someway But I don't know when California Blue California Blue Living my life With you on my mind Thinking of things That I left far behind It's been so long Doing all I can do To get back to you California Blue...." |
Gram Parsons |
California Cottonfields |
Another story about Okies heading for the promised land from the former Byrd and Flying Burrito Brother who helped create the LA country sound of the 60's and 70's. Recorded live in 1973. Gram died in 1973 and his friends stole his body and cremated it at Joshua Tree near Cap Rock, where the National Park Service keeps removing any evidence of the location. Emmylou Harris also does a version of this song. "My drifiting memory goes back to the spring of 43 When I was just a child in mama's arms My daddy plowed the ground and prayed Someday we might leave this rundown mortgaged Oklahoma farm. And then one night I heard my daddy Saying to my mama that he'd finally saved enough to go Californa was his dream of paradise Fore he had seen pictures in magazines that told him so. Californa cottonfields where labor camps are filled With worried men with broken dreams Californa cottonfields as close to wealth As daddy ever came." |
Pavement |
Two States |
"We want two states, north and south. two, two states forty million daggers... " These Indie Rock gods are obviously from NorCal (Stockton) as you can see in this 1992 song. Nobody in SoCal wants to split the state and give up all that water. |
Pavement |
Unfair |
"We got deserts, we got trees, we got the hills of Beverly. Let's burn the hills of Beverly." A regular tour of the state in this wonderful and dissonant 1994 Indie rocker which shows no love for the 90210. |
| Pernice Brothers | PCH One | Another song about the Pacific Coast Higway. This 2006 song from the grea Massachussets t Indie rockers is a more realistic version of the need to go on a road trip. "Let's leave on Saturday Let's leave on Friday night I can't promise I'm not really sure we'll be all right … Pull the trigger, I don't care which myth I kill Struggle through the S's, through the tunnels in the trees through this sticky optimism hardening in me It might do some good just to wake up by the sea To the smell of breath and greasy hair and car seats … PCH One might be a catalyst, our panacea Play the one where no one's really gone Every answer's buried in a song PCH One might be a mending kit I need some mending" |
| Katy Perry (featuring Snoop Dogg) |
California Gurls | It was impossible to avoid this massive pop hit in the summer of 2010. All the old California cliches are re-packaged here - greener grass, girls on the beach, palm trees and they even add some of Tupac's California Love electronic effects. Just be careful of your popsicle... "I know a place Where the grass is really greener ... You could travel the world But nothing comes close To the golden coast Once you party with us You'll be falling in love Oooooh Oh Oooooh California girls We're unforgettable Daisy Dukes Bikinis on top Sun-kissed skin So hot Will melt your popsicle Oooooh Oh Oooooh California girls We're undeniable Fine, fresh, fierce We got it on lock West coast represent Now put your hands up Oooooh Oh Oooooh" |
| Liz Phair | California (Also titled "Why I Left California) |
Originally from a 1991 self-produced 4-track "Girly Sound" cassette, the song is also on her 1995 Juvenilia EP and her 2010 Funstyle album. With a solo guitar strumming in the background Phair tells a dirty joke involving a young bull and an old bull on a hill above a pasture full of cows (the same joke Robert Duvall tells to Sean Penn in Dennis Hopper's 1988 movie "Colors.") Inbetween the joke, she sings the only line in the song several times: "And I tried to tell you before that that's why I left California." |
| Phantom Planet | California | "On the stereo Listen as we go Nothing’s gonna stop me now California here we come Right back where we started from Pedal to the floor Thinkin’ of the roar Gotta get us to the show California here we come Right back where we started from California! Here we come!" Another one about driving and returning to California. I first heard the Mates of States' 2006 version of this indie pop song before I found out it was a cover of the Phantom Planets song that was used as the theme to the OC, a primetime soap opera about beautiful and spoiled California kids, the kind who always seem to be a staple on TV. The Mates of States version is moody - the Phantom Planets song rocks a bit more. |
| Pink | Gone to California | Slow, soulful, moody, and atmospheric, with some sax thrown in, Pink is leaving the mean streets of Philadelphia for the promised land where the sun is always shining in this 2001 song. Haven't we seen this before? Does it ever work out? "I'm goin' to California To live in the summer sun The streets are made of silver I'm like a rabbit on the run I'm goin' to California To find my pot of gold ... I'm goin' to California I'm goin far, far, far away ... Goin' to California, yes To resurct my soul The sun is always shinin', shinin' Or at least that's what I'm told I'm goin' to California There's a better life for me, yes..." |
| The Presidents of the United States of America | F*ck California | The guy who sings this 1994 song hates San Bernardino, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Guadalupe, even Weed. But he doesn't ever really say why he hates the state, and never bothers to mention the name of the Northwest city he loves - which is probably Seattle, but could be Portland. The band is from Seattle. I love the Northwest, too, so I might like the song if the music was better. (And Green Onions is an instrumental so how could they hear it sing?) "I'm in the mountains And the air's so clear This city is so beautiful Even on a cloudy day Ohh I'm in Central Oregon now Green onions on the little stereo |
| Chuck Prophet | Temple Beautiful (Song and Album) |
Chuck Prophet released "Temple Beautiful," an album of rocking guitar-based songs, in early 2012. The album is described on his web site as "…untimately an open love letter to San Francisco…" I remember driving by the Temple Beautiful with a girlfriend's parents in the early 1980's when they pointed out with excitement a building that was the temple they attended when they lived in San Francisco many years earlier. I had to break the news to them that it had been turned into a theater where we went to listen to local punk bands. |
| Rascal Flatts | She'd Be California | |
The Replacements |
Left of the Dial |
"Pretty girl keep growin' up, playin' make-up, wearin' guitar Growin' old in a bar, ya grow old in a bar. Headed out to San Francisco, definitely not L.A. Didn't mention your name, didn't mention your name. And if I don't see ya, in a long, long while I'll try to find you Left of the dial." The Replacements were one of my favorite bands to see live back in the 80's. The Minneapolis band was a staple on left of the dial radio stations then, and their music, and Paul Westerburg's solo work, still hold their own in the 21st century. |
| Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers | California Desert Party | Richman was a trailblazer of minimalist rock and one of the progenitors of punk rock. Born in Massachusetts, he moved to California in 1975, where he obviously spent some time in the deserts. This song, with its upbeat rythm, handclaps, raunchy saxophone mixed in with a few doo wop background vocals, always makes me want to go sleep in the sand with the lizards and the cactus. "Everybody's dancing 'round in the cactus garden. Yucca trees are all around cholla, too, look out! Guacamole's there for you carrot juice and nachos, too. ... ... ... ... California desert party. Yeah, pack rats and kit fox and petroglyphs and sleepin bags California desert party. They brought the harp and lyre, they turned the hot tub higher Yeah chaparral, and sagebrush, and look out there's the sleepin bags California desert party...." |
| The Runaways | California Paradise | A 1977 song from the pioneering all-girl rock band with valley girls Joan Jett and Cherie Curie that rated their own music biopic in 2010. "Turn up that radio Hear the rock and roll Malibu shines like summer gold Wild beaches In the salty wind California summers never end California - you're so nice California - your paradise" |
Saint Etienne |
Downey, California |
Atmospheric electronica and soft vocals from Sara Cracknell to chill you out in this 2000 release. "Dream home In Downey, california Palm trees The sound of Karen Carpenter Mother's holding baby Baby's getting restless now Looking for her mother Looking for her mother You don't, don't want to believe him now Don't want to Don't want to see him" |
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers |
California |
"California's been good to me Hope it don't fall into the sea Sometimes you got to trust yourself It ain't like anywhere else It ain't like anywhere else There's time to roll, I'm all done It's time we better hit the road I got work later on It's time we better hit the road" Another earthquake reference. Yawn.This Florida boy's got a thing for the golden state - also listen to "Into the Great Wide Open" and "Free Fallin' for more CA references" |
| Madeileine Peyroux | California Rain | Peyroux is a jazz singer-songwriter from Georgia who grew up in New York City, southern California, and Paris.This beautiful 2006 release is slow mellow jazz with a singing style reminiscent of Billie Holliday. In a refreshing change for a California song, she sings about being stuck in cold and rainy California, longing to go somewhere far away where she belongs. "California rain is fallin' I can hear the summer callin' Far away, far away A song that's fadin' Put me on a plane tomorrow I'll try to run from all my sorrow Far away, far away From endless waitin' It's so cold here without the sun I'm so sad here far away from everyone What a fool to be ambitious Moving here with all of my wishes Far away, far away From where my heart is Shut the phone off and pack my bags No more boys who boast and brag Far away, far away Where I belong I'm so sorry for some things I've done I'll be lonely till I can see my only one ... ... ... ... I'm goin' back, back where I belong Gonna catch a train Gotta get back where I belong Get back." |
Propellerheads |
Take California |
Lots of heavy 1997 British beats and a canned voice that repeats "Take California." What more do you need? (I suspect the voice is a sample of someone important, but I don't know who.) According to Wickipedia this was the first song used in an iPod TV ad. "Senator welcome to our microphones Is there anything of yours that we can keep as a memento of this visit? Take California Take California Take California Take California Take California" |
| Chuck Prophet | Temple Beautiful (Song and Album) |
I was driving by the Temple Beautiful with a girlfriend's parents in the early 1980's when they pointed out with excitement the temple they attended when they lived in San Francisco many years earlier. I had to break the news to them that it had been turned into a theater where we went to listen to local punk bands.... Chuck Prophet released "Temple Beautiful," an album of rocking guitar-based songs, in early 2012. The album is described on his web site as "…untimately an open love letter to San Francisco…" and all of the songs have some connection to the city. Also check out the opening cut "Play That Song Again." "The lights came on it was a whole new world at the Temple beautiful I got the kid but I lost the girl at the Temple beautiful She got so excited Manchester United Her mind was dirty but her hands were clean at the Temple beautiful Everybody doing criminal acts Temple beautiful And now the future's here, but it feels like the past Temple beautiful I don't remember what happened last Temple beautiful Well we might've got high, we might've just left Temple beautiful Someday this is all gonna be gone Temple beautiful" |
| Quasi | California | Two minutes of 1998 indie rock from a Portland band. The depressed tour guide singer of this one thinks panhandlers should be kicked into the sea. I say we give him the first boot. You have to like the end line: "sinking in the vast ambivalent sea of California." That's why I stay out of the water... "Life is full life is grey: At its best it's just OK. But I'm happy to report Life is also short. So I find myself back in California - I'm a coolie for the tourists, those happy Epicureans: Evil spectres from my own suburban upbring. As I reveal points of interest, I can chat so pleasantly, But it's hard to be cheerful when you feel so hopeless And there's no reason for this dark mood. It will pass; it will return, but will I ever learn ? And the children of privilege begging for my spare change. Do they need my assistance to purchase their intoxicants, or would they best be served a swift kick Slowly sinking in the vast ambivalent sea of California." |
| Rascall Flats | She'd Be California | A 2009 song from the Ohio country band with yet another tanned blonde with a convertible. But this time they're saying if California was a girl, it would look like her, or she should be a movie star, or something like that. "She got the long blonde hair Got the red sports car And you know she's got the Top laid back She got the movie star smile Got the sun-kissed tan Santa Barbara in summer Yeah, she feels like that Hey she's like a canyon drive In a midnight sky Those eyes are deep enough To get lost Her legs are palm tree tall The way she walks Like the heat on a runway When the cameras go off She's small town from the country She ain't big time but she could be Hey, Hollywood never looked this good Bright as the big screen burns Hey, I bet drivin' down Sunset They're lookin' for a face like hers Yeah, I've been all around this world And she'd be California If California was a girl" |
The Ramones (Also the original by The Rivieras) |
Warm California Sun |
Out there having fun where the days are short, the nights are long, the girls are "frisky in old 'frisco. A pretty little chick wherever you go." Take your pick - the Rivieras surf rock version or the Ramones punk rock version. They're both fun. "Well, I'm goin' out west out on the coast Where the California girls are really the most Where they walk and I'll walk They twist and I'll twist They shimmy and I'll shimmy They fly and I'll fly Well they're out there a'havin' fun In that warm California sun." |
| The Raveonettes | Ode to L.A. | A 2005 release from the Danish duo. This one has a Phil Specterish girl group sound with the heartbeat drums, the wo ho ho's, and an almost mono mix. And as usual, the theme is let's go to L.A. for the fun and sunshine. "Come on let's go to where it's fun I want a slice of L.A. sun Whoa ho ho ho ... ... ... ... ... So come along and pay the price This ain't New York this tasty slice Whoa ho ho ho Take a minute listen to this town Don't you ever feel you have to come Take a minute she won't let you down See you excited in her arms L.A. and all her crazy charms Whoa ho ho oh" |
Red Hot Chili Peppers |
Californication |
The title of this song always reminds me of those bumperstickers on Oregon cars back in the 70's that said "Don't Californicate Oregon." It seems to be about phony Hollywood dreams, plastic surgery, unicorns, and a lot of other words that they fit in just to have something to sing - like most rock songs. Who needs lyrics that make sense as long as the music's good? "It's the edge of the world and all of western civilization. The sun may rise in the East at least it settles in the final location. It's understood that Hollywood sells Californication. … … … First born unicorn Hard core soft porn Dream of Californication Dream of Californication" |
Red Hot Chili Peppers |
Dani California |
This 2006 song isn't really about the state. It's about a poor southern girl named Dani California who robs banks and was killed in North Dakota. But she's got a good name, and it's a good song, and that's good enough for this list. "Gettin' born in the state of Mississippi Poppa was a copper and her momma was a hippie In Alabama she was swinging hammer Price you gotta pay when you break the panorama She never knew that there was anything more than poor What in the world does your company take me for? Black bandana, sweet Louisiana Robbin' on a bank in the state of Indiana She's a runner, rebel and a stunner On her merry way saying baby what you gonna Lookin' down the barrel of a hot metal .45 Just another way to survive California rest in peace Simultaneous release California show your teeth She's my priestess, I'm your priest Yeah, yeah" |
| R. E. M. | I Remember California | A slow and moody1988 song from the great Athens, Georgia band, that I remember seeing in small crowded nightclubs before they moved up to playing stadiums. I doubt they remember that part of their time in California as fondly as I do. "I remember redwood trees, bumper cars and wolverines The ocean's Trident submarines Lemons, limes and tangerines I remember this I remember traffic jams Motor boys and girls with tans Nearly was and almost rans I remember this History is made History is made to seem unfair" |
| Leon Rene | When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano | Even though I could live without ever hearing it again, I guess I should mention this 1940 hit that was written by Leon Rene and recorded by Glenn Miller, Gene Autry, Pat Boone, The Dominoes, The Five Satins,The Ink Spots, Harry James & His Orch, Guy Lombardo, Carmen McRae, and many others. "When the swallows come back to Capistrano That's the day you promised to come back to me When you whispered, "Farewell", in Capistrano Twas the day the swallow flew out to sea All the mission bells will ring The chapel choir will sing The happiness you'll bring Will live in my memory When the swallows come back to Capistrano That's the day I pray that you'll come back to me" |
| Rihanna | California King Bed | I almost put this song on the Songs About Herps page until I realized that " California King" refers to a particular style of king-sized bed rather than a bed of snakes. Too bad.... "Chest to chest Nose to nose Palm to palm We were always just that close Wrist to wrist Toe to toe Lips that felt just like the inside of a rose So, how come when I reach out my finger It feels like more than distance between us In this California king bed We're ten thousand miles apart I've been California wishing on these stars For your heart for me My California king" |
| Josh Ritter | California | Ritter is a singer-songwriter from Idaho. This is another song about going to California to warm up.(A space heater might be cheaper.) The singer knows it's been done a hundred thousand times but needs to do it himself. (Actually, it's been sung about that many times, but it's been done millions of times.) "Going out to California gonna let the water warm my clothes. I’m alone but I’m not lonely gonna trade the weather for the Western coas.t No don’t cry I’ll be back and I’ll bring the sun to shine in your eyes on your shoulders. Sunset Boulevard will strip for money. Mulholland is a long drag for the lonely hearts. Down along the Imperial Valley runs a river of homelessness and cinema stars. Don’t say the trip’s been done a hundred thousand times cause this one is mine. So I will work at what work finds me and I will take what comfort I can get I’ll be back when I’m good and ready California doesn’t seem to think I’m ready yet…." |
Rogue Wave |
California |
Inscrutable lyrics with warm and fuzzy acoustic guitars. "Screw California and friends that are never there and places that they ought to pretend that they even care from a false family. She could light you up like a holiday tree in the summer... and ice that will never melt from hearts of the modern children of Cicero... so lead us there." |
The Rolling Stones (also Nat King Cole) |
Route 66 |
My family emigrated from Illinois to LA driving all the way on route 66. That was before they built Interstate 40. So this song, written way back in 1946, brings back a few memories. "It winds from Chicago to LA, more than two thousand miles all the way. Get your kicks on Route sixty-six." |
| Pete Seeger and Malvina Reynolds | Seventy Miles | A 1965 folk song about the sad state of the San Francisco Bay after many years of unregulated urban growth and unrestricted dumping of garbage and pollutants poisoned the water and filled in over 25 percent of the marshland. Save The Bay, one of the very first environmental organizations, active since 1961, eventually succeded in getting legislation passed that began the protection and cleanup of the bay (which is now home to one of the greatest concentrations of non-native species of any waterway with more than 200, and possibly as many as 400.) "Seventy miles of wind and spray, Seventy miles of water, Seventy miles of open bay, It's a garbage dump. What's that stinky creek out there, Down behind the slum's back stair, Sludgy puddle, sad and gray? Why man, that's San Francisco Bay!" |
| Marlena Shaw (also The Fifth Dimension) |
California Soul | A poppy soul tune with too many strings written by Ashford and Simpson and released by Marlena Shaw in 1969. This song has been used in movies and commercials, and sampled in rap songs. For a completely soulless version, check out the Fifth Dimension's 1968 release. "Like a sound you hear That lingers in your ear But you can't forget From sundown to sunset It's all in the air You hear it everywhere No matter what you do It's gonna grab a hold on you California soul, California soul They say the sun comes up every morning And if you listen carefully The winds that ride on the high time Whistle a melody And so the people started to sing And that's how the surf gave birth untold California soul, California soul" |
| She & Him | Home | A 2010 release from M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, the film actress with Anime eyes and the TV Sit Com who was married to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie etc. Her music is a bit too sacharine for me - it comes across as overproduced cheezy pop without any irony. But the critics love them so maybe I'm missing something. (M. Ward's solo music, on the other hand, and his work with the Monsters of Folk is much better.) "California is a great big nation of one They never knew what they wanted til it was already gone What do they do with the light in the morning when they wake up alone? They just go home They just go home Youre the nicest, nicest boy I've ever met and then I think about you then I think about you again And again Why don't we just sit and stare and do nothing? Nothing at all for a while I like the way you smile I could be your state and I could be your nation It doesn't get better than home, now does it? Doesn't get better than home, now does it?" |
| Michelle Shocked | Come a Long Way | An upbeat 1992 folk rocker from the American Alt Folk singer-songwriter who sings about driving her motorcycle around L.A. "I kicked in his door at 5 AM 'I've come for my bike' I told the repo man My 920's gonna take me far today You can travel for miles and never leave L.A. … … … … ... I gunned it down to San Pedro Bay Watched my ship sail in, watched it sail away The sun was sinking into the sea But a ball of fire inside of me Was burning my motor and driving me hard Past the big hair on the Boulevard And up Mulholland where I made the scene Like the one that took little Jimmy Dean And then I shimmied up Wilshire like a little silk worm Past the rodeo and the pachyderm And then I stopped for coffee at an art cafe I saw the repo man and made my getaway Doing the Eagle Rock Heading for the hills Try and let my engines cool And it's not my fault that this town shakes I saw the falling rocks and I hit my brakes I've come a long way, I've come a long way I've gone 500 miles today I've come a long way, I've come a long way And never even left L.A." |
Frank Sinatra |
The Lady is a Tramp | This Rodgers and Hart pop Classic from the 1937 musical Babes in Arms isn't a California song, but it does have an interesting lyric about the state - an ironic twist on the usual image of sunny California. Women usually sing the song in the first person. "She loves the free, fresh wind in her hair Life without care She's broke, and it's o'k She hates California, it's cold and it's damp That's why the lady is a tramp" |
The Sir Douglas Quintet |
Mendocino |
In this 1969 rock classic, after thanking all his friends for all the beautiful vibrations, the singer pleads with his teeny bopper lover to stay with him in his love house by the river where life's such a groove you blow your mind in the morning. Can you dig it? (Yes, they really sing "Can you dig it?" And it is dug.) "Teeny Bopper, my teenage lover I caught your waves last night It sent my mind to wonderin'. You're such a groove Please don't move Please stay in my love house by the river. Fast talkin' guys with strange red eyes Have put things in your head And started your mind to wonderin' I love you so, please don't go Please stay here with me in Mendocino. Mendocino, Mendocino, Where life's such a groove You blow your mind in the morning. We used to walk through the park, Make love along the way in Mendocino." |
The 6ths |
San Diego Zoo |
How can you not like a song with such good driving directions? Another one by Stephin Merritt, the musical genius behind the Magnetic Fields and the 6ths and more. This one is sung by Barbara Manning. "Met you on a traffic island We were there all day In the middle of the world's highway Summer left its light green lipstick on our faces Took us to all the pretty places Highway 405 will take you from the boom boom room to interstate 5 which goes right to the San Diego Zoo San Diego Zoo San Diego Zoo San Diego Zoo San Diego Zoo How could I have ever left you?" |
Phoebe Snow |
San Francisco Bay Blues |
This folk blues song was written by Jesse Fuller and covered by many people, including Bob Dylan, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Richie Havens, Eric Clapton, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin.
Phoebe Snow's 1970's version is acoustic and jazzy. "I aint got a nickel and I aint got a lousy dime. She don't come back, think Im going to lose my mind. If she ever gets back to stay, it's going to be another brand new day, Walking with my baby down by the San Francisco bay." |
| Social Distortion | Bakersfield | A 2011 release from an Orange County cow punk band started in the late 70's about being stranded in Bakersfield. This would segue nicely into Creedence's "Lodi." "Stranded here in Bakersfield So close yet so far far away Stranded here in Bakersfield Your a million miles away yeah So I walked out that lonely truck stop With my head hanging down wondering How in the hell I got myself into this mess And more importantly How I was going to get myself out of it So I wrote a song for you baby girl And I hope that when I return home The locks ain't changed on the doors And there's still a spot for me On that big ole California king sized bed Stranded here in Bakersfield So close yet so far far away Stranded here in Bakersfield You a million miles away Wont you come see me in Bakersfield ohhhh I'm not a million miles away" |
| Social Distortion | California (Hustle and Flow) | Another one from their 2011 album. "Well, I was born, babe, with nothing to lose But the black man taught me how to sing the blues Made a little life outta rock ‘n’ roll And that crazy California hustle and flow Take me down Take me on down the line Shake me down Shake me on down the line I went too fast with that rhythm and booze Almost ended up dead like all those other fools Everyone’s got some sort of ball and chain What’s life without a little pain?" ... ... ... ... ... Living in a Hollywood movie dream And I’m still reaching for the stars Life gets hard and then it gets good Like I always knew it would Running around like you’re front page news Lonely eyes and your motorcycle boots Tattooed heart and your jet-black hair Running ‘round like you don’t care." |
| Social Distortion | Highway 101 | From 2004, another driving on the coast highway song. "Take a drive baby up the coast, yea highway 101 Listen to the boulevard, listen to the falling rain |
| Bonnie Somerville | Winding Road | Another nice folk pop song about travelling the road to California, which was included on the popular Garden State Soundtrack in 2004. "And it's a winding road I've been walking for a long time I still don't know Where it goes And it's a long way home I've been searching for a long time I still have hope I'm gonna find my way home And I can see a little house On top of the hill And I can smell the ocean The salt in the air And I can see you You're standing there And you're washing your car And I can see California sun in your hair" |
| Sonic Youth | Expressway to Yr Skull | Another anti-California Girl song from the band that was the "archetype" of the Indie movement of the '80s, off their 1986 "Evol" album. According to Michael Azerrad ("Our Band Could Be Your Life" 2001) Neil Young called this "the greatest guitar song of all time" in 1990 when the band opened for him on his Ragged Glory tour. Azerrad's description: "Moore sings the first line, dreamily, like some homicidal twist on a Beach Boys lyric. The song builds to a cataclysm...then back down to a meditative, after-the-storm feeling, the whole roller-coaster ride ending with a good three minutes of Moore and Ranaldo drawing sounds from their guitars like the music of the spheres..." "We're gonna kill the California girls We're gonna fire the exploding load In the milkmaid maidenhead We're gonna find the meaning of feeling good And we're gonna stay there As long as we think we should Mystery train Three way plane Expressway to your skull" |
| Sonic Youth | Death Valley '69 | From 1985's "Bad Moon Rising" album, this song was co-written and co-sung by New York No Wave icon Lydia Lunch. Sonic Youth was obsessed with obsession, insanity, and violence, and the embodiment of all three - Charles Mansion, who hid out at the Barker Ranch ranch (now in Death Valley National Park) after the notorious Los Angeles murder spree until he and his followers were captured there. "Coming down Sadie I love it Now now now Death Valley '69 You're right You're right You're right You're right I was on the wrong track We're deep in the valley How deep in the gulley And now in the canyon Way out in the yonder She started to holler She started to holler I didn't wanna I didn't wanna I didn't wanna I didn't wanna But she started to holler So I had to hit it Hit it Hit it Hit it" |
| Sonic Youth | Pacific Coast Highway | Beautiful, dissonant, and sinister noise-guitar-pop or whatever you want to call it from their 1987 album "Sister." Kim Gordon explores the dark side of the coast highway from a woman's perspective. This ain't the Mamas and the Papas' coast highway anymore.... "Come on get in the car Lets go for a ride somewhere I won't hurt you As much as you hurt me Let me take you there Before the sun goes down Come on give me your love Come on baby all you have I wanna take your breathe away Come on baby Just like that, you say You make me feel so crazy Come on get in the car Lets go for a ride somewhere I won't hurt you You make me feel so crazy" |
Spirit |
Nature's Way |
"It's nature's way of telling you something's wrong...summer breeze...dying trees..." I always associate this acoustic rock song with California, but it isn't really specifically about the state. But the lyrics do describe some of the state's environmental problems, and Jimi Hendrix gave the guitarist the name Randy California, and they are one of the best and most forgotten LA bands of the 60's, so what it all adds up to is that Spirit has to be on my list somewhere. So here it is. |
| Bruce Springsteen | Rosalita | Sure, he mentions New Jersey in every song, and cars, and girls, and guys with names like "Big Bones Billy" and this 1973 song has them all, but it's also got a little cafe in San Diego at the end of the highway run so it's on the list. "My tires were slashed and I almost crashed but the Lord had mercy My machine she's a dud, I'm stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey Hold on tight, stay up all night 'cause Rosie I'm comin' on strong By the time we meet the morning light I will hold you in my arms I know a pretty little place in Southern California down San Diego way There's a little cafe where they play guitars all night and day You can hear them in the back room strummin' So hold tight baby 'cause don't you know daddy's comin'" |
| Sterophonics | Have a Nice Day | A 2001 song from the Welsh rock band. It's about the vacuousness of tourism and conformity or something like that. That's what they should expect if they're going to places like Pier 39. "San Francisco Bay Past Pier 39 Early p.m. Can't remember what time Got the waiting cab Stopped at the red light Address, unsure of But it turned out just right It started straight off 'Coming here is hell' That's his first words We asked what he meant He said 'where ya' from?' We told him our lot 'When ya' take a holiday Is this what you want?' So have a nice day Have a nice day Have a nice day Have a nice day Lie around all day Have a drink to chase "Yourself and tourists, yeah That's what I hate" He said 'We're going wrong We've all become the same We dress the same ways Only our accents change' So have a nice day Have a nice day Have a nice day" |
| Stereophonics | Plastic California | A song from 1999 by the Welsh rockers that seems to be about their ambivalence regarding the tourist charms of Calfornia. Blackpool is a seaside resort on the northwest coast of England. "Plastic California Looks like Blackpool outta date Some love some hate It's all your competition It's not my occupation true But it's what you do Some love some hate I like pink architecture Flip back my red striped deck chair Prove we got nothing to prove Gin stroke amnesia problems Overhearing talk of Hollywood We wish we could Ya should Some love some hate Some love some hate It's a beautiful place for nature And all the beautiful people make it true But you look good as you Some love and some hate Some love and some hate Makes me feel great Makes me feel great I feel new d'ya feel new, ha, ha d'ya feel new, ha, ha d'ya feel new, ha, ha ha, ha Well I'm pleased to meet you" |
Sublime |
What I Got |
1996 LA Ska punk from another short-lived band, victimized by a drug OD. Check out "Garden Grove" too. "Life is too short so love the one you got cause you might get runover or you might get shot Never start no static I just get it off my chest Never had to battle with no bulletproof vest Take a small example A tip from me take all of your money and give it up to charity Lovin's what I got It's within my reach And the sublime style's still straight from long beach It all comes back to you you're gonna get what you deserve Try and test that you're bound to get served Love's what I got Don't start a riot You feel it when the dance gets hot" |
| Sublime | Garden Grove | "We took this trip to Garden Grove It smelt like Lou Dog in the van This ain't no reggae party $5 at the door Get so real sometimes who wrote my rhymes I got the microwave got the vcr I got the duece duece in the trunk of my car If you only knew that all the love that I found It's hard to keep my soul on the ground You're a fool don't you f... around with my dog All I can see I steal as I fill up my garage But my mind music from Jamaica All the love that I found, pull over there's a reason why my soul is unsound" |
| Sugarcult | Back to California | A 2004 ballad from the alterative rock punk pop whatever band from Santa Barbara. Seems like this guy is thinking about driving to California to make up with his ex girlfriend but realizing that won't ever happen. "You’re gone I’m miles away Turning out your lights Ten different ways I could end this night Can’t do this anymore Won’t feel you anymore How long I’ll wait Just to say goodbye, say goodbye Leave it all the fights and all Summer’s getting colder Drive all night to hold you tight Back to California Days went by We waited and I guess we’re getting older We couldn’t win in the end." |
| Matthew Sweet | Come to California | Sweet released this one in 1997. It's got his typical high tenor and backed by rocking boogie guitars and bongos. "Started with a rose, ended up a millionaress queen In your new electric chair, sweetly sitting there building up steam Watch your mind little bit, or you're gonna have to make believe Flew into LA, caught a screening of your lifelong dream Blew it in LA, now you're desperate to create your own scene But watch your mind little bit, 'cause you're headed into the machine Come to California (come to California) Come to California (come to California) ooooo oooooo ooooo Come to California, baby let it all hang out Come to California, tell us what it's all about But watch your mind little bit, 'cause the future is beginning now." |
The Thrills |
Santa Cruz |
This Irish band took a summer vacation in Santa Cruz and ended up with several indie pop hits, including this one from 2003. "Well tell me where it all went wrong And tell me where you lost those damn songs I can't say I was surprised I heard a drink was involved Oh you gotta be, oh you gotta be Still living by the sea Oh you gotta be, oh you gotta be Cos Santa Cruz you're not that far Oh Santa Cruz, no, you're not that far" |
The Thrills |
Big Sur |
One of those 'baby please don't go' songs from the same 2003 album as "Santa Cruz." "So much for the city Tell me that you'll dance to the end Just tell me that you'll dance to the end do do do do do do do Hey, hey you're the monkees People said you monkeyed around But nobody's listening now do do do do do do do Just don't go back to Big Sur Hangin' around, lettin' your old man down Just don't go back to Big Sur Baby baby please don't go Oh baby baby please don't go" |
2Pac (Tupac Shakur) |
California Love |
From Tupac's last album, released in 1996 shortly before he was shot to death. "Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west A state that's untouchable like Elliot Ness The track hits ya eardrum like a slug to ya chest Pack a vest for your Jimmy in the city of sex We in that sunshine state with a bomb ass hemp beat the state where ya never find a dance floor empty And pimps be on a mission for them greens, lean mean money-makin-machines servin fiends I been in the game for ten years makin rap tunes ever since honeys was wearin sassoon Now it's '95 and they clock me and watch me Diamonds shinin', lookin' like I robbed Liberace It's all good, from Diego to tha Bay Your city is tha bomb if your city makin pay Throw up a finger if ya feel the same way Dre puttin it down for Californ-i-a California...knows how to party California...knows how to party In the city of L.A. In the city of good ol' Watts In the city, the city of Compton We keep it rockin! We keep it rockin!" |
2Pac (Tupac Shakur) |
To Live And Die In LA |
Warning - don't let your kids listen to this one. According to vice president Dan Quayle, 2pac's music incites violence... Come to think of it, maybe Quayle was right... "Katruple quitraple platinum" selling gansta rap from 1996 by Tupac, who might have lived in LA, but he died before his time in Las Vegas. "No doubt... to live and die in LA California - what you say about Los Angeles Still the only place for me that never rains in the sun And everybody got love. ... To live and die in LA, it's the place to be. You've got to be there to know it, what everybody wanna see." |
| Transplants | California Babylon | From the 2002 first album by the punk rock/rap group formed by members of the band Rancid along with musicians from Slackers and Blink-182. "Waitress out dressed like nurses in bondage Brought me the check, said I want you to sign this Union boy standing next to the rastas There’s gonna be a strike and you ain’t gonna stop us Three men standing and they love what they do You won’t see it coming, cause they wanna surprise you Consider it done, they’re gonna stand right by you American punks don’t care about you Hollywood what you gonna do? Hollywood what you gonna do? Don’t say that you don’t understand Don’t say that you can’t comprehend Don’t say that you don’t understand, this is california babylon, my man...." |
| Tristan Prettyman | California Girl | A slow and moody 2008 rock song that start with acoustic guitars, then builds. From a female singer-songwriter out of San Diego. This time it's the California Girl who does the singing, but she's cynical and bitter and has learned her lesson. A nice change from Daisy dukes and bikinis on top.... "I'll let you fall in love with me Show you how easy it can be California girl of your dreams Sitting by the sea shore Soaking up the summer breeze Never gonna fall, I'm never gonna fall For that old trick again Never gonna fall, I'm never gonna fall For that old trick again I can't believe I even came Don't even know your name Boy you know that ain't my scene But you gotta play by the rules If you ever gonna win the game Never gonna fall, I'm never gonna fall For that old trick again Never gonna fall, I'm never gonna fall For that old trick again…." |
Vampire Weekend |
California English |
A nice upbeat tune with Afro pop guitar and drums and crazy use of autotune, but you'll have to figure out yourself what California English means in this 2010 release. "Someone took a trip before you came to ski in the Alps Your father moved across the country Just to sunburn his scalp Contra Costa, Contra Mundum, contradict what I say Living like the French Connection, but we’ll die in LA Blasted from a disconnected light switch Through the condo that they’ll never finish Bounced across a Saudi satellite dish And through your brain to California English" |
Rufous Wainwright |
California |
Rufous is not a fan of the Golden State. Too much neon and too many surfers and part time models for his liking. "I don't know this sea of neon Thousand surfers, whiffs of freon And big nights back east with Rhoda California please … … … … Ain't it a shame That all the world can't enjoy your mad traditions Ain't it a shame that all the world Don't got keys to their own ignitions Life is the longest death in California California, California You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed Big time rollers, part time models So much to plunder That I think I'll sleep instead" |
Tom Waits |
Hold On |
Another girl takes that California trip in this moody and beautiful 1999 song. "They hung a sign up in our town 'if you live it up, you won't live it down.' So, she left Monte Rio, son Just like a bullet leaves a gun. With charcoal eyes and Monroe hips She went and took that California trip. Well, the moon was gold, her Hair like wind She said don't look back just Come on Jim Oh you got to Hold on, Hold on You got to hold on Take my hand, I'm standing right here You gotta hold on." |
| Dionne Warwick | Do You Know the Way to San Jose? | Nobody did cheezy '60's fem pop better than Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach and Hal David, as this 1968 hit proves. (And just for the record, Dionne, just get on the 101 and head north. It'll take you right there.) "Do you know the way to San Jose? I've been away so long, I may go wrong and lose my way. Do you know the way to San Jose? I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose. L.A. is a great big freeway. Put a hundred down and buy a car. In a week, maybe two, they'll make you a star Weeks turn into years. How quick they pass And all the stars that never were Are parking cars and pumping gas You can really breathe in San Jose They've got a lot of space. There'll be a place where I can stay I was born and raised in San Jose I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose." |
Weezer |
Beverly Hills |
More biting social satire from these power-chord-crazy nerd rockers about a guy who dreams of living the good life, 90210 style. Weezer also does a song called "California." This one is better. "Where I come from isn't all that great My automobile is a piece of crap My fashion sense is a little whack And my friends are just as screwy as me I didn't go to boarding schools Preppy girls never looked at me Why should they, I ain't nobody Got nothing in my pocket Beverly Hills... That's where I want to be! (gimme, gimme) Living in Beverly Hills... Beverly Hills... Rolling like a celebrity! (gimme, gimme) Living in Beverly Hills... Look at all those movie stars They're all so beautiful and clean When the housemaids scrub the floors They get the spaces in between I wanna live a life like that I wanna be just like a king Take my picture by the pool Cause I'm the next big thing Beverly Hills... That's where I want to be! (gimme gimme)(gimme gimme) Living in Beverly Hills... Beverly Hills... Rolling like a celebrity! (gimme gimme)(gimme gimme) Living in Beverly Hills…" |
| Weezer | California | I don't know any other song shout outs to El Cerrito. Albany, anyone? "Hoo hoo, I need your huggin I'm here my fears close guarded Youth costing less than the next flight You love the beautiful West Side The beach and gorgeous sunrise Surfs up the waves are risin' high I'm all alone I need you here in Santa Monica California California California California California From here to Bel Air The blue bus will take us everywhere Everyone's happy everyone's all right From Lomita to El Cerrito Seven years up and down the West Coast Surfs up the waves are risin' high I'm all alone I need you here in Santa Monica I'm all alone why don't you come to Santa Monica?" |
| Brooke White | California Song | An upbeat country California song from 2009 about California songs where everybody lives like they are living in the movies. From what I remember of 2009, the movies were a blend of The Grapes of Wrath and Mad Max, with The Terminator in charge of Sacramento. (I lived more like an extra in Bladerunner.) "America sang me all the way across Ventura Highway I was chasing the sun, just chasing the sun Walking up the boulevard, looking down and counting stars Singing ladies of the canyon Now freeway's frozen and the traffic's jammed But I feel like I'm living in the movies, look at me Hey, everybody has their song, everybody sing along Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na Hey, don't worry if you get it wrong Don't you know that you still belong Na, na, na, na, na, na, in a California song The weather on the Golden Gate And the sun sets on the Palisades And the beach boys are looking at me And I'm bought in to that perfect scene That the Mamas And The Papas sing I was dreaming, I was dreaming And it's so funny how everybody lives Like they are living in the movies like they're so cool" |
Wilco |
California Stars |
On the 1998 Grammy-winning album "Mermaid Avenue," Billy Bragg and the band Wilco take turns writing new melodies for lyrics that the great folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie wrote but never published. In this one, Guthrie wrote about resting his head and dreaming his troubles away on a bed of California stars. Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett from Wilco put a beautiful melody to it. "I'd like to dream My troubles all away On a bed of California stars Jump up from my starbed Make another day Underneath my California stars They hang like grapes On vines that shine And warm the lovers' glass Like friendly wine So I'd give this world Just to dream a dream with you On our bed of California stars" |
| Lucinda Williams | Here in California | A great cover of the Kate Wolf song discussed below by the amazing Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter off of a 1998 Kate Wolf tribute album. |
Gretchen Wilson |
California Girls |
In this 2005 country reply to the Beach Boys, Gretchen is another hater of the unreal image of women depicted by Hollywood. Worst of all, those skinny little girls don't even eat fried chicken! "I ain't never had a problem with California There's a lot of good women from Sacramento to Corona But them Hollywood types after a while wear on ya Struttin' around in their size zeros Skinny little girls no meat on their bones Never even heard of George Jones Ain't you glad we ain't all California girls Ain't you glad there's still a few of us left. That know how to rock your world Ain't afraid to eat fried chicken and dirty dance to Merle Ain't you glad we ain't all California girls" |
| Kate Wolf | Here in California | A well-known and often covered song by the San Francisco folk singer/songwriter (who died young of leukemia in 1986) from her 1981 album "Close To You" "When I was young my mamma told me she said 'child, take your time don't fall in love too quickly before you know your mind.' She held me round the shoulders in a voice so soft and kind. She said 'love can make you happy and love can rob you blind.' Here in California fruit hangs heavy on the vine. There's no gold , I thought I'd warn ya, and the hills turn brown in the summertime." |
| Bobby Womack | California Dreamin' | One of my favorite California songs and the best version of this song by far. Womack turned the Mama's and the Papa's old chestnut into a soul classic. It was nicely used in the 2010 British film Fish Tank. |
X |
Los Angeles |
"She had to leave Los Angeles. She found it hard to say goodbye to her own best friend. She bought a clock on Hollywood Boulevard the day she left. It felt sad. She had to get out." She also seems to be a racist in the rest of the lyrics, so good riddance... I wore out my cassette copy of this great LA punk band's amazing 1980 album "Los Angeles" while driving up and down I-5 between LA and SF back in the 80's. Remember cassettes in cars? |
| Neil Young | California Sunset | Neil Young with violins and pedal steel praising his adopted land and remembering the cold and snow he came from. "I remember long ago How I wondered where I'd go While the blizzards, cold wind and snow Pounded outside my window. California sunset Going down in the West All the colors in the sky Kiss another day goodbye. Land of beauty, space and light Land of promise land of might. You're my home now and it's true California, here's to you...." |
| Neil Young | Hitchhiker | In this candid autobigraphical song from 2010, Young recounts his life journey as a musician from Canada to California, and from one drug to another. "You didn't see me in Toronto When I first tried out some hash Smoked some then and I'll do it again If I only had some cash Only had some cash. Then I tried amphetamines And my head was in a glass Taped underneath the speedometer wires Of my '48 Buick's dash. But I knew that wouldn't last. Then came California Where I first saw open water In the land of opportunity I knew I was getting hotter I knew I was getting hotter. But the neon lights And the endless nights The neon lights And the endless nights The neon lights And the endless nights The neon lights And the endless nights They took me by surprise The doctor gave me valium But I still couldn't close my eyes I still couldn't close my eyes." |
| Frank and Moon Zappa | Valley Girl | Zappa and his 14-year-old daughter Moon had a big hit with this ironic lampoon of the language of teenage girls from the San Fernando Valley back in 1982. Unfortunately, it only popularized the stereotype and "Valspeak" slang until it seemed like every young girl sounded that way, and still does. "Valley girl She's a valley girl Valley girl She's a valley girl Okay, fine... Fer sure, fer sure She's a valley girl In a clothing store Okay, fine... Fer sure, fer sure She's a... Like, oh my god! valley girl Like - totally valley girl Encino is like so bitchen valley girl There's like the Galleria valley girl And like all these like really great shoe stores I love going into like clothing stores and stuff I like buy the neatest mini-skirts and stuff Its like so bitchen cuz like everybodys like Super-super nice... Its like so bitchen... On Ventura, there she goes She just bought some bitchen clothes Tosses her head n flips her hair She got a whole bunch of nothin in there." |
Warren Zevon |
Carmelita |
A quiet acoustic rock song from 1976 with a beautiful melody and a dark subject - the singer, a writer with a Mexican girlfriend, has a drug problem in downtown L.A. Linda Ronstadt and others have covered it, but Zevon wrote it. "Carmelita hold me tighter I think I'm sinking down And I'm all strung out on heroin On the outskirts of town. Well, I pawned my Smith Corona And I went to meet my man He hangs out down on Alvarado Street By the Pioneer chicken stand." And, of course, there are acoustic Spanish guitars. I think that's the law in American pop music - whenever you mention Mexico or someone with a hispanic name, you gotta have those guitars. |
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