California, the subject of countless songs, books, television shows and movies, is possibly one of the most storied places around the world. And today we stop a moment to take a look at some of the songs written about the state that embody the feelings, sights, sounds and smells of the Golden State.
The Beach Boys – California Girls
While not a song about the girls of California, it is a song about bringing the women of the world to California. Brian Wilson wrote “California Girls” back in 1965 when it was considered less dangerous to fly halfway around the world to meet a stranger in a foreign country.
Hole – Malibu
Coming from Kurt Cobain’s widow Courtney Love, “Malibu” was actually written about a love affair Love had while in the great state of California. Giving the song a nostalgic feel of the Golden State that she yearns for now that her love has faded.
The Eagles – Hotel California
The most impressive hit to come from The Eagles, “Hotel California” is an ode to the lights and allure of Los Angeles and Hollywood. And the hotel is a real hotel, it is the Beverly Hills Hotel. So if you ever wanted to spend a spooky night recreating the song in real life, you know where to go.
Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues
While a song about California in some sense, “Folsom Prison Blues” was actually written while Johnny was stationed in Germany awaiting orders to be sent to war. The song reflects the prison-like environment the army created for Cash and was received with welcome arms by the inmates at both Folsom and San Quentin prisons, the latter of which is where Cash’s famous live album was recorded in front of a live incarcerated audience.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Dani California
This millennial classic tells the tale of many a young, impressionable girl who made her way out to California to make it big. The band’s singer grew up on the Sunset Strip and had no shortage of real life characters to draw inspiration from for the song. So it might be impossible to say who the real Dani California is.
Scott McKenzie – San Francisco
A song for the free love movement, San Francisco almost instantly became a hit in the hippie community who regularly congregated in the city. Throwing references to flowers in your hair, this song was actually written for McKenzie by none other than John Philips of the Mamas and Papas.
George Strait – Marina del Rey
What could you want more than a summer romance in California? Nothing if you were to ask George Strait, whose song Marina del Rey tells the story of summer loving in a beachside California town. And while the lovers end up having to go their separate ways, their love and longing will always come to mind when thinking of California.
The Mamas and the Papas – California Dreamin’
Considering all that it hold, it is not hard to imagine why someone would be dreaming of California, as the Mamas and the Papas do. The song perfectly encapsulates the breezy, folksy vibe of the 1960s and is a song that makes any listener automatically yearn for the Golden State, whether they had experienced it before or not.
Buck Owens – Streets of Bakersfield
Far from the glitz and glam of Hollywood, there is Bakersfield in Kern County. A somewhat overlooked stretch of the southern valley, that is mainly responsible for agriculture and energy production, it is not the first place you would associate with the California vibe. But seeing as it is there, and these country inclined musicians took a liking to it, it is now forever a part of the growing collection of California-themed songs.
Phantom Planet – California
What more could you want in life than to be cruising down the pacific coastal highway 101, with the top down and not a single care in the world? Nothing, if you were to ask Phantom Planet, whose iconic song became the theme song for the teen melodrama “The O.C.”, forever cementing the song as a California classic.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
The title track from the band’s best-selling album is not a celebration of the California life, instead it is a scathing critique of the extravagant and plastic lifestyle of many of the Hollywood residents. To quote one of the most famous lines, “Pay your surgeon very well to break the spell of aging”.
2Pac – California Love
With one of the most iconic opening hooks, this masterpiece of West Coast rap was destined to be a hit, if only for the fact that it was created by two powerhouses of the day 2Pac and Dr. Dre. The song captured both the gangster life of Los Angeles while also giving a tip of the hat to the state that hosts their beloved city.
NWA – Straight Outta Compton
While it might not be the sleek image of California that we are used to, “Straight Outta Compton” certainly gives a realistic view of what life is like in one of the Golden State’s roughest neighborhoods. It is not all glitz and glam on the West Coast, as NWA made abundantly clear.
Led Zeppelin – Going to California
A rather surprising and folksy addition to Led Zeppelin’s untitled 1971 album, it remains a fan favorite. Perhaps inspired by the pilgrimage that many British bands did to reach the peaks of their careers by making it out to Hollywood, or simply an ode to the state that had shown them the most love, the song was considered a lyrical failure by then songwriter and frontman Robert Plant.
Dionne Warwick – Do You Know The Way to San Jose
Telling the classic hopeful tale of a performer who tried and failed to make it big in Hollywood and who is now left with no other option than to pack up and go back to San Jose (their hometown). This song was awarded a Grammy in 1968, potentially hinting at the fact that if you write songs about the state, you might be able to sway the judges.
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Lodi
Another telling of the tale of the travelling artist who cannot make it in the hash world of Hollywood, “Lodi” was released as the B-side to “Bad Moon Rising” and is a wildly underrated track. Named after a once small town in the Golden State, the travelling musician protagonist ponders the trails and tribulations of his life and career.
Katy Perry – California Gurls
Apparently the Beach Boys are not enough to make a song legendary. What you need is Katy Perry to come along, slightly change the words and melody, while redirecting the meaning of the song to talk about actual Californian girls. Love it or hate it, such legendary lines as “so hot [they’ll] melt your popsicle”, will always be a classic way to think about the Golden State.
Lana Del Rey – West Coast
In the modern era, few artists manage to capture the laid back Cali vibe that was present in so much music throughout the 60s and 70s. But Lana Del Rey and especially her song “West Coast” most certainly contain all the chill and cool components of a 60s California classic.
Joni Mitchell – California
When you live far away from home, there is no way of avoiding a little homesickness. And when that homesickness struck Joni Mitchell while living in France, she wrote her song “California”. It was released as the second single from her earth-shattering album “Blue” and was a love letter to the state and all the people she had left behind there.
Belinda Carlisle – California
If you have not realized by now California, and more specifically Los Angeles, is a double-edged sword. On one side fame, fortune and good vibes, on the other poverty, destruction and demeaning conditions. Carlisle’s song talks about both the good and the bad of the state, giving a rather well-balanced perspective.
Albert Hammond – It Never Rains in Southern California
A somewhat satirical name, this 1972 classic detailed the struggles of making the Californian dream a reality and all the juxtaposing irony that comes along with such a pursuit of grandeur. The song’s melancholic tone blends seamlessly with the critical lyrical content, contrasting the state’s sunny image.
Frank Sinatra – L.A. Is My Lady
You might be forgiven for thinking that Sinatra was paid to write celebratory songs about every city he visited, but it seems that Frank really did have a fondness, at least for Los Angeles. This jazz standard is a loving ode to the city of lights, depicted in the lyrics as a captivating woman.
Everclear – Santa Monica
Representing the grit of Grunge culture which developed on the West Coast, “Santa Monica” a gives a rough around the edges, yet hopeful perspective on life in the coastal city in south California.
Billy Joel – Say Goodbye to Hollywood
Billy Joel was never one to not speak his mind, and in this 1976 classic, he details the relief he feels when leaving Hollywood. The lyrics speak of the city’s demanding lifestyle and the challenges that are out shone by the bright lights of the city’s glitz and glam.
Tom Petty – Free Fallin
While you might have thought this was a song about skydiving, you could not be further from the truth. Unless, that is, you are skydiving into the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. And if you were, then you would likely get to see the exhilarating features of the Californian experience and the deep-seated struggles that come with that experience, as the song describes.
