Songs That Mention California

24hrs is Robert Davis III, a music artist from Oakland, active since 2011. Post Malone is a singer/songwriter/rapper/actor from Texas and New York. This song is from the album "Sunset Blvd" released in 2016.

"Take you where you wanna go
Malibu or Rodeo
Take it fast or take it slow
Anything you want is yours
I love the Private Club
24hrs, and you know it's Post Malone
Don't tell nobody (Ahh)

You remind me of my ex (My ex)
With way more style (Style)
She the type to face the bottle (Bottle)
And really go wild (Go wild)
I've been fu**kin' with the Xans (Xans)
I can't even feel my face (Face)
She put her legs up high (High)
And said, 'Twenty how it taste?' (Taste)
Makes it even crazier, I met her at Chase
Never been the type to try to chase
But I'll be up front, I'll be up front

I wanna take you out to Malibu (Ooh-oh-oh)
Hot sake when we eat at Nobu (Ooh-oh-oh)
And baby got a smile like a- (Ooh-oh-oh)
Baby got a smile like a actress (Aye)
I wanna take you out to Malibu (Malibu)
Hot sake when we eat at Nobu (No-obu)
And baby got a smile like a- (Actress, aye)
Baby got a smile like a actress (Actress)

Baby was attracted by the gold on my tooth (Ooh)
I'm just so in love, I don't know what else to do (Oh)
Take you out to eat, don't like sushi, but you do (Yeah)
Yeah, you might find a diamond ring in your miso soup (Damn)
Ayy, I've been workin', baby, baby just to see you have
And you always make me smile when I say my day was cra', yeah
I'm just tryna drive and she grabbin' on my pants, yeah
Speed a hundred miles, swear to God I'm finna crash, yeah
Take you down PCH in a whip
That you ain't ever seen before (Wow)
Take you down PCH in a whip
That you ain't ever seen before (Ooh-oh-oh)

I wanna take you out to Malibu (Ooh-oh-oh)
Hot sake when we eat at Nobu (Ooh-oh-oh)
And baby got a smile like a- (Ooh-oh-oh)
Baby got a smile like a actress (Ooh-oh-oh)
I wanna take you out to Malibu (Ooh-oh-oh)
Hot sake when we eat at Nobu (Ooh-oh-oh)
And baby got a smile like a- (Ooh-oh-oh, ahh)
Baby got a smile like a actress (Ooh-oh-oh)

I wanna show you s**t you've never seen (Never seen)
The way we fu**in', you deserve a wedding ring (Wedding ring)
We ate some shrooms, now we seein' better things (Better things)
Fat Sal's with a side of onion rings (Onion rings)
All this ice on me like it's hockey (Hockey)
She said she want tickets to the Roxy (Roxy)
She said, "Twenty I ain't on no press s**t (Press s**t)
Tell Oscar put me on the guest list" (Guest list)
I love it when she got an attitude (Attitude)
Baby girl, I ain't mad at you (Mad at you)
Wanna take you out to Malibu (Malibu)
I'll be up front, I'll be up front (Ooh-oh-oh)

I wanna take you out to Malibu (Ooh-oh-oh)
Hot sake when we eat at Nobu (Ooh-oh-oh)
And baby got a smile like a- (Ooh-oh-oh)
Baby got a smile like a actress
I wanna take you out to Malibu (Ooh-oh-oh)
Hot sake when we eat at Nobu (Ooh-oh-oh)
And baby got a smile like a- (Ooh-oh-oh)
Baby got a smile like a actress (Ooh-oh-oh)

Take you where you wanna go
Malibu or Rodeo
Take it fast or take it slow
Anything you want is yours
Take you where you wanna go
Malibu or Rodeo
Take it fast or take it slow
Anything you want is yours"

50 Cent

In da Club

50 Cent is the professional name of Curtis Jackson III, a rapper-actor-producer from New York City, active since 1996. This massive hit party anthem is from his album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" released in 2003. It stayed at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 9 weeks and showed up on a number of critics' best songs lists. It was made in L.A. with Eminem and Dr. Dre ,which might have inspired the brief nod to L.A. The video linked to here won MTV Video's best rap video and (in 2024) has more than 2 billion views on YouTube. It's the censored radio edit version, so those lyrics are show below. The uncensored version is a lot more more NSFW.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go
Go Shorty, it's your birthday
We gon' party like it's your birthday
We gon' sip Bacardi like it's your birthday
And you know we don't give a f**k, it's not your birthday

You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub'
Mama, I got what you need, if you need to feel the buzz
I'm into havin' sex, I ain't into makin' love
So come give me a hug if you into gettin' rubbed
You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub'
Mama, I got what you need, if you need to feel the buzz
I'm into havin' sex, I ain't into makin' love
So come give me a hug if you into gettin' rubbed

When I pull up out front, you see the Benz on dubs (Huh-uh)
When I roll twenty deep it's always drama in the club (Yeah!)
Now that I roll with Dre everybody show me love
When you sell like Eminem you get plenty of groupie love
Look homie, ain't nothin' changed: pros down, G's up
I see Xzibit in the cut, hey man, roll them **** up (Roll it!)
If you watch how I move, you'll mistake me for a player or pimp
Been hit with a few ****, but I don't walk with a limp (I'm aight)
In the hood in L.A. they sayin', '50, you hot' (Huh-uh)
They like me, I want 'em to love me like they love Pac
But holla in New York, fo' sho' they'll tell you I'm loco (Yeah!)
And the plan is to put the rap game in a chokehold (Huh-uh)
I'm fully focused, man, my money on my mind
Got a mil' out the deal and I'm still on the grind (Whoo!)
Now Shorty said she feelin' my style, she feelin' my flow (Huh-uh)
Her girlfriend with her, they bi and they ready to go (Okay!)

You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub'
Mama, I got what you need, if you need to feel the buzz
I'm into havin' sex, I ain't into makin' love
So come give me a hug if you into gettin' rubbed
You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub'
Mama, I got what you need, if you need to feel the buzz
I'm into havin' sex, I ain't into makin' love
So come give me a hug if you into gettin' rubbed (Rubbed)

My flow, my show brought me the dough
That bought me all my fancy things
My crib, my cars, my clothes, my jewels
Look, homie, I done came up and I ain't changed (What? What? Yeah!)

And you should love it way more than you hate it
Oh, you mad? I thought that you'd be happy I made it (Whoo!)
I'm that cat by the bar toastin' to the good life
Moved out the hood, now you tryin' to pull me back, right?
When my joint get to pumpin' in the club, it's on
I wink my eye at yo' chick, if she smiles, she gone
If the roof on fire, man, just let it burn
They talkin' about money, homie, I ain't concerned
I'ma tell you what Banks told me:
'Cuz, go 'head, switch the style up
And if they hate, then let 'em hate, and watch the money pile up.'
Or we can go upside your head with a bottle of bub'
Come on, they know where we be (Whoo!)

You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub'
Mama, I got what you need, if you need to feel the buzz
I'm into havin' sex, I ain't into makin' love
So come give me a hug if you into gettin' rubbed
You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub'
Mama, I got what you need, if you need to feel the buzz
I'm into havin' sex, I ain't into makin' love
So come give me a hug if you into gettin' rubbed (Ha-ha-ha-ha)

Don't try to act like you don't know where we be neither
We in the club all the time, so pop, pop off
Shady Aftermath (Ha-ha-ha-ha)"

The 69 Eyes

Heaven in a Black Leather Jacket

The 69 Eyes are a rock band formed in 1989 in Finland, where the Prime Minister likes to party. This song, released in 2022, is about the seedy side of L.A., including a reference to the Night Stalker serial killer.

"Sweet taste of your Hollywood coke
And a sweet taste of your lips
What's a matter with you baby
Can't you get your kicks

Another suicide in an L.A. style
Another dead star home
Don't you know when the heat is on
Baby you're on your own

California
I really need ya
I really need ya
California
I really need ya
I really need ya

It's freedom that they're lookin' for
And it's freedom that they sell
What you want pretty Sunset babe
You know I can tell

Someone's got it in an overnight
Someone's got an OD
Don't you know when they think you're done
Baby nothing's for free

California
I really need ya
I really need ya
California
I really need ya
I really need ya
California
I really need ya
Baby I need ya
California
I really need ya
I really need ya

Night Stalker in a traffic jam
When the heat is on
Palm trees of Venice
Don't you change that song

California
I really need ya
I really need ya
California
I really need ya
I really need ya...."

The 6ths (featuring Robert Scott)

The 6ths is a band formed by Stephin Merritt, the main singer-songwriter for The Magnetic Fields and other bands, who comes from New York. For the 6ths, he writes the songs but he brings in other singers to do the vocals.This one is sung by Robert Scott, a musician from New Zealand, a member of the great '80s Dunedin indie rock bands The Clean and The Bats, and others. This is from the album "Wasps' Nests" released in 1995.

"She'll be leaving on a Sunday morning train
You'll be hanging around the docks again
Some work is never done
Can't sleep for holding on till then

Heaven in a black leather jacket
Hit me like a hurricane
Heaven in a black leather jacket
I don't even know your name
Heaven in a black leather jacket
Kiss me in the Hollywood rain

You've been running through the limbic system maze
Drowning it in a dull lysergic haze
Can't find much peace of mind
But after sunset you'll be fine

Heaven in a black leather jacket
Hit me like a hurricane
Heaven in a black leather jacket
I don't even know your name
Heaven in a black leather jacket
Kiss me in the Hollywood rain

Can't find much peace of mind
But after sunset you'll be fine

Heaven in a black leather jacket
Hit me like a hurricane
Heaven in a black leather jacket
I don't even know your name
Heaven in a black leather jacket
Kiss me in the Hollywood rain"

The 6ths (featuting Barbara Manning)

San Diego Zoo

This song is sung by Barbara Manning, a singer-songwriter from San Diego. It's from the first 6ths album "Wasps' Nests" released in 1995. You have to love a song that comes with driving directions....

"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?

Left you in a sidewalk cafe
I'm the restless kind
And I must have been out of my mind
'Cause I haven't slept since Wednesday
I've been getting thin
I just want to see your silly grin

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?
How could I have ever left you?

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
San Diego Zoo (San Diego Zoo)
How could I have ever left you?
How could I have ever left you?"

The 95's

Like California

The 95's are a pop band from Los Angeles. This song was released in 2022.

"Soft sounds
Faded jeans, rest your head, come lay down
Like the first time in L.A. by downtown
My heart was on borrow time
'Cause I knew you be mine

With you in California
Your perfect heart a perfect sight to see
With you in California
I never want to leave
Stay with me

Late nights
See the city lights in our car as we pass by
The old park we would sit and watch the stars fly
In my jacket as you would look and tell me
Your heart was with me

With you in California
Your perfect heart a perfect sight to see
With you in California
I never want to leave
Stay with me

With you in California
Stained Nike’s and a sunset with me

With you in California
Your perfect heart a perfect sight to see
With you in California
I never want to leave

Let's Take a drive night or day
With no end or place to stay
We’ll hide out from the pouring rain
Take my hand come lead the way
I'll love you through the high and lows
Take me to the Laguna Coast
There’s no place that I’d rather be"

10,000 Maniacs

City of Angels

10,000 Maniacs is an alternative rock band founded in New York in 1981, with most of their success between 1987 and 1993 when Natalie Merchant was the lead singer and main songwriter. This song is from their 1987 album "In My Tribe." The title of the song refers to the literal translation of the Spanish language name for the city of Los Angeles.

"Heaven, is this Heaven
Heaven, is this Heaven
Heaven, is Heaven where we are?
See them walking, if you dare oh, if you call that walking.
Stumble, stagger, fall and drag themselves along the streets of Heaven.

Where is the blessed table to feed all who hunger on Earth,
Welcomed and seated each one is joyfully served?
See them walking, if you dare oh, if you call that walking.
Stumble, stagger, fall and drag themselves along the streets of Heaven.

Where is the halo that should glow 'round your face,
And where are the wings that should grow from your shoulder blades?
Show them to me.
Sobering sights I've seen in the City of Angels
Have all been one rude awakening that was due to me in Heaven.

Sobering sights I've seen in the City of Angels
Have all been one rude awakening that was due to me in Heaven.

There would have been heavenly music I was convinced before.
A host of the dearly to meet me with Hosannas sung at the door,
But these sobering sights I've seen in the City of Angels
Have all been one rude awakening that was due to me
In this city of fallen angels."

Here We Go Again (I Love Lake Tahoe)

'A', sometimes written A (the band), is an alternative rock band from Suffolk, England, formed in 1993 during the Britrock movement. This snowboarding anthem is from their second album "A vs. Monkey Kong." This is the title of the song that was released in the US. In the UK it is titled simply "I Love Lake Tahoe". In the US the title is sometimes stylized with a heart symbol instead of the word "love". There is a really long pause in the middle of the song, then a light cymbal hit. The video pauses, hilariously, in that spot to wait for a dog to defecate on the shore of the lake, with the cymbal hitting when the poop drops. It seems like they probably recorded the music just to fit the video. So, do Brits really fly all the way to California's ski resorts? It takes about 17 hours to fly there from London.

"Four long years ago
Searching for the snow
We found the Tahoe lakes
Just about the perfect place

Fifty rooms at Heavenly
And the nights at Squaw Valley
Yeah, the trees are pretty wide-
That's where Sonny Bono died

All is quiet on New Year's day
Think I'll try'n impress my mates
So I jump into the lake
Yeah, I won't do that again!

Here we go again!
Here we go again!
Here we go again!

The South Shore has the lot
And last month Dave Lee Roth
He did a solo spot
And some German bloke got shot

Every year we say the same
'Try somewhere different for a change'
But we jump onto the plane, yeah
And here we go again!

Here we go again!
Here we go again!
Here we go again!...."

Chris Aable

California State Anthem

Chris Aable is a singer-songwriter and actor who, according to his IMDB biography, has lived in the "four corners" of the United States. This song was released in 2019, but don't be confused - it's not the official California state anthem.

Aable also made a dance version of the song - California State Dance Anthem with the same lyrics.

"California, California
A million things to see and do
A million places to go to
A million miles I've traveled through
Or the millions of smiles I see in you

California, California
To me you'll always be
Home sweet home to me
California, California

Where the clouds are brighter white
Where the skies are filled with brighter stars at night
Where the sun sets in golden hues
The prettiest views I ever knew
The prettiest place I've ever seen
Fall, winter, summer, and spring
Ever growing and evergreen
Bringing out the best in everything

California, California
To me you'll always be
Home sweet home to me
California, California

I give praise for California, California
I give praise for California, California"

ABIV (Antoine Bradford)

California Republic

Antoine Bradford, formerly known as ABIV, is a singer-songwriter from Southern California. This song is from his album "Without You" released in 2016. It's an alternative soul or R&B sound but without any bass and drums, just acoustic guitar.

"It's so wonderful how you came into my life
Like a shooting start, you brightened up my sky-y-y
Out of nowhere, you appeared in brilliant light
And I was blinded by your beauty

Now every single day, I see you passing by
And I feel free just like a bird up in the sky
But you don't notice me, I'm just some random guy
Hidden underneath this blue, California sky

The way you smile, I love it
And wear your hair, I love it
The look in your eyes, I love it
Everything about you, I love it
And it might seem strange for me to say this
But you're so amazing
And I don't think there's any flaws in you

And you got me daydreamin'
You got me daydreamin'
You got me daydreamin'
Yeah, yeah, yeah

You got me feelin' hungover by the fragrance that you bring
And when you move, I swear, the wind's beneath your feet
You got style and grace like I have never seen
How could someone like you even be reality?

And now I'm tryin' new things to get you to notice me
Like opening doors and giving compliments for free
But it's not working 'cause you still don't speak to me
Why is it so hard for you to turn your head and see?

The way you smile, I love it
And wear your hair, I love it
The look in your eyes, I love it
Everything about you, I love it
And it might seem strange for me to say this
But you're so amazing
And I don't think there's any flaws in you

And you got me daydreamin'
You got me daydreamin'
You got me daydreamin'
Yeah, yeah, yeah...."

Above The Law (featuring Kokane)

Kalifornia

Above the Law was a hip hop group from Pomona active from 1989-2021. This classic G-funk from their third album "Uncle Sam's Curse," released in 1994, name checks classic California songs and shows lots of love for all of Southern California - as long as you don't visit the Valley.

"[Cold 187um]
"Yeah. Wanna give a shout out to all my ni***s out there in the West Coast. On the West Coast, yeah. Yeah, uhh. Yo, I got to give a shout out to Pomona. Got to give it out to South Central, Watts, Compton, Long Beach. But for now, KM.G, won't you spit, spit, spit for 'em."

[KM.G]
Motherf***ers don't get mad, cause Cali's kind of fly
We be the gangsta town, the n***s that like to stay high
The land of big diamonds, y'all
Palm trees, lowriders and movie stars, hey
Where fools be mobbin' we the real original
Where jackin' is an art, punk n***s get their caps peeled
And the hoes ain't scared to show they body
They wear the fly s**t and freaks the set party
Give it up and the hoes wearin' baggy s**t
They're showin' the world why n***s out here pussywhipped
They got n***s goin' to pens, got n***s stealin' ends
For friends, for foes, for shows and mo' hoes
'Cause it costs a grip to live on the West Coast
Cause we be flossin', we leave the world a comatose
It's all about the paper here, so here, my dear
Roll me up a little chronic, 'cause L.A. got the bionic

[Hook]
Cause you got to have heart, to live in Cali, y'all
You got to have the fly s**t, to live in Cali, y'all
It'll cost you a grip, to live in Cali, y'all
See, the hoes be legit, when you live in Cali, y'all

[Kokane]
They say it never rains in Southern California
That's what they tell me
G's with the big bank, gold wire players
Livin' it up just to be a ho layer
All West Coast Cali funk, we got them runnin' in flocks
Now, Freddie's dead but his partner superchicken got shipped to the dope spot
Ugh, and like KM.G, they said them hoes be trippin'
'Cause b***es be settin' a n**a up, when you're all flossin'
Still tossin, yeah, I'm bound to break bread
Wake up in the mornin, found a mother****in' bullet in my head
But it's alright, if your game's hooked up tight
And in the summer time riders on corners
I wish you all could be California...
You save up all winter from slingin' dope to get a fly ride
But still funkin' on them switches for the b****es
This is how the West ball
They call me Mr. Flossy, dollar dollar bill y'all, ugh

[Hook]
Cause you got to have heart, to live in Cali, y'all
You got to have the fly s**t, to live in Cali, y'all
It'll cost you a grip, to live in Cali, y'all
See, the hoes be legit, when you live in Cali, y'all

[Cold 187um:]
"Yeah, and that's the West Coast anthem, Cali style, boy."
[KM.G]
"Straight up, straight up. Yo, yo, homeboy, they don't know, we be like flossin', man."
[Cold 187um:]
"Yo man, let me set it off for them, let me set it off for them, uh."

[Cold 187um]
It's the first of the month and I just came up
I'm headed to the shop to put some rims on my truck
Yeah, and you know I'm like cold on them hoes
'Cause I'm rollin' in a black-on-black 4-54
It's time for me to check my connect
So I could be on deck before them fiends get their county checks
I left about 11:15
I spotted this fly fly cutie in some Karl Kani jeans
And you know, I'm on them gold ones
So, here she come, here she come
Here she mother****in' kitty come
Ah s**t, it's Sabrina from Covina
I hope she don't remember that I tossed her cousin Tina
Uh, she probably don't care anyway
'Cause b****es up in Cali got game for days
She needed a ride to the mall, I said stall, I got s**t to do
I ain't got no time to be f***in' with you
Ugh, and plus, do I look like a cab?'
Turn the Alpine up, then I stab
It was hot like a motherf***er, headed to the store
Saw a couple little homies kickin' it at the front door
They said: 'Yo, hook us up, man'
Bought them a 40, for me I got a tall can
I said peace, don't be trippin', little comrades
But I should be worried 'bout my own ass

[KM.G]
Yeah, 'cause we're on hit to bring you the fly s**t
To make you feel pressure, cause Cali can test ya
Comrades still hangin', my n***s still bangin'
And there's a whole lot of n***s still movin' yaya

[Cold 187um]
Because it's highly compatible to come up
You got to have heart and you got to have a lot of luck
So if I hear you sayin' Cali' ain't s**t
Yo, you probably visited the Valley, little b***h"

Miss Abrams and the Strawberry Point Third Grade Class

Mill Valley

This soft pop song was written by Rita Abrams and recorded by the class she was teaching in 1970. Somehow it got played on the radio and made it onto the Billboard charts, peaking at #5 on the Easy Listening chart, so then they recorded an entire album. Abrams quit teaching to pursue a successful career in writing music after that. Mill Valley is a small town 14 miles north of San Francisco in Marin County.

"I'm gonna talk about a place
That's got a hold on me,
Mill Valley
A little place where life
Feels very fine and free,
Mill Valley
Where people aren't afraid to smile
And stop and talk with you awhile,
And you can be as friendly
As you want to be.
Mill Valley!
Talkin' 'bout Mill Valley,
That's my home!
It looks as pretty in the rain
As in the sun,
Mill Valley
And there's a mountain
That belongs to ev'ry one,
Mill Valley
And there are creeks
That run on endlessly,
And trees as far as you can see
It makes you feel as if
Your life has just begun.
Mill Valley
Talkin' 'bout Mill Valley,
Talkin' 'bout Mill Valley, California,
That's my home!
I know that there may come a time
I'll have to leave Mill Valley,
And ev'ry memory
Will seem like make-believe Mill Valley
And all the good things
That are mine right now,
Will call to me and ask me how
I could have left them all behind
How could I leave Mill Valley,
Talkin' 'bout Mill Valley,
Talkin' 'bout Mill Valley, California,
That's my home!"

Ab-Soul (featuring Vince Staples and Kamm Carson)

California Dream

Ab-Soul is the stage name of Herbert Stevens IV, a rapper from Carson, California, active since 2002. Vince Staples is a rapper from Compton, California, active since 2008. Kamm Carson is from Carson, California. This song is from Ab-Soul's album "Soul Burger" released in 2024.

[Vince Staples]
"Everything is as it should be
F**k what it could or would or should be
F**k what it would or should or could be, yeah
Everything is as it should be
F**k what it could or should or would be
I've been asking God, 'Why me?'

Yo, ayy, see me out, don't shake my hand or you was there for me
Keep my phone on DND, hoes get left on read
Seen so many late nights, nowadays I can't sleep
Every time we gang slide, somebody R.I.P.
Dope man had my daddy hooked, shooter like Kareem
No, I ain't no open book, baby, I'm a G
Keep it on me, keep a look, keep it in the street
Used to be my partner then 'fore he went PC
Call me what you want, just don't call the police
'Cause f**k the industry, they fail to meet my needs
What's up with all these fake thugs lyin' on these beats?
Just tryna get my pay stubs, please don't intervene
Shoot you, leave you dead or in the jail, I'm somewhere in between
I'm independent, but I'm signed to UMG
I'm in the trenches, but I grew up walking distance from the beach
Yeah, living out that California dream (Uh, play it back)

[Ab-Soul & Vince Staples]
'Cause I been practicin' that everything is as it should be
F**k what it would've, should've, or it could be (Ayy)
But sometimes, I be asking God, 'Why me?'
We'll never get an answer 'cause I know it already
I'm covered in the blood, cuz, am I a demigod or what?
Me and D was in the doghouse on top of the VIP
So it's no coincidence my insignia in TDE
They turned the idea into the media, that's genius
Herbert Stevens IV, that's intravenous
Still thuggin', drop a sample in the club with No I.D.
That one was members only
If you ain't know me when me and Blocka was rollin' up the Blanka
Or ate a dandelion, French coast and Polish sausage
You'll probably do better overseas
Instead of living out that California dream, woah

[Kamm Carson]
I seen it all on Turmont in 2003
Age thirteen, used to think murder was make-believe
Role models Crippin' like DoeBurger and Killa D
Play football and you bangin', you signed to the streets
Nike swingman jersey, I'm out bright and early
Chirp on my hip, I'm waitin' for the birdies
Blocks go east-west, it's runnin' like a derby
Ain't worried 'bout cops, you know them ni**as nerdy
Louisiana fried chicken just got here
The smokers out early tellin' Johnnys who block where
Killers turned snitch kinda ruined the culture
Seen a lot get divided, she was pushin' a stroller
She got by the stop sign, the opps on a bike ride
They hopped off bustin', hit her cousin like five times
Street general, would've thought he had nine lives
Now it's car wash, fundraisers, and fish fries, uh
I seen it all on Turmont in 2003
Sayin' good prayers for all the children that had to leave
Curtis Middle School, eighth grade, couldn't handle me
Playin' suicide, get socked if you drop the tennis B
Ball harder, a kid watchin' The Godfather (Uh)
Corleone in my bones, you ni**as Hightowers (Uh)
Steve Harvey, one-oh-six for the videos (Woo)
Park ni**as in the alley known to get tricky, bro (Shoo)
I seen it all on Turmont in 2003
Fae and back arm tats, lil' ni**as like seventeen (Facts)
Real big blower, where ni**as from, it better be (What?)
The lawnmower, I had a dream like Dr. King"

Ace of Base

Southern California

Ace of Base is a pop group from Sweden formed in 1990 that had several huge hits in the 1990s, including the best-selling album of 1994, "The Sign." This song is from the album "The Golden Ratio" released in 2010. It's a revision of the song "Sunset in Southern California" which you can see below, with much different lyrics and a similar chorus. When I hear this song I can't help but think of the Heaven's Gate religious cult that was based in San Diego in 1997 when 39 members committed mass suicide and hope it's not the cult the singer apparently joins in San Diego.

""On the road to nowhere, every day was just the same
So I took my belongings, and hitchhiked no more to blame
To California, in the warm Summer of love
All my life I've been searching
All my life I've been searching

I came to a crossroad, where a stranger gazed and spoke
He was looking kinda peculiar
In a purple-colored cloak
He wore a token, never seen before
He said: "All my life I've been searching"
All my life I've been searching

Sunset in Southern California
And the morning seems so far so far away
Sunset in Southern California
In the distance there's the light of San Diego

I came to his temple at noon the second day
It was a lot of mumbling, in the shadows did they pray
Feeling kind of dizzy, a gong struck and people chant
All my life I've been searching
All my life I've been searching

Sunset in Southern California
And the morning seems so far so far away
Sunset in Southern California
In the distance there's the light of San Diego

Then a kind of a leader, appeared in fume and smoke
All dressed in silver
An authoritarian bloke
He turned around and talked to me
With a demagogic voice
All my life I've been searching
All my life I've been searching

Sunset in Southern California
And the morning seems so far so far away
Sunset in Southern California
In the distance there's the light of San Diego
In the distance there's the light of San Diego
In the distance there's the light of San Diego
In the distance there's the light of San Diego""

Ace of Base

Sunset in Southern California

This is from the album "Hidden Gems" released in 2015, a compilation of unreleased songs and b-sides recorded between 1991 and 2005. It was revised with much different lyrics and made into the song "Sunset in Southern California" which you can see above, though it's mostly the chorus that's similar.

"All the couples on the beach are tellin' me
Oooh, take me home
I will stand here star-gazing so I might
See a glimpse of someone like you

Sunset in Southern California, a-aah
Where the light is low, it's reaching for the night
Sunset in Southern California
In the distance there's the light of San Diego

Where the morning seems so far, so far away
Oh Lord, take me home
And the sea so purple tells me about you
My love, as you are in a

Sunset in Southern California, a-aah
Where the light is low, it's reaching for the night
Sunset in Southern California
In the distance there's the light of San Diego

The roaring of the sea
Will tell you about me
I'm not so far away, I'm so much like you
My story is come to an end
I liked you as a friend
But now it's so much more
Oh how I love you

Sunset in Southern California, a-aah
Where the light is low, it's reaching for the night
Sunset in Southern California
In the distance there's the light of San Diego

Sunset in Southern California, a-aah
Where the light is low, it's reaching for the night
Sunset in Southern California
In the distance there's the light of San Diego
In the distance there's the light of San Diego
And the light is telling me how much I miss you"

The Acousticats

California Republic

The Acousticats were a bluegrass group active in the early 1990s who formed in Santa Barbara. This is from their 1992 debut album “Down at Evangelina’s.”

"Roll on California
The Republic is ridin' high
You're my final destination
I will be here when I die

From the streets of San Diego
On up the Mission Trail
Follow ancient footsteps
Where ...... avail

From Shasta to goldfields
Tahoe to Death Valley

Where the hills of California
Are always home to me"

Ryan Adams

Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd.

Ryan Adams is a rock/alt-country musical artist originally from North Carolina, active since 1990. This is a slow sad piano song with strings from his second album "Gold" released in 2001.

"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 "

Ryan Adams

La Cienega Just Smiled

This is another song from Adam's 2002 album "Gold." La Cienega is a major boulevard in Los Angeles that is the apparent subject of this song though I don't know what is Adams' connection with it. If it's not about the street, then "la cienega" in Spanish means "the swamp" which could also be a description of L.A.

' "Oh the night...here it comes again"
It's on with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt
How'd I end up feeling so bad
For such a little girl
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt
And I'm too scared to know to how I feel about you now
La Cienega just smiles..."see ya around"
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
And raise my glass 'cause either way I'm dead
Neither of you really help me to sleep anymore
One breaks my body and the other breaks my soul
La Cienega just smiles as it waves goodbye

"Oh the night...here it comes again"
It's off with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt
How'd I end up feeling so bad
For such a little girl
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt
And I'm too scared to know how I feel about you now
How I feel about you now
La Cienega just smiles and says, "I'll see you around" '

Cannonball Adderly and Ernie Andrews

I'm Always Drunk in San Francisco (And I Don't Drink At All)

Cannonball Adderley was a jazz saxophonist from Indiana active from 1955-1975, best known for his work in the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s, including his recordings with Miles Davis. Ernie Andrews was a jazz, blues, and pop singer from Philadelphia, born in 1927.

This is the first recording of this song that was written by Tommy Wolf, a composer and piano player from Missouri, who was born in 1925 and active until 1975. It was first released on the album "Live Session! Cannonball Adderley With The New Exciting Voice Of Ernie Andrews!" in 1964, recorded live at The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, CA, October 4, 1964.

Carmen McRae released a version of the song in 1967 that is probably the most widely known version.
Nancy Wilson also released a version of the song in 1968.
San Quinn, Tuf Luv and B-Legit made a rap song in 2012 that uses a sample from the Nancy Wilson song for the hook.

"I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I always stay out of my mind
But if you’ve been to San Francisco
They say that things like this go on all the time

It never happens nowhere else
It must be in the air
Can't really seem to help myself
And what’s more, I don't care

I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm never feeling any pain
But tell me why does San Francisco
Just like a lover's kiss go straight to my brain

I guess it's just, it's just the mood I'm in
That acts like alcohol
Because I'm drunk in San Francisco
And I don’t drink at all"

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 his car 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
I heart California
I heart California... I love California
I heart California"

Adele

Hello

Adele (Adkins) is a singer-songwriter from England, and one of the worlds' best-selling music artists. She does a little bit of California Dreaming In this song that went to #1 in most of the world and won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year, from her album "25" released in 2015.

"Hello, it's me
I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet
To go over everything
They say that time's supposed to heal ya
But I ain't done much healing

Hello, can you hear me?
I'm in California dreaming about who we used to be
When we were younger and free
I've forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet

There's such a difference between us
And a million miles

Hello from the other side
I must've called a thousand times
To tell you I'm sorry
For everything that I've done
But when I call you never
Seem to be home

Hello from the outside
At least I can say that I've tried
To tell you I'm sorry
For breaking your heart
But it don't matter, it clearly
Doesn't tear you apart anymore...."

The Adolescents

L.A. Girl

The Adolescents are a punk band from Fullerton (in the O.C.) formed in 1980. This song is from their first studio album "Adolescents" released in 1981. The song was also featured in the 1995 movie "Empire Records."

"We don't care, you say we're too young
Waste our time tanning in the sun
We don't care what you know or think
Spoiled rich brat you ain't so neat

L.A. girl, L.A. world
Don't tell us how to act, don't tell us what to wear
L.A. girl, L.A. world
You didn't create our scene

We don't care
We can't see why
We don't live our lives
To keep you satisfied

Stuck in your world of dreams again
My life starts where your life ends
You've burned out your battery has died
If it wasn't for O.C. your scene wouldn't be alive

L.A. girl, L.A. world
Don't tell us how to act, don't tell us what to wear
L.A. girl, L.A. world
You didn't create our scene...."

The After Party

The After Party is a group from Kansas City. This is a pop song that was released in 2011.

"Its too late for me,
I'm tired and I'll catch up on sleep,
Sometimes next week,
My friend.

If there's love I'm going to chase it,
Even if it takes me 50 states I'll,
Never let a love like this
Go again.

Oh California,
I've been MIA, but I'm on my way
Back home

Sweet sweet Virginia,
If it starts to rain, I'll still be on my way,
My way

You want me to be,
Strong without you,
But sometimes you seem,
So far.

I believe in love and chase it,
Even if it takes some time lets face it,
I'll never let a love like this,
Go again.

Oh California,
I've been MIA, but I'm on my way
Back home

Sweet sweet Virginia,
If it starts to rain, I'll still be on my way,
My way
I'll still be on my way

All the things that we've been though,
The distance between me and you,
Can't keep me from loving you

When times get hard know in the end,
That you'll still be my everything,
I'm so in love with you

Oh California,
I've been MIA, but I'm on my way
Back home.... "

Afroman

Palmdale

Afroman is the stage name of Joseph Foreman, a rapper from L.A. This song is from his second studio album "Sell Your Dope" released in 2000.

"Just like bums, we used to stay in the slums of L.A. by the way
Gang-bangers killin' each other for rep, sellin' rock cocaine on my doorstep
Had a ball to bounce plus a bike to ride, but my mama never would let me play outside.
But when I got enrolled in elementary school, started bangin' like a f**kin' fool.
So cool, throwin' up gang signs to the gangster beat,
shot an enemy from across the street
Mama came home, said she got a good job.
Daddy did too. Now they don't squab.
Financially, we improvin'.
2 months later, son, we movin'.
No more duckin' from shotgun shells.
Bought a two-story house in East Palmdale.
(give it to me now.)

Palmdale, come back to me.
I need you and I love you, baby.
Palmdale, come back to me.
(Check it out, check it out, check it out.)

No more rats and no more roaches, livin' next door to football coaches.
Now I got a new place to sell me crack. Now I got little white kids to jack.
I stopped wearin' blue, wasn't trippin' on red. Too busy squabbin' with the skinheads.
Stupid questions, distract the class. Rubbin' little white girls on the a**.
I didn't really care if I passed or failed, I knew I was headed for the NFL,
Until the playoff game, shoulder got hurt. I thought about my future, layin' in the dirt.
I can't jump, I can't flinch. Superstar player, ridin' the bench.
Graduate from school? Don't make me laugh. I got an F+ in basic math.
(give it to me now.)

Palmdale, (Hell, yeah.) come back to me.
I gotta do one song for my neighborhood. Bucccoooc!
Palmdale, come back to me.
(check it out.)

I knew I couldn't make it in the white man's world, so I bought me some khakis and a jheri curl.
I knew I couldn't make it to the NFL, so I went to East Palmdale and started slingin' yayo.
For sure! I was makin' crazy dough. Should've dropped outta school a long time ago.
Bought a cell phone, like a nut. Now I deliver like Pizza Hut.
I drunk whisky and Bacardi. I sold dope to anybody.
Me and my homies sold dubs and dimes, took turns bustin' rhymes just to pass the time.
A white man drove up to my spot. He said, Hey, homeboy, what you got?
I put a fat rock inside his hand. About 25 sheriffs jumped out the van.
(Get down, punk.)

Palmdale, (Hell, yeah) come back to me.
I need you and I love you, baby.
Palmdale, come back to me.
(check it out, check it out, check it out.)

Can't get drunk. Can't get blunted. L.A. County, 95 hundred.
Crips wanna take my All-stars. Bloods wanna eat my Snicker bars.
Them peckerwoods don't want none, but the Mexican's straight own one.
Them Ese's, Catorces, Treces, always tryin' to test me
So I jumped off the bed, cause I ain't no punk. Jammed his head up against the bunk.
Socked that Cholo in his chin. Black motherf***ers scared to jump in.
Sheriff broke it up when we hit the floor. I kept talkin' s**t cause I want some more.
Back in town, we get along with the brown. Now I'm in jail, they tryin' to beat me down.
Jail is Hell, but I'll adapt. Won't hesitate to get in a scrap.
'Cause I'm down for mine, and that's for certain, sittin' in the hole with my knuckles hurtin'.
(Palmdale)

Palmdale, (Hell, yeah.) come back to me.
I need you and I love you, baby.
Palmdale, come back to me.
(check it out, homeboy.)

Now I got a f**ked up life. Two bad kids and a naggin' wife.
Dead end job at the airport. Check too short to pay the house note.
Turn on the TV, then I see different homeboys that went to school with me
Playin' in the NFL. We used to kick back in East Palmdale.
Rodney Williams. Lorenz Tate. Zeno plays for Colorado State.
I wish my homeboys much success, but at the same time, I still get depressed.
Walkin' through the wind with a cup full of gin thinkin' 'bout things that could've, would've, should've been.
I wipe my tears, sip my beers, wish good luck to my peers.
(Palmdale.)

Palmdale, come back to me.
I need you and I love you, baby.
Palmdale, come back to me.
Cause that's where my heartache began, heartache began....."

The Airborne Toxic Event

The Airborne Toxic Event is a rock band from Los Angeles formed in 2006. This song is from the album "Dope Machines" released in 2015.

"Someday they’re going to write about us, living here in the shadow of this gathering dust,
As the waves build up and drown the light, while we’re hanging from buildings on a Saturday night.

And the words she said… I could barely hear over the blare of the speakers and the smell of beer,
As she got up to speak, she lifted her dress. I remember her face but I forget the rest.

Here in California, I was
Just a name and a number, a face on a tumblr.
Here in California, we’re all stuck in the same scene,
All nightmares and daydreams
In California.

She said, “I got money, but I got no friends,” as we drove through the valley in her daddy’s Benz.
She said, “These pills wear off, but the pain don’t end. I never thought it would matter so much to pretend.”

And the thing about her that haunts me still: as her hands fell down to the steering wheel,
And a shock of light fell across her face, she said there’s only two ways out of this place.

Here in California, I was
Just a name and a number, a face on a tumblr.
Here in California, we’re all stuck in the same scene,
All nightmares and daydreams
In California.

And oh, I hope it’s clear: there’s no room for us anymore in the atmosphere,
But darling I always liked the desperation in your eyes,
The way you’d dance in the glow of the Hollywood Freeway lights.

Someday they’re gonna forget about us and we’ll wonder if we were ever good enough.
It hit me last night, in this song I heard, I remember the feeling but forget all the words.

Here in California, I was
Just a name and a number, a face on a tumblr.
Here in California, we’re all stuck in the same scene,
All nightmares and daydreams
In California."

The Airborne Toxic Event

Hollywood Park

This song is from the band's album "Hollywood Park" released in 2020. The singer must have really liked going to the track to sing so passionately about it, or maybe he was just a gambling addict.

Hollywood Park was a horse racetrack in Inglewood, California that was demolished beginning in 2014 to make room for a planned neighborhood also named Hollywood Park that includes an NFL football stadium, a concert hall, a casino, office buildings, housing and more, all of which made me realize that a racetrack takes up a lot of real estate.

"A73-581 was the number, they burned it in my brain
I could feel it in my veins
We could run, we could run, we could run
We were running away

And the fourteen dollars I made on the bus ride from Chino
I laid it on the third
He was due and I was due
For a change, for a change, I'm tired of living a lie

And they were writing their names up in the sky
And we would watch them as they brought the horses by
And I felt like I was ready to die
When the bell went off and the races would start at Hollywood Park

For fifteen years I had lived in a room with my heart on my sleeve
And my throat dry from heaving the words
You can change, you can change
If you're ready to try

And we would laugh as the horses thundered by
And I would tip my brand new hat up to the sky
And nothing could come between you and I
As the horses ran wild through the dark at Hollywood Park

And when they tore it down, there was a wrecking sound
And it rattled through my bones
And then a cry went out through the streets that night
'Cause we knew we'd lost our home

And there's only the wreckage and this dirt still on my hands
And the roar of the ghosts as they stood up in the stands

Where do we go?
Who are all of these voices I've never heard?
And what becomes of us now?
Buried in concrete and broken earth

As I stare out from the highway at these miles and miles of graves
Under convenience stores and corner malls, all the countless roads they paved

Yeah I wonder if it's lucky, or if you just forget the cost
Or the price of the admission for all endless bets you lost

In fifty years I will dream of this moment from a bed
Tired from lifting, my legs tired from drifting around
Through the dust, through the dust
In all the time that I would spend

But I never claimed I knew how this would end
Or the order of the horses at the bend
All I knew is I would be back again
And we'd stand here as the world fell apart
At Hollywood Park"

Air Waves

Air Waves is an indie rock band based in Brooklyn that is the project of Nico Schneit. This song is from the album "Warrior" released in 2018. I have to wonder what she means by "Listening to Graceland 2." Paul Simon did not release a follow-up to his award-winning album Graceland. Phoebe Bridgers released a song called "Graceland Too" but that was in 2020, two years after this song was released.

"Laying around Morro Bay
Waiting for the sun to save me

You can find us in our room
Listening to Graceland 2
You can find us in our room
Listening to our favorite tune

I'm not gonna say you were the best one
'Cause I've still got all my senses
I found you hanging on the hill
By the sculpture that we drew

You can find us in our room
Listening to Graceland 2
You can find us in our room
Listening to our favorite tune

Is there anything I can do
On the mansion on the hill
Is there anything I can do
To make the memories more true

You can find us in our room
Listening to Graceland 2
You can find us in our room
Huddled in a cocoon

Is there anything I can do
To prove it to you
Is there anything I can do...."

The Aislers Set

The Aislers Set is an indie pop band formed in San Francisco in 1997. This is from their debut album "Terrible Things Happen," released in 1998.

"I've had a bit too much tonight
But I think I'll ride my bike alright
I rode to where the lights collide
And I fell asleep where peaks divide
I dream I'm happy. And I think I'm happy
I read it in a magazine. They said it's all for free
Stop your daydreaming about such silly little things
Is California mine?
I guess I get around alright
And I have a bit of fun at night and I think I'm happy
And I dream I'm happy. I read it a magazine
They said it's all for free. Stop your daydreaming
Is California mine?"

AJR

Way Less Sad

AJR is an indie pop trio of brothers from New York City, named after the first initials of their names. This song is from their fourth studio album "OK Orchestra" released in 2021. I like it because it acknowledges that constant sunshine can be depressing, too. That's why I moved north.

"I should move
Cause New York is getting muddy out
There's L.A.
But it's always kinda sunny out
And I don't wanna hurt no more
So I set my bar real low

I'm A-okay
I'm A-okay
You say it but you just don't mean it
You're so insane
You're so insane
Shut up and just enjoy this feeling

Don't you love it
Don't you love it
No I ain't happy yet
But I'm way less sad

Don't you love it
Don't you love it
No I ain't happy yet
But I'm way less sad

I wake up
And I'm not so mad at twitter now
Living sucks
But it's sucking just a little now
And I don't wanna cry no more
So I set my bar real low

I'm A-okay
I'm A-okay
You say it but you just don't mean it
You're so insane
You're so insane
Shut up and just enjoy this feeling...."

Akwid & Sporty Loco

The Heart of California (for Lowell George)

Akwid is a Mexican-American hip-hop group that combines rap with regional Mexican music, formed in Los Angeles in 1994. Sporty Loco is a rapper from Los Angeles. This song is from their album "Clasificado R" released in 2010. I don't recall hearing a tuba and horns in other rap songs but they sound great in this one.

"California bienvenidos a California
California bienvenidos a California

Bienvenidos al estado donde vivo
Tierra de mi gente
Casa pa' los mas pesados es evidente
La capital de jugadores
Y las hainas mas buenas
Con que nunca te enamores
Aqui es puro pi**he party
De los clubs a las calles
You can ask anybody
Y al equipo no le falles
Aqui todos los compas le van a Lakers
Y los Dodgers para algo
Todos luchan pregúntenle a los homies
Que desde el bote me escuchan
Y te hablo con la verdad
Sabes todos tus sueños si le hechas ganas
Se hacen realidad
Saludos a los que los que pasen
Ya saben que las fachas
Y las bodas aqui nacen
California todo el día
Akwid representando desde
San Diego a la bahía

California bienvenidos a California
California bienvenidos a California

Bienvenidos a California
Tierra del mojado hechicero
Natal de México que no conoce el miedo
Los crimenes me tienen preso en mi castillo
La vida de glamor y lujo viene conmigo
Tengo la reputación de mil amores
Mujeres varios sabores varios dolores
Tuve la desilucion y caí en la pinta
Golpes de la vida, golpes sin medida
En este mundo creo que todo se vale
Las calles de Los Angeles me hicieron buen jale
Hago mis chi**aderas y ahora nunca me rajo
Como un gallito fino nunca se queda abajo
Este es tu homenaje con todo respeto
Mujeres cerveza y mota son tu reflejo
Continuamos con este crimen con el proximo
Asalto en el coro pa' que se animen

California bienvenidos a California
California bienvenidos a California

Por el trafico humo verde
Nadie puede verme
Directamente desde la ciudad que nunca duerme
Meten el dinero y el dinero en mi mente
Balazos explotan en paredes, y nunca la gente
Declaran toque de queda en L.A.
Porque si gana el equipo madreamos la ciudad
Hablando un realidad
Vida mas loca que los tres puntos que quieres
Carros tunning, buena música, palmas y mujeres
Pues todo ruido pero cada quien tiene su sueño
Le sigo dando como un carro que no tiene frenos
Carros robados, un helicoptero
En California es donde todos quieren ser
famosos
Que chi** dos esperas disparan pa' la luna y aunque no llega como se te quedas en las
estrellas
Desde California y Mexico Akwid, Sporty loco no es nada, más que puros exitos

California bienvenidos a California
California bienvenidos a California"

"California welcome to California
California welcome to California

Welcome to the state where I live
Land of my people
House for the heaviest is evident
The capital of players
And the best hainas
With that you never fall in love
Here is pure pi ** he party
From the clubs to the streets
You can ask anybody
And don't let the team down
Here all the compas go to Lakers
And the Dodgers for something
Everybody fights ask the homies
That from the boat they listen to me
And I speak to you with the truth
You know all your dreams if you feel like it
They come true
Greetings to those who pass by
They already know that the faces
And weddings are born here
California all day
Akwid representing from
San Diego to The Bay

California welcome to California
California welcome to California

Welcome to California
Land of the Wet Sorcerer
Natal from Mexico that knows no fear
Crimes have me prisoner in my castle
The life of glamor and luxury comes with me
I have the reputation of a thousand loves
Women various flavors various pains
I was disappointed and fell into the pint
Blows of life, blows without measure
In this world I believe that anything goes
The streets of Los Angeles gave me a good ride
I do my s**t and now I never quit
Like a fine cockerel never stays down
This is your tribute with all due respect
Beer and weed women are your reflection
We continue with this crime with the next one
Assault in the choir to cheer them up

California welcome to California
California welcome to California

By traffic green smoke
No one can see me
Straight from the city that never sleeps
They put money and money in my mind
Bullets explode in walls, and never the people
They declare a curfew in L.A.
Because if the team wins, we'll kill the city
Speaking a reality
Life crazier than the three points you want
Tuning cars, good music, palmas and women
Well, all noise but everyone has their dream
I keep giving it like a car that has no brakes
Stolen cars, a helicopter
In California is where everyone wants to be famous
What the hell two waits shoot for the moon and although it does not arrive how do you stay in the
stars
From California and Mexico Akwid, Sporty loco is nothing, more than pure successes

California welcome to California
California welcome to California"

Sophia Alexa

Going to California

Sophia Alexa is a London-based singer-songwriter who was born in California and raised in Amsterdam. This song is from her album "Before I Go" released in 2022. She wrote this on the YouTube page for this song:
"I wrote ‘Going To California’ when I was feeling a bit trapped in London, so I started to romanticize escaping to a different place. I was originally born in California and I’ve always wondered what my life would look like if I grew up there. I’ve kept it as a place in my mind I could escape to, which is what I wanted to say in this song."

"Sometimes I wonder if I grew up in the sunshine state
Would I be happier or would I feel the same
And I like to fantasize driving past the hills at night
In the open air where the coastline knows my name

And I made my bed so I know I should stay here
I don't recognize who I've become here

Oh, I'm going to California to fix myself
Looking at the past and the way it felt
I hope someday I find out what I want
Oh, I'm going to California if that's alright
Sorry for the mess that I left behind
I hope someday I find out what I want

Oh, I blame the city but it wasn't mine to blame
I'd go a million miles, but I'd still be the same

And I made my bed so I know I should stay here
I don't recognize who I've become here

Oh, I'm going to California to fix myself
Looking at the past and the way it felt
I hope someday I find out what I want
Oh, I'm going to California if that's alright
Sorry for the mess that I left behind
I hope someday I find out what I want

Oh, I'm going to California to fix myself
Looking at the past and the way it felt
I hope someday I find out what I want"

Alice in Chains

Check My Brain

Alice in Chains is a rock band from Seattle, Washington, active on and off since 1987. This hypnotic grungy song (with guitars tuned all the way down to Z) is from their fourth studio album "Black Gives Way to Blue" released in 2009. I never check my brain anymore since they started charging extra for it. It's cheaper to carry it on and store it in an overhead compartment.

"So I found myself in the sun, oh yeah
A hell of a place to end a run, oh yeah

California, I'm fine
Somebody check my brain
California's all right
Somebody check my brain
Check my brain

I walk these streets, I creep and I fall, oh yeah
When she sang I answered the call, oh yeah

California, I'm fine
Somebody check my brain
California's all right
Somebody check my brain

Aaaaah tears that filled my bones
Aaaaah years expended gone

I hung my guns and put em away, oh yeah
The trick of the trade, and by the way, oh yeah

California, I'm fine
Somebody check my brain
California's all right
Somebody check my brain

Aaaah tears that filled my bones
Aaaah years expended gone
Check my brain, check my brain
Check my brain"

Gary Allan

She's So California

Gary Allan is a country music artist from La Mirada, California, active since 1996. This is from his album "Living Hard" released in 2007.

"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."

Lilly Allen

Trigger Bang

Lily Allen is a singer, songwriter, author and actress from the UK. Giggs is a London rapper. This is an apparently autobiographical pop song from her 2018 album "No Shame." I like Allen's music and her attitude and the fact that she doesn't try to sing with an American accent as most Brits do, so I'm happy to have a song of hers to put on this list, even if it only briefly mentions L.A. and the Chateau-Marmont (Hollywood's version of the Chelsea Hotel.)

"... When I was young I was blameless
Playing with rude boys and trainers
I had a foot in the rave 'cause I was attracted to danger
I never got home for Neighbours, hey
When I grew up, nothing changed much
Anything went, I was famous
I would wake up next to strangers
Everyone knows what cocaine does
Numbing the pain when the shame comes, hey

And it fuels my addictions
Hanging out in this whirlwind
If you cool my ambitions
I'm gonna cut you out

That's why I can't hang with the cool gang
Everyone's a trigger bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Goodbye bad bones, I've got bigger plans
Don't wanna put myself in your hands
That's why I can't hang with the cool gang
Everyone's a trigger bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Goodbye bad bones, I've got bigger plans
Don't wanna put myself in your hands

Back in the day like at Yo-Yo
Then in L.A. at the Chateau
Someone would say did you bang, no
I shake my head, I say no-no
Maybe we did, I don't think so, hey
I need to move on and grow some
Been in the Firehouse for too long
LDN's burning, so tan one
I'm gonna love you and leave some
I'm gonna go out while I'm still strong, hey

And it fuels my addictions
Hanging out in this whirlwind
If you cool my ambitions
I'm gonna cut you out..."

Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band

Terry Allen is a country singer-songwriter-artist from Lubbock, Texas, active since the early 1970s. (Lowell George was a singer-songwriter-producer from Hollywood, active 1965-1979 and best known as the singer and founder of the band Little Feat that made the great truck driving song "Willin'.") This truck driving song is from the album "Smokin the Dummy" released in 1980. "Diamond Reo" was a brand of truck.

"Runnin' hard an runnin' mean
Down the San Joaquin
Diamond Reo with the crazy rollin' wheels
There's a moon shinin' bright
Like a big eye in the night
Yeah throw'd her light down on that road to
Bakersfield

Yeah the heart of California's
Haulin' hard times again
And the highway she does not make amends
That diesel's got to howl
But the devil's on the prowl
An that white line gone
It won't come along again

Runnin' wired an runnin' fast
Runnin' out of gas
Diamond Reo knows what empty means
An Jesus Christ on the dash
Won't keep it from the crash
If every curve is just your nerves closin' in

Yeah the heart of California's
Haulin' hard times again
And the highway she does not make amends
Your name's out on the door
An your foots down on the floor
But that white line down
It won't come around again

Yeah the Reo's comin' down
Outside of town
Strung out ‘tween the asphalt and the wheel
And L.A. she waits
Like a poisonous snake
Coiled up with her diamonds in the hills

Yeah the heart of California's
Haulin' hard times again
And the highway she does not make amends
That road you're runnin' on's
Hell bent for Babylon
An that white line down
It won't come around again
An that white line down
Will not be found again"

Terry Allen

There Oughta Be a Law Against Sunny Southern California

This is from Allen's first album "Juarez" released in 1975.

"[Chorus:]
Well I'm goin' back
Goin' home again
Yeah I'm goin' back
To my own again
Yeah I'm goin' back
Yeah to my home town
The one that put me out
The one that put me down

Well I wired up a car in East Fontana
I was headed for San Berdoo
Ahhh my midnight oil
It was on the boil
An' boy I was a barrelin' through
Then I took a turn
But I hit the curb
An' spun off the center lane
When I heard the crash
Well I stomped on the gas
An' I was barrelin' on again

I leave a few people dead
But I got open road ahead
I leave a few people dead
But I got open road ahead

An' I remember the cop
With his slicked-back hair
When he told me
To get out a here
An' I remember the judge
With his gold plated mouth
He said "go live in the north
You gonna die down South'
You gonna die down south

[Chorus]

I went flyin' through south San Berdoo
With my mind on East L.A.
Where my pachuco queen
She's cookin' re-fried beans
An she's waitin' for me today
Yeah stopped on off at the liquor store
Made every body lay down on the floor
Took all their whiskey
Took their bread
Then shot out their lights
Just before I fled

I leave a few people dead
But I got open road ahead
I leave a few people dead,
But I got open road ahead

An I remember the b**ch
Whose black tongue lied
When she told me
She's dissatisfied
An I remember her daddy
Big as a truck
He said "f**k with me boy
if you want to f**k
Yeah, f**k with me boy
if you want to f**k

[Chorus]

Yeah so there oughta be a law
Against sunny southern California
Oh there oughta be a law
Against puttin' the devil behind the wheel
Yeah 'cause as long as you people gonna sanction such an evil
Well I'm gonna turn your asphalt back into brimstone
Yeah you god damn bet I will"

The Albionauts

American Dream

The Albionauts is a rock band with musicians from Spain and Italy, formed in Spain in 2008. This song is from the album "a (few) thousand miles" released in 2016. It starts off with the melody from Procol Harum's song "Whiter Shade of Pale."

"A bad taste from behind
Creeps in, my lips are dry
I just can’t feel the breeze of a powerful dream
I am down to the floor, but I feel on a shore
Please put this dress on you
And the mind will become blue

High in California’s Sky
Tequila gets so high
But it’s pure imagination
For a while I’m in vacation
The policemen check the streets
The dentist is just cleaning teeth
Well the whores show me their t*ts
And in my hand there only a dream

The American dream
(In American dream)
The American dream
(In American dream)
American dream

Donald Trump, I can’t believe
He should never ever take that lead
It’s simple, it’s easy to understand
He wants to remove my life from this land
The oil, the drugs, and the immigration reform
The wall in Texas, how much is it worth?
Life’s about more than American dreams
Maybe that’s why, I still can be free
I will find a way go back to Mexico
Where I left my family, my ranch, and friends many years ago
Is the policeman right to yell at me?
Says I must respect the authority
You’re illegal, follow me sir
In my hand there's only a dream

In the American Dream
(In the American Dream)
In the American Dream
(In the American Dream)
In the American Dream"

Alesso

Cool

Alesso is a Swedish DJ, producer, and musician. This song is from his 2015 album “Forever.” It’s a hit upbeat dance track that heavily samples the piano intro from one of the better Kylie Minogue songs “Get Outta My Way.” It throws a little shade on Hollywood in the beginning, where the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are visible, but those in the sky are not. (Either because of the smog or the broken dreams. Your choice.)

“I saw stars on the pavement
California dreams
Looked up through the bright lights
No stars that I see

You said, "It’s all yours if you take it there."
I said, "I can’t do it alone, I swear."
You said, "It’s all yours,
It’s all yours when you smile."

It’s only you
Who loves me like you do
Trying to keep it cool
But I can’t keep cool about it
Acting like a fool
Wanna scream it from the roof
I’m trying to keep it cool
But I can’t keep cool about it (about it)

Before you, love, I was lost
Drifting at sea
You were the beacon I’d followed home
You were the one who rescued me….”

Dave Alvin

Artesia

Dave Alvin is a singer-songwriter from Downey, California, active since 1977, and a former founder of the great roots-rock band The Blasters. This is a cover of Chris Gaffney's song, from Alvin's album "A Tribute to Chris Gaffney" released in 2009.

[Spoken Introduction]

"When Chris Gaffney and I were kids, the part of California we grew up in was changing fast. The old orange groves and avocado groves and dairy farms were being torn down and paved over with new tract homes and shopping malls and warehouses, factories and freeways. But still on some mornings you could smell the sweet perfume of orange blossoms in the air. But on hot summer afternoons when the Santa Ana winds would scorch the little cow towns of Bellflower, Cerritos, and Artesia, and that blast-furnace wind would blow across all those old dairy farms until it seemed like the whole world smelled like cow s**t. And one night, many years later, Gaffney called me up and said, 'Hey Alvin, remember that old cow smell? Well I just wrote a song about it.' "

[Song]

"Now he looked at his car
It cost one-twenty-five
He had dreams of a new showroom floor
He got Pete and Rosy, Santos and Richie
Headed straight for the old home turf war
And was the best of all times
In a hot dairy valley
Cruising faster in Georgie's new ride
And with Dee Dee singin'
'Expressway To Your Heart'
Staying home would be just like suicide

Speeding down Carson or north to Alondra
Staying young might be staying alive
Because now when the wind blows from out of Artesia
I can't smell 1965

Hey my old man's in there
And we all knew he was crazy
As we flew by the state hospital gates
He stopped taking names
And he got lost in the bum's rush
And his love turned from violence to hate

He must have seen something
Something you don't see
I guess it comes with the passage of time
Because now when the wind blows from out of Artesia
I can't smell 1965

Speeding down Carson or north to Alondra
Staying young might be staying alive
Because now when the wind blows from out of Artesia
I can't smell 1965
Speeding down Carson or north to Alondra
Staying young might be staying alive
Yeah, now when the wind blows from out of Artesia
I can't smell 1965"

Dave Alvin

California Bloodlines

This is a great cover of the John Stewart song from "West of the West" released in 2006.

Dave Alvin

California Snow

Dave Alvin is a singer-songwriter from Downey, California, active since 1977, and a former founder of the great roots-rock band The Blasters. He also sings beautiful folksy acoustic-guitar-based songs like this one, from his album "Blackjack David" released in 1998. He co-wrote the song with Tom Russell, who released his own version of the song in 2001.

"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 through 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

Last winter I found a man and wife
Just about daybreak
Layin’ in a frozen ditch
South of the interstate
I wrapped ‘em both in blankets
But she’d already died
The next day we sent him back alone
Across the borderline

I don’t know where they came from
Or where they planned to go
But we carried her all night long
Through the California snow

Sometimes when I’m alone out here
I get to thinkin’ about my life
Maybe I should go to Riverside
And try to fix things with my wife
Or maybe just get in my truck
And drive as far as I can go
Away from all the ghosts that haunt
The California snow

Where the California summer sun
Can burn right to your soul
And in the winter you can freeze to death
In the California snow
In the winter you can freeze to death
In the California snow"

Dave Alvin

Here In California

A nice cover version of the Kate Wolf song.

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 the 1994 album "King of California" beautifully conjures up the the gold rush era. It's one of my favorite California songs.

"Well I left my home and my one true love
East of the Ohio River
Her father said we'd never wed
For I had neither gold nor silver

But my darlin' dear please shed no tears
Oh I think that it's fair to warn ya
That I'll return to claim your hand
As the King of California

Over deserts hot and mountains cold
I traveled the Indian country
Whispering your name under lonesome skies
Remembering my only company

But my darlin' dear please have no fears
For I think it's fair to warn ya
That I'll return to claim your hand
As the King of California

I went up from Sacramento town
To the Sierra gold fields
And I worked my stake on a river bank
Dreamin' just how a rich man feels

Now my darlin' dear listen here
For I think that it's fair to warn ya
That I'll return to claim your hand
As the King of California

Now the dead man's lying at my feet
Tried to steal my earnings
And I still recall your tender kiss
Oh this bullet in my chest is burning

Oh my darlin' dear please shed no tear
'Cuz I think it's fair to warn ya
That I'll return to claim your hand
As the King of California
That I'll return to claim your hand
As the King of California"

Dave Alvin

Out in California

This is from Dave Alvin's Interstate City album released in 1996. It's a song he wrote with Tom Russell who released a version of it in 1995. It worries me to think what he's going to do with that shotgun after he drives back to California.

"I'm sitting here drinking in the last bar on earth
I'm sitting here drinking in the last bar on earth
Out in California she's taking off her tight red skirt

The mountains out the window - they're a woman lying on her bed
The mountains round here look like a woman lying naked on a bed
She's out in California, but I can't get her out of my head

Out in California

They killed off the Indians, they shot all the grizzly bears
Out in California, they shot all the grizzly bears
She's standing by the window letting down her long black hair

When a man gets to moving, he'll run right into himself
When a man keeps on running he's gonna run right into himself
Out in California she's lying down with somebody else

Out in California
Out in California

I'm gonna buy me a Chevy, as soon as my luck turns around
Probably buy me a shotgun, soon as my luck turns around
Maybe I'll drive on back to that California town

I'm sitting here drinking in the last bar on earth
Sitting here drinking in the last bar on earth
She's out in California takin' off her tight red skirt

Out in California
Out in California
Out in California"

Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men

Highway 99

This Dave Alvin-penned song is from the live album "Out in California" released in 2002.

"Well I woke up this morning in a one room apartment
On the east side of Nashville, Tennessee
Staring out the window on a cold grey morning
Wondering what had happened to me

I was feeling like an old fool
Remembering a girl who
I knew in another life time
I left her waiting for me back home in California
In a small town on Highway 99

But I played every bar from Bakersfield to Modesto
Picking just enough to get us by
Along that San Joaquin highway
I heard every drunk say
Boy go give Nashville a try

Well here this is three years or more here
Just getting nowhere
More and more I ask myself why
I left her waiting for me back home in California
In a small town on Highway 99

And all the rain is falling on the trees and the houses
On the east side of Nashville, Tennessee
But in my mind the sun is shining down on oil fields and orchards
... as far as eyes can see

She lays there beside me holding me tightly
Her kisses sweet as grapes from the vine
I left her waiting for me back home in California
In a small town on Highway 99

And all the rain is falling on the trees and the houses
On the east side of Nashville, Tennessee
But in my mind the sun is shining down on oil fields and orchards
... as far as eyes can see

She lays there beside me holding me tightly
Her kisses sweet as grapes from the vine
I left her waiting for me back home in California
In a small town on Highway 99

She lays there beside me holding me tightly
Her kisses sweet as grapes from the vine
I left her waiting for me back home in California
In a small town on Highway 99"

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, whose voices add a nice dimension to his harmonies. This song needs no explanation to those of us who have watched hillsides and homes go up in flames in the summer and 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

Coyote's howling
Devil winds are startin' to blow
Coyote's howling
The devil wind is startin' to blow
And them fires gettin' closer
Than they were one hour ago

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?

California's burning
There's trouble in the promised land
California's burning
There's trouble in the promised land
You better pack up your family
And you better get out while you can

Now red flames are growin'
At the top of the hill
See them red flames growin'
At the top of the hill
Well if the fire don't get you
Well you know the mudslide will

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"

Amen Dunes

L. A.

Singer-songwriter Samon McMahon created his musical project Amen Dunes in New York in 2006. This song is hard to squeeze into a genre - psychedelic indie electro folk - something like that. It's from his 2018 album "Freedom." (Also check out the great song Miki Dora below from the same album.)

"Throw the saint in the fire, baby
Long day
Power's something you believe in
Something you gain
At 19 I was king, so supreme
Down to Judea
Memory don't mean much to me
Still, don't go away

High up in the hills, I'm barely awake
Got my arms around some clown who's barely awake
Doesn't we look stupid now
Tears trickle down our face
At 10 I light my first cigarette and drive down to L.A.
At 10 I light my first cigarette and drive down to L.A.

Some say fake it
I don't know, man
Stomp it, take it
Cool it down, babe
I've been trying to make it, years and years and years
Watch them years go by, on fire...."

Amen Dunes

Miki Dora

This 2018 song from the album "Freedom" is very much a California song, even if it mentions only one obscure location in the state - North Beach, which is in Malibu. It's about a charismatic surfer based in Malibu, California, Miki Dora. He had his own line of surf boards and appeared in several "Beach Party" movies in the 1960s as well as the 1966 classic surf movie "The Endless Summer" which praises his surfing style. But he was also a controversial figure, known as the Black Knight of Malibu. Songwriter Damon McMahon describes him this way:

"Miki Dora was arguably the most gifted and innovative surfer of his generation and the foremost opponent of surfing’s commercialization. He was also a lifelong criminal and retrograde: a true embodiment of the distorted male psyche. He was a living contradiction; both a symbol of free-living and inspiration, and of the false heroics American culture has always celebrated. With lyrics of regret and redemption at the end of one’s youth, the song is about Dora, and myself, but ultimately it is a reflection on all manifestations of mythical heroic maleness and its illusions." (Anna Gaca, Spin.com January 17, 2018.)

But enough about him. I must have listened to this song dozens of times before I bothered to find out what it was about. I'm usually pulled in by the music and the beat before I pay attention to the lyrics, and this song's hypnotic rhythm and quirky vocal style hooked me right away.

"Getting on fine
Catch the next wave
Get the move right
Darken the wave

Coasting all day
Coasting all day
The way you're going
We know what you'll say

The waves are gone
The waves are gone
The waves are gone, you said
Man, they all gone

Pride destroyed me man
'Til it took a hold of me
And I feel it when I cry
I can feel it in my dreams

Miki Dora
Taking your time
Waves are gone
Waves are gone

1963
We were up on North Beach
And you're copping all my tricks, man
But you don't do it like me

Sitting on the pier
Sipping on my beer
I come upon a vision
When Mary comes to me
Silver golden waves
And chills that keep me clear
You all recall my name
But don't mean a thing to me

Miki so fine
Catch the next wave
Miki Dora
Darken the wave

The waves they are gone
The waves they are gone
The waves are gone
The waves are gone

Pride destroyed me man
And I didn't know the deal
I said, "I'm sad I'm gonna cry"
Scaring the devil in me

I shouldn't have gone
We shouldn't have gone
But I did not discover the difference
It didn't come to me
Give with nothing to take
Slid along the waves
He could not suffer existence
It wasn't meant to be

Getting on fine
Rolling on me
There's still enough time
To roll around with me
Roll around with me
Roll around with me...."

America

California Revisited

America is a great soft rock band from the 1970s, made up of Americans who lived in Britain as military dependants and didn't want anyone to think they were Brits. That was before they re-located to L.A. This is from their 1972 album "Homecoming."

"Heaven may be an answer
If you're lookin' for Eden in the sky
On your waters I see a strange reflection
Rumor has it I'll see you when I die

Everyone I meet is from California
There's dancin' in the streets in California

In California you watch the shadow dancer
Floating gently, gently on the sea
In California you're such a strange romancer
Come and see me when the world has set you free

Everyone I meet is from California
There's dancin' in the streets in California
Everyone I meet is from California
There's dancin' in the streets in California."

America

Christmas in California

This is from the Christmas album "Holiday Harmony" released in 2002.

"Oh, look out kids it's that time of year
When ole Santa's on his way
Don't look now but the top is down
On his candy apple sleigh

Headin' on down the coast
Over surf and sand
The warm wind in his hair
Make no mistake, it's here
Holiday fun, good cheer
It's Christmas time again
In California, wo-oh

The boulevard, lights of red and green
As the snow birds make the scene
Hollywood doesn't miss a beat
It's another childhood dream

Headin' on down the coast
Over surf and sand
The warm wind in your hair
Make no mistake, it's here
Holiday fun, good cheer
It's Christmas time for sure
In California

People say it can't be true
That the spirit lives here, too
But you'll find Christmas everywhere
Under palm trees, sun and moon - ah

Headin' on down the coast
Over surf and sand
The warm wind in your hair
Make no mistake, it's here
Holiday fun, good cheer
It's Christmas time again
In California

Make no mistake, it's here
Holiday fun, good cheer
It's Christmas time again
In California
In California
In California, wo-oh"

America

Everyone I Meet Is From California

This is from the B-side of the 1971 three-song single "A Horse with No Name," which was the band's big hit. It's the same song as "California Revisited" from the 1972 "Homecoming" album. The lyrics are the same as those above, but the mix is different, leading me to think that the name was changed to "California Revisited" because the song was re-recorded for the album. This song is the one that was put on all of the band's greatest hits albums.

America

This is from the album "Holiday" released in 1974.

"Orange and yellow and purple and green
The lights of the city at night set the scene
Stumble through the bars of forget-me-not lane
Sparkle through the glitter but don't show the pain

In Hollywood
Underneath a golden palm tree
Hollywood
Come to the party the drinks are on me
For free

Heartbeats echo through a cavern of love
Come to the tavern I'll meet you up above
Soaring through the heavens, what a fabulous ride
But everybody's heading for the same place to hide

In Hollywood
Underneath a golden palm tree
Hollywood
Come to the party the drinks are on me
For free
The drink's on me
For free
The drink's on me
For free
The drink's on me
The drink's on me
The drink's on me
The drink's on me"

America

Ventura Highway

From their 1972 album "Homecoming." An upbeat soft rock classic with a catchy acoustic guitar riff from the band who have been to the desert on a horse with no name. For 30 years I wondered how those lizards got up in the air, but thanks to the imaginatiion-killing-internet I now know that they're only supposed to be cloud formations.This is one of the few songs about both California, and herps. (Or at least clouds that look like herps.)

"Wishin' on a falling star
Watchin' for the early train
Sorry boy, but I've been hit by
Purple rain
Aw, come on Joe, you can always
Change your name
Thanks a lot son, just the same

Ventura Highway
In the sunshine
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger
Than moonshine
You're gonna go I know

'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 "

The Americanos

In My Foreign

The Americanos are an American electronic dance music DJ trio based in Los Angeles. This song is built on a sample of Chicago’s Saturday in the Park and features rapping and singing by Ty Dolla $ign, French Montana & Lil Yachty. It’s the lead off track on the soundtrack for xXx: Return of Xander Cage, released in 2016.

[Ty Dolla $ign:]
“Do you wanna ride, ride, ride in my foreign? (In my foreign?)
Lift the top back all the way, rolling through the streets of L.A.
Girl, do you wanna ride, ride, ride in my foreign? (In my foreign?)
We can turn up the radio, we ain't got no place to go
Girl do you wanna ride?

[French Montana:]
Fo' sho' she wanna ride, fo' sho' she wanna slide
Fo' sho' we gettin' sauced, fo' sho' we gettin' high
Pull up swaggin', hop out the wagon
Suckers gonna hate but the ladies wanna brag
What you say? What you say? What you say?
Whole team faded like Jordan with the J
Cradle to the grave, NY to the Bay
Millions in the bank and the hunnids in the safe
Ain't nothing to a G baby
Foreign sitting low, climb out the V baby
Haan, ain't nothing to a G baby
Foreign sitting low climb out the V baby

[Ty Dolla $ign:]
Do you wanna ride, ride, ride in my foreign? (In my foreign?)
Lift the top back all the way, rolling through the streets of L.A.
Girl, do you wanna ride, ride, ride in my foreign? (In my foreign?)
We can turn up the radio, we ain't got no place to go

Girl it feels like Saturday, everyday
I'm smoking loud and feeling so high
I'm rolling good through my hood
Getting lit like the 4th of July
I got that exotic that you probably can't afford
We be going up like them butterfly doors
We ain't got no problems cause we counting all this cash
Got a bobblehead with her metro on the dash

Do you wanna ride, ride, ride in my foreign? (In my foreign?)
Lift the top back all the way, rolling through the streets of L.A.
Girl, do you wanna ride, ride, ride in my foreign? (In my foreign?)
We can turn up the radio, we ain't got no place to go
Girl do you wanna ride?….”

American Music Club

A very good 1994 indie rock cover (with sitar!) of the 1966 Mamas and Papas classic.

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 5
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"

Andrea (featuring Mario Joy)

Miss California

Andrea is an artist from Bulgaria. Mario Joy is a Romanian artist. She sings in several languages, including Spanish in this song (Mario Joy sings the English parts.) This dance track was released in 2018. There are several remixes online, also.

"Abre tu soul-oh
Dímelo todo
No estés tan solo nah nah nah
Deja todo y ven pa' acá
Abre tu soul-oh
Dímelo todo
No estés tan solo nah nah nah
Deja todo y ven pa' acá

Miss California
I just wanna know ya
I just wanna tu-tuh tu-tuh with you
Miss California
I just wanna love ya
I just wanna tu-tuh tu-tuh with you

Ay, tómame regresa
Mueve tu cabeza
Muévete regresa
Toma mi cabeza
Estás contigo un nuevo amor
No me digas que yo ...
Ay, tómame regresa
Mueve tu cabeza
Muévete regresa
Toma mi cabeza
Estás contigo un nuevo amor
No me digas que yo ...

Aquí y ahora
Mi creadora
Siente mi aroma nah nah nah
Mueve tu cuerpo y ven acá
Aquí y ahora
Mi creadora
Siente mi aroma nah nah nah
Mueve tu cuerpo, ven pa' acá

Miss California
I just wanna know ya
I just wanna tu-tuh tu-tuh with you
Miss California
I just wanna love ya
I just wanna tu-tuh tu-tuh with you...."

"Open your soul-oh
Tell me everything
Don't be so alone nah nah nah
Drop everything and come here
Open your soul-oh
Tell me everything
Don't be so alone nah nah nah
Drop everything and come here

Miss California
I just wanna know ya
I just wanna tu-tuh tu-tuh with you
Miss California
I just wanna love ya
I just wanna tu-tuh tu-tuh with you

Oh, take me back
Shake your head
Move back
Take my head
You are with you a new love
Don't tell me that I...
Oh, take me back
Shake your head
Move back
Take my head
You are with you a new love
Don't tell me that I...

Here and now
My creator
Feel my aroma nah nah nah
Move your body and come here
Here and now
My creator
Feel my aroma nah nah nah
Move your body, come here

Miss California
I just wanna know ya
I just wanna tu-tuh tu-tuh with you
Miss California
I just wanna love ya
I just wanna tu-tuh tu-tuh with you...."

The Andrews Sisters

The Lady From 29 Palms

The Andrews Sisters were a close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras consisting of three sisters from Minnesota, active from 1925 to 1967. They have been called the most popular female vocal group of the first half of the 20th century. This song was a top ten hit in 1947. (Twentynine Palms is a city in the desert just north of Joshua Tree National Park.)

"She left twenty-nine broken hearts
Broken in twenty-nine parts
Now there are twenty-nine fellas complainin' to their moms
About the lady from 29 Palms

She got twenty-nine Cadillacs
Twenty-nine sables from Sach's
They came from twenty-nine fellas who never had their arms
Around the lady from 29 Palms

She's a yip-yip-yippy-eyed dolly
A new kinda gal of the west
And yip-yip-yippy by-golly
Whatever she does, she does her best

She rides twenty-nine trails to bliss
Knows twenty-nine ways how to kiss
She is a gal that you dream of, you'd love to have your arms
Around the lady from 29 Palms

She left twenty-nine broken hearts, baby
Broken in twenty-nine parts were their broken hearts, mmm oy-da doy-da
Twenty-nine fellas complainin' to their moms
About the lady from 29 Palms

She got twenty-nine Cadillacs, baby
Twenty-nine sables from Sach's and them Cadillacs, mmm boy-da doy-da
Twenty-nine fellas who never had their arms
Around the lady from 29 Palms...."

Tori Amos

A Sorta Fairytale

Tori Amos is a singer-songwriter born in North Carolina and raised in Maryland, active since 1979. This song was released as the first single from her 2002 album "Scarlet's Walk."

"On my way up north, up on the Ventura
I pulled back the hood and I was talking to you

And I knew then it would be a lifelong thing
But I didn't know that we, we could break a silver lining

And I'm so sad like a good book
I can't put this day back
A sorta fairytale with you (A sorta fairytale with you)
A sorta fairytale with you

Things you said that day, up on the 101
The girl had come undone, I tried to downplay it
With a bet about us, you said that you'd take it
As long as I could, I could not erase it

And I'm so sad like a good book
I can't put this day back
A sorta fairytale with you (A sorta fairytale with you)
A sorta fairytale with you

And I ride alongside
And I rode alongside you then
And I rode alongside till you lost me there in the open road
And I rode alongside till the honey spread itself so thin
For me to break your bread, for me to take your word
I had to steal it

And I'm so sad like a good book
I can't put this day back
A sorta fairytale with you (A sorta fairytale with you)
I could pick back up whenever I feel

Down New Mexico way, something about the open road
I knew that he was looking for some Indian blood
And find a little in you find a little in me
We may be on this road but
We're just impostors in this country, you know
So we go along and we said we'd fake it
Feel better with Oliver Stone
Till I almost smacked him, seemed right that night and
I don't know what takes hold out there in the desert cold
These guys think they must try and just get over on us

And I'm so sad like a good book
I can't put this day back
A sorta fairytale with you (A sorta fairytale with you)
A sorta fairytale with you

And I was riding by, riding alongside
For a while till you lost me
And I was riding by, riding along till you lost me
Till you lost me in the rearview
You lost me, I said. yeah

Way up north I took my day
All in all, was a pretty nice day
And I, I put the hood right back where
You could taste heaven perfectly
Feel out the summer breeze
Didn't know when we'd be back
And I, I don't, didn't think we'd end up like
Like this"

Tori Amos

Maybe California

Tori Amos is an American singer-songwriter originally from the East Coast. This song is from her 2009 album "Abnormally Attracted To Sin." The singer is a mother who is trying to talk a woman out of jumping off a cliff for the sake of her children. I don't know what "Maybe California" means in the context of the song, but Amos fractures and repeats and stretches those six syllables like a jazz singer until the words themselves almost disappear.

"Hey Mrs. C., please don’t jump
Why not?
Nothing is making sense anymore to me
I don’t know when I stopped making him smile
Now the kids see me crying all the time

From one mother to the other
They’ll never get over this for their lifetime
All their wishes will be dashed upon those cliffs
So let’s be strong for you and me the night is opening
Our angels are falling and they will warm us
She asked, "Right Now? Right Here?"
I'm feelin' soon, soon my dear

Maybe California
Maybe California

As mothers we have our troubles
You’ll leave them with emptiness for their lifetime
All their wishes will be dashed upon those cliffs
So let’s be strong you and me the night is opening
Our angels are falling and they will warm us
She asked, "Right Now? Right Here?"
I'm feelin' soon, soon my dear

Maybe California
Maybe California

Until then there will be starlight shining down
For every tear in every town."

Angelyne

Kiss Me L.A.

Platinum blonde bombshell Angelyne is a Los Angeles icon who became famous when she started putting up giant billboards that showed herself in sexy poses in Los Angeles in 1984. She received lots of recognition and some acting and modeling jobs, but she's still more famous for the billboards and for being a pioneer of self promotion than for her other work. She became famous for being famous long before reality TV and social media made it easier. Her billboards have probably been seen in more movies than she has. Before the billboards, she was also a singer in rock bands, so she actually did have something to promote. This song is from her debut solo album "Angelyne" released in 1982. Angelyne kept her life a mystery for decade but in 2017 it was reported that she was born in Poland to holocaust survivors who immigrated to Los Angeles where she was raised. A TV mini-series about her was released in 2022 and there is at lease one documentary about her.

"You know I'm getting off on you
You know I get off on you
You know I'm getting off on you
You know I get off on you
Off on you, off on you, off on you
You

Kiss me L.A. (K-k-k-kiss me L.A.)
Kiss me L.A. (K-k-k-kiss me L.A.)
Kiss me L.A. (K-k-k-kiss me L.A.)
Kiss me L.A. (K-k-k-kiss me L.A.)

You know I'm getting off on you
You know I get off on you
You know I'm getting off on you
You know I get off on you
Off on you, off on you, off on you
You

Kiss me L.A. (K-k-k-kiss me L.A.)
Kiss me L.A. (K-k-k-kiss me L.A.)
Kiss me L.A. (K-k-k-kiss me L.A.)
Kiss me L.A. (K-k-k-kiss me L.A.)"

The Animals (Eric Burdon and)

Monterey

The Animals (aka Eric Burdon and the Animals) is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted English band formed in the early 1960s. This psychedelic rock tribute to the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, which took place two years before Woodstock, is from the band's second album "The Twain Shall Meet," released in 1968.

"The people came and listened
Some of them came and played
Others gave flowers away
Yes they did yeah!
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey

Young gods smiled upon the crowd
Their music being born of love
Children danced night and day
Religion was being born
Down in Monterey

The Byrds and the Airplane
Did fly
Oh, Ravi Shankar's
Music made me cry

The Who exploded
Into fired light (yeah)
Hugh Masekela's music
Was black as night

The Grateful Dead
Blew everybody's mind
Jimi Hendrix, baby
Believe me
Set the world on fire, yeah!

His majesty
Prince Jones smiled as he
Moved among the crowd
Ten thousand electric guitars
Were groovin' real loud, yeah

If you wanna find the truth in life
Don't pass music by
And you know
I would not lie
No, I would not lie
No, I would not lie
Down in Monterey

Hu! huh-huh!

Alright!

Three days of understanding
Of moving with one another
Even the cops grooved with us
Do you believe me?
Yeah!

Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey, yeah
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey, yeah...."

The Animals (Eric Burdon and)

San Franciscan Nights

From the album "Winds of Change" released in 1967 this is a song about San Francisco and the Summer of Love, and all that Hippy stuff. But a WARM San Franciscan night? That doesn't sound like summer in The City. Mark Twain gets credit for saying the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Whether he said it or not, it's hard to argue with it after the summer fog rolls in.

"This following program is dedicated to the city and people of San Francisco
Who may not know it but they are beautiful
And so is their city this is a very personal song
So if the viewer cannot understand it

Particularly those of you who are European residents
Save up all your bread and fly trans love airways to San Francisco U.S.A.
Then maybe you'll understand the song, it will be worth it
If not for the sake of this song but for the sake of your own peace of mind

Strobe lights beam creates 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 Francisco"

Anjani

The Golden Gate

Anjani Thomas is a singer-songwriter from Hawaii, active since 1983. She worked with other musicians including Leonard Cohen, then became a solo artist in 2000. This minimal voice and piano song poem is from her 2006 album "Blue Alert," an album of songs she co-wrote with Leonard Cohen who also produced the album.

"Looking back, to San Francisco
Wearing my blue Chinese dress
A yellow jacket with padded shoulders
Smoking Sobranie cigarettes
Four o'clock and the fog comes in
We all remember the sea
For several seconds our sins are forgiven
Mine against you, yours against me
Don't wait for me and don't be sorry
Forget all the letters we wrote
Leave to the foghorns our lonesome story
Let them sustain the heavy note
We order another margarita
Sipping it slow by the window
Nobody needs an Indian teacher
All they need is San Francisco
For we are driving most carefully home
Down roads that are floating and veiled
The Golden Gate it's still gold, it's still great
Nobody's drunk
Nothing has failed"

The Anxiety

Meet Me at Our Spot

The Anxiety is a rock band with Willow Smith and Tyler Cole. This song is from their album "The Anxiety" released in 2020. Both musicians are from Los Angeles so there's no doubt the "405" they sing about is the 405 freeway, aka the "San Diego" freeway. I have no idea why they want to hit that particular freeway, maybe it's how they get to their spot, but it's one of many songs to mention a road or highway in the state, including all the songs about the Pacific Coast Highway, the 101, the 5, Ventura Highway, California 37, and don't forget Route 66.

"When I wake up
I can’t even stay up
I slept through the day, f**k
I’m not getting younger
But when I’m older
I’ll be so much stronger
I’ll stay up for longer
Meet me at our spot
Caught a vibe
Baby are you coming for the ride?
(The ride x3)
I just wanna look into your eyes
(Your eyes x2)
I just wanna stay for the night night night
When we take a drive
Maybe we can hit the 405
Hypnotized by the lights
Man, this must be the life

When I go to sleep
I can’t even fall asleep
Something’s got ahold of me
Feel it taking over me
But when I’m older I’ll be moving onward
I just got a drunk text (Meet me at our spot)
We caught a vibe (Yeah Yeah)
Baby are you coming for the ride?
(The ride x3)
When I look into your eyes
(Your eyes x2)
I just wanna hold you all night (All night)
Maybe we can take a drive (Take a drive!)
Baby we can hit the 405
Hypnotized by the lights
Man this must be the life...."

Omar Apollo

Tamagotchi

Omar Apollo is a singer-songwriter from Indiana, active since 2017. This song is from his album "Ivory" released in 2022. (A Tamagotchi is a handheld digital pet created in Japan and first sold in the '90s.)

"Quiere ese Louis Vuitton
Uh, no me deja en paz con ese cabrón, con ese cabrón
No por el otro, borracho los dos (Uh)
Si quieres conmigo, pierde ese control, ese control

[He wants that Louis Vuitton
Uh, don't leave me alone with that bastard, with that bastard
Not for the other, both drunk (Uh)
If you want with me, lose that control, that control]

B**ch, this Tamagotchi
Tour bus through Milwaukee
B**ch, I'm making bread (Bread)
Sound like Pavarotti
B**ch, my bag Céline (Céline)
You can't get it off me (Off me)
B**ch, this not my scene (Scene)
Vamos pa' Miami (Miami)

Feel on my waistline
I'm in L.A., four hours away
Just hit me on FaceTime (FaceTime)
Feeling so good, feeling so good
Singing a bass line (Bass)
Your body is on me, you touching up on me
We cum at the same time (Same time)
At the same time

You with somebody or are you cool?
I want your body, you want me, too
I see you coming, I come for you
Need you around me, I know you do

Ando de gira y todos me siguen, los chicos me quieren tocar
Tengo dinero y ando soltero, dime lo que quiere' comprar (Pop that, pop that)
Aquí está muy frío, no' vamos, te sigo, ¿dónde quieres ir a volar?
Algo sencillo con un cigarrillo me dicen que quieren follar (Pop that, pop that)

[ˆI'm on tour and everyone follows me, the boys want to touch me
I have money and I'm single, tell me what you want to buy (Pop that, pop that)
It's very cold here, no' let's go, I follow you, where do you want to go to fly?
Something simple with a cigarette they tell me they want to f**k (Pop that, pop that)]

B**ch, this Tamagotchi
Tour bus through Milwaukee
B**ch, I'm making bread (Bread)
Sound like Pavarotti
B**ch, my bag Céline (Céline)
You can't get it off me (Off me)
B**ch, this not my scene (Scene)
Vamos pa' Miami (Miami)

Feel on my waistline
I'm in L.A., four hours away
Just hit me on FaceTime (FaceTime)
Feeling so good, feeling so good
Singing a bass line (Bass)
Your body is on me, you touching up on me
We cum at the same time (Same time)
At the same time...."

Aqualung

Fake Tales of San Francisco

Aqualung is Matthew Hales, an English musician working since 1990. This song is from "Magnetic North" released in 2010. It's too short. I could listen to it a lot longer.

"Come with me to California
We'll lose our troubles in the sun
Let's fly away

Let's make our grand escape before we come undone
You know I've always been a dreamer
How you laugh at all my silly silly dreams
Let's fly away
Let's make our big mistake before we come undone
Before we come undone, yeah
Oh, come with me to California
Before we come undone

Come with me to California
We'll lose our troubles in the sun
Let's fly away"

Arcade Fire

End of the Empire I-III

Arcade Fire is an indie rock band from Canada, active since 2001. This song is from their album "WE" released in 2022. In their view of the end of the world, California has disappeared into the ocean, as it usually does in these scenarios.

"I. Last Dance

One last dance
Here at the end of the empire
Makes me cry
Watching the moon on the ocean
Where California used to be
It's not half bad, oh
Spend half your life being sad, woah
Well, don't be scared, oh-oh
Just chronically impaired, oh-oh
Just take my hand, oh-oh
Standing at the end of the American Empire

One last song
Here at the end of the movie
They seemed so sure
At least that's the way I remember the war
When New York used to be
It's not half bad, oh-oh
Spending half your life being sad, woah
Don't you weep, oh-oh
Half your life fast asleep, oh-oh
Feeling uninspired, oh
Standing at the end of the American Empire

II. Last Round

And we know that it's time to go
Heard the news on the radio
One last round before we go
Through the pale atmospheric glow
And the oxygen's getting low
Sing a song that we used to know
One last round before we go
One last round before we go

III. Leave The Light On

(So sad)

Didn't use to get high
Didn't use to drink and I
Didn't use to think I
Could ever dream about losing you

Didn't use to get low
This time of night and I
Didn't use to walk home
In the morning light
Without you
Without you

Didn't use to get high
Didn't use to drink
Didn't use to think I
Could ever dream about losing you, you
But I do

It’s you and I, it’s do or die
Suicide mission, baby by my side
We got one life and half of it’s gone
You know I can’t sleep with the television on

Didn't use to get high
With you by my side
(Leave the light on)"

Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in 2002. They're in that lineage of snide, snotty, overly superior British rockers that runs through The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, Oasis and The Prodigy. That's good company to keep. This song is from their acclaimed debut studio album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" which was released in 2006. It's about a pretentious British band that talks about the USA even though they've never been there. I'll bet that band's lyrics are so wank that they rhyme "San Francisco" with "Disco."

"Fake tales of San Francisco
Echo through the room
More point to a wedding disco
Without a bride or groom
And there's a super cool band, yeah
With their trilbies and their glasses of white wine
And all the weekend rock stars are in the toilet
Practicing their lines

I don't want to hear you
Kick me out, kick me out
I don't want to hear you, no
Kick me out, kick me out
I don't want to hear you
Kick me out, kick me out
I don't want to hear you
I don't want to hear your

Fake tales of San Francisco
Echo through the air
And there's a few bored faces at the back
All wishing they weren't there

And as the microphone squeaks
A young girl's telephone beeps
Yeah, she's dashing for the exit
Oh, she's running to the streets outside
"Oh, you've saved me, " she screams down the line
"The band were f***ing wank
And I'm not having a nice time"

I don't want to hear you
Kick me out, kick me out
I don't want to hear you, no
Kick me out, kick me out

Yeah, but his bird said it's amazing, though
So all that's left
Is the proof that love's not only blind but deaf

He talks of San Francisco, he's from Hunter's Bar
I don't quite know the distance
But I'm sure that's far
Yeah I'm sure that's pretty far

And yeah, I'd love to tell you all my problem
You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham
So get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...."

Arielle

Arielle is a singer-songwriter from Austin Texas. This song was released in 2014.

"I want my name in the lights
I wanna swim in the sky
Be the only star at midnight

Before I knew it I was lost
I didn't count all the costs
Now I wonder if I'll ever even make it out alive

I've been chasing dreams
But they're chasing me
In this city of angels
I can't sleep

Cause I'm trading scars
For that concrete star
And I can't find the sunshine in California

I only wanted to be me
I had the best intentions
I was scattered in all directions

It was more than I could take
I would bend just to break

Falling apart wasn't ever my plan
But now I understand

I've been chasing dreams
But they're chasing me
In this city of angels
I can't sleep

Cause I'm trading scars
For that concrete star
And I can't find the sunshine in California

California
California

I want my name in the lights
I wanna swim in the sky
Be the only star at midnight

I've been chasing dreams
But they're chasing me
In this city of angels
I can't sleep

Cause I'm trading scars
For that concrete star
And I can't find the sunshine in California"

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

Life in L.A.

Ariel Pink is the stage name of a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles active since 1996. He has released records credited to "Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti" including this one, so he is filed here under that name. (Figuring out how to list and alphabetize all these insane band and musician names is not always easy for a non-librarian such as myself.) This is from Mr. Pink's seventh studio album "Worn Copy" released in 2003. If you like a song that opens with a half a minute of wind sounds and features kazoos, you're in luck.

"Life in L.A.
Well, what can I say?
It's a treasure to find
So many ways to unwind

You could be so lonely
Life in L.A. is so lonely
Is so lonely
That way
Yeah

Life in L.A.
Come on out if you're gay
Make your babies and money
Move in together
Take out that loan
Honey, it's now or never

The weather is your boyfriend
On a Saturday
You stay in bed

And you could be so lonely
Life in L.A. is so lonely
Is so lonely
That way

A girl in my car
Doesn't mean I'm getting too far
Unless I'm taking her home
Halfway to Fresno at dark
Every peck on my cheek
When I look at her face
Every time we make plans
I think leather and lace

Life in L.A.
Is like a day in my brain
Cut

And did you know you could be so lonely?
Life in L.A. is so lonely
Is so lonely that way
Take me home"

Arkells

Agent Zero

Arkells is a rock band from Canada, active since 2006. This song is from the album "Michigan Left" released in 2011.

"I used to find a little peace in the lay up line.
When I start sweating, I start to unwind.
I used find a little peace under the bright lights.
When I start sweating, I start to unwind.

A little came to me in 1985.
Got in the car, started to drive.
We headed west, put Overtown behind.
Dad was looking for a Hollywood sign.

There was a time I could only impress you.
You can tell by now, I'm only guessing.

They kept asking me to describe
The logic that was running through my mind.
Ali had Cosell through hard times,
But Wilbon, on this one, had to decline.

There was a time I could only impress you,
you could tell by now I'm only guessing.
If you're saying the clocks run down, and the red light's glowing
If your mind's made up, then I'll get going.
Turn all the lights down low."

The Arlenes

Going to California

The Arlenes are an Americana/Alt-Country Anglo-American husband and wife duo that formed in London England then relocated to California. This is from the album "Going to California" released in 2004. I hope they figured out that all of California is on Pacific Time and not Mountain Time - even in the mountains. (Though I have noticed that way out east by the Colorado River some places use Mountain Time like Arizona.)

"I'm going to California
In the morning I'll be on my way
Going back to the Golden State
I'm going to California
Yes I can hardly wait
I can almost hear blue birds singin' away

Yes I've always dreamed it
Now my dream is comin' true

I'm going to California
Gonna settle down there with you

I want a piece of American pie
A little place that I can call my own
Fill it full of dogs and kids and busted up old cars
'Cause the city's gettin' crowded
And I guess I've done my time

I'm going to California
Gonna drink that summer like wine

And we'll hide up in the mountains
And watch the days go rolling by

Going to California
Set my clock to Mountain Time
Going to California
In the morning I'll be on my way
Going back to the Golden State

Going to California
Yes I can hardly wait
I can almost hear bluebirds singin' away

And as I look back across the runway
Don't know if I'm ever comin' back

Going to California
Let's see how long I last
Let's see how long I last
Let's see how long I last
Let's see how long I last
Let's see how long I last
Let's see how long I last"

Kieran Armitage

Malibu Nights

Kieran Armitage is a music artist from ... somewhere. This electro-pop song is from the album "God Save The Queer" released in 2021.

"Meet me in Malibu
I been here all night
Falling right into you
Oh me Oh my
Meet me in Malibu
We'll do what you like
Do you want to come over?
Do you want to come over?
Meet me in Malibu

Friday night you got me high
All I need is your ya ha ya ha
Setting sun, bubble gum
My hands all over your your ya ha ya ha

I'm out of my mind
I'm out of my mind
I'm out of my mind
I don't want to waste no time

Meet me in Malibu
I been here all night
Falling right into you
Oh me Oh my
Meet me in Malibu
We'll do what you like
Do you want to come over?
Do you want to come over?
Meet me in Malibu

Saturday you bite the bass
Like I'm more than just a friend now
Take a hit baby don't make it quick
Kiss your cherry lips talking that ya ha ya ha

I'm out of my mind
I'm out of my mind
I'm out of my mind
I don't want to waste no time

Meet me in Malibu
I been here all night
Falling right into you
Oh me Oh my
Meet me in Malibu
We'll do what you like
Do you want to come over?
Do you want to come over?
Meet me in Malibu...."

AronChupa, Little Sis Nora, & Jungle Jonsson

AronChupa is a Swedish singer and producer active since 2012, Little Sis Nora is a Swedish singer and also the sister of AronChupa. I don't know who Jungle Jonsson is. This electro house track was released in July 2022.

"In the California sun
In the California sun
I'll be long long gone
In the California sun

I've been driving through the city
I've seen the crackheads and the whores
Finding hope inside a bottle
But I know they were meant for more

In the California sun
In the California sun
I'll be long long gone
In the California sun

I'll be long long gone
In the California sun

In the California sun
I'll be long long gone
In the California sun

I've been driving through the city
I've seen the crackheads and the whores
Finding hope inside a bottle
But I know they were meant for more

I know they call it the city of angels
But all of your dreams
Get murdered and die
Still like the rest I want that high

In the California sun
In the California sun
I'll be long long gone
In the California sun

In the California sun
In the California sun
I'll be long long gone
In the California sun

I'll be long long gone
In the California sun
In the California sun
I'll be long long gone
In the California sun"

A$AP Rocky

L$D

A$AP Rocky is Rakim Mayers, a rapper from New York City active since 2007. This beautiful trippy neo-soul song is from his second album "At. Long. Last. A$AP" released in 2015.

""I know I dream about her all day
I think about her with her clothes off
I'm ridin' 'round with my system bumpin' LSD
I look for ways to say "I love you"
But I ain't into makin' love songs
Baby, I'm just rappin' to this LSD
She ain't a stranger to the city life
I introduced her to this hippy life
We make love under pretty lights, LSD (Acid)
I get a feelin' it's a trippy night
Them other drugs just don't fit me right
Girl, I really f**kin' want love, sex, dream
Another quarter to the face system
Make no mistakes, it's all, a leap of faith for love
It takes a place in, feelin' that you crave doin' love, sex, dreams

It started in Hollywood
Dreamin' of sharin' love
My tongue at a loss for words
Cause my feelings just said it all
Party just started up
Dreamin' of sharin' worlds
Held this feeling for way too long
Said, "I really wanna let it go"

I've been gettin' fly because the gimmick's so dope
I've been getting high cause I figured Lord told me
I've been drinking, driving, now we'll never go home
I gon' stay in doubt because the weather's so cold, oh

Feeling low sometimes when the light shines down
Makes me high
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
Feeling low sometimes when the light shines down
Makes me high
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?

It started in Hollywood
Duh, duh-duh
Dreamin' of sharin' love
Duh, duh-duh
My tongue at a loss for words
Cause my feelings just said it all

I look for ways to say, "I love you"
But I ain't into makin' love songs""
Baby, I'm just rappin' to this LSD""

JP Ashkar

John Paul Ashkar is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. This song was released in 2021.

"Well it's about morning-time baby should we catch a wave or climb the coastline?
'Cuz I've been waiting for a whole year for a taste of you under the warm sunshine

Out here we make snow angels in the sand
Use styrofoam to build a snowman
Do our shopping while we're working on our tan
In a hybrid sleigh ride

Give me a California Christmas
A beach beneath my feet and lights in the palm trees
Been dreaming of a California Christmas
The way it ought to be

I love the smell of chestnuts roasting on a bonfire somewhere in Malibu
And when we're done I wanna lay under the sky and see the stars in you, oh baby I do

Out here we make snow angels in the sand
Use styrofoam to build a snowman
Do our shopping while we're working on our tan
In a hybrid sleigh ride

Give me a California Christmas
A beach beneath my feet and lights in the palm trees
Been dreaming of a California Christmas
The way it ought to be is that mistletoe for me
I want a California Christmas
Where the girls are dressed to win, check that naughty list again
'Cuz I've been dreaming, dreaming of a California Christmas
The way it ought to be

'Cuz baby I don't need a white Christmas
I just need my minutes with you
And while we're talking I filled up all your stockings
With your favorite candles and booze

Give me a California Christmas
A beach beneath my feet and lights in the palm trees
Dreaming of a California Christmas
The way it ought to be is that mistletoe for me
I want a California Christmas
Where the girls are dressed to win, check that naughty list again
'Cuz I've been dreaming, dreaming of a California Christmas
The way it ought to be, shoobie doobie, shoobie doobie
The way it ought to be, shoobie doobie, shoobie doobie
The way it ought to be"

Ashe

Cold in California

Ashe (Ashlyn Rae Wilson) is a singer-songwriter from San Jose. This song is from her EP "Moral of the Story: Chapter 2" released in 2019. It's a reminder to all visitors to the Golden State to bring a jacket.

"Just out of reach is the gold you're rushing for with bags under your eyes
I’ve been chasing a rainbow, wound up at your door, wanna see the other side

It’s not quite like I imagined, like I did before
When you’re pouring all your heart out
But you’re lying on the floor
All these cigarettes and hotels, could be what you’re looking for
But it’s not what you expected and you’re left wanting more

Don’t mind what anybody told ya
It still gets cold in California
See everybody thinks they know ya
They’re only seeing what they wanna
Don’t mind what anybody told ya
It still gets cold in California

We can dance in the streets with the sun upon our skin and wake up feeling burned
Under stars, we could freeze cause we’ve gotten used to heat where seasons never turn

It’s not quite like I imagined, like I did before
When you’re pouring all your heart out
But you’re lying on the floor
All these cigarettes and hotels, could be what you’re looking for
But it’s not what you expected and you’re left wanting more

Don’t mind what anybody told ya
It still gets cold in California
See everybody thinks they know ya
They’re only seeing what they wanna
Don’t mind what anybody told ya
It still gets cold in California

Talk about the pretty parts
The ones you see on film
Happiness and skinny legs and living on a hill
Don’t talk about the lonely parts, the loneliness you feel
You probably always will

Cause it gets dark in California
I know it well better than most ya
Don’t mind what anybody told ya
It still gets cold in California
See everybody thinks they know ya
They’re only seeing what they wanna
Don’t mind what anybody told ya
It still gets cold in California"

Tigran Asatryan

Tigran Asatryan is a singer from Armenia. This song was released in August of 2022. I don't understand Armenian, but I can understand the word California in it.

Ashe & Finneas

Till Forever Falls Apart

Ashe is a singer/songwriter from San Jose. Finneas is a singer/songwriter/actor/producer from L.A. Both of them have songs on this list individually and now they're on it together with this collaboration from Ashe's album "Ashlyn" released in 2021.

I'm not sure how the tides could take the state. Maybe they're talking about a massive sea level increase due to global climate change, which would be about 230 feet, max. That's enough to flood large amount of the state. This might be a good time to buy oceanfront property in Fresno.

[Ashe]
"Out on our own
Dreamin' in a world that we both know
It's out of our control
But if s**t hits the fan, we're not alone

'Cause you've got me and you know
That I've got you and I know

If the tide takes California
I'm so glad I got to hold ya
And if the sky falls from Heaven above
Oh, I know I had the best time fallin' into love
We've been livin' on a fault line
And for a while, you were all mine
I've spent a lifetime givin' you my heart
I swear that I'll be yours forever, 'til forever falls apart
'Til forever falls apart

[Finneas]
So this is it, that's how it ends
I guess there's nothing more romantic than dyin' with your friends
And I'm not sorry for myself
I wouldn't want to spend a minute lovin' anybody else

[Ashe & Finneas]
'Cause you've got me and you know
That I've got you and I know

If the tide takes California
I'm so glad I got to hold ya
And if the sky falls from Heaven above
Oh, I know I had the best time fallin' into love
We've been livin' on a fault line
And for a while, you were all mine
I've spent a lifetime givin' you my heart
I swear that I'll be yours forever, 'til forever falls apart
'Til forever falls apart

We never had it from the start
'Til death do us part

If the tide takes California
I'm so glad I got to know ya
And if the sky falls from Heaven above
Oh, I know I had the best time fallin' into love
We've been livin' on a fault line
And for a while, you were all mine
I've spent a lifetime givin' you my heart
I swear that I'll be yours forever, 'til forever falls apart"

Ashford & Simpson

Nobody Walks in L.A.

Ashford & Simpson were a husband and wife team of songwriters and performers from New York and South Carolina who started their careers in the mid 60s writing some of the great Motown hits including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." This song is from their 1986 album "Real Love."

"Got off the plane where they say it don't rain
Thought to myself this is for me
Looked all around and everywhere
The streets were empty
Checked in the hotel to unpack my things
Gotta get out find some company
And then it hit me

Don't know if I read it or heard somebody say
In Hollywood they do things a different way
Don't you be caught cruisin' on a sunny day
Cause nobody walks in L.A.
Nobody walks in L.A.

I had some dreams
I was gonna crash the scene
Thought anywhere I can survive
That there must be a special place
Where the beautiful people hide
Begin to wonder what am I doin' wrong
Had to figure it out intelligently
Then it hit me

Don't know if I read it or heard somebody say
In Hollywood they do things a different way
Don't you be caught cruisin' on a sunny day
Cause nobody walks in L.A.
Nobody walks in L.A.

I been around and I like New York and Chinatown
Where rivers of people seem to flow
But bein' here under the sky so blue
What do you do? What do you do?

I've been around and I don't understand this town
You got to know somebody
or be on the party list
And if you're not a big star
You won't be missed

But the most important rule
No matter what games they play
Nobody walks

Don't know if I read it or heard somebody say
In Hollywood they do things a different way
Don't you be caught cruisin' on a sunny day

Don't know if I read it or heard somebody say
In Hollywood they do things a different way
Don't you be caught cruisin' on a sunny day
Cause nobody walks in L.A.
Nobody walks in L.A......"

Ashleigh

This sunny pop song is from Ashleigh's album "Malibu" released in 2021.

"Honey take me back
I'm already packed
Started as a thought now baby we're takin' off
I'm not even mad
You're the best I ever had
Now it's gettin' hot so we better just hit the [?]

Tryin' to keep cool by the pool
Malibu it's heaven
Now I'm seein' you and the view
Oh the view I'm gettin'
Chillin' by the pool, by the pool
Me and you it's heaven
Now I'm seeing you, now I'm seeing you ooo hoo

I'm in Malibu hoo hoo
And when I'm with you hoo
I'm in Malibu
I'm in Malibu yeah
I'm in Malibu

What started as a please
Had me droppin' to my knees
I want to ride this wave in the sun or in the shade
Oh, don't be a tease
And let's kiss under the trees
We can misbehave, that's how memories are made

Tryin' to keep cool by the pool
Malibu it's heaven
Now I'm seein' you and the view
Oh the view I'm gettin'
Chillin' by the pool, by the pool
Me and you it's heaven
Now I'm seeing you, now I'm seeing you ooo hoo

I'm in Malibu hoo hoo
And when I'm with you hoo
I'm in Malibu
I'm in Malibu yeah
When I'm with you hoo
I'm in Malibu hoo hoo
When I'm with you hoo
I'm in Malibu
I'm in Malibu yeah
I'm in Malibu

Drop top doin' naughty
Everybody wants somebody
All I know is you have got me, you have got me
Drop top doin' naughty
Everybody wants somebody
All I know is you have got me, you have got me

Now I'm seeing you ooo hoo
I'm in Malibu hoo hoo
And when I'm with you hoo
I'm in Malibu
I'm in Malibu yeah
When I'm with you hoo
(When I'm with you)
I'm in Malibu hoo hoo
(I'm in Malibu)
When I'm with you hoo
(When I'm with you)
I'm in Malibu
I'm in Malibu yeah
I'm in Malibu"

Kassi Ashton

Califiornia, Missouri

Kassi Ashton is a singer-songwriter from California, Missouri. This is a soulful country song was released in 2018. But is it really a California song? I think so - she sings about California dreaming from the middle of the country. The best reason to put it on the list is that she taught me that there is a town in Missouri named California. I had no idea, and I have so many questions about it. (Is that Missouri dreamin'?) Is there a Hotel California there? Do the girls think of themselves as "California girls?" Do they think the other songs on this list are about them? (Maybe they are.) I think I already know the answer to this one - do they get sick and tired of people asking dumb questions like these about the name of their city?

"I graduated with 86 sheep, I was the black one
If there was a reputation to be out in this town, I had the bad one
I was born in the wrong place in the wrong time
But sometimes the wrong way makes you the right kind

I was all in a hurry
And if I got past, then I won't stop like I would get a head start on anything that hurt me
Anywhere I go, don't feel like you was that good or bad
I don't know if I'm wrong in a way
I don't know if I'm wrong and told ya
I guess that's what you get when you're born
And stuck in California
California, Missouri

I just really hope one day that you're gonna love me
I was California dreamin' from the middle of the country
I look for you in the best of them
And every face and city skyline
I got out of your way
But did you get out of my

I was all in a hurry
And if I got past, then I won't stop like I would get a head start on anything that hurt me
Anywhere I go, don't feel like you was that good or bad
I don't know if I'm wrong in a way
I don't know if I'm wrong and told ya
I guess that's what you get when you're born
And stuck in California
California, Missouri

Ain't no shining lights or palm trees
There's more stars in the sky than stars in the streets
It's bittersweet, it's bittersweet, it's bittersweet
There's too many goals and memories

I was all in a hurry
And if I got past, then I won't stop like I nothing could hurt me
Anywhere I go, don't feel like you was that good or bad
I don't know if I'm wrong in a way
I don't know if I'm wrong and told ya
I guess that's what you get when you're born
And stuck in California
California, Missouri"

Fred Astaire

City of the Angels

Fred Astaire was a singer and actor, and some call him the greatest dancer ever in the movies. Active from 1904-1981, he was one of the greatest stars of the Classic Hollywood era. This song is from the album "The Complete London Sessions" released in 1975.

"Gather round and join me in a toast
To that California town I love the most
City of the angels, pretty city of the angels
That's the only place I really want to be

Life's a taste of honey
When the days are bright and sunny
While you dream of picking money
Off a tree

City of the angels, pretty city of the angels
How I hate to leave her even for a while
Especially when it's cloudy
She gets ways of sayin' howdy
Makin' everyone so proud who wears a smile

L.A. doesn't begin to describe her name
She'll stay under your skin like a dame
Who became quite famous

Now if you got a cravin'
If you're lookin' for a haven
All my best advice I'm savin' for the end

Train or boat or jet there
Just as soon as you can get there
And I'll bet that you'll be met there
By a friend

Splash in the sea and foam
Cash in Paris and Rome
Just a little change'll
Make the city of the angels
Your home

Now if you got a cravin'
If you're lookin' for a haven
All my best advice I'm givin' once again

Train or boat or jet there
Just as soon as you can get there
And I'll bet that you'll be met there
By a friend

Oh somewhere the hearts are kind
Somewhere the stars still shine
And you'll be sittin' pretty
In the city of those angels
Of mine"

The Ataris

Summer '79

The Ataris area a pop punk rock band from Indiana, active since 1996. This song is from their best-selling album "So Long, Astoria" released in 2003.

"Our last day of summer
1979
We gotta live up one time before it's over
We will make history tonight

Out at the drive-in
All of our closest friends will be sneaking in
You'll be spending your whole night
Trying everything you can to get that girl to notice you

We Are the Champions
Playing loud on the radio station
Everyone sing along
With these anthems of our generation
Cruising down Pacific Coast Highway
Put the top down, crawl into the back seat
Let's create anthems of our own tonight

Down at the roller rink
All the cool kids crowding around the air hockey table
Hey, my best friend likes you
I hear you shout at me as you go skating by

We Are the Champions
Playing loud on the radio station
Everyone sing along with these anthems of our generation
Cruising down Pacific Coast Highway
Put the top down, crawl into the back seat
Let's create anthems of our own tonight

Sneak out of the window, darling
Let's live like outlaws, honey
We'll never look back

Climb out on this rooftop
And stare at the city lights below us
This world belongs to us tonight
The kids will keep raging on and they ain't ever gonna stop

We Are the Champions
Playing loud on the radio station
Everyone sing along with these anthems of our generation
Cruising down Pacific Coast Highway
Put the top down, crawl into the back seat
Let's create anthems of our own tonight...."

Atlas

San Diego

According to a Reddit thread, Atlas is the stage name of Luna Kelly, also known online as rapperatlas and by other names, including her deadname, which makes getting information about her difficult. This short song (less than a minute) was released in 2017.

"i knocked on your bedroom door
and waited for you to answer
i bought you a crimson rose
smelled just like you did

i smiled at the view outside
and stood in your empty driveway
could tell that something was wrong
little did i know

my time there was running short
your kisses were my ambrosia
they melted into my skin
'darling, i love you'

it's awful that i must go
it's awful we have to part now
'cause i left my beating heart
in san diego"

Atherton

Pretty Girl From San Diego

I don't know anything about this band except that they are from Atherton, a small city in San Mateo County near Palo Alto. After lots of Googling I gave up trying to find more information. I guess that's what happens when you name yourself after a city. This is the lead off song from the album "Pale Summer" released in 2003. It's a great but obscure indie rock song that I only learned about because someone suggested it for this list. The song was also released on the soundtrack compilation to the MTV series "Laguna Beach" - "MTV Presents Laguna Beach: Summer Can Last Forever" released in 2006.

"Hello hello hello
I'm glad I've found you
Been away a long long time
The sun will rise
And the sun will set tomorrow
And it's been rough on this old heart

You are, you are the only reason I have found
Come down, come down, come get me off the ground
I waited for you yesterday
To come on back and say you'll always stay

Come back home to California
Find a better way to make it through today
Come back home to California
The lights they shine so bright
They shine for you tonight
So come on baby
Come home to California

We can drive the coast of San Fransisco
Head on down to Hollywood
Hurry please
Summer's almost over
You know I'm fading and I wish you would

You are, you are the only reason I have found
Come down, come down, come get me off the ground
I waited for you yesterday
To come on back and say you'll always stay

Come on home to California
Find a better way to make it through today
Come back home to California
The lights they shine so bright
They shine for you tonight
So come on baby
Come home to California

Come home to California
California
California
California
California
California
California"

Augustana

California's Burning

Augustana is a rock band from San Diego. This song is from the album "All The Stars and Boulevards" released in 2005. Anyone who has helplessly watched the sky fill with wildfire smoke so thick it blocks the sun can understand what the narrator is going through here.

"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..."

The Avalanches (featuring Rivers Cuomo & Pink Siifu)

Running Red Lights

The Avalanches are an electronic music group formed in Melbourne, Australia. known for their first album "Since I Left You" released in 2000 which was a crazy mash-up of all kinds of music and sound effects, my favorite being the scratched vocals from a parrot-training record on "Frontier Psychiatrist." Rivers Cuomo is the lead vocalist from Weezer, who have a lot of California songs here, and Pink Siifu is a rapper from Cincinnati based in L.A. This song is from the album "We Will Always Love You" released in 2020.

"Running, running red lights
Red lights, red lights
I been running red lights
To get to you
Running, running red lights
Where you been running all night
I been running red lights
Boom, boom, boom

I'm a thundercloud
Ready to burst, like Schrodinger
I'm crying in the car
An invalid
I'm off the grid

Hans is looking for Liesel
Living in Union Square
Shoot this rabid canine
Something's gone
Horribly wrong
Running, running red lights
Red lights, red lights
I been running red lights
To get to you
Running, running red lights
Where you been running all night
I been running red lights
Boom, boom, boom

I'm a thundercloud
Ready to burst, like Schrodinger
I'm crying in the car
An invalid
I'm off the grid

Hans is looking for Liesel
Living in Union Square
Shoot this rabid canine
Something's gone
Horribly wrong

Running, running red lights
Red lights, red lights
I been running red lights
To get to you
Running, running red lights
Where you been running all night
I been running red lights
Boom, boom, boom

The light of my life is going out tonight in a pink champagne Corvette
The light in my life is going out tonight
Without a flicker of regret (without a flicker of regret, dude)
I sleep three feet above the street in a pink champagne Corvette

Fly out into space, listen to the music the stars are making
Without a flicker of regret

California life is alright with me
California life is alright with me
We are, we are, we are, we are, we are all we have
California life is alright with me
California life is alright with me
California life is alright with me
We are, we are, we are, we are, we are all we have
California life is all right with me

Running, running red lights
Red lights, red lights
I been running red lights
To get to you
We are, we are, we are, we are, we are all we have
I been running red lights
Boom, boom, boom"

The Avett Brothers

The Avett Brothers are a folk rock band from North Carolina active since 2000.
This is from their fifth studio album "Emotionalism" released in 2007.

"Tell her, tell her what I'm thinkin'
Tell her, tell her what I'm dreamin'
And, hey, she just might just understand
Baby would you listen to me
Come across the kitchen to me
And I will tell ya best I can
'Bout how I know you love me
And how I want to love you back

People, people, people, they make it sound so easy
They say just do what your heart tells you to
But sometimes you cannot feel it
Sometimes you cannot hear it
Sometimes it won't talk back to you
And yeah I know you love me
And yeah I want to love you back
And how I know you love me
And how I want to love you bad

Far away I hear the rhythm of a song
Far away I get the feeling I belong, and so do you
And it goes like this

Oh no, no, don't want to leave you
Oh no, I want to keep you
Oh but I want to let you be
Oh no, I don't want to hear you
Say I don't want to be near you
Oh but I've got to set you free
And how I know you love me
And how I want to love you back
And yeah I know you love me
And yeah I want to love you bad

Far away I hear the rhythm of a song
Far away I get the feeling I belong, and so do you
And it goes like this

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la...."

Avicii

Gonna Love Ya

Avicii was a Swedish DJ/producer/musician who produced some great dance tracks before his 2018 suicide. This song from 2015 has a tropical house feel and a quick mention of California.

“I’m gonna love ya, like no one could
Make your heart feel the way it should
I'm gonna hold ya, when no one would
Cause I swear you deserve so good

Livin' up in California
Lovin' life but I've been waiting for ya
To twist my dreams and turn my fate
But God I hope it's not too late

I'm gonna love ya, I'm gonna love ya
I'm gonna love ya, I know I could

I'm gonna love ya, like no one could
Make your heart feel the way it should
I'm gonna hold ya, when no one would
Cause I swear you deserve so good

Sometimes it's hard to have the upper hand
When every dream you've had is turning into sand
You need someone to make your day
But he took your breath and blew it away

I'm gonna love ya, like no one could
Make your heart feel the way it should
I'm gonna hold ya, when no one would
Cause I swear you deserve so good…..”

Awolnation

California Halo Blue

Awolnation is a rock band formed in Los Angeles, active since 2009, fronted by Aaron Bruno. This song is from "Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders" released in 2020. According to Wickipedia, in the fall of 2018, while the band was on tour, Aaron Bruno's home studio and much of his property was destroyed in the Woolsey Fire. That, along with a mass shooting nearby, inspired him to write the songs in this album.

"Don't wanna talk about it, so I think I'll sing it with you
I thought I had until the morning, and I'd know what to do
And she said
I packed the car, and grabbed the dogs, and packed up plenty of food
Don't worry
And grabbed your journals, packed your soul, and grabbed your favorite shoes

California halo blue
California hang on through
California halo blue
California hang on through

I couldn't walk, I couldn't talk, you know I couldn't sit down
All I could do was wait around and pray for my home town
Remember
Ninth of November, don't forget about the trees and the birds
And their families
Humanity, now I can see the devil’s hold on this world

California halo blue
California hang on through
California halo blue
California hang on through

Remember, remember the ninth of November
Remember, remember the ninth of November
Remember, remember the ninth of November

California halo blue
California hang on through
California halo blue
California hang on through

Halo blue
Hang on through
Halo blue
Hang on through"

Awolnation

Pacific Coast Highway in the Movies

This is another song from "Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders" released in 2020.

"(I wonder why these)
Tears came uninvited to me
I wonder if I told you, would I find some relief
I feel like such a stranger from my head to my feet
My silver screen, my misery, my love, my defeat

Pacific Coast Highway in the movies
You promised me sunshine, why’s it gloomy?
We’ll wait ‘til the night to catch the moonbeam
Pacific Coast Highway in the movies

I swear my shadow knocked me straight to the floor
I’m seeing stars, I promise I will trust you no more
My skin and bones betray me, how the hell should I think?
My silver screen, my misery, my love, my deceit

Pacific Coast Highway in the movies
You promised me sunshine, why’s it gloomy?
We’ll wait ‘til the night to catch the moonbeam
Pacific Coast Highway in the movies

I slept inside of a chandelier last night
I’m always looking for the bright side of life
I’m lonely, I'm confused, and I’m glad that you’re here
Give me shiny things to stop my tears

Pacific Coast Highway in the movies
You promised me sunshine, why’s it gloomy?
We’ll wait ‘til the night to catch the moonbeam
Pacific Coast Highway in the movies

Oh God I think I’m beyond, la la la la
Do you belong? La la la la la
Cause I am beyond, la la la la la
Do you belong? La la la la la...."

Hoyt Axton

California Women

Hoyt Axton was a singer-songwriter originallly from Oklahoma who got his start singing folk songs in San Francisco clubs in the late 1950s. He's best known for writing songs that were hits for other singers, notably "Joy to the World" and "Never Been to Spain" for Three Dog Night. This is from the album "Joy to the World" released in 1971.

"Talk about your women in Birmingham,
And a lady from Baltimore.
But the girls I love get their toes in the sand,
Of the sweet Santa Monica shore.

Singin' California women, in the heat God Almighty.
Gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll.
California women, in the heat God Almighty
Gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll.

California women, in the heat God Almighty
Gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll.
California women, in the heat God Almighty
Gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll.

De, da'd 'n, de, de, de, de'd 'n, de, de'd 'n, de ...

Singin' California women, in the heat God Almighty
Gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll.
California women, in the heat God Almight
Gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll.

California women, in the heat God Almighty
Gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll.
California women, in the heat God Almighty
Gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll.
I gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll.

California women, in the Greek, God, Amon.
I gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll.
California women, in the Greek, God, Amon.
I gotta sweet, sweet jelly roll."

The Babys

I Wish We All Could Leave California

The Babys are a British rock band that started in 1975. This song comes from their third album "Head First," released in 1979.

"When I came back home
From the USA
I had nothin' in my pockets
And not a lot to say
Though I knew somehow
We would meet real soon
But the way you've been avoidin' me
It's like I'm livin' on the moon

Here I am on this side of the stars
Livin' in California
And sometimes I get out of reach in the bars
Dreamin' about my life
And maybe one day I'll take a wife

Though I spent some
Time on the evil road
I've done things that I'm ashamed of
Oh man it's such a heavy load
Though I knew somehow
We would meet real soon
But the way you've been avoidin' me
It's like I'm livin' on the moon

Here I am on this side of the stars
Livin' in California
And sometimes I get out of reach in the bars
Dreamin' about my life
And maybe one day I'll take a wife
Oh...."

The Babylon Bee

This parody sung to the melody of the Beach Boy's "California Girls" was put on YouTube in August 2022 by The Babylon Bee, a news satire website based in Florida that has been described as a conservative Christian version of The Onion. Both fake news websites are very funny but the difference between them is that the Babyon Bee's audience doesn't realize that the news is fake.

The mask mandates and lockdowns were over before this video was dropped, which leads me to assume that these white supremacist MAGA gun nut bath-salts-smoking face-eating Florida Men and their emotional support pythons were too distracted to know that, probably because they were trying to force an alligator to drink beer, or they were shooting guns in the air to stop a hurricane, or maybe they were jumping on trampolines while naked, or it could be they were throwing an alligator through a Wendy's drive-thru window, or maybe... [insert your favorite Florida Man meme here.] (FYI, Gavin Newsom is roasted in the song because he was governor of California in 2022.)

"Well, SF's packed with feces,
You gotta watch your step up there,
And in Los Angeles with all their homeless camps,
The tents and drugs are everywhere
In Napa Newsom drops some
15 thousand bucks on wine
But in the rest of the state with all the mask mandates,
They keep us all locked up real tight

I wish we all could leave California, now
I wish we all could leave California
I wish we all could leave California, now

Well, Texas has more freedom
And pistol grips out there aren't banned
I'd dig a Florida place with no mask on my face
And no income tax sounds grand

I been all around this commie state
And my time here's about spent
Yeah, but I couldn't spot even one U-Haul lot
That had a single truck left to rent
(Gavin Newsom U-Haul Salesman of the Year)

I wish we all could leave California, now
I wish we all could leave California
I wish we all could leave California, now...."

The Babylon Bee

California Fleein'

This was put online in 2023 in another lame attempt to start a culture war between red and blue states. It's a parody song with uninspired homophobic lyrics sung to the melody of California Dreamin', made by a conservative Christian satirical website based in Florida that wants to make fun of the fact that the population of California has been decreasing. Why are these swamp snowflakes so obsessed with California? Instead of being so scared of people who are different from themselves, shouldn't they worry about their own traffic jams, low wages, rapid population growth, extreme heat and humidity, stinking seaweed, giant pythons, and rising sea levels, and get busy boarding up their windows before the next hurricane disaster?

I couldn't find any parody songs about Florida (because nobody knows any songs about Florida) so I asked ChatGPT to write one. It decided all on its own to use the melody of Green Day's "American Idiot" and wrote a song in about five seoonds. I've put the lyrics below the lyrics to this one. It's a bit out of date with the COVID references, but it's good enough that the Babylon Bee hive better not quit their day jobs....

"All the streets are brown
And the teacher's gay
I went for a walk
Got mugged along the way
I’d be safe from harm
If I moved from L.A.
California fleein’
I gotta get away

Stopped into a woke church
With Rainbow flags displayed
When I pulled out my KJV (with Hebrew and Greek)
The pastor burst into flames (Pastor was aflame)
I know Montana can be cold (It can be cold)
And Florida’s out of the way (Florida’s out of the way)
But still I’m California fleein’ (California fleein')
Just gotta get away

All the lights are down (All the lights are down)
The power’s out for days (power’s out for days)
Now I have to walk (Now I've gotta walk)
Can’t charge my Tesla today (Got no electricitay)
The taxes are so high (They be takin' all my money)
And the traffic's a pain (I’ve been on the 405 for half of the day)
California fleein' (California fleein')
Just gotta get away (I gotta get away)...."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Florida Parody Song - written by OpenAI's ChatGPT 3/23

Sung to the tune of "American Idiot" by Green Day

Verse 1:
Don't wanna be a part of the Florida scene
Where the governor's a clown, and the air is unclean
Ron DeSantis is the man in charge
But his policies are making us all feel large

Chorus:
Welcome to a state of disarray
Where COVID's on the rise, and the climate's in decay
Thanks to our governor, we're in a bad way
Florida's a disaster, we gotta change today

Verse 2:
DeSantis, can't you see what you've done?
Your mask mandates gone, now we're on the run
The virus is spreading, people are dying
You're too busy trying to keep your donors supplying

Chorus:
Welcome to a state of disarray
Where COVID's on the rise, and the climate's in decay
Thanks to our governor, we're in a bad way
Florida's a disaster, we gotta change today

Bridge:
The sea level's rising, the hurricanes are strong
But DeSantis still thinks we can do no wrong
We need leadership that cares for our land
Not just someone who wants to make a quick grand

Chorus:
Welcome to a state of disarray
Where COVID's on the rise, and the climate's in decay
Thanks to our governor, we're in a bad way
Florida's a disaster, we gotta change today

Outro:
We need someone who puts people first
Who won't let our state become the worst
We need change, and we need it now
To make Florida shine, and take us out of this shroud.

Burt Bacharach

Pacific Coast Highway

Burt Bacharach was a songwriter from Missouri, active 1950 to 2023. He is regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th-century pop music for writing so many successful pop songs, for which he won plenty of Grammy awards, Oscars, and Emmys. This song is an instrumental that was released in 1969 on his album "Make it easy On Yourself." It sounds like something that was written for a soundtrack, but I don't know if it was. You can certainly use it for your own '60s sitcom soundtrack. Just pop the cartridge in the 8-track player and dig the groovy easy-listening horns and strings and bob your head to the piccolo solo as you drive the PCH with the top down.

Annie Bacon

California Heat

Annie Bacon is a singer-songwriter based in Ann Arbor Michigan via Maine and San Francisco, California. This song is from her fourth album "Storm" released in 2023. If you're wondering, Robert Dollar Hiking Trail is in northern San Rafael. Bay Area fog stays over the ocean when the temperature inland is hot. That's when it's "at bay." When it cools down you can watch it pouring inland over hilltops or through the Golden Gate over the bay.

"I'm not ready to write a song about you
So I'll write about your bench
On Robert Dollar hiking trail
How I'd wound the roads of San Rafael
Without water and forgetting
The California heat when the fog is still at bay
I'll write about the dust
Kicking clouds around my face

And the manzanita trees
Grown scrubby in the drought
How I whispered to the radio tower
'I'll trade my breath for an easy way out'
But the California heat pushed its weight on me
Then the bench came into view
And a fox did too

He hopped the path in front of me
He hid behind a cottonwood tree
So I started making plans for fending off
An attack that never came
An opportunity for rage

The California heat when the fog is still at bay
I wish you weren't dead
But it is that way
But I didn't feel you
It was just a bench with a beautiful view"

Badfinger

Look Out California

Badfinger was a power pop rock band from Wales, U.K., active from 1961-1975 and 1978-1990. This song is from their album "Airwaves" released in 1979 after the band got back together again with only two of the original four members.

"Bags are packed, jumpin' on a jet today
Feel so good 'cause I'm gettin' back to the U.S.A.
Temperature's risin', I'm flyin' back to the sun
Hangin' around old London town
Ain't good for too, too long

Look out California
I gotta warn ya
Look out solar city
You're lookin' pretty to me, yeah, to me

Feel so good, gettin' back to rock 'n' roll
So long since it felt so right to my very soul
My temperature's risin' 'cause I'm layin' back in the sun
Kickin' around old L.A. town
Too much, too much good fun

Look out California
I gotta warn ya
Look out solar city
You're lookin' pretty to me, yeah, to me

Got a good deal from a prominent record man
We're tryin' our hardest just to follow the plan
Back on the airwaves
Back in the airwaves
Back on the airwaves

(Back, back in the airwaves)
(Back, back in the airwaves)
(Back, back in the airwaves)
(Back, back in the airwaves)

Look out California
(Back, back in the airwaves)
I gotta warn ya
(Back, back in the airwaves)
Look out solar city
(Back, back in the airwaves)
You're lookin' pretty to me...."

Badflower

Johnny Wants to Fight

Badflower is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, active since 2013. This is from their second studio album "This Is How The World Ends" released in 2021.

"Yo, Johnny, man, it's me
I heard some s**t's been going down with your girl
I'm really sorry to hear that, man, that sucks
But hey, look, if you're not doing anything tonight
We're all going out, Hollywood, Sunset Strip
We'll have some drinks, meet some girls
Start some f**king trouble, f**k, I don't know
Should be a good time, man
Maybe help you forget about your situation
I don't know, well hit me back if you wanna come out
Peace, brother

My best friend's home while his girlfriend's sleeping around
He's drunk and he's mad and he's looking for somebody to pound
He cheats all the time and he plays like he don't even miss her
But now he's f**king mad 'cause he knows that somebody was with her

Something must've gave me away

Yeah, if Johnny wants to fight, let him fight
Let him kick some f**king ass into the ground
Saying, 'Hallelujah'
Taking f**king shots on the rocks
With the rockers and the freaks
That sell us the coke and ketamine
Shallow loser
Salvation is so far away, yeah
If Johnny wants to fight, let him fight
Let him paint some f**king face all over the town
Saying, 'Hallelujah'

But I'm guilty and it's starting to show
The truth is the girl told me everything I needed to know
Her clothes were on the ground
She was down, she was ready to go
Anybody would've done something so natural, oh

How the hell'd we end up this way?

Yeah, if Johnny wants to fight, let him fight
Let him kick my f**king ass into the ground
Saying, 'Hallelujah'
Take your f**king shot
Give it everything you've got
Because the people wanna see it, baby
Shallow loser
Salvation is so far away
Yeah, if Johnny wants to fight, let him
Get it, I'm just trying ...
Hallelujah (Yeah)
Hallelujah (Oh-oh-oh)
Hallelujah

And I'm wrong 'cause I slept with her a lot, and I
I wanna tell him, but I think I'd better not
'Cause I shoulda f**king run
But she's hotter than the sun
And every day she's f**king with me
Take this f**king halo from me

Yo, it's Johnny, man
Next time, I see you
You're f**king dead!

Yeah, if Johnny wants to fight, let him fight
Let him break my f**king nose until I'm barely breathing
Hallelujah
Take your f**king shot
Give it everything you've got
Because your girlfriend put her body on me
Shallow loser
Salvation is so far away
Yeah, if Johnny wants to fight, let him fight
Let him paint my f**king face all over the town
Saying, 'Hallelujah'

Johnny wants to fight, yeah, uh
Johnny wants to fight, yeah, uh-uh
Johnny wants to fight, yeah, uh
Johnny wants to fight"

Bad Religion

Land of Competition

Bad Religion is a punk rock band (with harmonies) formed in Los Angeles in 1979. This song is from their 3rd album Suffer, released in 1988.

"See there's a girl who's afraid of the world so she stays at home.
Next there's a boy who seems so lost in his joy, he's all alone.
The camera's on them, they're in the land of competition.
Southern California air feeds them.

And they know they are best 'cause of the way they are dressed,
But you can bet you are not welcome in their home.
See there's a girl who sits and watches the world from her blue screen.
Also a boy who truly wants to destroy his hometown scene.
They both want to travel to the land of competition.

Southern California will destroy them,
And they won't be the best, they'll be the poseurs who dress
Like the plastic idiots who they copy.
Tell me what do you need to make you happy? Indeed, is it out of your reach?
Beware of number one, see all the damage it has done, there are so few of them.
You won't find too many in the land of competition.

Southern California doesn't breed them.
If you just want the best turn to yourself for the rest
And forget about the ones who have it all.
Be careful of the ones who have it all.
Be careful of the ones who have it all.
Be careful of the ones who have it all."

Bad Religion

Los Angeles is Burning

This is another song about California wildfires, from the band's 2004 album The Empire Strikes First.

"Somewhere high in the desert near a curtain of a blue
St. Anne's skirts are billowing
But down here in the city of the lime lights
The fans of Santa Ana are withering
And you can’t deny that living is easy
If you never look behind the scenery
It's showtime for dry climes
And bedlam is dreaming of rain

When the hills of Los Angeles are burning
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And Los Angeles is burning

This is not a test
Of the emergency broadcast system
Where Malibu fires and radio towers
Conspire to dance again
And I cannot believe the media mecca
They're only trying to peddle reality,
Catch it on prime time, story at nine
The whole world is going insane

When the hills of Los Angeles are burning
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And Los Angeles is burning

A placard reads
"The end of days"
Jacaranda boughs are bending in the haze

More a question than a curse
How could hell be any worse?

The flames are stunning
The cameras running
So take warning

When the hills of Los Angeles are burnin
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And Los Angeles is burning"

Bag of Toys

Bag of Toys' website describes the group as a "...a high energy four piece acoustic surf-rock band founded in San Francisco and currently based in Wilmington, NC." This song is from their album "Nooner" released in 2005

"California's got the sunshine, year round, cheap wine
Fresh waves, hot babes, lather on the sunscreen
Warm days, cool nights, everything is just right
Soft sand, last tan, sleepin' on the rooftop

California, California, California
No I ain't never leaving you

California's got the girl I love, the mountains rising up above
The beach scene, so clean, the parties raging every night
The clean air, millionaire, breathtaking swimwear
Fake boobs, boob tube, something's always going on

California, California, California
No I ain't never leaving you

California's got the earthquakes, mudslides keep awake
Big sharks, homeless parks, traffic jams round the clock
No rain, insane, all the kids on cocaine
Crap luck, dumb struck, man I think I love this place
When I get drinking, man I'm always thinking that

My state's better than your state,
Better than my state, better than all the states put together
My state's better than your state, better than, baby
My state's better than your state,
Better than my state, better than all the states put together
My state's better than your state, better than, baby

California's got the porn stars, strip clubs, wildfires
Hot bods, street rods, everybody's packing heat
The wet sand, rock band, out to get a nice tan
Tan lines, parking fines, gotta do what you can
California's got the nudist beach, freak shows for the world to see
Haight Street, bare feet, Democrats, they own this state
Divorce rate, sounds great, unless you've got yourself a mate
Rocks stars, cool bars, come once you're never far from

California, California, California
No I ain't never leaving you

California's got the earthquakes, mudslides keep awake
Big sharks, homeless parks, traffic jams round the clock
No rain, insane, all the kids on cocaine
Crap luck, dumb struck, man I think I love this place, yeah
When he get's drinking, man he's always thinking that

My state's better than your state, baby
My state's better than your state, yeah
My state's better than your state, baby
My state's better than your state, yeah...."

Bahari

The California Earthquake Song

Bahari is a trio of female pop singer-songwriters and muscians that formed in Manhattan Beach in 2013. One member grew up in Kenya speaking Swahili and "Bahari" means "ocean" in Swahili. One thing I don't understand about this song is the line "Drive down to heaven on the 105." That's not exactly a scenic highway - it leads from Norwalk to El Segundo, but I guess if you go a few miles south you'll get to Manhattan Beach so maybe that's why they mention it. This is beginning to sound like that Saturday Night Live Californians sketch where all they do is give driving directions around L.A.

"It's a state of mind, it's a state of grace
Close your eyes, drift away
The nights are warm and the days are long
Come, pretty baby, where you belong
The taste of her skin makes you feel alive
Drive down to heaven on the 105
Oooh, everybody needs a little
California

I can be your California
I can be your getaway
I love ya, but I have to warn ya
You can visit but you cannot stay
Well I could be your California baby
And we could be a flawed paradise
Nothing perfect lasts forever
But baby wouldn't that be nice?

A kiss from the sun, let it burn your skin
I'll meet you tonight but don't ask where I've been
The liquor store on 7th, they don't check IDs
Yeah a pretty girl can always get whatever she needs

I can be your California
I can be your getaway
I love ya, but I have to warn ya
You can visit but you cannot stay
Well I could be your California baby
And we could be a flawed paradise
Nothing perfect lasts forever
But baby wouldn't that be nice?

California-fornia love
California-fornia love
Love
I can be your, I can be your...

I can be your California
I can be your getaway
I love ya, but I have to warn ya
You can visit but you cannot stay
Well I could be your California baby
And we could be a flawed paradise
Nothing perfect lasts forever
But baby wouldn't that be nice"

Bart Baker

California Boys

Bart Baker is a web-based comedian and parody artist from Chicago, active since 2006. He calls himself the king of music video parodies, and his nearly 10 million YouTube subscribers seem to agree. This 2010 parody of Katy Perry's "California Gurls" has over 50 million views.

"Greetings, loved ones
It's time to get horny

I know a place where boys look like AC Slater
Warm, wet and wild
Like your stepson in the water
Sipping gin and prunes
Constipated by the palm trees (can't dump)
The boys break their necks
Tryna creep a little sneak peek (at us)

You could travel the world but nothing comes close to this bag of bones
Once you see my hips thrust, you'll be falling in love
Oooooh-oh-oooooh!

California boys, we're unforgettable
Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin so hot, we'll melt your popsicle
Oooooh-oh-oooooh!
Oooooh-oh-oooooh!
California boys, we're undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce, hard as a rock
West Coast represent, now put your hands up
Oooooh-oh-oooooh!
Oooooh-oh-oooooh!

Toned, tan, fit and ready
Staring at boys makes me hot and sweaty
Wild, clumsy, dropping soap
These are the boys I love the most
I mean the ones, I mean like he's the one
Kiss him, touch him, squeeze his buns!
The boy's a freak
I like to spy on him on the beach
Cum boys, bang them out
Big man ass hanging out
Tommy, and Bobby, and Rodney
Three of my favorites that make me horny!

California boys, we're unforgettable
Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin so hot, we'll melt your popsicle
Oooooh-oh-oooooh!
Oooooh-oh-oooooh!
California boys, we're undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce, hard as a rock
West Coast represent, now put your hands up
Oooooh-oh-oooooh!
Oooooh-oh-oooooh!

I really wish you could all be California boys"

B. J. Baker

Grant Avenue

This is a big musical number in the Chinese New Year's parade scene from the musical "Flower Drum Song" which was set in San Francisco's Chinatown. The 1961 movie features the star Nancy Kwan lip syncing, but the real singer is B.J. Baker. Kwan and Baker's "I Enjoy Being a Girl" number is another highlight of the movie musical which was groundbreaking in that it featured entertainers of Asian heritage instead of non-Asian actors in "yellow-face" makeup, which was common in those days. I wish someone would have told Rogers and Hammerstein, who wrote the song for the original 1958 musical, that they're called "Cable Cars" not "trolleys" in San Francisco.

Pat Suzuki performed the song in the orignal Broadway musical. Her version is discussed uner her name.

"Western streets with eastern manners
Tall pagodas and golden banners
Throw their shadows through the lantern glow

You can shop for precious jade
Or teakwood tables or silk brocade
Or see a bold and brassy night club show
On the most exciting thoroughfare I know

Grant Avenue, San Francisco,
California, U.S.A.
Looks down from Chinatown
Over a foggy bay

You travel there in a trolley
In a trolley up you climb
Dong! Dong! You're in Hong Kong
Having yourself a time

You can eat, if you are in the mood
Shark-fin soup, bean cake fish
The girl who serves you all your food
Is another tasty dish
(You know that)

Can't have a new way of living
Till you're living all the way
On Grant Avenue
(Where is that?)
San Francisco, That's where's that!
California U.S.A."

Danney Ball and The Hollywood Songwranglers

Danney Ball's LinkedIn page says he's from Hemet, California, and lists him as a performing BMI songwriter and the CEO of Danney Ball Productions since 1973, so he's been in the business for a long time. This country novelty song is from the album "Palm Springs, I Love You" released in 1999. He also has written songs about Palm Springs, Hemet, and Temecula.

"Hold 'er n... she's rarin' Do you hear that rumblin' sound?
Mother Earth for what it's worth Is knockin' on the ground
Move back from that fault line, save your rattled soul
They say if it's the big one we won't ever fill the hole

Please tell Mr. Richter we can't take it any more
Stop the quake, slow down the shake let us off the floor
His silly seismic rumbling has us all scared to death
Until the ground stops movin' we're gonna hold our breath

In California the powers that be are shakin' in their boots
'Cause they might lose their tax base the veggies and the fruits
The vineyards and the studios might fall into the sea
Dont' be scared just get prepared then put your mind at ease
Call the Governor's office, our town has just been hit
This jolting is revolting, terra firma don't exist

Gotta stop this agitation of our houses and our land
We're livin' at the beach now since the shiftin' of the sand
Well it measured over eight point three as shock waves ricocheted
A power that moved the likes of me, who wouldn't be afraid?

What triggered this lambasting we may never understand
A call to wake the universe who shook us with his hand

In California the powers that be are shakin' in their boots
'Cause they might lose their tax base the veggies and the fruits
The vineyards and the studios might fall into the sea
Dont' be scared just get prepared then put your mind at ease
Call the Governor's office, our town has just been hit
This jolting is revolting, terra firma don't exist

It was of such great magnitude, the yard rolled like a tide
I grabbed a china cabinet and hung on for the ride
I can't forget that tremblor tearin' fissures to our town
Our world is just a splittin' trust when the big one's goin' down

Well I felt the San Andreas move, began to roll then rock
Will this be cataclysmic or just an aftershock?
The laughing eyes of nature sees a shaker drives you blind
Don't let this madness crack the epicenter of your mind

In California the powers that be are shakin' in their boots
'Cause they might lose their tax base the veggies and the fruits
The vineyards and the studios might fall into the sea
Dont' get scared just get prepared then put your mind at ease
Call the Governor's office, our town has just been hit
This jolting is revolting, terra firma don't exist...."

Ballyhoo!

California King

Ballyhoo! is a reggae rock and punk band from Maryland active since 1995. This song is from their album "Message to The World" released in 2020. It's another song about the extra-large king bed, just like Rihanna's, but that's good enough for this list.

"You said I act so dumb when I’m drunk and it’s really not cool
I said I’d rather be alone with you makin‘ out in our birthday suits

I’m tired of hanging with your lame ass friends and their phones
Pretending you like em, I know that you don’t
Thought we came to party but instead we’re taking shots and I wanna go home

So Foolish
Why we gotta always do this
Pick it up then we lose it
No, We won’t remember this tomorrow
Save it
The California king is waiting
We should go to bed, stop hating
No, We won’t remember this tomorrow

You know I can’t hold my tongue or my liquor when I’m 20 beers deep
You drank a dozen White Claws, now your claws, are buried in me

Now the tension is bubbling up
People are staring, we don’t give a f**k
It’s a runaway train
An active volcano about to erupt
Enough is enough

Oh, So Foolish
Why we gotta always do this
Pick it up then we lose it
No, We won’t remember this tomorrow
Save it
The California king is waiting
We should go to bed, stop hating
No, We won’t remember this tomorrow

Sleep on it
Baby let’s sleep on it
On our California King
Where our words don’t mean a thing

Sleep on it
Baby let’s sleep on it
On our California King
Where our words don’t mean a thing
Sleep on it
Baby let’s sleep on it
On our California King
Where our words don’t mean a thing

Oh, So Foolish
Why we gotta always do this
Pick it up then we lose it
No, We won’t remember this tomorrow
Save it
The California king is waiting
We should go to bed, stop hating
No, We won’t remember this tomorrow"

The Band CAMINO

California (Live at El Rey Theatre)

The Band CAMINO is a rock band founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 2015.
This rousing rocker is from their album "Heaven" released in 2017.

' Keepin' my mouth shut, 'cause I couldn't tell you
Everything I saw when I was still a boy in school
I was still a boy in school
Sometimes I feel like I've gone insane
'Cause I can't change my mind but I can't stay the same
Except you
I still feel the same about you

I can't help but dream about your song
Your voice in my head makes me feel numb
You said
"I've been home, I'm waiting on ya
Drove all the way from California
I've been home, I'm waiting on ya
I knew I couldn't live without ya
I've been home, I'm waiting on ya
Drove all the way from California
I've been home, I'm waiting on ya
I knew I couldn't live without ya"

So many people, won't make a sound
So many people looking for something to do
We're all looking for something to do
I feel annoying most of the time
But I keep on talking just to keep my mind off you
Just to keep my mind off you

I can't help but dream about your song
Your voice in my head makes me feel numb
You said
"I've been home, I'm waiting on ya
Drove all the way from California
I've been home, I'm waiting on ya
I knew I couldn't live without ya
I've been home, I'm waiting on ya
Drove all the way from California
I've been home, I'm waiting on ya
I knew I couldn't live without ya"

I've been home, I'm waiting on ya, I'm waiting on ya
I've been home, I'm waiting on ya, I'm waiting on ya....'

Banded Future

Green Grass of California

Banded Future is a hip-hop duo formed in Los Angeles in 2021. This fast rap with a great old school soul chorus was released in 2022.

"Don't wake me up, just let me lie
'Cause I'm California dreamin'
California dreamin'
Don't bring me down, I wanna fly
'Cause I'm California dreamin'
California dreamin'
Don't wake me up, just let me lie
'Cause I'm California dreamin'
California dreamin'
Don't bring me down, I wanna fly
'Cause I'm California dreamin'
California dreamin'

You all I need is pretty women and some palm trees
Fruit cup ... and a cool breeze
...rollin' Colorado to Downtown
Top down new keys
Got the weather feelin' heavenly
Comin' out the house it's never under 70
All it takes is ... the melody
Now everybody ... down on my celebrity
I don't know
Papparazzi at the house I'm gated
Car ... worth ... the price I paid it
Got a little lost in the sauce but I never gave up
And I 'm really glad that I waited
Now I'm shaded, sippin' on my juice
I got a little change so I hired a masseuse
She like a hundred pounds but she made my back crack
I feel like Diddy in the city ...
Take that, take that

Don't wake me up, just let me lie
'Cause I'm California dreamin'
California dreamin'
Don't bring me down, I wanna fly
'Cause I'm California dreamin'
California dreamin'
Don't wake me up, just let me lie
'Cause I'm California dreamin'
California dreamin'
Don't bring me down, I wanna fly
'Cause I'm California dreamin'
California dreamin'...."

Band of Heathens

Band of Heathens is a rock band from Austin, Texas, active since 2005. This musical history of marijuana in California is from the album "Duende" released in 2017. Sure, if you want to get on Mendocino County time these days a smaller stash might cost you a fortune more than it did in the past, but when you factor in all the former costs of having to find and buy it from a sketchy drug dealer and all the paranoia and fear of jail time that came with the felony use and possession of a Schedule 1 controlled substance, it's actually much cheaper now that it's legal. In California, at least. Texas is another story.

"Back in the '70s
Toking Panama Red to the Pleiades
Constellations falling from the sky
Then came the newest kick
Sinsemilla for the Mexican brick
Never brings you down but gets you high

Oh, the green grass of California
Pacific breeze so gentle and so kind
When your eyes are red
Spinning in your head
Remember it's only in your mind

Then came the stronger stuff
Single props couldn't haul enough
To keep on Mendocino County time
Up and down the PCH
From the black sand beach
To the redwood gate
They engineered a stronger strain and kind

Oh, the green grass of California
Pacific breeze so gentle and so kind
When your eyes are red
Spinning in your head
Remember it's only in your mind

We used to roll up another and another
Don't bogart brother, you're not alone
Now a smaller stash
Will cost you twice the cash
And half as much will lift you to a new time zone

Oh, the green grass of California
Pacific breeze so gentle and so kind
When your eyes are red
Spinning in your bed
Remember it's only in your mind
When your eyes are red
So heavy in your head
Remember it's only in your mind
Remember it's only in your mind"

Wendy Jane Bantam

Rattlesnake Kate

This song is about a Colorado woman nicknamed "Rattlesnake Kate" who reportedly killed 140 rattlesnakes in 1925 to protect her son, and made a dress from their skins. It's from the album "Summer Devil" released in 2017. I hope Kate didn't ship her son to California just to keep him safe from rattlesnakes, because the Golden State's got lots of buzzworms, too.

"Rattlesnake Kate, Rattlesnake Kate
This is a story about Rattlesnake Kate
Rattlesnake Kate, Rattlesnake Kate
Wore a rattlesnake dresssssss

Rattlesnake Kate, Rattlesnake Kate
Born on a dirt farm down by the lake
Rattlesnake Kate, Rattlesnake Kate
Killed a hundred forty snakes with a garden rake

Way back when in the olden days
Women were sold for a bale of hay
Sold rattles and skins to make her way
Stored the venom in a hide-a-way

Shipped her son to Califor-ni-aaaay
Rattlesnake Kate saved the day...."

Bobby Bare

California Dreams

Bobby Bare is a country music singer-songwriter originally from Ohio, active since 1956. This song is from his album "The Real Thing" released in 1970. If anybody knows where I can one of those money-growing trees, let me know.

"Let me carry that old suitcase, hon'
And here's my hat to shade your pretty head from the sun
Let's keep movin' down the road that has no end, it seems
For a long time we've been dreamin' California dreams

Where the sands are gold and blue the sea
Money grows from every tree
It all waits there for you and me, California dreams

This old road gets longer every mile
And honey, I know this is no place for a woman with child
But soon we'll have someone to share our plans and our schemes
And our baby will be a part of California dreams

I should have known this would be too much for you
But I thank you, honey, for lovin' me enough to come along
'Cause you've been so true
And it just won't be the same when I reach California's shinin' sea
'Cause without you there beside me, there's just no California dreams

Where the sands are gold and blue the sea
Money grows from every tree
It all waits there for you and me, California dreams

California dreams
California..."

Warren Barker Orchestra

77 Sunset Strip - TV Show Theme

This is a version of the original theme song to the private detective TV series (based on a non-existant address on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles) that ran from 1958-1964. This version comes from the show's soundtrack album that was released in 1958. The much better original theme, with a faster tempo and finger snaps that sound like a whip cracking, was written by Mack David and Jerry Livingston, but I don't know who performed it.
Listen to the original theme here.

"Seventy Seven Sunset Strip
Seventy Seven Sunset Strip
Seventy Seven Sunset Strip

The street that wears a fancy label
That's glorified in song and fable.
The most exciting people pass you by
Including a private eye

Seventy Seven Sunset Strip
Seventy Seven Sunset Strip
Seventy Seven Sunset Strip

You'll meet the high brow and the hipster
The starlet and the phony tipster
You'll see most every kind of gal and guy
Including a private eye

Seventy Seven Sunset Strip
Seventy Seven Sunset Strip
Seventy Seven Sunset Strip"

Courtney Barnett

Kim's Caravan

Courtney Barnett, from Melbourne, Australia, is an outstanding singer-songwriter and a great guitar player, too. With a deadpan delivery she speak/sings about asthma attacks, organic vegetables, and house shopping, turning the mundane into the universal. After a couple of great EPs she released her first full album in March 2015 "Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit" on which you'll find this song which describes the devastation of Australia's environment, not California's, and mentions the Sunset Strip in Los Angeleeze only to clarify that she's not singing about it, she's singing about the Sunset Strip on Phillip Island, which is south of Melbourne, Australia, but it's a good excuse for me to put her on my list. For more great songs of hers check out Dead Fox, Avant Gardener, Depreston, Pedestrian at Best, An Illustration of Loneliness, and History Eraser.

"Watermarks on the ceiling
I can see Jesus and he's frowning at me
I see a dead seal on the beach
The old man says he's already saved it three times this week
Guess it just wants to die
I would wanna die too
With people putting oil into my air
But to be fair, I've done my share
Guess everybody's got their different point of view

I was walking down Sunset Strip, Phillip Island, not Los Angeles
Got me some hot chips and a cold drink
Took a sandy seat on the shore
There's a paper on the ground, it makes my headache quite profound
As I read it out aloud
It said "The Great Barrier Reef it ain't so great anymore
It's been raped beyond belief, the dredgers treat it like a whore"
I drank 'til I was sinking, sank 'til I was thinking
That I'm thankful for this view
We either think that we're invincible or that we are invisible
When realistically we're somewhere in between
We all think that we're nobody but everybody is somebody else's somebody

Don't ask me what I really mean
I am just a reflection
Of what you really wanna see
So take you want from me...."

Chris Baron

The Sacramento Song

Chris Baron is a music artist based in Portland, Oregon, active since 1998. I'm not sure when this folk/rock song was first released, but it appears to be 2018. There's nothing in the lyrics that mentions Sacramento, but it's titled The Sacramento Song, so here it is. Maybe it's about a family reunion trip to the Capital City and they're driving south from Portland. I'm gonna stick with that for now. There's also a version of this song by Chris Baron and Two Secrets, which his web page calls his funky folk ensemble.

"Wastin’ time when I should be driving
Everyday life can be hypnotizing
Please remind me when I start to spiral away

Southbound four of us, the moon was rising
Freedom and free on the closing horizon
Three of us for a family reunion
And I, for a taste of the times

Hold me close as darkness falls
My skin, my body can feel the pulse
As we move, closing on our destination
Sleep to the hum and the whine

Poolside, morning, forever, awhile
For some it’s a dream and for some a lifestyle
Sweet surrender to the curves of the water
The smile of fortune is kind

Easing my mind as my lady is driving
Troubles will burn where the road does widen
Free and Freedom are words that we seldom believe
Or really know what it means

Southbound four of us, and love was shining
Freedom and free ever mesmerizin’
Too few precious days in a lifetime of strivin’
For some peace of mind"

Nessa Barrett

Tired of California

Nessa Barrett, aka Nessa, is a singer-songwriter and Tik Tok personality from New Jersey, active since 2019 when she was a teenager. This song was released in 2022.

"(I'm so tired of California, I'm so tired of L.A.
Where the real thing comes as often as the California rain)

I get sick of sunshine, on my perfect skin
Vapid conversation, giving me the spins
Driving down Mulholland, closing both my eyes
'Cause they say you get more famous when you die
And everyone seems fine
Am I losing my mind?

I'm so tired of California, I'm so tired of L.A.
Where the real thing comes as often as the California rain
I got all these legal toxins in my blood and in my brain
I keep saying that I'm leaving but it doesn't work that way

I can't feel my heartbeat, way up in the hills
Burning down my mansion, didn't write a will
Front row at my funeral, crocodile tears
Came here for the weekend, but I haven't left in years
(Is that weird?)

I'm so tired of California, I'm so tired of L.A.
Where the real thing comes as often as the California rain
I got all these legal toxins in my blood and in my brain
I keep saying that I'm leaving but it doesn't work that way

Can I be young forever?
Would it be fun, forever?
Can I be young forever?
Would it be fun, forever?

(We're so tired of California, we're so tired of L.A.
Where the real thing comes as often as the California rain
We got all these legal toxins in our blood and in our brains
We keep saying that we're leaving but it doesn't work that way)

I'm so tired of California, I'm so tired of L.A.
Where the real thing comes as often as the California rain
I got all these legal toxins in my blood and in my brain
I keep saying that I'm leaving but it doesn't work that way"

Nessa Barrett (featuring jxdn)

La Di Die

Jxdn is a singer-songwriter and TikTok personality from Tennessee, born in 2001. This was released in early 2021. It's got a brief mention of rain in California and an allusion to California Dreamin', and some nice word play on fame and joining the 27 club like Curt Cobain, in 9 years.

"Does it rain in California?
Only dream I've ever known
Will they love you when you're famous?
Where you'll never be alone?
Hope someday I'll find nirvana
I'll be looking down below
I'll be dead at twenty-seven
Only nine more years to go

I got a bully in my head
Fake love, fake friends
I was broken when you left
Now you hear me everywhere you go

La da di, oh la di da
Gonna be a superstar
Be the girl you used to know
Playing on the radio
La da di, oh la di die
Loving me is suicide
I'm a dreamer, I'm on fire
La da di, run for your life

Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, ah-ah-ah-ah
Yeah-yeah, I'm jxdn, I'm jxdn

Said I'm gonna be a rockstar, yeah yeah yeah
Told her I don't want a war, yeah yeah yeah
I don't see me going far, yeah yeah yeah
That's what happens when I fall apart
All of me wants all of you
But I'm far away and I can't choose
Got a lotta lessons that I need to learn
Got a lotta lessons
My depression and misconceptions
And all the mistakes that lead to lessons
My depression, it makes me question
My depression, it makes me question

La da di, oh la di da
Gonna be a superstar
Be the girl you used to know
Playing on the radio
La da di, oh la di die
Loving me is suicide
I'm a dreamer, I'm on fire
La da di, run for your life

Does it rain in California
Where the angels cry for me?
Want the drugs that taste like candy
And blood diamonds in my teeth
Ah!

La da di, oh la di da
Gonna be a superstar
Be the girl you used to know
Playing on the radio
La da di, oh la di die
Loving me is suicide
I'm a dreamer, I'm on fire
La da di, run for your life

Yeah, I'm gonna be a superstar"

Eef Barzelay

Shaker Star

Eef Barzelay is an Israeli-born singer-songwriter from New Jersey, previously with the noise rock band Clem Snide. This song is from a 2009 EP he made of covers of songs from the band The Transmissionary Six called "Black Tin Rocket (Songs of the Transmissionary Six.) It's a solo acoustic guitar song that mentions the song "" which as far as I know is the song released in 2001 by Steve Wynn. Terri Tarantula wrote this song and released it in 2009, but I prefer Barzelay's version because of his slight changes to the melody that make the song soar.

"We could be unfettered
This I know for sure
Crystalize everything
Ignition contact with you, with you

(Chorus)

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

Sky might drench tomorrow
Flood the whole damn week
Biblical commandment
Ingnition contact with you with you

(Chorus)

This might sound unteathered
The rope's got two ends like we do
Take one and I'll take the other
Ignition to contact with you with you

(Chorus)"

Peter Matthew Bauer

Flowers

Peter Matthew Bauer is a singer-songwriter from the Washington D.C. area, active since 1996, and a member of the indie rock band The Walkmen. This is from his third studio album "Flowers" released in 2022. The production is a bit noisy and distorted which makes the lyrics a little hard to understand but I'm pretty sure he sings "blood moon over Malibu" and not "great move on the melody" as I read on some of the lyrics sites online. To me some of the imagery in the song - fire, mountains, the ocean - evokes a wildfire in Malibu, maybe the big one in 2018.

"I saw flowers on the ocean
They were floating like the dream
Walk daily through the fire
Wander out into the sea

Tread lightly on those flowers
?[Leave those gardens on the stairs]?
The summer′s killers all locked up
We can walk the streets again

We're saving the night
We're saving the night
We′re saving the night
As it was back then

Feeling control
Feeling control
Flowers on the ocean
Peace for your soul

Fire on the highway
Sky turns pink and red
Blood moon over Malibu
The creeps come out again

We're saving the night
We're saving the night
We′re saving the night
As it was back then

Feeling control
Feeling control
Flowers on the ocean
Peace for your soul

At the edge of the darkness
It all comes apart
Sun on the mountain
Rest for your heart...."

Be Brave Bold Robot

Be Brave Bold Robot is a rock band based in Sacramento. This song is from their album "Press E to Continue" released in 2015. If you were expecting an ironic complaint or a criticism you'll be surprised to learn that it's actually an homage to Capital City.

"God bless Sacramento, and the birds in her trees

Rivers and railroads have made up this town
The same waterways that our trees travelled down
To find rest in riverbeds and meet destiny
Keeping us sacred in its grand canopy
God bless Sacramento, and the birds in her trees

A gift for Sierra at the base of the hills
Left by Saint Francisco and growing ever still
A gateway from the bay to Lago Tahoe
As varied our landscape, so be our people
Worldly Sacramento, a melting pot full

Four major highways of shimmering lanes
Supplanting, surrounding the museum trains
In Old Town, the whole town has become a city
Heart of one of the largest economies
God bless Sacramento, and our gorgeous county

Business and poor men and politicians
Artists and lovers, all denominations
It's much less, our differences age rank and class
Than finding your own spot of Capitol Park grass
A peace on Sacramento, tranquil as glass

So find a bicycle and ride it all day
The bike lanes all arranged to safely convey
And know that we're lucky although we may sneeze
Metropolis plopped amidst sanctuary
I miss you Sacramento, everytime I leave

God Bless You Sacramento
And your stiff delta breeze
And your bats and your bees
And the birds in your trees"

Be Calm Honcho

I Love California

Be Calm Honcho is a group from the San Francisco Bay Area. The band is fronted by Shannon Harney from Shannon Harney & the Everybody Band. This song is off the album "Honcho Dreams" released in 2014.

"Along the highway
Cursing with the gang again.
We on another getaway
We are best friends.
And you are better than you think
Wish you could see what I can see
You are better than you think
Wish you could see what I can see

And the boys drove up from Los Angeles that weekend
Hugging the 1 like a bible and smoking all the while
The girls descended down from the clouds of San Francisco
Window draping limbs for better tracing pelicans

I love California like you do
I fall for her harder in the full moon
Meet me by the creek
I’ll be there all day
Wading in waist deep
Beneath the meteor display

Beneath the starlight
Soaking in the deep pools
I am a firefly
Now I can really see you
And you are better than you think
Wish you could see what I can see
You are better than you think
Wish you could see what I can see

And when they finally met midway between Hollywood and The Bay
They entangled at angles and covered each other with each other
Like they’d been doing since they were teenagers
Toasting the coast and beyond and the sand they stood on
Was f**king violet

I love California like you do
I fall for her harder in the full moon
Meet me by the creek
I’ll be there all day
Wading in waist deep
Beneath the firework display"

Be Calm Honcho

Pretty on the West Coast

This song is from the EP "Together" released in 2013, as far as I can figure out. Of course "the West Coast" refers to more than just California, but, no offense to Oregon or Washington, this song is obviously not about either of those states with lines such as "...the land that the sun loves most..."

"Ain't if fun
To be pretty on the west coast
Ain't it a good time
To be free in the land that the sun loves most

I know that we are kings
I swear we'll be big
Just livin out our dreams
Couldn't pay us to quit

I know we are cool
I know we'll be fine
We did everything we could
To not make up our mind..."

Beabadoobee

Beabadoobee is the professional name of Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus, a singer-songwriter who was born in the Philippines and raised in London, England, active since 2017. This is from her third studio album "This Is How Tomorrow Moves" released in August, 2024.

"Spending too much time out in California
And for all this time I've been waiting for you
Will you call me a cab so I can finally get back?
Never felt that, I've never felt that

Always the same from the inside
Wanted to change, it took a big fight
Call it a bluff, you'll see it real time
Wish you could see it's been a rough ride

I swear I tried
I swear I tried

Got a fragile heart always thought you knew that
And you said from the start, 'Guess that's how we do that'
Know you're stuck in the past and tired of living so fast
It's not the plan, you wouldn't understand

Always the same from the inside
Wanted to change, it took a big fight
Call it a bluff, you'll see it real time
Wish you could see it's been a rough ride

I swear I tried
I swear I tried

Keepin' it quiet 'till I hit back and I know
They won't listen till I start to crack
And I pick up the pieces of what they left
And I know
Keepin' it quiet 'till I hit back and I know
They won't listen utill I start to crack
And I pick up the pieces of what they left
And I know

They'll never know
They'll never know
They'll never know
They'll never know"

The Beach Boys

California Calling

The Beach Boys are a rock band formed in Hawthorne, CA, in 1961. This is one of many of their songs about California from their album "The Beach Boys" released in 1985.

"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

This is a great version of the Mamas & the Papas song released in 1965. This one was released in 1986 on the Beach Boys album "Made in U.S.A."

The Beach Boys

California Feelin'

This song was recorded in 1978 but not released officially until it was included on the "Made In California" compilation in 2013. It was first recorded as a demo in 1974, which you can also listen to on YouTube.

Brian Wilson recorded it in 2002 for the album "The Beach Boys Classics... Selected By Brian Wilson." Beach Boy Al Jardine also recorded a solo version on his album "A Postcard from California" released in 2010.

"I was walking down the beach
At San Onofre
It was such a beautiful day, like most days
The wind was blowin' through my hair
Sunlight chased my cares away
And the sun dances in the morning sky

When you're driving through L.A.
Watch the cliffs below
On beautiful Laguna Street Arch Bay
The wind was blowin' through my hair
Sunlight chased my cares away
And the sun dances through the morning sky

California feelin'
California feelin'
California feelin'
California feelin'

When you're down in New York City
And the sky turns gray
Nearly froze thinkin' of Californ-i-a

Ah
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
Do doo doo doo doo doo ah

California feelin'
California feelin'
California feelin'
California feelin'
California feelin'
California feelin'
California feelin'

Look at the orange groves
And taste a grapefruit from a grapefruit tree
Feel the loveliness and beauty
Of that California, California feeling
Feelin' "

The Beach Boys

California Girls

The classic cosmopolitan surf pop song is from the album "Summer Days (And Summer Nights)" released in 1965.

Lots of covers of the song have been recorded, including a big hit by David Lee Roth, Nancy Sinatra's pop version, a live version by Weezer, and a parody version with alternate lyrics about girls from other planets by Oingo Boingo. The song has also inspired a lot of other songs with the same title or the same subject, including Katy Perry's massive 2010 hit "California Gurls." If you can't get enough of the sterotype, I have also made a list of songs that mention California Girls.

"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 West coast has the sunshine
And the girls all get so tanned
I dig a French bikini on Hawaiian island
Dolls by a palm tree in the sand

I been all around this great big world
And I seen all kinds of girls
Yeah, but I couldn't wait to get back in the States
Back to the cutest girls in the world

I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California girls

I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California girls

I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be...."

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 Beach Boys

Had to Phone Ya

This song is from the "15 Big Ones" album released in 1976. Brian Wilson said that it's about letting his friends know that they were free to call him for help when their world was upside down. That meant a lot more in 1976 when everybody didn't carry an instant communicator in their pocket.

"Had to phone ya
Had to phone ya just to talk to you
Had to phone ya
just to tell ya I was missing you

It lifts my spirits every single time
Sometimes you're busy for awhile
But when you get through
It makes me smile

An when I phone ya
California's not so far away
You're not alone ya know I'm only just a dial away

I visualize that you're looking fine
Feels so good when you come on the line

You (you) you (you) you (you) you (you)
You (you) you (you) you (you) you (you)
You (you) you (you) you (you) you (you)
You (you) you (you) you (you)

Come on
Come on and answer the phone
Come on come on
(I hope you're home)
Come on and answer the phone
Come on come on
(I hope you're home)
Come on and answer the phone
Come on come on
(I hope you're home)
Come on and answer the phone
Come on come on
(I hope you're home)
Come on and answer the phone
Come on come on
(I hope you're home)
Come on and answer the phone
Come on come on
(Hello, hey Brian!)
(I hope you're home)"

The Beach Boys

This is from "Keepin' The Summer Alive" released in 1980.

The Santa Ana winds are strong, hot, dry winds that come down from the high deserts towards the valleys and coastal plains, exaggerated by the mountain passes. They often blow during autumn when they're infamous for fanning the flames of wildfires. They're also called "devil winds" and they can make it feel like you're in Hell.

"Here in Southern California there is a weather condition known as the
Santa Ana Winds.

Fire wind oh desert wind
She was born in a desert breeze
And wind her way
Through Canyon Way
From the desert to the silvery sea

In every direction
See the perfection
And see the San Gabriel Mountain scene
Santa Ana winds keep blowin' across my eyes
Santa Ana winds keep blowin' across my eyes

Fill my sails
Oh desert wind
And hold the waves high for me

Then I will come
And test my skill
Where the Santa Ana winds blow free

In waves of elation
My part of creation
Becoming one with the boundless sea

Santa Ana winds keep blowin' across my eyes
Santa Ana winds keep blowin' across my eyes

I am the wind
Oh desert wind
On my pilgrimage to the sea

I will prevail
I will not fail
To bring life into humanity

My song is creation
(???) the nation
Whispering the wisdom and its purity

Santa Ana winds keep blowin' across my eyes
Santa Ana winds keep blowin' across my eyes
Santa Ana winds keep blowin' across my eyes
Santa Ana winds keep blowin' across my eyes
Santa Ana winds..."

The Beach Boys

Surfin' Safari

This was the second song ever released by the Beach Boys, as a single in 1962 and on the album "Surfin' Safari" released the same year.

"Let's go surfing now
Everybody's learning how
Come on on safari with me
(Come on on safari with me)

Early in the morning we'll be starting out
Some honeys will be coming along
We're loading up our Woody
With our boards inside
And heading out singing our song

Come on baby wait and see (surfin' surfin' safari)
Yes, I'm going to take you surfing (surfin' surfin' safari) with me
Come along baby wait and see (surfin' surfin' safari)
Yes, I'm going to take you surfing (surfin' surfin' safari) with me

Let's go surfing now
Everybody's learning how
Come on on safari with me
(Come on on safari with me)

At Huntington and Malibu
They're shooting the pier
At Rincon they're walking the nose
We're going on safari to the islands this year
So if you're coming get ready to go

Come on baby wait and see (surfin' surfin' safari)
Yes, I'm going to take you surfing (surfin' surfin' safari) with me
Come along baby wait and see (surfin' surfin' safari)
Yes, I'm going to take you surfing (surfin' surfin' safari) with me

Let's go surfing now
Everybody's learning how
Come on on safari with me
(Come on on safari with me)

They're angling in Laguna in Cerro Azul
They're kicking out in Doheny too
I tell you surfing's mighty wild
It's getting bigger every day
From Hawaii to the shores of Peru

Come on baby wait and see (surfin' surfin' safari)
Yes, I'm going to take you surfing (surfin' surfin' safari) with me
Come along baby wait and see (surfin' surfin' safari)
Yes, I'm going to take you surfing (surfin' surfin' safari) with me

Let's go surfing now
Everybody's learning how
Come on on safari with me
(Come on on safari with me)

With me
Surfing Safari...."

The Beach Boys

Surfin' U.S.A.

This big hit is from the band's second album "Surfin' U.S.A." released in 1963. The music is similar to Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" and he is given writing credit along with Brian Wilson.

"If everybody had an ocean
Across the U. S. A.
Then everybody'd be surfin'
Like Californi-a
You'd seem 'em wearing their baggies
Huarache sandals too
A bushy bushy blonde hairdo
Surfin' U. S. A.

You'd catch 'em surfin' at Del Mar
Ventura County line
Santa Cruz and Trestle
Australia's Narrabeen
All over Manhattan
And down Doheny Way

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A.

We'll all be planning that route
We're gonna take real soon
We're waxing down our surfboards
We can't wait for June
We'll all be gone for the summer
We're on surfari to stay
Tell the teacher we're surfin'
Surfin' U. S. A.

Haggerties and Swamies
Pacific Palisades
San Onofre and Sunset
Redondo Beach L. A.
All over La Jolla
At Wa'imea Bay

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S. A....."

Beach Bunny

Ms. California

Beach Bunny is an indie rock band formed in 2015 in Chicago, Illinois, fronted by Lili Trifilio.
This song is from the album "Honeymoon" released in 2019.

"The more I try to catch your eye
The less I seem to hesitate
But every time you cross my mind
The words come out in figure 8's

I need to let go of everything
Ooh, it's getting hard to fight the feeling

She's your girl
She's in all your pictures
California girl, I wish I was her
When you're gone
She sleeps in your T-shirts
It hurts, I wish I was her
Ms. California
Ms. California

I love your voice but hate the way
You talk of her consistently
But every time you say her name
It honestly kills me

I need to let go of everything
Ooh, it's getting hard to fight the feeling

She's your girl
She's in all your pictures
California girl, I wish I was her
When you're gone
She sleeps in your T-shirts
It hurts, I wish I was her
Ms. California

And everything's better in California
And everything's better in California...."

Beach House

Drunk in L.A.

Beach House is a duo formed in Baltimore in 2004 that became synonymous with "dream pop" in the 2010s. This song is from their album "7" released in 2018. It's set in L.A. even though it doesn't mention the city except in the title. According to the notes on notes on Genius.com, the singer and lyricist Victoria Legrand said this about the song in an interview "There’s a lot of imagery throughout the record, like the shooting stars on “Woo,” that could be related to that kind of thing. Like an old starlet sitting in a bar in the dark by herself, someone who maybe had an insane life that no one will know about because there’s no one to talk to but themselves now. I think the song’s title symbolizes the darkness of L.A., but it’s more of a poetic acknowledgement of the L.A. of the mind. The actual place too, but we’re aware of the glamour from an outside perspective."

"Can't help seeking corners
Of dark and dead end rooms
Where the drinks keep pouring down
And the candles keep me warm
Isolation tenders
Something fragile coming soon
Skinny angels making eyes at cameras
Perched in every room

I had a good run playing horses in my mind
Left my heart out somewhere running
Wanting strangers to be mine
Memory's a sacred meat
That's drying all the time
On a hillside I remember
I am loving losing life

Strawberries in springtime
Pretty happy accidents
My awareness that I'm lucky
Rolling clouds over cement
Maybe there's a screenplay
Or a bathroom I can hide
Down the hallways of a high school
And the dances left behind

I had a good run playing horses in my mind
Left my heart out somewhere running
Wanting strangers to be mine
I would climb the Eiffel Tower
Write letters on the sky
How many turns it took to reach you

I had a good run playing horses in my mind
On a hillside I remember
I am loving losing life"

BEACHPEOPLE

Leaving The Band

BEACHPEOPLE is the solo music project of Malte Huck, a musician from Cologne, Germany. He founded it after leaving the successful German rock band AnnenMayKantereit. This song, released in October, 2024, is about leaving that band. The website for La Boule Noire, a French music venue, describes what the song is about:

"'LEAVING THE BAND’, which will be released on October 18th, holds a lens to Malte’s decision to leave a band and thus end a successful career, favouring a more grounded pursuit of freedom and self-determination. For the first time, he formulates in his own words what was previously just speculation and industry gossip and at the same time clears the way for himself. ‘I STOPPED TO COUNT THE NUMBERS AND STARTED TO DREAM AGAIN.’ The process of finding your own voice and writing your own story is a gentle but perceptible leitmotif. Gentle, because Malte Huck has been making music for so long and has a firm grasp of how his music should sound. But for the first time alone, without a band as a safety net. Again and again the subject of addiction comes up, and with it the desire to get out, a numbness, a kind of inwardly-oriented wanderlust. It’s about arriving and leaving, the emptiness in the metropolises, and the liberation on the paths in between."

"No one can take this away from me
But I really wish you would
I tried to be everywhere at once
And then I got lost in the woods
The top's a place to visit
I'm scared of coming down
I told my plans to god
And she just started laughing

Los Angeles for Kendrick
New York for Jay-Z
Toronto for Drake
And nowhere for me

I might have lost something
Of what I had back then
I stopped to count the numbers
And then I started to dream again
To dream again

Give me back my life
Give me back my

Life it seems
Is the biggest joke
And in the end
You won't get anything at all

Los Angeles for Kendrick
New York for Jay-Z
Toronto for Drake
And no one for me

I might have lost someone
I called a friend back then
I stopped to count the numbers
And started to dream again
To dream again

Give me back my life
Give me back my"

Beastie Boys

Get On The Mic

Beastie Boys were a rock and roll hall-of-fame-inducted hip-hop group from New York City, active from 1981-2012, that is still the biggest-selling rap group since Billboard started tracking rap albums in 1991. This fragment is from the group's second studio album "Paul's Boutique" released in 1989, an album composed almost entirely of samples that is viewed by some music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time. This is the second part of a suite of 9 parts titled "B-Boy Bouillabaisse."

"...Get on the mic, get-get on the mic
Just get on the mic, get on the mic, Mike!
Let's be real, and don't cloud the issue
The rhymes are dope, an emcee you must listen to
People say that they been missin' me and missin' you
Get on the mic, and let's show them like we used to
Well, you say f**k that, yo, Holmes, f**k this
I'm the King Ad Whammy and you're Dick Butkus
One half science and another half soul
Nicknamed Mike D, not Fat Morton Jelly Roll
Got busy in 'Frisco, fooled around in Fresno
Got over on your girlie 'cause you know she never says no

So just get on the mic, just get on the mic
Just get on the mic, get on the mic, Mike!

Well, Mike D is a special individual
Pullin' out knots and pullin' in residuals
Go to the movies, get the Rolos
The cholos ridin' slow and low
Mike on the mic and bust with the solo
Mike, my stomy don't be so selfish
Get on the mic cause you know you eat shellfish"

The Beat Farmers

Riverside

The Beat Farmers were a cowpunk band formed in San Diego in 1983. This is from their 1986 album "Van Go." There's probably a town called Riverside in every state, but this song is definitely about Riverside California, which still has some orange groves left for a late night rendezvous.

"When you moved up to Riverside
You thought the answer was hidden there
But it just turned out to be a place to hide
Baby, that town treated you so unfair

So meet me on out in the orange grove baby
We'll never back down at the broad wet storm
If the grove gets wet, it'll freeze tonight
But I got something that'll keep us warm

The moon-cat might be walkin' tonight
The fog's rollin' in, no time to spare
We got the message of love to carry the light
If your daddy gets mad baby I don't care

So meet me on out in the orange grove baby
We'll never back down at the broad wet storm
If the grove gets wet, it'll freeze tonight
But I got something that'll keep us warm

And if I look at you with a wicked smile
It's cause a gypsy saw your face in my eyes
And if you give me an inch, I'm gonna take a mile
I've been waiting for you to see through my disguise"

The Beatles

Blue Jay Way

The Beatles were a rock band formed in Liverpool, England in 1960. The band broke up in 1970 but it is still the best-selling music act of all time. Some people call them the best band of all time, and who am I to disagree? Blue Jay Way is a street in "The Bird Streets" region of the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles where the writer of this song, George Harrison, stayed in 1967.

"There's a fog upon L.A.,
And my friends have lost their way.
"We'll be over soon," they said.
Now they've lost themselves instead

Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long for I may be asleep

Well, it only goes to show
And I told them where to go
Ask a policeman on the street
There's so many there to meet

Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long for I may be asleep

Now it's past my bed I know
And I'd really like to go
Soon will be the break of day
Sitting here in Blue Jay Way

Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long for I may be asleep

Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long

Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long

Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long

Don't be long, don't be long, don't be long
Don't be long, don't be long, don't be long"

The Beatles with Billy Preston

Get Back

This is a 1969 single that reached #1 on the Billboard charts. There is another version on the band's last album "Let it Be" released in 1969. Here's some useless trivia: It's the 12th and final song on the 12th and final released Beatles studio album (though Abbey Road was recorded after it.)

I doubt that the "California grass" Jojo seeks is the kind you have to mow every weekend, but since most of the yards I've seen in Tucson are gravel and cactus, it's possible that he did seek greener pastures, and not just the smokable kind.

"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"

The Beatles

Honey Pie

This is from the album "The Beatles" aka "The White Album" released in 1968. It's sung by Paul who pines for his former girlfriend who went to Hollywood and became a movie star. The song is in the crooning style of the old music hall jazz (Vaudeville in the US) that Paul's father listened to and it's meant to sound like an old gramophone record from that era.

"She was a working girl North of England way
Now she's hit the big time in the USA
And if she could only hear me, this is what I'd say

Honey pie, you are making me crazy
I'm in love but I'm lazy
So, won't you please come home?

Oh honey pie, my position is tragic
Come and show me the magic
Of your Hollywood song

You became a legend of the silver screen
And now the thought of meeting you
Makes me weak in the knee

Oh honey pie you are driving me frantic
Sail across the Atlantic
To be where you belong
Honey pie come back to me, oh

Ooh, yeah
I like it like that, oh ah

I like this kind of hot kind of music
Hot kind of music
Play it to me, play it to me, Hollywood blues

Will the wind that blew her boat across the sea
Kindly send her sailing back to me?
Tee, tee, tee

Honey Pie you are making me crazy
I'm in love but I'm lazy
So won't you please come home?
Come, come back to me, honey pie

Ooooh, oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Honey pie, honey pie"

The Beau Brummels

Bless You California

The Beau Brummels were a San Francisco band in the mid 1960s, one of the creators of the "San Francisco Sound." This is from their 1968 album "Bradley's Barn." The mixing engineer must have been late for a hot date because this song has one of the fastest fade-outs I've ever heard.

"I'm forced to admit
that I'm too weak to quit
and I don't have the courage to make it alone
I'm too weak to get through a day on my own

wasted once again and I think i've fallen
I tried to stand my ground but I'm fallin' down
yes, I've tasted life again and I think I've fallen
ah tell me my old friend about fallin' down

pick me up, dust me off, but don't run me through it
cause I didn't mean to do it again
tried to find my mind but my head is hollow
it's hard to speak your peace when nothin's there
so if I try to leave, please don't follow
cause I ain't really goin' anywhere

if you're lookin' for a platform
stand with me
stand with me
the true reformer is the new performer
bless you California
you're the only state for me

every little person with a little radio waitin for somebody to tell 'em where to go
what you're singin's in the realm of worldly things and
when it sinks in do ya bring 'em into the fold?
tryin' to find my mind but my head is hollow
it's hard to speak your peace when nothin' there
so if I try to leave, please don't follow
cause I ain't really goin' anywhere."

The Beautiful South

101 Percent Man

The Beautiful South was an English pop rock band formed in 1988. This song is from the band's eighth studio album "Gaze" released in 2003.

"I've seen these people described as mad
But find men kissing too odd
Say all their friends are gay when in fact
They gave a man in tight vest a quick nod

And all those threats, if you keep kissing
They're gonna go report you to God
Yet if Christ really had that many disciples
There was probably one of you in his squad

And any news you receive would lead you to believe
Of the other world little is known
So that every gay presenter should really wear a sweater
With 'Kids, don't try this at home'

There are gay men who've knocked homophobics clean out
When most would have turned and ran
Gay men who hate it when they get called queer
And gay men who don't give a damn

Some gay men go wearing women's makeup
Just to prove to themselves they can
And on the masculine side of this whole wide world
There is no 101 percent man

Those who have only seen Gay Pride
Think it's a lifelong license to shock
But men have kissed men since way back when
If you were caught, you'd be put in the stocks
... ... ...
And when the Tom Robinson band sang
'Sing if you're glad to be gay'
We all joined in, and though most of us weren't
The song seemed to show us the way

And as the song reached it's end, you looked for the friend
That made singing along feel okay
It ain't San Francisco
But you're end-of-term disco
And the dance floor's beginning to sway...."

Beck

Debra

Beck is a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer from Los Angeles active since 1989. His breakthrough hit "Loser" in 1994 put him on the map. This song is from his 1999 album "Midnight Vultures." I'm so tired of popular songs product-placing expensive cars and other luxuries, so it always makes me smile when I hear Beck sing "...lady, step into my Hyndai" which in 1999 was about as cheap a car as you could buy. Besides the shout out to Glendale, there's a hidden L.A. reference: Zankou Chicken is a chain of restaurants in the L.A. area.

"I met you at JC Penney
I think your name tag said "Jenny"
I cold step to you with a fresh pack of gum
Somehow I knew you were lookin' for some
Like a fruit that's ripe for a pickin'
I wouldn't do you like that Zankou Chicken
Cause only you've got a thing
That I just got to get with
I just got to get with you
And you know what we're gonna do

I want to get with you
And your sister
I think her name's Debra

I want to get with you
And your sister
I think her name's Debra

I pick you up late at night after work
I said lady, step inside my Hyundai
I'm gonna take you up to Glendale
Gonna take you for a real good meal

Cause when our eyes did meet
Girl you know I was packin' heat
Ain't no use in wastin' no time gettin' to know each other
You know the deal
Cause only you got a thing
That I just got to get with
Got to get with

I want to get with you, girl
And your sister
I think her name's Debra...."

Beck

Hollywood Freaks

This is another song from Beck's album "Midnight Vultures" released in 1999.

"....We drop lobotomy beats
Evaporated meats
On the hi-tech streets
We go solo
Dance floors and talk shows
Hot dogs, No Doz
Hot sex in back rows

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

People look so snooty
Take pills, make them moody
Automatic bazooty
Zero to tutti frutti
Sex in the halls
Niagara Falls
Local shopping malls receive anonymous calls

Hot like a cheetah
Neon mamacita
Eat at Taqueria
Pop lockin' beats from Korea
Looking like jail bait
Selling lots of real estate
Looking like a hot date
Banging like an 808

Do you want to feel this?
Do you want to feel this?

Norman Schwartzkopf!
Something tells me you want to go home!
Champagne, bibles, custom clothes you own
Calling up from special area codes
Hollywood notes with the Hollywood phones
I got nothing to do, nowhere to go
I'll tell you what you want
If you want to know...

Jocking my Mercedes!
Probably have my baby!
Shop at Old Navy!
He wish he was a lady!

Do you wanna feel this?
Do you wanna feel this?

Dance floors, all the talk shows
Hot dogs, No Doz
Hot sex in back rows
You know
Hyundai Dodge, tricked out
Christmas in July
6.2 percent!
Yeah, you fill in the blanks
Sha-na-na-na-na-na, yeah!
Tutti frutti!
Automatic bazooti!
Yeah, I'm mixin' business with leather! (laughs)"

Beck

¿Qué Onda Güero?

This is from the album "Guero" released in 2005.

"¿Qué onda güero?
¿Qué onda Jose?

See the vegetable man in the vegetable van
With a horn that's honking like a mariachi band
In the middle of the street, people gather around
Put the dollar-dollar-dollar in the can, ¡Ay wey!, ¿qué onda?
TJ cowboys hang around
Sleeping in the sidewalk with a Burger King crown
Never wake them up, más cerveza
'Til the rooster crows vatos ver gallos

¿Qué onda güero?
¿Qué onda güero? (¿Qué güero?)
¿Qué onda güero?
¿Qué onda güero?

Mano Blancos roll with crowbars
Singing rancheras on cheap guitars
Abuelitas with plastic bags
Walking to the church with the Spanish candles
Dirty borracho says 'que putas!'
Ándale, Joto, your popsicle's melting
Run better run, da doo run run
Mara Salvatrucha in the midnight sun

Güero, where are you going?
¿Qué onda güero?
Güero, where are you going?
¿Qué onda güero?

Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Guatemalan soccer ball instant replays
Mango ladies, vendedoras
And a bus-stop singing Banda Macho chorus

¿Qué onda güero?
¿A donde vayas?
¿Qué onda güero?
¿A donde vayas?

¿Y donde encontrastes ese? en un hoyo
Alla en la Pico
La Pico y Vermont
Hey vamos a jugar futbol ahí en el Griffith Park
La locura
Yeah now I'm going to LACC, man
I'm taking a ceramics class

See the vegetable man
In the vegetable van

James Joyce
Michael Bolton!

¿Qué onda güero?
Hey where you going?
¿Qué onda güero?
Hey where you going?

Hey what's up güero?
You working out güero?
You doing pushups?
¡No te veo güero!
¡El güero!
¿Que te pasa? ¿Que no te pasa?
Otra vero güero
Yo I saw a puppet at Tang's
With a mullet and a popsicle
Hey güero!
¡Que locura!
Chico
Hey güero
Yeah Bro?
Hehehe, footlong?
Let's go to Cap'n Cork, they have the new Yanni cassette"

Chayce Beckham

Chayce Beckham is a singer-songwriter from Victorville/Apple Valley, CA, active since 2021. This country drinking song is a single that was released in 2021 after his performance of it on American Idol helped him to win the show.

"Simple as my mama said when I was very young
She told me, 'Not to worry, son, one day, you'll be someone'
But here I am at twenty-one as loaded as a stagecoach shotgun
I'm sorry, Mama, please don't look at me

When I got to Oklahoma, I was seventeen
My papa taught me how to work, and Lord, he was mean
Workin' all day in that August heat
And he taught me how to fish, my uncle taught me how to drink

Well, I went to California and I had me a band
And we played in all the bars in all the southern lands
We played all night and we drank for free
All of my boys and me

Now I'm twenty-three
And there ain't nobody who can drink like me
Soon I'll be twenty-four
And the Lord knows that I can't drink no more
I know I shoulda taken it slow
It's not the way that my life goes
Now I know
When you're passed out on the floor
You're sober by twenty-four

Well, I had a girl who loved me the whole damn time
And I'd drink my whiskey and she'd drink wine
But soon, my bottle was too much to comfort me

Yeah, we'd sit on the river and we'd fish all day
And we'd drive across the country, let the radio play
Seven damn years, I never thought she'd leave

Now I'm twenty-three
And there ain't nobody who can drink like me
Soon, I'll be twenty-four
And the Lord knows that I can't drink no more
I know I shoulda taken it slow
It's not the way that my life goes
Lord, I know
When you're passed out on the floor
You're sober by twenty-four

Simple as my mama said when I was very young
She told me, 'Not to worry, son, one day, you'll be someone'
But here I am at twenty-one as loaded as a stagecoach shotgun
I'm sorry, Mama, please don't look at me"

Bee Gees

Massachusetts

The Bee Gees were a pop group from England and Australia that formed in 1958 and became one of the best-selling artists of all time and rock 'n' roll hall of fame members. Unlike a lot of pop groups, they wrote their own songs. This one was a huge hit from 1967. The singer has returned to his home from San Francisco only to find that everybody else had left to become a San Francisco hippie, too.

"Feel I'm goin' back to Massachusetts
Something's telling me I must go home
And the lights all went out in Massachusetts
The day I left her standing on her own

Tried to hitch a ride to San Francisco
Gotta do the things I wanna do
And the lights all went out in Massachusetts
They brought me back to see my way with you

Talk about the life in Massachusetts
Speak about the people I have seen
And the lights all went out in Massachusetts
And Massachusetts is one place I have seen

I will remember Massachusetts...."

Before You Exit

Heart Like California

Before You Exit is a band of three brothers from Florida, based in Los Angeles, active since 2007. This upbeat pop song is a single released in 2014.

"She's got a heart like California
And a smile like a Hollywood dream
She's like a sunset back in Florida
And a top-down summer breeze

Take it back to the night that we met
She was standing there in a little black dress
I was playing it cool, trying hard to impress
She was driving me crazy
I remember she was looking at me
I was looking back, thinking how could this be?
She was doing her best to make it hard for me to breathe
I was feeling so crazy

Like na-na, na-na, na-na
Show me how to get a girl like that
Na-na, na-na, na-na
So she can love me right back

She's got a heart like California
And a smile like a Hollywood dream
She's like a sunset back in Florida
And a top-down summer breeze
We'd be cruising through L.A.
Stopped on the freeway
Doin' what we wanna do
And I'm gonna be there for her
'Cause I'm in love with a girl with a heart like California
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh, oooh
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh
Heart like California
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh, oooh
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh
Heart like California

There we were, I remember that time
She was singing loud, we were feeling alright
And I'm thinking she knew of the way
That she might've been driving me crazy

Like na-na, na-na, na-na
Show me how to get a girl like that
Na-na, na-na, na-na
So she can love me right back

She's got a heart like California
And a smile like a Hollywood dream
She's like a sunset back in Florida
And a top-down summer breeze
We'd be cruising through L.A.
Stopped on the freeway
Doin' what we wanna do
And I'm gonna be there for her
'Cause I'm in love with a girl with a heart like California
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh, oooh
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh
Heart like California
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh, oooh
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh
Heart like California

We'd be out until sunrise
And we'd be dancin' all night
Even if I'm just dreaming
Of being with her, you know I'm still gonna try
And we'd be driving on Sunset
And we'd be doing it right
And I'm getting this feeling, when I'm with her
I'm in love with a girl with a

Heart like California
And a smile like a Hollywood dream
She's like a sunset back in Florida
And a top-down Summer Breeze
She's got a heart like California
And a smile like a Hollywood dream (Smile like a Hollywood dream)
She's like a sunset back in Florida
And a top-down summer breeze
We'd be cruising through L.A.
Stopped on the freeway
Doin' what we wanna do
And I'm gonna be there for her
'Cause I'm in love with a girl with a heart like California
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh, oooh
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh
Heart like California
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh, oooh
Woo, ooh-ooh, ooh
Heart like California

Yeah, I want ya
Yeah, I know that
She's got a heart like California
Yeah, I want ya
Yeah, I know that
She's got a heart like California"

Tara Beier

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

Tara Beier is a singer-songwriter fro Canada, active since 2007. This is a country/rock cover of the 1971 Joni Mitchell song from Beier's upcoming EP "Her Story." You can see the lyrics under Joni Mitchell.

Tara Beier

Hollywood Angel

This is a folk pop or country pop song, or maybe it's an alt country song, let's just call it a mixed genre song, from the album "California 1970" released in 2017.

"She’s the Hollywood angel of the light
She calls out alone at night
She tries to remember the happy times
She believes in you and I

Cause all I know
I’m going somewhere
I’m going somewhere

Sometimes she has to say goodbye
To the ones she loves behind
Gotta let go in order to grow
And forgive all your foes

Cause all I know
I’m going Somewhere
I’m going Somewhere

She won’t let go of the light she holds
She won’t let go of the light she holds

There will be storms
There will be grey
There will be cold and dark days
But she can see the light from faraway
Everything’s gonna be ok

Cause all I know
I’m going Somewhere
I’m going Somewhere
She won’t let go of the light
She won’t let go of the light
She won’t let go of the light
She won’t let go of the light now"

The Bellamy Brothers

Blue California

The Bellamy Brothers are a music duo of brothers from Florida, active since 1968. This song is from their album "Life Goes On" released in 2000.

"I hit the road to California down Highway Number One
In my heart and in my mind my country lady
I know every single station, they play the same old song
And I know I’m on the way where I belong

Blue, blue, blue California
(California)
All I wanna do is get on back to you
Blue, blue, blue California
(California)
You’re the only one to make my dream come true

Long ago I had to leave you cos I really had no choice
I was living every night and day for you
Up ahead I see the mountains lying in the blazing sun
And I can feel my heart beating, I’m back home

Blue, blue, blue California
(California)
All I wanna do is get on back to you
Blue, blue, blue California
(California)
You’re the only one to make my dream come true

Blue, blue, blue California
(California)
All I wanna do is get on back to you
Blue, blue, blue California
(California)
You’re the only one to make my dream come true
You’re the only one to make my dream come true"

Belle and Sebastian

Piazza, New York Catcher

Belle and Sebastian are an Indie pop/folk pop band formed in Scotland in 1996.
This song is from their sixth studio album "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" released in 2003 and was on the Juno soundtrack. Mike Piazza is a Hall-of-Fame catcher who played for the Mets when this song was released. Persistent rumors that he was gay forced him to deny it in 2002. I have no idea what the song means and neither does Genius.com. Wickipedia says the singer wrote it for his wife when they were still courting.

"Elope with me Miss Private and we'll sail around the world
I will be your Ferdinand and you my wayward girl
How many nights of talking in hotel rooms can you take?
How many nights of limping round on pagan holidays?
Oh elope with me in private and we'll set something ablaze
A trail for the devil to erase

San Francisco's calling us, the Giants and Mets will play
Piazza, New York catcher, are you straight or are you gay?
We hung about the stadium, we've got no place to stay
We hung about The Tenderloin and tenderly you tell
About the saddest book you ever read
It always makes you cry
The statue's crying too and well he may

I love you I've a drowning grip on your adoring face
I love you my responsibility has found a place
Beside you and strong warnings in the guise of gentle words
Come wave upon me from the family wider net absurd
"You'll take care of her, I know it, you will do a better job"
Maybe, but not what she deserves

Elope with me Miss Private and we'll drink ourselves awake
We'll taste the coffee houses and award certificates
A privy seal to keep the feel of 1960 style
We'll comment on the decor and we'll help the passer by
And at dusk when work is over we'll continue the debate
In a borrowed bedroom virginal and spare

The catcher hits for .318 and catches every day
The pitcher puts religion first and rests on holidays
He goes into cathedrals and lies prostrate on the floor
He knows the drink affects his speed he's praying for
a doorway
Back into the life he wants and the confession of the bench
Life outside the diamond is a wrench

I wish that you were here with me to pass the dull weekend
I know it wouldn't come to love, my heroine pretend
A lady stepping from the songs we love until this day
You'd settle for an epitaph like "Walk Away, Renee"
The sun upon the roof in winter will draw you out like
a flower
Meet you at the statue in an hour
Meet you at the statue in an hour"

Alec Benjamin

Jesus in L.A.

Alec Benjamin is a singer-songwriter from Phoenix AZ, active since 2013. This song was released in 2019. Of course you won't find Jesus in L.A. He moved out of town because he couldn't afford the rent anymore, but he did leave behind his giant sign on a trendy hotel downtown.

' Well, I shook hands with the devil
Down on the south side
And he bought us both a drink
With a pad and a pencil sat by his side
I said, "Tell me what you think"

I've been looking for my savior, looking for my truth
I even asked my shrink
He brought me down to his level
Said, "Son, you're not special
You won't find him where you think"

You won't find him down on Sunset
Or at a party in the hills
At the bottom of the bottle
Or when you're tripping on some pills
When they sold you the dream you were just 16
Packed a bag and ran away
And it's a crying shame you came all this way
'Cause you won't find Jesus in L.A.
And it's a crying shame you came all this way
'Cause you won't find Jesus in L.A.

Took a sip of his whiskey
Said, "Now that you're with me
Well, I think that you should stay"
Yeah, I know you've been busy
Searching through the city
So let me share the way

I know I'm not your savior
Know I'm not your truth
But I think we could be friends
He said "Come down to my level
Hang out with the devil
Let me tell you, in the end...

You won't find him down on Sunset
Or at a party in the hills
At the bottom of the bottle
Or when you're tripping on some pills
When they sold you the dream you were just 16
Packed a bag and ran away
And it's a crying shame you came all this way
'Cause you won't find Jesus in L.A.
And it's a crying shame you came all this way
'Cause you won't find Jesus in L.A."

And that is when I knew that it was time to go home
And that is when I realized that I was alone
And all the vibrant colors from the lights fade away
And I don't care what they say

You won't find him down on Sunset
Or at a party in the hills
At the bottom of the bottle
Or when you're tripping on some pills
When they sold you the dream you were just 16
Packed a bag and ran away
And it's a crying shame you came all this way
'Cause you won't find Jesus in L.A.

I won't find him down on Sunset
Or at a party in the hills
At the bottom of the bottle
Or when I'm tripping on some pills
When they sold me the dream I was just 16
Packed my bag and ran away
And it's a crying shame I came all this way
'Cause I won't find Jesus in L.A.
And it's a crying shame I came all this way
'Cause I won't find Jesus in L.A.'

Noah Benjamin (Panda Bear)

Hang Your Head

Noah Benjamin Lennox, better known as Panda Bear, is a singer-songwriter from Baltimore and a co-founder of the experimental pop band Animal Collective. This is a 2019 single from his album "Til My Night Is Gone" released in 2020.

"Shake your hands at the heavens
But you got no cause to cry
You've been asleep for forty years
You just woke up to die
You've got no cause, no conviction
You've got nothing to call your own
And your slight-handed religion
Left your back without a bone
Hang your head down lowly now

You've been climbing Jacob's ladder
Your brothers blood on every rung
Your eyes are blind, your mind is scattered
Got no bullets for your gun
And the words your speak, are like thieves
Swinging from your gallows lips
And every breath you breathe
Reveals a little more
How low your halo's slipped
Hang your head down lowly now

There’s a strange wind blowing
You can feel it from within
Could be your imagination
Could be the Santa Ana winds

There’s a strange wind blowing
You can feel it from within
Could be your imagination
could be the Santa Ana winds
You keep a stone in your pocket
Iron bracelets on your wrists
You keep a thought of me, still thinking of you
Just for a night like this
Hang your head down lowly now"

Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett is a jazz and traditional pop singer born in New York City and active since 1936. This song was released as a single in 1962 that became a big hit and won two Grammy Awards including record of the year. It became Bennett's signature song and one of the official anthems for the city of San Francisco and it's in the Library of Congress. It was written in Brooklyn in 1953, but it wasn't a hit until Bennett recorded it. Lots of other singers have recorded it, including these:
Julie London sang it sad and sexy in 1963.
Stevie Wonder recorded it in 1968 but it was not released by Motown until later.
Bobby Womack made it upbeat and funky in 1969.

"The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gray
The glory that was Rome is of another day
I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan
I'm going home to my City by the Bay

I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me
To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care

My love waits there in San Francisco
Above the blue and windy sea
When I come home to you, San Francisco
Your golden sun will shine for me"

Michael Berman

Angels Flight

Michael Berman is a folk singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. Angels Flight is the historic narrow gauge railway in downtown L.A. that takes people up a steep hill, and the devil wind is the Santa Ana winds. This nostalgic ode that mentions several L.A. musicians from the 1960s as well as the great L.A. crime writer Raymond Chandler is from his album "Where I'm From," released in 2023. Since he's from southern California, the album also contains several other songs about the area.

"Last night I woke to the devil wind
Blowing warm through the pass again
Raymond Chandler followed me downtown
Sipping whisky sodas 'til the bars close down
Thought I saw an angel in Pershing Square
Pushing a shopping cart in her underwear

Angels Flight
Shine your beacon in the night
In the sky like a lonely satellite
Tonight we’ll ride on Angels Flight

Met Warren Zevon outside the chicken stand
Told me he and Linda are gonna form a band
Going to the canyon, gonna smoke some grass
On the lawn with Morrison and Mama Cass
Gram rode his Harley past the deputy
Heading for that motel room in Joshua Tree

Angels Flight
Shine your beacon in the night
In the sky like a lonely satellite
Tonight we’ll ride on Angels Flight

Standing by the telescope in Griffith Park
Saw the angel rising in a trail of sparks
Far above the haze I watched her fly
Silver wings waving me goodbye
And on the front page of the L.A. Times
An inventory of the city’s crimes

Angels Flight
Shine your beacon in the night
In the sky like a lonely satellite
Tonight we’ll ride on Angels Flight"

Michael Berman

Drive

Mike Berman is a folk singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. This ode to driving around L.A., from his album "Where I'm From," released in 2023, not only gives a shout out to the Thomas Guide map books that everybody in SoCal used long before GPS, but it also gives driving directions. The song is set in the past because the Sunset Blvd. Tower Records closed in 2006 when the chain went bankrupt. Colin Hanks even made a documentary about it: All Things Must Pass."

"Drive ‘til you find a freeway
The ocean or a mountain
Head east on Sunset Boulevard
And double back on Fountain
And if you find you lose your way
You can consult my Thomas Guide
I would never leave my home
Without it at my side

And there is hardly any reason
Why you would go downtown
The air is thick and brown
And there’s nobody around
The Strip has Tower Records
And Hollywood’s nearby
We can stand outside the Tommy’s
With a side of chili fries

Drive
Drive

The city backs against the hills
Golden legs sprawl in the sea
Gasping as she draws the poison air into her lungs
She looks beautiful to me

And if you say she’s just a freeway
You don’t know her like I do
You have to try out every exit
As you go rollin’ through
And it surely doesn’t matter
If you never see the stars
It takes a thousand miles
Just to find out who you are

Drive
Drive
Drive
Drive"

Michael Berman

Hills of California

Mike Berman is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. This excellent nostalgic folk song about going back to where you came from is from his album "Where I'm From" released in 2023.

"Just a boy sitting on a wagon
San Gabriel Valley suburb cul-de-sac
Looking at a wall of granite boulders
Davy Crockett cap gun in his lap
Fascinated by the giant mountains
And wondering who he could become
As the Santa Anas whip down through the canyon
Of those hills of California where I'm from

Hiking up an endless dusty fire road
Trusty Boy Scout canteen shoulder tied
Looking for the ruins of the railroad
Climbing with his father at his side

Imagining them riding up the mountains
Listening to the steel cable's hum
Nothing but the whistling in the pine trees
Of those hills of California where I'm from

But the sky is burning crimson fire
Smoke and ashes blocking out the sun
Some say we really don't belong here
Some say the ending time already has begun

These days I live in that hazy valley
Not far from where a young boy rode his bike
I'm walking in the shadows of the mountains
Remembering a father and a hike

You never really see it when it happens
It's easy to keep the feeling numb
But now I've come to understand the meaning
Of those hills of California where I'm from
I'm beginning to understand the meaning
Of those hills of California where I'm from"

Chuck Berry

Back In The U.S.A.

Chuck Berry was a pioneer of rock and roll music born in St. Louis. This patriotic rock classic was released way back in 1959. Linda Ronstadt had an even bigger hit with it in 1978. It was famously parodied by The Beatles in "Back in the U.S.S.R."

"Oh well, oh well, I feel so good today,
We just touched ground on an international runway
Jet propelled back home from overseas to the USA

New York, Los Angeles, oh how I yearned for you
Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge
Let alone just to be at my home back in ol' St-Lou

Did I miss the skyscrapers? Did I miss the long freeway?
From the coast of California to the shores of Delaware Bay
You can bet your life I did, 'til I got back to the USA

Looking hard for a drive-in, searching for a corner cafe?
Where hamburgers sizzle on an open grill night and day
Yeah, and a jukebox jumping with records like in the USA

Well, I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA
Yes, I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA
Anything you want, they got it right here in the USA
I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA
Yes, I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA"

Chuck Berry

Get Your Kicks (On Route 66)

This is from Berry's nineteenth studio album "Rockit" released in 1979. It covers all the California clichés - sunshine, palm trees, freeways, cable cars, beaches, hollywood movie stars, going to California, and oranges (sorry Florida) but that's OK, because he also branches out and mentions Redding, Fresno, Needles, and Barstow.

"California, California
Much has been told me about your beautiful sunshine
Mountains and snow tops, valleys and rich crops
California, home so far from mine

San Francisco, Sacramento
Will I ever go to Los Angeles or San Diego?
To Redding or Fresno
Needles or Barstow, California I have so far to go

Someday I will be in California
And go to places movie stars have been
Hollywood and trolley cars and oranges
And see the palm trees bending in the wind

California, California
Soon I'll be with you watching your sunset in the evening
Movies and show plays, beaches and free ways
California, for my home I'll be leaving

California, California
Soon I'll be with you watching your sunset in the evening
Movies and show plays, beaches and freeways
California, for my home I'll be leaving"

Chuck Berry

A version ofthe Nat King Cole original discussed below.

Chuck Berry

Promised Land

In this classic 1964 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,
California on my mind.
Straddled that Greyhound, rode him past Raleigh,
On across Caroline.
… … … … ...
We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle,
Half way 'cross Alabam,
And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded
In downtown Birmingham. Straight off, I bought me a through train ticket,
Ridin' cross Mississippi clean
And I was on that midnight flyer out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans.
… … … … …
Sure as you're born, they bought me a silk suit,
Put luggage in my hands,
And I woke up high over Albuquerque
On a jet to the promised land.
… … … … …
Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia,
Tidewater four ten O nine
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin'
And the poor boy's on the line."

Chuck Berry

San Francisco Dues

This is from Chuck Berry's 15th studio album "San Francisco Dues" released in 1971.

"Well, I'm going out to San Francisco
They tell me everything out there is really all right
All the boys are cooling on the corner
The little girls out there are really out of sight
You know I'm a dig all the latest happenings
And keep my dues paid every night

Went on a little trip last night
And the boys was playing some of them old Fillmore Blues
And every head was right on in there digging
Beautiful vibrations, had some heavy grooves
My chick was right on in there with me in Heaven
Yes, we were paying our San Francisco dues

Come on over to me, baby
I want you to satisfy my blues
I want you to let me know how much you really love me
You can tell me any old way you choose
While we lay back and dig the music
And pay our San Francisco dues"

Chuck Berry

Sweet Little Sixteen

This was released in 1958 and became one of Berry's most successful songs, even though it used the same melody on his song "The Little Girl From Central" released in 1955. The melody was so good that the Beach Boys also had to steal it for "Surfin' U.S.A." until they were forced to give the credit to Berry.

"They're really rockin' in Boston
In Pittsburgh, PA
Deep in the heart of Texas
And round the Frisco Bay
All over St. Louis
And down in New Orleans
All the cats wanna dance with
Sweet little sixteen

Sweet little sixteen
She's just got to have
About a half a million
Framed autographs
Her wallet filled with pictures
She gets 'em one by one
Become so excited
Watch her, look at her run, boy

'Oh mommy, mommy
Please may I go
It's such a sight to see
Somebody steal the show
Oh daddy, daddy
I beg of you
Whisper to mommy
It's all right with you'

... ... ... ...

Sweet little sixteen
She's got the grown up blues
Tight dresses and lipstick
She's sportin' high heel shoes
Oh, but tomorrow morning
She'll have to change her trend
And be sweet sixteen
And back in class again

Well, they'll be rockin' in Boston
Pittsburgh, PA
Deep in the heart of Texas
And round the Frisco Bay
Way out in St. Louis
Way down to New Orleans
All the cats wanna dance with
Sweet little sixteen"

Best Coast

California Nights

Best Coast is a California rock duo formed in L.A. in 2009 that has some west coast attitude right in their name. This song is from the duo's third studio album "California Nights" released in 2015.

"I stay high all the time
Just to get by
I climb into the sky
And my eyes, they cry

California nights
Make me feel so happy I could die
But I try to stay alive

I never wanna get so high
That I can't come back down to real life
And look you in the eyes and say
"Baby, you are mine"

Fading back and forth
I fly through my mind
I take the way I've known
But have I really grown?

California nights
Make me feel so happy I could die
But I try to stay alive

I never wanna get so high
But I can't come back down to real life
And look you in the eyes and say
"Baby, you are mine"

I never wanna get so high
That I can't come back down to real life
And look you in the eyes and say
"Baby you, oh baby you are mine"

Best Coast

The Only Place

This upbeat song is from the duo's second album "The Only Place" relesed in 2012. The song doesn't specifically mention California so it could be about Hawaii, Australia, Bali,Tahiti, Mexico, Goa, Thailand or any other place with great beaches (but not Florida - it's too flat). But the band is from L.A. so the location described in the song is obviously there. I'm still scratching my head about having sun in your teeth. Is it from all the smiling?

"We were born with sun in our teeth and in our hair
When we get bored we like to sit around, sit around and stare
At the mountains, at the birds, at the ocean, at the trees
We have fun, we have fun, we have fun when we please

We wake up with the sun in our eyes It's no surprise that we get so much done
But we always, yes we always, we always have fun
Yes we always, yes we always, we always have fun

Why would you live anywhere else?
Why would you live anywhere else?
We've got the ocean, got the babes
Got the sun, we've got the waves
This is the only place for me

So leave your cold behind
We're gonna make it to the beach on time
Yeah leave the cold behind
We're gonna make it to the beach on time

Why would you live anywhere else?
Why would you live anywhere else?
We've got the ocean, got the babes
Got the sun, we've got the waves
This is the only place
This is the only place
This is the only place
This is the only place for me "

Better Than Ezra

Coyote

Better Than Ezra is an alternative rock band based in New Orleans that formed in 1988. This song is from their 1993 platinum-selling album "Deluxe." It's a road trip song about driving into California, so it would be negligent of me not to point out that the singer appears to be driving west on the 40 from Texas through Tucumcari New Mexico to Barstow and beyond. Taking that route, there is no way he would ever get close to the Grand Canyon or Death Valley, and Phoenix is a couple of hours south. If he did go to Phoenix, then he would take the 10 west, not the 40 through Barstow. I suppose it's possible he took a very long detour up to the canyon and then to the valley then down to Barstow. So enjoy the song, but don't base your travel itinerary on it if you're looking to get to the west coast in a hurry.

"Heading out, you heart beating in your head
Riding of the Texas wind
Raise your feet as you cross the state line
Waking up, the Mesa sun and the sky
All the way to Tucumcari
And Santa Fe seems a stone's throw away, yeah
Coyote!
Coyote!

Coming down, the Phoenix sun on your face
Turns it to red by the afternoon
And to the right, the Grand Canyon is wide
Sing along, the needle skips in the wind
Count the stars of Death Valley
And in the dark, Barstow starts to fade
Coyote!
Coyote!
Yeah!"

Dicky Betts & Great Southern

California Blues

Dicky Betts was a Florida-born singer-songwriter, a great guitar player, and a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, he was active from 1960-2021. He wrote this song and recorded it with his band Great Southern for their album "Dickey Betts & Great Southern" released in 1977. His son Duane Betts released a version of the song also on his album "Sketches of American Music" released in 2018. (It's not hard to guess who he was named after...)

"Sittin' up here in a big house
L.A. goes on far as I can see
Got an old time feelin'
Somewhere down the line is calling me
Been going' through the pages of my mind
Wonder what I think I'm gonna find
It don't matter anyway
Tomorrow I'll be leavin' you, L.A.
California Blues, I know you well
What the hell, you're nothin' new to me
California Blues, you can never tell
Could be I loved her more than she could see
Now, I walked in here grinnin'
I ain't winnin' but I'm leavin' like I came
I gambled with the love she gave
And like a fool I did not know the game
But the closest thing to winning must be losin'
And now and then it gets so damned confusin'
But it don't matter anyway
Tomorrow I'll be leavin' you, L.A.
California Blues, I know you well
What the hell, you're nothin' new to me
California Blues, you can never tell
Could be I loved her more than she could see
Could be I wasn't what she wanted me to be"

Between The Frames

Between The Frames is an alternative pop/rock band from North Yorkshire, UK. This upbeat rock song is from their album "States & Fortunes" released in 2022.

"We would race round this rugged town
Radio loud with the windows down
Such a perfect sight with you by my side
Making mistakes and running red lights

Then you did that thing you do
It was in the white dress you asked me to
Take a walk to your favourite view
On the west coast you said I love you

Take me back to California
Take me back to California
Take me back to California
Take me back to California

It’s been 3 years, how the time flew by
I’m grinding my way through a 9 to 5
So much has changed, people came and went
But I'll never forget the times we spent

Then one night you're in my dreams
It all comes back I miss your kiss
And all the times we'd ride our bikes
Down the coast to watch the rising tide

Take me back to California
Take me back to California
Take me back to California
Take me back to California...."

Beyoncé

Hold Up

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter out of Houston Texas, active since 1997, is one of the best-selling most-celebrated music artists of all time. This Grammy-awarded song, based on a sample from a hit song by Andy Williams in 1963 (when easy listening songs could top the pop charts), is from her 2016 masterpiece "Lemonade", a concept album that deals with infidelity, especially in this song and its accompanying video which shows Beyoncé smashing windows on parked cars. (Whenever I see broken car windows I wonder if Beyoncé and her baseball bat were in the neighborhood.) The song doesn't mention California, exactly, but it has an amusing fractured pun that, as I hear it, when put together refers to Hollywood Boulevard.

"I always keep the top tier, 5 star
Backseat lovin' in the car
Like make that wood, like make that wood
Holly like a boulevard...."

"Wood" in this image about a parked car is probaby not another baseball bat, it's more likely slang for an erection. "Holly" could be a pun on "holler." It makes me wonder if Hollywood Boulevard has any special significance for Beyoncé or her husband Jay-Z. They're certainly no strangers to the neighborhood, though so far neither of them has their own star in the cement.

"Hold up, they don't love you like I love you
Slow down, they don't love you like I love you
Back up, they don't love you like I love you
Step down, they don't love you like I love you
Can't you see there's no other man above you?
What a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you
Hold up, they don't love you like I love you
Oh, down, they don't love you like I love you

Something don't feel right because it ain't right
Especially comin' up after midnight
I smell your secrets, and I'm not too perfect
To ever feel this worthless
How did it come down to this?
Scrolling through your call list
I don't wanna lose my pride, but I'ma f**k me up a b**th
Know that I kept it sexy, you know I kept it fun
There's something that I'm missing, maybe my head for one

What's worst, lookin' jealous or crazy? Jealous or crazy?
Or like being walked all over lately, walked all over lately
I'd rather be crazy

Hold up, they don't love you like I love you
Slow down, they don't love you like I love you
Back up, they don't love you like I love you
Step down, they don't love you like I love you
Can't you see there's no other man above you?
What a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you
Hold up, they don't love you like I love you
Slow down, they don't love you like I love you

Let's imagine for a moment that you never made a name for yourself
Or mastered wealth, they had you labeled as a king
Never made it out the cage, still out there movin' in them streets
Never had the baddest woman in the game up in your sheets
Would they be down to ride? No
They used to hide from you, lie to you
But y'all know we were made for each other
So I find you and hold you down
Me sing see

Hold up, they don't love you like I love you
Slow down, they don't love you like I love you
Back up, they don't love you like I love you
Step down, they don't love you like I love you
Can't you see there's no other man above you?
What a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you
Hold up, they don't love you like I love you
Slow down, they don't love you like I love you

Hey, this such a shame
You let this good love go to waste
I always keep the top tier, 5 star
Backseat lovin' in the car
Like make that wood, like make that wood
Holly like a boulevard...."

Beyoncé & Miley Cyrus

II Most Wanted

Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus recorded this duet for Beyoncé's "country" album "Cowboy Carter" released in 2024, but this song sounds more pop to me. Sure, there are few highways in the U.S. numbered 405, but I think the one they're singing about is Interstate 405 in southern California for two reasons: it goes through the hills where all the rich celebrities like these live; because SoCal drivers add a "the" in front of the number of their freeways while people in other places don't usually do that. If you disagree and think that they're singing about Interstate 405 east of Seattle, you can make you own songs list.

"Know we're jumping the gun, but we're both still young
One day, we won't be
Didn't know what I want 'til I saw your face
Say goodbye to the old me

Came out of nowhere, didn't give no warnin'
Pedal so heavy like the two most wanted
And I don't know what you're doin' tonight
But I

I'll be your shotgun rider
'Til the day I die
Smoke out the window flyin'
Down the 405
I'll be your backseat baby, drivin' you crazy
Anytime you like
Woah, I'll be your shotgun rider
'Til the day I, 'til the day I die

Making waves in the wind with my empty hand
My other hand on you
Been a while since I haven't tried to pull away
But it's time for something new

Came out of nowhere, didn't give no warnin'
Pedal so heavy like the two most wanted
And I don't know what you're doin' tonight
But I

I'll be your shotgun rider
'Til the day I die
Smoke out the window flyin'
Down the 405
Yeah, I'll be your backseat baby, drivin' you crazy
Anytime you like, woah
I'll be your shotgun rider
'Til the day I, 'til the day I die...."

Beyoncé & Willie Jones

Just For Fun

Willie Jones is a country singer from Louisiana who got his start of a TV singing show when he was 17. This slow bluesy song is from Beyoncé's country and Americana album "Cowboy Carter" released in 2024. It mentions Clovis, a city in Fresno County just east of Fresno, known for its rodeo.

"I'm goin' all out just for fun, I am the man, I know it
And everywhere I go, they know my name
So I laugh and I lie and the coyotes cry
And the time moves quickly and so do I, so do I
So I'll say my goodbye

'Cause time heals everything
I don't need anything
Hallelujah
I pray to her

Here's to hoping I'll fall fast asleep tonight
And I'll just need to get through this
Born in the darkness, who brings the light?
And I just, I need to get through this
Or just get used to it

I'm goin' down south just for fun, I am the man, I know it
And everywhere I go, I hide my face
From the cowboys in Clovis and the rodeo circus
I came here for a reason, but I don't know the purpose
It's all under the surface

But time heals everything
I don't need anything
Hallelujah
I pray to her

Here's to hoping I'll fall fast asleep tonight
And I'll just need to get through this
Born in the darkness, who brings the light?
And I just, I need to get through this
Or just get used to it

'Cause time heals everything
I don't need anything
Hallelujah
I pray to her
I pray to her"

Nishawn Bhullar & Priya

Kali-fornia Uber Alles, 21st Century

Nishawn Bhullar is a Punjabi singer-songwriter. I don't know who Priya is other than she's also an Indian singer. I don't know anything about this song either except that it was put on YouTube in 2019 and it has more than 23 million views, so it's very popular. I ran sone online Punjabi lyrics through Google translator but for some reason a lot of phrases did not get translated and many that did don't make a lot of sense. Still, you can get an idea of what much of the song is saying. If anybody has a better translation, let me know!

"My father was proud of what he said
My father was proud of what he said
Main born America di
After marriage, the beauty returned to me.
After marriage, the beauty returned to me.
You can also share

I am content to stay with you
I am content to stay with you
Take the bread and put it in your mouth

Ho chief did not believe
Ho chief did not believe
On a few war jets (x2)

Ho Behrle Mukh kai mode
Ho Behrle Mukh kai mode
On sixty heads
Ho Daru's shokin wad ton
Ho Daru's shokin wad ton
To do expensive with

Ho vehli tera yar sohneye
Ni Vehli, your friend is beautiful
Do not understand the head.

Ho vehli tera yar sohneye
Ni Vehli, your friend is beautiful
Don't understand the head.

May God bless you every day
May God bless you every day
Of the Jatts asking for truth

May God bless you every day
Of the Jatts asking for truth
California wanders
California wanders
Mitra, the chief end member
When you say yes, say yes
When you say yes, say yes
Mukh kadan takni na jan mitra

Where did the villagers go?
Where did the villagers go?
Sad hearts of the seven

Ho chief did not believe
Ho chief did not believe
On a few war jets (x2)

Ho rolled in a Cadillac
Ho rolled in a Cadillac
Stay strong friends
You are visiting California
You are visiting California
To Mehda Dase Sardara

Ho munda maad kahnda rakhda
Be the boy with all intents and purposes
Lade heart bursting

May God bless you every day
May God bless you every day
Of the Jatts asking for truth
May God bless you every day
Of the Jatts asking for truth

Ho chief did not believe
On the slightly rusted jets
May God bless you every day
Of the Jatts asking for truth"

Jello Biafra with the Melvins

Jello Biafra is a singer-songwriter originally from Boulder, Colorado, who was the lead singer for the Dead Kennedys, a punk band from San Francisco that is listed below. The Melvins are a rock band from Washington state active since 1983.

Collaborating with the Melvins on their 2005 album "Sieg Howdy!," Jello Biafra once again revised his 1979 song "California Uber Alles," originally about California Governor Jerry Brown, then about Ronald Reagan, to criticize the current California Governor at that time, Arnold Schwarzenneger, using several references to his movies. Schwarzenneger was not elected in typical democratic fashion, he was appointed governor after rich opponents of the sitting Governor staged a recall election, that many people considered a coup bought the governorship. The song also criticizes the Bush/Cheney presidential regime with their unnecessary wars that profitted their friends such as Haliburton.

What Biafra did not know in 2005 is that a few years later Bush's policies would drag the nation into the worst economic disaster since the great depression of the 1930s, or that Schwarzenneger, whose supporters ignored and discounted many accusations that he had sexually harassed women (which is alluded to in the song) ended his political carreer in 2011 in disgrace because of a sex scandal never ran for president.

"I am Governor Schwarzenegger
If I can I'll be dictator
When they make me President
Democracy is going away
Hasta la vista, Baby
I will command all of you
Kindergarten cop in every school
Or I vill terminate you

Kali-Fornia Uber Alles
Kali-Fornia Uber Alles
Uber Alles Kali-fornia
Uber Alles Kali-fornia

Enron will control you
Like they staged the recall coup
Steroids for de Master Race
So you all can have my face
Close your eyes, can't happen here
Bush and Cheney are already here
Third Reich won't come back, you say?
Not if Fox News has their way
Can I grope your ti**ies today?

Kali-Fornia Uber Alles
Kali-Fornia Uber Alles
Uber Alles Kali-fornia
Uber Alles Kali-fornia

Mandate of Two-Thousand und Four
Knock Knock at your bedroom door
It's the Homeland Security Police
You're a terrorist and so is your niece
Drag you secretly to a camp
Where we keep all da Girlie Men
Don't you worry, it's for a cause
Feeding Halliburton's claws
Die on depleted uranium gas
North Korea or Iran
Run you over with my Hummer, baby
If you mess with Schwarzenegger
And all the money
That's making him bigger

Kali-Fornia Uber Alles
Kali-Fornia Uber Alles
Uber Alles Kali-fornia
Uber Alles Kali-fornia

I'll be back"

Francesco Bianconi

Zuma Beach

Francesco Bianconi is a singer-songwriter from Italy, active since 1994. This song is from his album "Forever" released in 2020. I don't know what genre this is. It's piano-based with strings and electronics, and it's sung in Italian with strange lyrics that mention kamikazes, the KKK, and the Pixies, as well as Zuma Beach, the popular west Malibu surfing beach.

"" Carissimi elettori, goodbye
La presunta kamikaze ha ucciso il padre e vi sorride agli aeroporti
Ora, in pace, è già partita
Ha un libro in mano e conta i morti
Guarda il mantello di strage che copre il Paese
Bianco come il Ku Klux Klan
Filma il tramonto del senso, racconta l'età
All'armi, patrioti, good night
La ragazza guida bene in California
Tutto brucia, siamo salvi, abbiamo voglia
Di non parlare e ballare al concerto dei Pixies
Alza il volume, se vuoi
Sputa il dolore più forte che puoi

Oggi faccio il bagno nell'oceano
E ti guardo da lontano
Sulla sabbia a Zuma Beach
Ho capito che ti amo
Che potrei morir così
E al transumare umano potrei porre fine qui

Mentre tocco l'acqua dell'oceano
Tu mi dici: "Sei impazzito?
Vuoi morire a Zuma Beach?"
Ma io non sono mai stato più felice di così
E al mio viaggio sulla terra potrei porre fine qui
Oggi mi battezzo nell'oceano
E capisco di esser niente
Sulla spiaggia a Zuma Beach
E vorrei disintegrarmi nella luce insieme a te
Perché quel che è stato è stato
Se mancava, adesso c'è

Anche se arrivasse il dio dei ranger
E dicesse: "Stai attento
Questo è un mare per esperti"
Oggi non lo ascolterei ""

"" Dear voters, goodbye
The alleged kamikaze killed her father and smiles at the airports
Now, in peace, she's already gone
He has a book in his hand and counts the dead
Look at the cloak of slaughter that covers the country
White like the Ku Klux Klan
Film the decline of meaning, tell the story of age
To arms, patriots, good night
The girl drives well in California
Everything burns, we are saved, we feel like it
Not to talk and dance at the Pixies concert
Turn up the volume if you want
Spit out the pain as hard as you can

Today I swim in the ocean
And I watch you from afar
On the sand at Zuma Beach
I understood that I love you
That I could die like this
And I could put an end to human transhumanism here

As I touch the ocean water
You tell me: "Are you crazy?
Do you want to die on Zuma Beach?"
But I've never been happier than this
And my journey on earth could end here
Today I am baptized in the ocean
And I understand that I am nothing
On the beach at Zuma Beach
And I would like to disintegrate in the light with you
Because what happened happened
If it was missing, now it is

Even if the god of rangers comes
And said, "Be careful
This is a sea for experts"
I wouldn't listen to it today ""

Justin Bieber (featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon)

Peaches

Justin Bieber is a singer-songwriter from Canada. Daniel Caesar is a Canadian singer and songwriter and Giveon is a singer and songwriter from California. This song, from Bieber's sixth studio album "Justice" released in 2021, debuted at #1 in the U.S. when it was released. A lot of songs have been doing that now that streaming and social media plays are counted.

The chorus, which Bieber sings seven times, celebrates one of California's most lucrative agricultural crops.

"I got my peaches out in Georgia (Oh, yeah, s**t)
I get my weed from California (That's that s**t)
I took my chick up to the North, yeah (Bad-ass b***h)
I get my light right from the source, yeah (Yeah, that’s it)"

Big Al Blake (featuring Fred Kaplan)

Leavin' California

Al Blake is a blues musician from Oregon, born in 1945. Fred Kaplan is a blues musician from Los Angeles. Al Blake wrote this song which is from the album "Mr. Blake's Blues" released in 1997.

"Early in the mornin'
Waitin' for that old rooster crow
I'm cryin' goodbye sweet baby Jo
Won't see my smilin' face no more
I'm leavin' California
Headed down into Mexico

I'm tired of this rat race
I'm tired of this Tinseltown
I'm tired of this rat raceI'm gettin' tired of this Tinseltown
By tomorrow mornin'
I'll be south of the border bound

Now I've climbed a mountain high
Walked through the valley so deep
All through the pourin' rain
And in paths I could not see
I made mistakes in life
That I just won't repeat

Yeah that's my story
That's all I've got to say
I'm cryin' easy
That's all I've got to say
I'm leavin' in my walkin' shoes
By now I'll be on my way

I'm cryin' goodbye sweet baby Jo
Won't see my smilin' face no more
I'm leavin' California, hey
Headed down into Mexico"

Big Al Blake & The Hollywood Fats Band

Santa Ana's Blowin'

This song about the devil winds was written by Al Blake, is from the album "Mr. Blake's Blues" released in 1997.

"Santa Ana's blowin'
I can tell by the waves out on the sea
Santa Ana's blowin'
I can tell by the waves out on the sea
I know my baby's got another man
By the way she has treated me

She was my dream
She was a midnight fantasy
She was my dream
She was a midnight fantasy
But when I woke up this mornin'
I was blue and lonesome as a man can be

Now I'm standin' here thinkin'
I'm starin' down in the deep blue sea
I'm standin' here thinkin' and I'm tremblin'
I'm starin' down in the deep blue sea
I feel like lettin' ol sharks and fishes
Have a feedin' frenzy over me"

Big & Rich

Big & Rich is a country music duo formed in Nashville in 1998. This song is from the duo's 2017 album "Did It for the Party." It's a more rock-based cover of Tim McGraw's song from 2015 which is also on this list. The song was written in part by Rich and he and Big sang vocals on the original, so it's no wonder they eventually made their own version.

"It's a 3 day drive if she drives all night
Says she's leavin' at the crack of dawn
Well she might still be lyin' here with me
But in her heart she's already gone
Already packed up, the Altima's gassed up
She's done put the map up there on the dash
I'm all tore up just tryin' to man up
Dammin' these tears up but can't hold 'em back

Cuz she's in love with California
And that west coast sunshine dream
These ain't no Hollywoods
And these hills ain't Beverly
Ain't no beaches on these backroads
No sunset on the boulevard
She's in love with California
And breakin' my heart

Got a waitress job waitin' in an I-Hop
Throw a rock and hit Universal City
Got a glamour shot in her hip pocket
Hopin' somebody'll think she's pretty
By this time tomorrow she'll hit Colorado
I'll be drownin' my sorrow in a bottle of Beam
Before she hits Flagstaff maybe she'll backtrack
But I wouldn't bet that if I was me

Cuz she's in love with California
And that west coast sunshine dream
These ain't no Holly-woods
And these hills ain't Beverly
Ain't no beaches on these backroads
No sunset on the boulevard
She's in love with California
And breakin' my heart

Well she was all mine
Now it's go time...."

Big Audio Dynamite

Hollywood Boulevard

Big Audio Dynamite was an English band formed in 1984 by Mick Jones who was formerly with the Clash from 1976-1983. This song is from the band's second album "No. 10, Upping St." released in 1986. I don't know if there ever was a place called the "Milk Bar" in Hollywood where all the celebrities in the song hung out, or if it's a reference to the Korova Milkbar in "A Clockwork Orange," or if it just refers to the traditional convenience store "milk mars" found in Britain and Australia, but nowadays the the U.S. The Milk Bar is a chain of dessert bakeries. I don't think Fatty Arbuckle, Hunter Thompson, or Salvador Dali would patronize the place, but I'd love to try their cookies next time I'm in L.A. Sadly, sugar is my vice these days.

"The Messiahs of the Milk Bar, Hellraisers to the end
Had a drop to many in a toast to all their friends
Movie stars and writers are present A to Z
Now these ain't common people, they're personalities

And they've all got a story, ohoh
Tattle talk from Tinseltown, ohoh ("yeah, yeah, look at that, yeah...")
Some of them survivors, ohohoh
Others gone to ground

There's Brendan B and Hunter T, what's a poet got to say
Hunter's looking for a story about the IRA
And Lenny isn't laughing, he nearly lost his life
Transsexual from the Transvaal slipped in as his wife

It's a star-studded scandal, ohoh
So raise your glass my friend, ohoh
The Messiahs of the Milk Bar, ohohoh
Hellraisers to the end

'The rose garden is already littered with my victims...'

And they've all got a story, ohoh
Tattle talk from Tinseltown, ohoh
Some of them survivors, ohohoh
Others gone to ground

Bukowski wants to talk, but he's had too much to drink
Threw up in the piano 'cause he thought it was the sink
Little Richard and Sal Dali singing out of key
Both hallucinated, the Sandoz was for free

Osbourne's at a party, Colin Wilson's on the line
Saying, "Listen Johnny Baby, that catchphrase is mine"
Flynn and Reed in conversation, renowned throughout the land
Used a calculator, work out who's the better man

Now Errol's got the looks and Ollie's got the strength
One is talking numbers and the others' talking length
Fatty's feeling frisky, orders more champagne
Women run out screaming, "Oh no, not again!"

And they've all got a story, ohoh
Tattle talk from Tinseltown, ohoh
Some of them survivors, ohohoh
Others gone to ground

It's a star-studded scandal, ohoh
So raise your glass my friend, ohoh
The Messiahs of the Milk Bar, ohohoh
Hellraisers to the end

The Messiahs of the Milk Bar, ohohoh
Hellraisers to the end"

Billy Strings (featuring Willie Nelson)

California Sober

Billy Strings is William Apostol, a bluegrass musician from Michigan and Kentucky, active since 2013. Willie Nelson has been a country music legend for nearly sixty years. This upbeat bluegrass song was released in 2023. Demi Lovato's 2021 song with the same title is about the same idea of using moderation instead of abstinence to fight addiction, but at the end she is successful. I'm not sure about this singer. In the last verse he "was California sober" and the devil won, and he doesn't get on the wagon, which sounds to me like he's back on the hard stuff.

"Well I used to like to ramble with my good-time friends and neighbors
Now I find I’d rather lie awake in bed
And I don’t get to acting mean when I keep my buzzes clean
And keep the hard stuff and the whiskey from my head

Well I guess that’s just the trouble when you’re always seeing double
And the lines are getting twice as hard to see
I’ve had years I don’t recall but I’m told I had a ball
At least somebody did who looked a lot like me

Well I’m California sober as they say
Lately I can find no other way
I can’t stay out and party like I did back in the day
So I’m California sober as they say

Well I heard out in the hills they got pills to get their thrills
And they love their liquor down in New Orleans
Maybe for a New York minute sugarcane will fit the bill
But in no time flat you’re out of what you need

The old crew don’t get together
Anymore these days much ever
And some went straight and some went straight to jail
Now they’re busy posting vids and just trying to raise their kids
Instead of raising holy Hell and posting bail

Well I’m California sober as they say
Lately I can find no other way
I can’t stay out and party like I did back in the day
So I’m California sober as they say

I was California Sober 'till I thought the world was over
Now I’m sitting on the roadside once again
And when that wagon passes by, I don’t even bat an eye
Because the devil on my shoulder always wins
When that ol' wagon passes by, I don’t even bat an eye
Because the devil on my shoulder always wins"

The Bird and the Bee

The Bird and the Bee is a indie pop duo from Los Angeles. This breezy technopop song is from their album "Recreational Love" released in 2015. I get the impression that they like living in Los Angeles.

"Touch yourself and get yourself
Come alive, just driving it around
I love you more than anyone
Stop asking me where I come from

I'm from L.A., la la la la la
Living in L.A., la la la la la
Living in L.A., la la la la la
Living in L.A., la la la la la

Summer night, take off your clothes
The water's warm, our bodies glowing
Light you up and stretch it out
Now I know I could never live without

(L.A., la la la la la)
Stop asking me where I come from
(Living in L.A., la la la la la)
Tell me how to love someone
(Living in L.A., la la la la la)
Stop asking me where I come from
(Living in L.A., la la la la la)
I love you more than anyone

Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Don't listen to a thing they say
They don't need you in the same way
Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Don't ever let them change you
They don't know you like I do
Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Los Angeles
No, you don't need their love
Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Los Angeles
No, you don't need their love

Touch yourself, get yourself
Let yourself come alive
Put me out, pull me in
Get me off and let's hook in...."

Bizzy Bone

Only in L.A.

Bizzy Bone is the professional name of Bryon Anthony McCane II, a rapper from Cleveland, active since 1992, and a member of the well-known Cleveland rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. This smooth rap song with an R&B feel is from his unpretentiously-named album "The Greatest Rapper Alive" released in 2010. I couldn't find any written lyrics to help me so they're full of holes and probably full of mistakes.

"Where the pimps and playas play
(Only in L.A.)
Where the Crips and Bloods show you the way
(Only in L.A.)
Palm trees and milky sky
(Only in L.A.)
You keep it thuggish
We keep it huggish
(Only in L.A.)
Where the pimps and playas play
(Only in L.A.)
Where the Crips and Bloods show you the way
(Only in L.A.)
Palm trees and milky sky
(Only in L.A.)
You keep it chuggish thuggish
We keep it huggish druggish
(Only in L.A.)
... ... ...
Airport, first class, chauffeur, no luggage
Purple mink, take it off, this is California
I'm cold-blooded, ride past Compton that's for my n***a
Hit the grave site, drop off a flower, you get the picture
I'm still thuggin', on occasion I go clubbin'
Keep it corporate, that's the new sexy
... in a new Bentley, don't even wave
His true colors are shinin' through, that n***as paid
Two local bond a quarter mil, he's in a cage
His children make sure they OK, I'm on the case
Little Layzie meet up with Krayzie, give me the place
Thanks the flesh, bless the greyhound, and good old L.A.

Where the pimps and playas play
(Only in L.A.)
Where the Crips and Bloods show you the way
(Only in L.A.)
Palm trees and milky sky
(Only in L.A.)
You keep it thuggish
We keep it huggish
(Only in L.A.)
Where the pimps and playas play
(Only in L.A.)
Where the Crips and Bloods show you the way
(Only in L.A.)
Palm trees and milky sky
(Only in L.A.)
You keep it chuggish thuggish
We keep it huggish druggish
(Only in L.A.)

In L.A. I've had my baby mothers
City of Angels where my n***as still bang their colors
The pimps and playas like the Oakland Raiders still mackin'
... can't forget the Lakers Michael Jackson
... in Calabasas
Head to the mountains ride the road wherever it takes you
And think about it, rest your soul at Pacific Ocean
Long Beach about it, the Marina Del Rey yacht style
Fish for the pilot, see the stars on the walkway
The Western Union for your people back at home pay
We gotta do it, can't forget about ...
Better watch your step it's sunny California
But quickly it could be your death down in L.A...."

Frank Black

California Bound

Frank Black is a singer-songwriter who grew up in Los Angeles and Massachussets, where he formed the essential alternative band Pixies in the mid 1980s using the stage name Black Francis. Then he used Frank Black as a solo artist, then Frank Black and the Catholics, and then he went back to using Black Francis. Maybe some day he'll make up his mind. This is an alternative rock song from the 2002 album Black Letter Days.

"Don't worry, hey, no need for you to hide among the trees
Come into the light and you'll be free
Don't scurry, hey, it's such a lonely life up in the hills
The valley's gonna cure your every ill
Don't worry, hey, I know that you are lost but you'll be found
God willing we are California bound
God willing we are California bound

No, I never will hate you
I just want to show you the one truth
And spread my love all around

Don't worry, don't bring yourself down
Don't let your mind chase you like a hound
Don't worry, don't bring yourself down
We're coming today to save your town

No worries, heys, I know tomorrow brings the golden sun
Where there's wine and olive fruit for everyone
Do hurry, hey, now spread the news from there upon your mound
God willing we are California bound
God willing I won't put you in the ground

No, I never will hate you
I just want to show you the one truth
And spread God's love all around

Don't worry, don't bring yourself down
Don't let your mind chase you like a hound
Don't worry, don't bring yourself down
We're coming today to save your town"

Frank Black

Calistan

This is from Frank Black's Teenager of the Year album (1994.)
There's a video of him singing the song solo with an acoustic guitar and explaining the song here. He says the song is about the great road, El Camino Real, the King's Highway. (The 600 mile long road that connects 21 Spanish missions in California that runs from San Diego to Sonoma County. It's not really one street anymore, except in the mind, but it's mostly highway 101.) "Wheezy" refers to the L.A. smog, St. Anne, refers to the Santa Anna winds, etc.

"I took three days to drive down one street
The radio on, tuned to the big fleet
Invisible planes are cracking the concrete
That's just what some people say

I put down my blanket on Cigarette Butt Beach
I saw the old man, he was doing OK
He's making his last stand
On old bottles and cans
'Round there, Calistan way

Used to be sixteen lanes
Used to be Nuevo Spain
Used to be Juan Wayne
Used to be Mexico
Used to be Navajo
Used to be yippy-ay-I-don't know

Went in from the weather when I got wheezy
I play some pachinko I play pachisi
And St. Anne is still making it breezy
In the valley of tar that once was L.A.

And my best friend he's the king of karaoke
He struck up a chord and he took it away
Out of the pan
And into Japan
'Round there, Calistan way

Used to be sixteen lanes
Used to be Juan Wayne
Used to Mexican
Used to be Espano Nuevo
Used to be Navajo
Used to be yippie-ay-I-don't know"

Frank Black

This is 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 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."

Frank Black

Ole Mulholland

This is from Frank Black's (Black Francis) 1994 release Teenager of the Year.

"Hey, sleepy monster in the sand
Time to get up and have a drink
Pacific Rim has a tank that thinks
That she is really something grand

Let me tell you about
When I was hanging out
Just in my dhoti, running in the dawn
Right across my lawn, I saw a coyote

Ole', Ole', Ole' for Mulholland
See the water fall
Hooray, hooray, the ants are crawling
Down on Bradbury's mall
Ole', Ole', Ole' for Mulholland

All waxed in pride, I've got a comfortable ride
And man, she could take us
Out across the salts
And out of these faults and on into Vegas

So slept a monster in the dune
Woke him up and then he drank
Pacific rim has a think tank
But does she have I.Q. for the moon?

The concrete of the aqua duct
Will last as long as the pyramid of Egypt
Or the Parthenon of Athens
Long after Joe Harriman is elected major of Los Angeles

Ole', Ole', Ole', for Mulholland
See the water fall
And hooray, hooray, the ants are crawling
Down in Bradbury's mall

Ole', Ole', Ole', for Mulholland
Yeah, it's quite a sprawl
So hooray, hooray, the sky is falling
Down on Bradbury's mall
Ole', Ole', Ole', for Mulholland, Ole'"

Frank Black and The Catholics

I Want Rock & Roll

This is from the album "Pistolero" released in 2004. The singer must hate his own music because he craves rock & roll that sounds like Chubby Checker and Freddy Fender, but his own music only sounds like Frank Black.

"I want to go back to fifty-five
Ten before I was burned alive
There ain't no use in a stupid dream
My head is tired from this enthymeme
I want to hear their holy rampage
I don't mind a little ear damage
Henry Sloane in my soca soul
I'm not ashamed to say

I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll

I'd like to hear some Chubby Checker
Crush my heart with Desmond Dekker
Little itty bitty of Freddy Fender
Start me up return to sender

I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll

I want to go back to fify-five
Ten before I was burned alive
The world can be so very cold
Nothing to say except

I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll
I want rock & roll

If you're going to San Francisco
Just remember it all is disco...."

Frank Black and The Catholics

St. Francis Dam Disaster

This is a story song from Dog in the Sand (2006) about floodwaters flowing to the sea after the dam, built in San Fransisquito Canyon in 1926, failed in 1928, killing an estimated 431 people.

"There was a well known water master man
He was the king
He could do anything
The St. Francis dam disaster, man
Thought she was all right
Until around midnight
Because that water seeks her own
She had a desire to flow
She was looking for somewhere to go
She was a slave to the great metropolis
She was feeling choked
She pushed the wall till it broke
When they heard the great apocalypse
At powerhouse number 2
Well, there was nothing they could do

Because that water seeks her own
Five and one half hours she would flow
She had 53 miles to go
A cascade down to Santa Clara way
Near 60 feet high
Now she's a mile wide
It was clear she was going far away
And whole towns were, too
A few got lucky in Piru
Because that water seeks her own
But four more hours she would flow
She had 29 miles more to go
She carried in her every kind of thing
House, tree, and telegraph pole
Some say a thousand souls
At 3 A.M. she gave Santa Paula a ring
She was still 25 feet high
Under a peaceful sky

Because that water seeks her own
But two more hours she would flow
She had 19 miles more to go
It was a real bad night in little Saticoy
El Rio, then Montalvo
How many, no one really knows
Ventura Beach was very scary, boy
Humanity a-pile
She went a final mile
Because that water seeks her own
Into the sea water flowed
Now forever she would go"

Blackbear

Califormula

Blackbear is Matthew Musto, a singer-songwriter-producer from Florida, active since 2006. This song is from the EP "The Afterglow" released in 2014.

"I just bought some drugs
Off a man I didn't know, in the lobby
The lobby of the Roosevelt (Roosevelt)
As if you didn't warn me enough

I got that Califormula-la-la
Got that Califormula, huh-huh
One more night
I got that Califormula

No use in thinking 'bout it now
'Cause you're gone
You're gone
You're gone

So I leave it all behind
I always feel like I'm behind you
I try to sleep but I...
I'm faded out my mind
Lay me down tonight
I always feel like I'm beside you

I got that Califormula-la-la
Got that Califormula, huh-huh
One more night
I got that Califormula

Ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh
One more night
Got that Califormula-ula
Thinkin' 'bout you now
You now, you now
Where are you?
Where are you going?
You're gone
You're gone...."

Blackbear

Grey L.A.

This is another song from the EP "The Afterglow" released in 2014.

"Was it even real to you baby
Cause it was real to me
Was it even real
Cause if it was real
Where are you going

Is it still the same way that you wanted it
The same way that you needed it
So tell me if it's real
Baby tell me if it's real
Tell me how you feel
Ooohhhoohhh...

I wear no color today
Window sounds of rain
Nobody at the bar
L.A. is grey today

Where are you now
Where are you going
Is it still the same way that you remember it
Or was it ill praised when it was over with
Where are you now
Where are we goin
Do you wanna change the way you remember it
Do you wanna cha-

Was it even real to you baby
Cause it was real to me
Was it even real
Cause if it was real
Where the f**k are you going...."

Blackbear

Valley Girls

This is another song from the EP "The Afterglow" released in 2014.

"Mornin' Mimosa
Cocktails in the summer afternoon
Spent the evening hung over
Champagne for the night time blues
Cuz I got a new girl
She's nothin' like you
She don't do anything like you used to do
And I miss the thunder, in California
All the glory and wonder
Where's the Southern Comfort

In the winter my brother he said man f**k her find another
Keep your head up, this is summer
Funny how I had that same younger attitude
My mother said don't rush to be grown
Cuz them Valley girls will always have some growin' up to do

I ain't lookin' for lookin' for love
Just lookin' for someone to f**k
I ain't lookin' for lookin' for love
I don't need none of that
Cuz I can't wait for you
Can't stay for you
Won't change for you
And I don't want the same things as you
Not chasin' you
Not blamin' you
But I don't want the same things

And forever goes a long way

I'm usually patient
I'm tired of waiting all the time
Usually faded all the time...."

Blackbear (featuring G-Eazy)

90210

Blackbear is a singer-songwriter from Florida. G-Eazy is a rapper from Oakland. This is from the album "deadroses" released in 2015. FIDM is the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising college in Los Angeles, and, as anybody who ever watched TV in the '90s knows, 90210 is the zip code for Beverly Hills.

"(90210, 90210)
Oh,

What are you yellin' for you're screaming out your lungs all day and night
I can't control a girl like you
She need a Saturday away from home to drink more champagne
I can't mold a, girl like you
In all designer, to remind ya
You can't buy her, just her clothes
Can't define her, can't design her
In the 90210

I can't find her, I can't find her
In the 90210
In the 90210

What are you yellin for you're screaming out your lungs all day and night
I can't control a, girl like you
She need a Saturday away from home to drink more champagne
I can't mold a, girl like you
In all designer, to remind ya
You can't buy her, just her clothes
Can't define her, can't design her
In the 90210

I can't find her, I can't find her
In the 90210
In the 90210

What are you yellin' for you're screaming out your lungs all day and night
I can't control a girl like you
She need a Saturday away from home to drink more champagne
I can't mold a, girl like you
In all designer, to remind ya
You can't buy her, just her clothes
Can't define her, can't design her
In the 90210

I can't find her, I can't find her
In the 90210
In the 90210

Yeah, uh
Reverb on guitar plucks
Cigarettes and Starbucks
And her line of credits high
High as the line gets her better credit card cuts
So in love with the scene, uh
So in love with bein' seen
Probably it's time to intervene
But she doesn't care, so she keep the party goin' in the meantime
Kill us all over she can't rewind
If she gets her fix well then she's fine
I should prolly hit her with the peace sign
Says she wants me and I fall for it each time
She's aware she's a bad chick
Studyin' at FIDM, cutting fabric
I really think her soul's made of plastic
End of the story is inevitably tragic
Uh, yeah

I can't find her, I can't find her
In the 90210
In the 90210

90210, 90210
Yeah, yeah
I need you, come get it
I need you, I need you
Come find it, come find it
Oh oh oh oh...."

Black Eyed Peas (featuring De La Soul)

Cali to New York

Black Eyed Peas are a hip-hop group formed in Los Angeles, active on and off since 1995. De La Soul is a hip-hop group from Amityville, New York, active since 1988. The song is from the Black Eyed Peas' second studio album "Bridging the Gap", released in 2000 (before Fergie joined the group). The song emphasizes the popularity of the two groups from both coasts in both California and New York, which was important in 2000, only a few years after the east coast-west coast hip-hop feud that led to the shooting deaths of Tupac Shakur, based in California, and The Notorious B.I.G., based in New York. There is also a romantic acoustic guitar-accompanied outro spoken by a woman in Spanish that feels like it doesn't belong here.

[will.i.am - Black Eyed Peas]
"As soon as [A La] stepped off (the floor)
People started hollerin' (for more)
Beggin' us to bless 'em with an (encore)
You know the Peas they game to that (for sure)
No matter what the coast we, be on
Pacific or Atlantic we, stay strong
Foreign or domestically, we conquer
All obstacles professionally and rock on
And that's exactly how we made it rock, made it rock
We turn this on and then we make it hot, make it hot
We also known to cause a state of shock, state of shock
We start at 2 then go to 10 o'clock, 10 o'clock
10 o'clock the next day that is, day that is
No matter what city or state that is, state that is
Don't ask no questions, that's the way that is, way that is
Don't ask no questions, that's the way that is

[will.i.am - Black Eyed Peas]
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York

[Posdnous - De La Soul]
Introduce Posdnous y'all, 'Nous y'all
Sticky like cous-cous y'all, 'Cous y'all
Be the words that I apply, apply
My peeps mass, karma N.Y., N.Y
Check it out, you see you other MC's, sound like brother MC's
Raised by the same pop and mother emcees
While I got a lot of brand in my name, I'm recognizable
Leavin' me the cash amount, that's quite sizable
Rich in that English that's broke as hell
That's why my ni**as in the hood understand me so well
Its the modern rap type talk, used to walk
All over your ears you hear the thump
This track pumps like, well order
Some others fell short of the line of finish
You didn't practice harder at the scrimmage
Now my image is the golden cup
My career is dirty compared to yours, it's all washed up

[will.i.am - Black Eyed Peas]
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York

[Dove - De La Soul]
We, we, we, we regulate and cross plates, destruct ya
Toss coins to distract it and we bust ya
Minds blow bigger than tempers out in Russia
Cuss like a sailor, make you shame like [thelya]
Stitch a verse tailored to fit, spray paintin' your spit
On the deco we art, spread apart
I raid mo' tracks than flicks in 'Beat Street'
With kicks until the soul wear out, never that
We weather that, you light in the ass and feather that
Heavy like black leather coats, you pleather that
Last dick on the line, we way ahead of that
Squeezin' like Freddie Foxx, and his two Glocks
Rocks don't impress ni**as who speak to God
We get jams to make a tuna melt
Held down by the BEP, we strictly, new getting
Two-fifty up in front of the mic, so what it look like?

[will.i.am - Black Eyed Peas]
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back, back, back, back, and forth
From Cali to New York
Back

Sentada aquí junto a la ventana
Esta soledad, cómo me duele
Mi cuerpo llora por amor
Extraño los besos de pasión
Soñando, sueño con tus besos tan dulces, mi amor
Y tus... tus labios"

[English Translation]
Sitting here by the window
This loneliness, how it hurts me
My body cries for love
I miss passionate kisses
Dreaming, dreaming of your kisses so sweet, my love
And your... your lips

Black Whales

Rattle Your Bones

Black Whales is a Seattle Band their Band Camp site tags: "alternative garage pop psyche-pop rock n roll Seattle. Rattle Your Bones is the A Side of a 7" vinyl single released in 2010.

"And oh, I try and speak,
and open up my teeth,
I can't say anything.

Tell me what you hear,
I like your point of view.
Tell me everything.

And no I can't deny,
no I can't close my eyes,
I can't fall asleep,
'cause I'll only wake up here...

In the wrong place, at the wrong time.
The wrong place, at the wrong time.

We look like trouble I guess,
and people turn their heads,
we are the dead end kids.

Here come the worker bees,
rattle your bones like tambourines.
Don't fall asleep,
'cause you'll only wake up here...

In the wrong place, at the wrong time.
The wrong place, at the wrong time. Time.

I'm going to San Francisco,
and I don't think I'm ever coming back.
I'm goin' out the window,
I'm goin' and I won't cover up my tracks, yeah,
I'm going to San Francisco,
I'm going to San Francisco,
I'm going to San Francisco,
I'm going to San Francisco...."

Perry Blake

The Hunchback of San Francisco

Perry Blake is an Irish singer/songwriter known for his downtempo melancholy style, reminiscent of some songs by Pete Drake and Leonard Cohen. This song is from his third album "California" released in 2002.

"A new life is what we need
A new life out of here
Little moments, don't you know?
Maybe go to California, where it's warm
Get some work
I can see you and I breaking waves
In the sunshine

Don't start slipping away
Don't start slipping away

No sad refrains
They belong to yesterday

Don't start slipping away
Don't start slipping away

California, California"

Perry Blake

This is from Blake's first album "Perry Blake" released in 1998.

"Morning has broken the silence of night
Now you'll have to use kindness to fight
It's just like asbestos, it sticks to your skin
It burns within

Luck is a hunchback, travelling light
With rags and transistors to hold up the sky
Drink to the hearts that San Francisco stole
But drink slow

'Cause I'm a lonely man
And you're a lonely girl
And it's a lonely world

If you make vegas, leave on the lights
I want to see your expression change
Hatred will take you to unknown heights
Drink slow

'Cause I'm a lonely man
And you're a lonely girl
And it's a lonely world"

Mel Blanc

Big Bear Lake

Mel Blanc was a voice actor and radio personality from San Francisco active from 1927-1989, known worldwide for voicing Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, and many other animated characters in movies and television. This swing band novelty song, with man-made motorboat sound effects that I assume are made by Blanc, is about a lake in the San Bernardino Mountains not far from Los Angeles. It's the B side to the song "I'm Just Wild About Animals Crackers" released in 1949.

"The doctor looked at me and said
'Get away from the noise of the city'
And so I packed my bag and fled
To a lake that was quiet and pretty

(Big Bear Lake, with the motor boats a-puttin')
(Big Bear Lake, they're a-buzzin' and a-buttin')
(Big Bear Lake, with the motor boats a puttin')

(Big Bear Lake, with the engines all a-hoppin')
(Big Bear Lake, with the outboards all a-poppin')
(Big Bear Lake, not a single one is stoppin')

Those moonlight nights so calm and serene
The quiet scenes enduring
But comes the dawn, the silence is gone
They're out of their moorings

(Big Bear Lake, with the motor boats a-puttin')
(Big Bear Lake they're a-buzzin' and a-buttin')
(Big Bear Lake, with the motor boats a-puttin')

(Puttin' all day)
Rest, rest!
Relax, relax!
Quiet, quiet, QUIET!!!

'Relax and quiet' the doctors all say
'Is good for your condition'
But how can you relax and be quiet
When there goes the ignition

(Big Bear Lake, with the motor boats a-puttin')
(Big Bear Lake, they're a-buzzin' and a-buttin')
(Big Bear Lake, with the motor boats a-puttin')

Puttin' all day
Puttin' all day
Puttin' all day
Puttin' all day"

Judy Blank

Judy Blank is a singer from the Netherlands who moved to the U.S. to start a music career. This pop Christmas song was released in 2022. Even though the lyrics disparage some Christmas traditions like mistletoe, this song still throws in all the old Christmas song sounds with sleigh bells, harp, bells, and a choir of background voices.

"I don't care for kisses under mistletoe
Being drunk at dinner in my fancy clothes
Makes me so uncomfortable
Rather be with you alone

Don't like singing carols by an open fire
Never seen an angel in the frozen sky
Don't you think it's getting old
What if I don't like this cold

I want a California Christmas
Under California stars
I've been begging Santa
For a ticket to your heart
I would cross the ocean blue
For a common dozy
Super cozy
California Christmas with you

I don't care for sleigh rides in the morning air
Hate those city snow flakes ...
Even if it's just a few
I'd rather ...

I want a California Christmas
Under California stars
I've been begging Santa
For a ticket to your heart
I would cross the ocean blue
For a California Christmas
Under California stars
I've been begging Santa
For a ticket to your heart
I would cross the ocean blue
For a common dozy
Super cozy
California Christmas with you"

The Blasters

Hollywood Bed

The Blasters are a roots rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California by Dave Alvin, who quit the band several years later, and his brother Phil who is still with the band in 2021. Dave Alvin also has several other songs on this list. This song is from their second album "The Blasters" released in 1981.

"Lift up the shade, let's see the light
We came this far, honey, let's see the sights
Hold me close don't try to fight
Let's work up a sweat on a summer night

Hey, hey, hey, rocking in our Hollywood bed

What's that you say, you got a rich old man
I live on the streets doing the best I can
Now he can call his friend, he can raise a fuss
He can call the cops but he won't find us
Hey, hey, hey, rocking in our Hollywood bed

No need to cry, we getting by in our Hollywood bed

Tip the bottle slow, let's get real tight
The stores are closed till the morning's light
You and me baby never got what we could
Wasting our time but it sure feels good

Hey, hey, hey, rocking in our Hollywood bed

No need to cry, we getting by in our Hollywood bed"

Bleachers

Don't Go Dark

Bleachers is a band from New York City fronted by singer-songwriter and producer Jack Antonoff. This song is from the album "Take the Sadness Out of a Saturday Night" released in 2021. It has a verse with a reference to The Mamas & the Papas song "California Dreamin'" and the dark side of the dream, and to their cover of "Dream a Little Dream of Me."

"What are you gonna ride for no one at all?
Hey, are you gonna cry on demand just to get your number called?
Oh, baby, I know gone
I know gone, I know out of this world
'Cause I've slept in my bed alone next to my girl
So do what you want, just don't go dark on me

'Cause you run, run, run
Run with the wild
Then you cry on my shoulder like a little child
Do what you want, just don't go dark on me
And you're waitin' to be saved, but ain't nobody comin'
It's the same party trick
You're a dream until you're running
Do what you want, just don't go dark on me
Oh, just don't go dark on me

Run, run, run
Run with the wild
You always run, run, run
Run with the wild

I dream a little dream, she's not out of it
Then I watch her take another pill
Take another pic, then flip another switch
And now she's gone
Now she's gone, now she's out of this world
It's like California dreamin' got the best of my girl
So do what you want, just take your sights off of me

'Cause you run, run, run
Run with the wild
Then you cry on my shoulder like a little child
Do what you want, just don't go dark on me
And you're waitin' to be saved, but ain't nobody comin'
If you're holdin' on to me, you're holdin' on to nothing
Do what you want, just don't go dark on me
Well, just don't go dark on me...."

Bleiz (featuring Natalia Grzywacz)

Bleiz is a Polish rapper and Natalia Grzywacz is a Polish singer-songwriter. This G-funky rap song was released in 2023. I don't know Polish so I don't know what Morro Bay has to do with the song. When translated into English the words shown on the video don't indicate anything about Morro Bay, but we do see and hear the word "Cali" and we see shots of the California coast in the video.

Blink-182

Blink 182 is an American pop punk band from Poway formed in 1992. It's from their Grammy-nominated 2016 album “California.”

"Beige little boxes in a row
Neighbors and friends that you don't know
Here's a form go wait in line
Can't you see I'm doing fine
It's what I've always wanted

Two little kids out on the lawn
Once we had love now it's gone
Good things haven't happened yet
I'm empty as a movie set
It's what I've always wanted

Hey here's to you California
Beautiful haze of suburbia
Living in the perfect weather
Spending time inside together
Hey here's to you California

Wearing all black out on the beach
Faces I've seen in magazines
Lets take a walk out on the pier
Watch the shoreline disappear
It's what I've always wanted

Hey here's to you California
Beautiful haze of suburbia
Living in the perfect weather
Spending time inside together
Hey here's to you California...."

Blink-182

This is another good uptempo pop punk song from the band’s 2016 album “California” that seems to be a complaint about noise and light pollution. I guess.

“Day in day out
Up at 3 AM with the searchlights shining down
Day in day out
It's the blinding light underneath the dirt downtown
Whoa
Listen to the sound as they bomb the Sixth Street Bridge
Whoa
Listen to the sound of the voices south of Fifth

In Los Angeles when will you save me
Los Angeles when will you save me
Los Angeles when will you save me
Los Angeles I'm never coming home
(I'm never coming, I'm never coming)

Come down
I've been awake for days
Knocked out
By the sound of falling rain
Come down yeah we'll watch the sun just burn away the sky
Watch the city lights die out up on Mulholland Drive

Los Angeles when will you save me
Los Angeles when will you save me
Los Angeles when will you save me
Los Angeles I'm never coming home

Wake me when this war is over
Meet me where the skyline ends
Wake me when this war is over
Meet me where the skyline ends
Wake me when this war is over
Meet me where the skyline ends...."

Blink-182

San Diego

This is another song from the album "California" released in 2016.

“Sometimes I wonder where our lives go
And question who we used to bes
Sometimes I feel like I'm the oxygen between
The cigarette and gasoline

I can't sleep cause what if I dream

Of going back to San Diego
We bought a one way ticket
So we can go see the Cure
And listen to our favorite songs in the parking lot
And think of every person I ever lost in San Diego
(To San Diego)
Can't go back to San Diego
(Can't go back to San Diego)

Abandoned houses with the lights on
Late at night I call your name
Abandoned love songs smashed across the hardwood floors
I read the sadness on your face

I can't sleep cause what if I dream

Of going back to San Diego
We bought a one way ticket
So we can go see the Cure
And listen to our favorite songs in the parking lot
And think of every person I ever lost in San Diego
(To San Diego)
Can't go back to San Diego
(Can't go back to San Diego)...."

Trinity Bliss

Trinity Bliss is a singer-songwriter and actress from the West Coast, best known (so far) as the character Tuk in the second Avatar movie. This song was released in 2022 when she was 13 years old. It's not often I hear a song with references to a Harry Potter spell and to Hades and Persephone's pomegranate seeds.

"8 AM, sun's shining
My heart is feeling warm
Dancing to the sunlight so is
Each living soul out there
You beam through the darkest night
Bring the Patronus of my soul
Make every being feel alright

California sun
Makes me think of summer fun
I'm laughing in the shade
Hope it never fades
California sun
California sun

8 AM something's missing
A hole is taking over my heart
Again I'm not ready to get out of bed
Another gloomy day to start
Come back and seal the hole
As if it had never been made
Hades infected my pomegranate
But not eaten for me to love
When will it stop and be enough?

California sun
Makes me think of summer fun
I'm laughing in the shade
Hope it never fades
California sun
California sun

Now you have to board the Dreamer
And leave the California sun behind
Sunflowers have gone away
But I will stay, I will stay
To wait for the California sun
Shine as bright as ever
Even if I wait till I'm twenty one
I will be here, I will be here

California sun
Makes me think of summer fun
I'm laughing in the shade
Hope it never fades
California sun
California sun

California sun
Makes me think of summer fun
I'm laughing in the shade
Hope it never fades
California sun
California sun

California sun
Happiness has just begun
I'm laughing in the shade
Hope it never fades
California Sun
California Sun

One day I'll fall in love in the California Sun
On my beach when it's almost sunset
California sun
California sun"

Blo

Blo is Andrae Wilson, a rapper from Atlanta, also known as Lil Hot. This song was released i June 2023. I can't make out most of the heavily-autotuned words.

".... everybody around me schemin'
Still .... but we California dreamin'
Still ... California
How you ... goin' to California...."

Blondeshell

Joiner

Blondeshell is Sabrina Teitelbaum, an indie rock singer-songwriter from New York City based Los Angeles and active since 2016. Formerly she was an alternative pop artist using the name Baum. This upbeat song with downbeat lyrics is from her debut album "Blondeshell" released in 2023.

"You're disturbed, an exposed nerve
And I'm a creep to be attracted
You've been hurt, now you're crushing cans
And I'm a creep to watch it happen

You've been running around L.A. with trash
Sleeping in bars with a gun in your bag
Asking, 'Can I be somebody else?'
You've been riding around on handlebars
Buying drugs from guys in cars
Asking, 'Can I be somebody else?'

I think I wanna save you
I think I wanna join in
I think I wanna save you
Two people from the bottom of the bin
Bin
Bin

Think you watched way too much
HBO growing up
Now you got one arm cut
And when you eat, you throw up

You've been running around L.A. with trash
Sleeping in bars with a gun in your bag
Asking, "Can I be somebody else?"

I think I wanna save you
I think I wanna join in
I think I wanna save you
Two people from the bottom of the bin
Bin
Bin

You can let it rock and we're getting robbed
Then we're getting off and you're opening your mouth
Like the way you talk
On the internet, always on the internet
Laughing with your hair down
When I asked you what a simp meant
You know it's your playground
My home is your playground
You know it's your playground
But then when you go out

I think I wanna save you
I think I wanna join in
I think I wanna save you
Two people from the bottom of the bin
Bin
Bin"

Blontourage

California Country

Blontourage is a band made up of three women from California with blonde hair. That's all we really need to know. It's one of the best names for a band ever. This song is from their album "California Country" released in 2015.

"From the beaches to the countryside
To the hustle, the bustle of those L.A. lies
Bikini tops and Daisy Dukes and cowboy boots
Take us back to our southern roots

We had stars on the sidewalk and stars in the sky
We .. fire ... whiskey and sip sweet wine
Got that wild west spirit with that ... pass
So come on girls and raise your glass

We're California country
Dreaming of the good times and living our dreams
A taste of southern beauty
Got the best of both worlds and we're lovin' and livin' in
California country

Well we're doin' what comes naturally
Alway a lady but can get a little crazy
We're sweet as candy but strong as steel
So come on y'all let's raise some hell

We're California country
Dreaming of the good times and living our dreams
A taste of southern beauty
Got the best of both worlds and we're lovin' and livin' in
California country

From the mountains to the prairies to the ocean white with foam
We're country girls at heart and California is our home

We're California country
Dreaming of the good times and living our dreams
A taste of southern beauty
Got the best of both worlds and we're lovin' and livin' in
California country

Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top
We're California country
I wish they all could be California girls"

Blue Oyster Cult

Shadow of California

Blue Oyster Cult is a hard rock band formed in New York in 1967. This song is from their album "Revolution By Night" released in 1987.

"Beneath the freeway at the cloverleaf junction
A symbol of good luck emanates darkness
The shadow will grow to cover California
Somewhere on the road from San Bernardino
Its future is steering the past... will not pass

Speed is the game in the shadow of kings
Where the company of angels fly
They appear at the crossroads at once in the future
Clad in the darkness on the highways of night
With no love... From the past

Night makes right
The symbol remains
Into the darkness
Must pour the brains
In the shadow of California

Revolution by night grant me this future
Kings of the shadow on the highways of night
From San Bernardino these angels are racing
This night to your city
The host of angels... Los Angeles

Night makes right
The symbol remains
Into the darkness
Must pour the brains
In the shadow of California
In the shadow of California
In the shadow of California
In the shadow of California

Revolution by night
Into the darkness
Into the darkness
Into the darkness
Into the darkness
Into the darkness
Revolution by night
Into the darkness
Into the darkness
Into the darkness...."

The Blues Image

Ride Captain Ride

The Blues Image was a rock band from Florida who moved to L.A. like most every other band in the '60s. This song was their biggest hit, from their second album "Open" released in 1970.

"Seventy-three men sailed up
From the San Francisco Bay,
Rolled off of their ship
And here's what they had to say.
'We're callin' everyone to ride along
To another shore,
We can laugh our lives away
And be free once more.'
But no one heard them callin',
No one came at all,
'Cause they were too busy watchin'
Those old raindrops fall.
As a storm was blowin'
Out on the peaceful sea,
Seventy-three men sailed off to history.

Ride, captain ride
Upon your mystery ship,
Be amazed at the friends
You have here on your trip.
Ride captain ride
Upon your mystery ship,
On your way to a world
That others might have missed."

Seventy-three men sailed up
From the San Francisco Bay,
Got off their ship
And here's what they had to say.
'We're callin' everyone to ride along
To another shore,
We can laugh our lives away
And be free once more.'

Ride, captain ride
Upon your mystery ship,
Be amazed at the friends
You have here on your trip.
Ride, captain ride
Upon your mystery ship,
On your way to a world
That others might have missed.
Ride, captain ride
Upon your mystery ship,
Be amazed at the friends
You have here on your trip."

Blues Pills

Tonight, Tonight (We're Dancing on the Edge of the Hollywood Sign)

Blues Pills are a rock band from Sweden formed in 2011. This is from the album "Holy Moly!" released in 2020.

"Put your hand into mine
Let me inside your head
I put my faith in a lie
But I promise I won't regret
Oh yeah

I wanna go back
To California
That first time we met
I hope that maybe just then
You'll [?] remember the way
You loved me back then

Oh, put your faith in me (me)
I'll be anything you want me to be
I took away my eyes (eyes)
Don't they say love is blind?
(Don’t they say love)

I wanna go back
To California
That first time we met
I hope that maybe just then
You'll remember the way
You loved me back then

I don't care about your little friend
(About your friend)
Or where your night is spent
(Your night is spent)
I don't mind
I don't mind
How you spend your time
I don't mind
Ahhhh
I don't mind
I don't mind
How you spend your time
Won't be wastin' mine
Ahhhh

So put your hand into mine
And I promise you won't regret"

Daniel Blunt

I couldn't find any information about Daniel Blunt. This pop rock song is from his album "Show Me the Place" released in 2012. It's a cover of the song by Hot Chelle Rae released in 2011.

James Blunt

James Blunt is a singer-songwriter from England, whose album "Back to Bedlam" released in 2000 was the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. This song comes from his fifth album "The Afterlove" released in 2017.

"High heels, no clouds
Sun-kissed in crowd
Can't stop, slow down
I want ya, I want ya
No cold, no rain
One kiss, no pain
Tell me again
I want ya, I want ya

You don't wanna talk, then you wanna talk
Then you wanna tell me I'm wrong and to move along
Then you wander back in my heart like a bitter song
And we're never done cause I need your love, I need your love

California, Hallelujah
You and me gonna live for today girl
I'm the luckiest man in the whole world
Stole my heart but can't afford ya
All I know is I'm with you today girl
I'm the luckiest man in the whole world

Lies you don't keep
Hurt and I bleed
But you're so sweet
And I want ya, I want ya
Yeah

You don't wanna talk, then you wanna talk
Then you wanna tell me I'm wrong and to move along
Then you wander back in my heart like a bitter song
And we're never done cause I need your love, I need your love

You don't wanna talk, then you wanna talk
Then you wanna tell me I'm wrong and to move along
Then you wander back in my heart like a bitter song
And we're never done cause I need your love, I need your love, yeah

California, Hallelujah
You and me gonna live for today girl
I'm the luckiest man in the whole world
Stole my heart but can't afford ya
All I know is I'm with you today girl
I'm the luckiest man in the whole world

Come on, come on, I see it in your eyes
Come on, come on, just love me for one night
Come on, come on, I see it in your eyes
Come on, come on, just love me for one night

California, Hallelujah
You and me gonna live for today girl
I'm the luckiest man in the whole world
Stole my heart but can't afford ya
All I know is I'm with you today girl
I'm the luckiest man in the whole world

California, Hallelujah
Then you wander back in my heart like a bitter song
And we're never done cause I need your love, I need your love
Stole my heart but can't afford ya
Then you wander back in my heart like a bitter song
And we're never done cause I need your love, I need your love"

The Bodies

California Republic

The Bodies are a punk rock band from Sonoma. This song is from their album "The Bodies" released in 1999, back when state secession movements were not as common as they are today. California's GDP makes up over 15% of the economic output of the U.S.A., enough to make it the fifth largest economy in the world if it was a separate nation. But secession would be a terrible idea - imagine all the waiting in line you'd have to do at Customs when you drive to Vegas to throw away your money.

"We got the surf, we got the sand
We got the sun, we got the f***ing tans
We got the wine 'cause we got the grapes
So why the f**k do we need the other states?

Let's secede today, let's secede today
California Republic, California Republic
Let's secede today, let's secede today
California Republic, California Republic

We got the oil, we got the gas
We got the farms, computers and cash
We make our missilies, we make our own planes
So why the f**k do we need the other states?

Let's secede today, let's secede today
California Republic, California Republic
Let's secede today, let's secede today
California Republic, California Republic

California Republic, California Republic
California Republic
California, one day we will break away"

Body Count

Body Count is a band that mixes heavy metal, punk, and rap, formed in L.A. in 1990 and fronted by rapper and actor Ice-T. This song is from their self-titled album released in 1992 when the violence and crime and police brutality in L.A.'s African American neighborhoods were a common topic in rap songs and movies. The album was released only a month before the Rodney King Riots exploded across L.A. but well after the video of cops beating up Rodney King was shown almost every day on TV. The album also contained the song "Cop Killer" that, of course, angered a lot of cops. But that was 1992 - since the year 2000 until now (2018) Ice-T has played a cop on TV. You gotta love it.

"You know sometimes I sit at home, you know,
And I watch T.V. and I wonder what it would be like
To live someplace like, you know, the Cosby show,
Ozzie and Harriet, you know, where
Cops come and got your cat outta the tree
All your friends died of old age,
But you see, I live in South Central Los Angeles and unfortunately...
S**T AIN'T LIKE THAT! IT'S REAL F****D UP!

Goddamn what a brotha gotta do
To get a message through
To the red, white and blue?
What I gotta die
Before you realize
I was a brotha with open eyes?
The world's insane
While you drink champagne
And I'm livin' in black rain.
You try to ban the A.K.,
I got ten of 'em stashed
With a case of hand grenades.

Tell us what to do... F**k you!
Tell us what to do... F**k you!
Tell us what to do... F**k you!
Tell us what to do... F**k you!

You know what you'd do
If a kid got killed on the way to school
Or a cop shot your kid in the backyard.
S**t would hit the fan, muthaf**ka
And it would hit real hard.
I hear it every night, another gunfight,
The tension mounts,
On with the Body Count.

Yo, Beatmaster, take these muthaf**kas
To South Central.
Ha ha.
Yeah
F**k that.

I hear it every night,
Another gunfight,
The tension mounts,
On with the Body Count.

Last weekend thirty-seven kids killed in gang warfare,
In my backyard.
No!
No!
No!
Yo, Ernie C., take these muthaf**ckas home.
Yeah.
Yeah, we in the house, Body Count fools, 1991 muthaf**uckas.

I hear it every night,
Another gunfight,
The tension mounts,
On with the Body Count...."

Bonez MC & RAF Camora

500 PS

Bonez MC and RAF Camora are German rappers. When listening to this dance rap single from 2018, I kept hearing the words "Los Angeles" so I just had to find the German lyrics and get a translation. I like using Google Translate to translate lyrics, because it can make the lyrics sound like gibberish and I never know if that's because the original lyrics were gibberish. I'm at least sure that this song is about driving. Driving a 500 horsepower black Maserati through L.A. or maybe around Germany, since it mentions the streets of Hamburg. GTA Los Angeles probably refers to the video game Grand Theft Auto 5, which uses a fictitious city called Los Santos that is based on the city of Los Angeles. Gamers have made lists and maps comparing the game places to the real places in L.A. So maybe he's driving in the game.

"Ich drück' aufs Gas, hör' die 500 PS
Fahren durch die Stadt, GTA Los Angeles
Alles mattschwarz, Maserati GT S
Manchmal gibt's Palaver, doch es regelt sich von selbst

Ah, fühl' mich wie Rocky
Rabe graviert aufm Cockpit (ahh)
Lipgloss am Sibbi
Kind der 90er-Jahre wie Mobb Deep, ah
Camora ist topfit
Gib dir den Sound und die Optik (ahh)
Aus reiner Routine die Glock mit
Denn West-Wien ist Gotham, ah
Konkurrenz, mir fällt keine ein
Alle Winner in unserem Team
Bin der Sperrbildschirm deiner Chay
Und auf dem Juice-Magazin
Ihr Sound ist Vanessa Mai
Mein Sound direkt aus Marseille
Wien-Fünfhaus seit Tag eins

Ich drück' aufs Gas, hör' die 500 PS
Fahren durch die Stadt, GTA Los Angeles
Alles mattschwarz, Maserati GT S
Manchmal gibt's Palaver, doch es regelt sich von selbst (alle, alle)

Fühl' mich wie Rambo
Fahr' durch die Straßen von Hamburg
Brauche niemand, der mich schützt, Kaliber
unterm Sitz
Und verdunkelte Scheiben wie ein Phantom, hah
Komm und kauf dir einen Kampfhund, üff
Oder brauchst du ein Gramm Koks?
Denn die Lieder alles Hits, gibt niemand, der
mich fickt
187 übers Land wie ein Sandsturm (come on, dance everybody)

"I hit the gas, hear the 500 hp
Driving through the city, GTA Los Angeles
Everything matt black, Maserati GT S
Sometimes there's palaver, but it's self-regulating

Ah, feel like Rocky
Raven engraved on the cockpit (ahh)
Lip gloss on the Sibbi
Child of the 90s like Mobb Deep, ah
Camora is in top form
Give yourself the sound and the optics (ahh)
From pure routine the Glock with
Because West Vienna is Gotham, ah
Competition, I can not think of one
All winners in our team
Am the lock screen of your Chay
And on the juice magazine
Her sound is Vanessa Mai
My sound directly from Marseille
Vienna-Fünfhaus since day one

I hit the gas, hear the 500 hp
Driving through the city, GTA Los Angeles
Everything matt black, Maserati GT S
Sometimes there's palaver, but it settles on its own (all, all)

Feel like Rambo
Drive through the streets of Hamburg
Do not need anyone to protect me, caliber under the seat
And darkened slices like a phantom, hah
Come and buy a fighting dog, eh?
Or do you need a gram of coke?
Because the songs of all hits, no one gives me who f**ks me
187 across the country like a sandstorm (come on, dance everybody)...."

Debby Boone

When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano

Debby Boone is a singer, author, and actress from New Jersey, active since 1971, the daughter of singer-actor Pat Boone and Shirley Boone, the daughter of country music star Red Foley. She started touring with her family at 14 before beginning a solo career. Her song "You Light Up My Life" released in 1977, was the biggest hit of the 1970s, spending ten weeks at number 1. This song is from her second album "Midstream" released in 1978.

"The Sierra Mountains rise up
As you float down into L.A.
The Pacific roars hello
It's another surfing day
Everyone out here is pretty
Someone's bound to steal your heart away
And you'll find you wanna stay

In California, where the sun is warm
Where the winds called Santa Ana
Make you feel like you belong
California
Wherever you may roam
California keeps calling you home

All the boulevards and back roads
And the brights lights of Hollywood
And the laid-back way of living
Makes you feel all kinds of good
I could meet you at sunrise
We could swim in the ocean blue
And I might just say to you
Hey, it's true, I love you

So come on to California
Where the sun is warm
Where the winds called Santa Ana
Make you feel like you belong
California
Wherever you may roam
California keeps calling you home

So come on to California
Where the sun is warm
Where the winds called Santa Ana
Make you feel like you belong
California
Wherever you may roam
California keeps calling you home

So come on to California
Where the sun is warm
Where the winds called Santa Ana
Make you feel like you belong"

Pat Boone

Nashville-based Pat Boone was a very successful pop singer from 1954 into the early 1960s. He was ranked only behind Elvis Presley by Billboard. This 1940 hit about birds migrating back from their winter territories to the coastal city of Capistrano, was written by Leon Rene and recorded by many other artists, including Glenn Miller, Gene Autry, The Dominoes, The Five Satins,The Ink Spots, Harry James & His Orch, Guy Lombardo, Carmen McRae. Boone's version was released in 1957 as the B-side of his hit single "April Love."

"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"

Albert Bouchard

Shadow of California

Albert Bouchard is a musician from New York who was a founding member of Blue Oyster Cult and the drummer for the band. This song was put up on YouTube in August 2022 but I don't know when it was recorded. It's a less heavy, more acoustic version of the Blue Oyster Cult hard rock song that was released after Albert left the band. One of the writers of the song was Joe Bouchard, Albert's brother. Maybe that's how he was able to make a few changes to the lyrics which I think improve it - from "...Its future is steering the past...will not pass" to "...The future is steering and the past will not pass" etc. But I still don't understand what it means. Why are the angels racing to L.A. from San Bernardino? Are they Hell's Angels? Maybe I need to pour my brains into the darkness to get it.

"Beneath the freeway at the cloverleaf junction
A symbol of good luck emanates darkness
The shadow will grow to cover California
Somewhere on the road from San Bernardino
The future is steering and the past will not pass

Speed is the game in the shadow of kings
Where the company of angels fly
They appear at the crossroads at once in the future
Clad in the darkness on the highways of night
With no love at all from the past

Night makes right
The symbol remains
Into the darkness
Must pour the brains
In the shadow of California

Revolution by night grant me this future
Kings of the shadow on the highways of night
From San Bernardino these angels are racing
On this night to your city
The host of angels arriving in Los Angeles

Night makes right
The symbol remains
Into the darkness
Must pour the brains

Night makes right
The symbol remains
Into the darkness
Must pour the brains
In the shadow of California
In the shadow of California
In the shadow of California

Revolution by night
Revolution by night
Into the darkness
Revolution by night
Into the darkness
In the shadow
Into the darkness
of California
Into the darkness
Revolution by night
Into the darkness
Into the darkness"

David Bowie

Cracked Actor

David Bowie was a singer-songwriter and actor from England, active from 1962-2016, and regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, especially for his work in the 1970s. This song, from his 1973 album "Alladin Sane," is about an aging movie actor in Hollywood.

"I've come on a few years from my Hollywood Highs
The best of the last, the cleanest star they ever had
I'm stiff on my legend,
the films that I made
Forget that I'm fifty
cause you just got paid
Crack, baby, crack,
show me you're real
Smack, baby, smack, is that all that you feel
Suck, baby, suck,
give me your head
Before you start professing
that you're knocking me dead
You caught yourself a trick down
on Sunset and Vine
But since he pinned you baby
you're a porcupine
You sold me illusions for a sack full of cheques
You've made a bad connection 'cause I just want your sex
Crack, baby, crack,
show me you're real
Smack, baby, smack, is that all that you feel
Suck, baby, suck,
give me your head
Before you start professing
that you're knocking me dead"

Bow Wow Wow

Do You Wanna Hold Me?

Bow Wow Wow is an English worldbeat pop band assembled by Malcolm McLaren, who also invented the Sex Pistols, to promote a line of clothing. He took several musicians from Adam and the Ants and added 14-year-old Annabella Lwin as the lead vocalist. This song is from the band's third and final album When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going, released in 1983.

"Children, I wanna warn ya (Whoa-oh-oh)
'Cause I've been to California (Whoa-oh-oh)
Where Mickey Mouse is such a demon (Whoa-oh-oh)
Where Mickey Mouse is as big as a house (Whoa-oh-oh)

Ba da ba ba da ba (Whoa-oh-oh)
Ba da ba ba da ba

Life is wasted on illusion (Whoa-oh-oh)
Tom and Jerry's no solution (Whoa-oh-oh)
Evil games for cartoon demons (Whoa-oh-oh)
Pinocchio's a real boy, look around!

Ba da ba ba da ba (Whoa-oh-oh)
Ba da ba ba da ba

And I cry all night
Do you wanna hold me, hold me tight?
Do you wanna hold me? Oh yeah
Do you wanna hold me, hold me there?

Children, you got to hear me (Whoa-oh-oh)
You just got to understand me (Whoa-oh-oh)
Love and death ain't no physical thing (Whoa-oh-oh)
'Cause Mickey Mouse, he don't wanna know! (Whoa-oh-oh)...."

Alex Boyé

Cold in California

Alex Boyé is a singer, dancer, and actor from the UK, active since 2012. This song was released in 2019.

"Man I feel bad for treating you cold
Gave you what I had now I gotta leave you alone baby
It was only four years ago
I put you on a plane, called you from the start
Love for you to stay but I'd hate to break your heart
But I got to do this alone
And now these blue skies remind me of your blue eyes
And it's obvious, 'cause I think about us
And all those late drives riding on the right side
And I miss that rush, 'cause I think about us

Man it's cold in California
Man it's cold in California
It ain't stopped raining since I let you go
Man it's cold in California
Man it's cold in California
Man it's cold in California
It ain't stopped raining since I let you go
Man it's cold in California

I just can't rest, I just can't sleep
California King needs a California queen
Now I'm empty, yeah
I ... you one night the phone ... free
I'm up thinkin' 'bout you and me
I can't get you out of my head

And now these blue skies remind me of your blue eyes
And it's obvious, 'cause I think about us
And all those late drives riding on the right side
And I miss that rush, 'cause I think about us

Man it's cold in California
Man it's cold in California
It ain't stopped raining since I let you go
Man it's cold in California
Man it's cold in California
Man it's cold in California
It ain't stopped raining since I let you go
Man it's cold in California

Man I feel bad for treating you cold
Gave you what I had now I gotta leave you alone baby
It was only four years ago"

Boy in Space

Help Save the Youth of America

Boy in Space is Robin Lundback, a Swedish singer-songwriter active since 2012. He released this electronic pop song as a single in 2018.

"I've been on this phone, sitting all alone, missing ya
You be on Patron, losing self control, living up

They say you live, you learn
But it's hard to learn when you fall out
You left me and it hurts
Bandaids, they don't work and I'm all out

Ooh, you never pick up and I've been tryna call ya
Lately I've been roaming the streets of California
Looking for your red lips, got some roses for ya
I've been running circles, I'm lost in California

Got me turning sticks and stones
Got me breaking every bone
Got me out here looking for ya
Babe, you never pick up and I've been tryna call ya
Lately I've been roaming the streets of California

I've been counting stars on top of my car, wishing ya
Would call me back and talk, mend this broken heart, giving up

They say you live, you learn
But it's hard to learn when you fall out
You left me and it hurts
Pills, they don't work and I'm all out

Ooh, you never pick up and I've been tryna call ya
Lately I've been roaming the streets of California
Looking for your red lips, got some roses for ya
I've been running circles, I'm lost in California

Got me turning sticks and stones
Got me breaking every bone
Got me out here looking for ya
Babe, you never pick up and I've been tryna call ya
Lately I've been roaming the streets of California

And ah, I've been running 'round in California
And ah, I've been running 'round in California

If someone don't love you, let 'em go
Don't try to make fire in the snow
The longer you wait, the fire grows
If someone don't love you, let 'em go
Don't try to make fire in the snow
The longer you wait, the fire grows, grows

Ooh, you never pick up and I've been tryna call ya
Lately I've been roaming the streets of California
Looking for your red lips, got some roses for ya
I've been running circles, I'm lost in California

Got me turning sticks and stones
Got me breaking every bone
Got me out here looking for ya
Babe, you never pick up and I've been tryna call ya
Lately I've been roaming the streets of California

I've been running California
And ah, I've been running 'round in California
I've been running 'round
And ah, I've been running 'round in California
And ah, I've been running 'round in California
And ah, I've been running 'round in California"

Boys Like Girls

Leaving California

Boys Like Girls is a rock band from Boston formed in 2005. This song is from their album "Crazy World" released in 2012.

"Well, I’m holding on, yeah, I'm holding it all in
When it all goes wrong you just can't win
I can’t stand another sunrise and I need a little rain
Well, the angels left this city and they won’t be back again

Now I’m leaving California and I’ll never look back
I took a picture for you but I painted it black
One more dreamer on a runaway drive
Now there's one less burned-out star in the sky
Leaving California tonight

There's a broken dream in Santa Monica and Crescent Heights
And that old moonbeam, well it’s guiding my way tonight
And the lights are in the rear view and the stars up in the sky
And I don’t know where I’m going, baby, but it’s time to say goodbye

And I’m leaving California and I’ll never look back
I took a picture for you but I painted it black
One more dreamer on a runaway drive
Now there's one less burned-out star in the sky
Leaving California

I've got a one way ticket, I’m a rolling stone
I’m a goodbye kiss and then I’m going, going, gone
Like wind, like fire, like rain
Know I’m never coming back again

‘Cause I’m leaving California and I’ll never look back
I took a picture for you but I painted it black
One more dreamer on a runaway drive
Now there's one less burned-out star in the sky
Leaving California tonight...."

BoyWithUke (featuring Blackbear)

IDGAF

BoyWithUke is a DIY singer-songwriter and ukulele player who went viral on TikToc. This hate song (it ain't a love song) includes a Blackbear dig at fake people and the Hollywood Hills.

"You were caught in a lie, said it with your eyes
Said to all my homies that you weren't even mine
You didn't think twice, got a heart made of ice
And that s**t hit me, did me dirty
I never asked why and I never did cry
I never told another how I felt inside
Demons don't hide when I'm dreaming at night
And I won't mislead you, you'll miss me

'Cause I don't give a f**k about you no more
Give me back my hoodies or I'm kicking down doors
You weren't even pretty, looking back and I'm sure
You still miss me, that's so funny
I don't give a f**k about you, you swore
You would never talk about me before
You lied looking filthy in your ugly jean shorts
You still kissed me, now s**t's history

I don't mind if we speak again
I don't wanna be cool, I don't wanna be friends
Leave me half alive, on my homies, you was flirty
Fill me up with lies, and you did me so dirty
'Cause I don't give a f**k about you no more
Left me bleeding with my heart on the floor
You were never really mine, I was never really yours
You're the demon on my shoulder I'm just trying to ignore
And I don't give a s**it about your fake ass friends
Hollywood Hills while we play pretend
I don't wanna say I'm sorry, I don't wanna make amends
I will never make a mistake like you again

'Cause I don't give a f**k about you no more
Give me back my hoodies or I'm kicking down doors
You weren't even pretty, looking back and I'm sure
You still miss me, that's so funny
I don't give a f**k about you, you swore
You would never talk about me before
You lied looking filthy in your ugly jean shorts
You still kissed me, now s**t's history...."

Dylan Brady

I Hate California

Dylan Brady is a country singer/songwriter from New York. This is a single released in 2019. It's another song about a boy who hates California because his girl moved to Los Angeles. Can't blame him for that.

"You always loved the thought of the city
And you're too damned pretty not to be there
You were mine in my arms
But you and L.A. had a love affair
Just like I thought you would
I know I said I understood

But I hate California
That it keeps you warmer
Than I ever could've
Couldn't ever have your heart
Because it was somewhere in those hills
In a studio apartment
Livin' the dream that you always wanted
And I love that you love it
But I hate California

Yeah we fit together, but you fit in better
Way out there on rooftops with stars
Tell me when did you start, to put us in the past?
Forget everything we had
Didn't when I saw you last

But I hate California
That it keeps you warmer
Than I ever could've
Couldn't ever have your heart
Because it was somewhere in those hills
In a studio apartment
Livin' the dream that you always wanted
And I love that you love it
But I hate California

Yeah I hate, I hate, Ohhh
I hate California
I hate that, that's how I lost ya
I hate that I still love ya

And you're somewhere in those hills
In a studio apartment
Living the dream that you always wanted
And I love that you love it
I love that you love it
But I hate California
Yeah
I hate California"

Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg is a singer-songwriter-activist from England, active since 1977. It was a real thrill in the '80s to watch him walk alone onto a stage with just an electric guitar and sing his smart political-punk-folk songs and I'm sure it still is. And this is one of his best songs, from his album "Talking With The Taxman About Poetry" released in 1986. It opens with a mockery of the southern California '60s beach life that a Brit might think is the norm for all Americans. I was going to insert a comment about some similarly vapid English stereotype here, but I couldn't think of one. Maybe they really are as superior to us as they believe... Oh wait - no they aren't - Boris Johnson was once their Prime Minister. Now I feel better.

"Help save the youth of America
Help save them from themselves
Help save the sun-tanned surfer boys
And their California girls

When the lights go out in the rest of the World
What do our cousins say
They're playing in the sun and having fun, fun, fun
Till daddy takes the gun away

From the Big Church to the Big River
And out to the Shining Sea
This is the Land of Opportunity
And there's a Monkey Trial on TV

A nation with their freezers full
Are dancing in their seats
While outside another nation
Is sleeping in the streets

Don't tell me the old, old story
Tell me the truth this time
Is the Man in the Mask or the Indian
An enemy or a friend of mine

Help save the youth of America
Help save the youth of the world
Help save the boys in uniform
Their mothers and their faithful girls

Listen to the voice of the soldier
Down in the killing zone
Talking about the cost of living
And the price of bringing him home

They're already shipping the body bags
Down below the Rio Grande
But you can fight for democracy at home
And not in some foreign land

And the fate of the great United States
Is entwined in the fate of us all
And the incident at Chernobyl proves
The world we live in is very small

And the cities of Europe have burned before
And they may yet burn again
And if they do I hope you understand
That Washington will burn with them
Omaha will burn with them
Los Alamos will burn with them"

Billy Bragg & Wilco

California Stars

On the 1998 Grammy-winning album "Mermaid Avenue," Billy Bragg and 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.

Bob Seger recorded a nice cover of the song on his album "Ride Out" released in 2014.

Folk Uke (do I need to censor that?) a female folk duo from San Diego, recorded a cover of the song for their 2016 album "Starfu**er".

The Red Dirt Rangers released a live version of the song on their album "Blue Door Nights" released in 2018.

"I’d like to rest my heavy head tonight
On a bed of California stars
I’d like to lay my weary bones tonight
On a bed of California stars
I’d love to feel your hand touching mine
And tell me why I must keep working on
Yes, I’d give my life to lay my head tonight
On a bed of California stars

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

I’d like to rest my heavy head tonight
On a bed of California stars
I’d like to lay my weary bones tonight
On a bed of California stars
I’d love to feel your hand touching mine
And tell me why I must keep working on
Yes, I’d give my life to lay my head tonight
On a bed of California stars

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

So I’d give this world just to dream a dream with you
On our bed of California stars
Dream a dream with you"

Brandon & Savannah

Brandon & Savannah, also known as The Heirs, are a pop singer-songwriting duo made up of brother and sister Brandon Savannah Hudson from Florida, active since 2013. They appeared on America's Got Talent when they were 15 and 13 years old. This song was released in 2014.

"Well it's that dreaded time of year
Where it's all about faux or plastic reindeer
And everybody's always spending money that they don't have

The neighbor's throwin' parties with penguins in the pool
It's 80 degrees but she thinks it's cool
To have a Daisy Dukes Santa prop floatin' around on a raft
It just don't feel like Christmas to me
With palm trees everywhere

Yea, I know everybody's stoked
I'm not so easily provoked
I don't get this California Christmas
So keep your phony mistletoe
I wanna go where the snow ain't just for show
I don't get this California Christmas

... baby it's cold outside
And chestnuts are roasting on an open fire
So it makes no sense when it feels like the Fourth of July

Making snow angels in the sand
Fells about as real as the...
And I don't wanna, I don't wanna play pretend
While you can ... Christmas tree
'Cause I don't really care

Yea, I know everybody's stoked
I'm not so easily provoked
I don't get this California Christmas
So keep your phony mistletoe
I wanna go where the snow ain't just for show
I don't get this California Christmas...."

Brandtson

Earthquakes and Sharks

Brandtson was a rock band from Cleveland, active from 1996-2008. This is from the band's last album "Hello, Control" released in 2008. Since they're from Cleveland I'll forgive them for writing a silly song like this about southern California. You're far more likely to be killed by a gun in a road rage incident in one of the abundant soul-sucking traffic jams than you are by a shark or an earthquake. You're welcome California Office of Tourism. You can quote me.

"Went down to Mexico
I drove my black El Camino
I met up with an old gringo
He showed me round, and said to call him Joe
I was there about a week or so
Wound up in the general hospital
Joe said don't drink the water no more
How the hell was I supposed to know?

Drove up to San Diego
Saw a sign for Mission Beach
And so, went way out deep into the ocean
Saw a shark and had a stroke
Back in the ambulance I go
I had a dream about a girl I used to know
She said 'I got to warn ya bout Mexico and California'
She said 'I got to warn ya bout Mexico and California'
Oh, yeah
She said 'I got to warn ya bout Mexico and California'

Earthquakes and sharks to start us off
If Chupacabras ain't enough
Black widow spiders and killer bees
There ain't no shade, there ain't no trees
Hot desert heat and polluted air
And traffic jams beyond compare
That's all I got to warn ya bout Mexico and California

Woke up and said I got to go
Doc said 'Relax, and take it slow'
I tried to argue, but don't you know
'Bout California and Mexico?
Right then, the doctor hit the floor
The building shook, then shook some more
I looked down at him and swore
'You son of a bitch! I told you so!'

Earthquakes and sharks to start us off
If Chupacabras ain't enough
Black widow spiders and killer bees
There ain't no shade, there ain't no trees
Hot desert heat and polluted air
And traffic jams beyond compare
That's all I got to warn ya bout Mexico and California

Earthquakes and sharks to start us off
If Chupacabras ain't enough
Black widow spiders and killer bees
There ain't no shade, there ain't no trees
Hot desert heat and polluted air
And traffic jams beyond compare
That's all I got to warn ya bout Mexico and California...."

Bran Van 3000

Drinking in L.A.

Bran Van 3000 is a Canadian alternative rock and hip hop collective active since 1996. This song is from the album "Glee" released in 1997.

"....I woke up again this morning with the sun in my eyes
When Mike came over with a script surprise
A mafioso story with a twist
A "To Wong Foo, Julie Newmar" hitch
Get your ass out of bed, he said:
I'll explain it on the way
But we did nothing
Absolutely nothing that day
And I'll say
What the hell am I doing drinking in L.A.
At twenty six?
I got the fever for the flavor
The payback will be later
Still I need a fix
And the girls on the bus kept on laughing at us
As we rode on the ten down to Venice again
Flaring out the g-funk
Sipping on juice and gin
Just me and a friend
Feeling kinda groovy
Working on movie
(Yeah right!)
But we did nothing
Absolutely bupkis
That day
And I'll say
What the hell am I doing drinking in L.A.
At twenty six?
With my mind on my money and my money on my, beer beer!
I know that life is for the taking
So I'd better wise up
And take it quickly

(Yeah one more time at Trader Vics)
Some men there wanted to hurt us
And other men
Said we weren't worth the fuss
We could see them all bitching by the bar
About the fine line
Between the rich and the poor
Then mike turned to me and said
What do you think we got done son?
We've got a conclusion
And I guess that's something
So I ask you

What the hell am I doing drinking in L.A.
At twenty six?
I got the fever for the nectar
The payback will be later
Still I need a fix

(We need to fix you up
Call me monday
And maybe we'll fix it all up)

L.A.
L.A.
L.-L.A.
L.A....."

Liz Brasher

Be In California

This is a single released in 2024. Liz Brasher is a singer-songwriter from North Carolina whose YouTube page say she "...makes her own kind of southern music — one that's caught halfway between the garage, the church, the bar, and the bedroom. She's a soul singer. A guitar-playing rocker. A one-woman girl group. A gospel revivalist who sings the praises of secular bands like the Box Tops."

"They say Paris is for lovers
So I stayed for half an hour
And I tried to reach you
From the telephone tower
By now you should know
The strength you wield in the streets
I would love you like a mirror
I’ll make you see

I wish that I could be in California
Be right by ya
Go to the ocean
And dream inside ya
I wish that I could be in California
I’d be right by ya
Go to the ocean
And dream inside ya

Every collapse holds the pulse
Of me and you
Yeah we’ll leave this world
With an echo of something new
In my bones are all the thoughts
And all the memories of all we are
I would love you like a mirror
I would make you weak

I wish that I could be in California
Be right by ya
Go to the ocean
And live inside ya
I wish that I could be in California
And be right by ya
Go to the ocean
And dream inside ya

The pull the drag
Deep inside is all I am
Heavy, heavy gravity
Ties me up to you

I wish that I could be in California
And be right by ya
Go to the ocean
And live inside ya
I wish that I could be in California
I’d be right by ya
Go to the ocean
And dream inside ya
I wish that I could be in California
Be right by ya
Go to the ocean
And dream inside ya"

Brazzaville

Brazzaville is an indie pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1997. This song is from the album "Morro Bay" released in 2013.

"It's almost dawn
She walks down Market Street alone
Some drunken johns
Left bruises on her arms

This ice cold world
Gas station bathroom roadside girl
Fluorescent stalls
With gang graffiti on the walls

But maybe one day
She'll meet a guy who wants to stay
Someone who loves her
Kisses and hugs her
Along the shores of Morro Bay

The highway home
Back to the sky where we belong
It feels so long
When you're on your own

But maybe one day
Some clear blue Sunday
She'll meet a guy who wants to stay
Someone who loves her
Kisses and hugs her
Along the shores of Morro Bay"

Robbie Breese

Song From Sacramento

Robbie Breese is a singer-songwriter born in Ireland who moved to Minnesota at age 10. This minimal acoustic guitar-based song is from his debut self-made album "The 18th Demos" released in 2020 when he was 18 years old. So why is the song from Sacramento? Maybe he just wanted a place that rhymes with "memento."

"Sunny California,
Clear forecast got me singing sunny blues, Ooh, hoo
'Cause the weather's hot and I'm not
But I'm thinking about the days when you said I was to you, Ooh, hoo

Right now you're in Seattle and I'll be there just next week
We've been texting back and forth and I don't know how to feel
'Cause I've changed a lot since we broke up, I guess that you have, too
These chords were yours and they are once more
Now that I've finally found the right words to use

So this song from Sacramento's one more memento of you

Yellow sun and bright blue skies
Somehow got me thinkin' about your deep brown eyes
That changed color every day
And the butterflies that'd start to rise when you looked at me
And smiled that smile just right, just right

Right now you're in Seattle and I'll be there just next week
We've been texting back and forth and I don't know how to feel
'Cause I've changed a lot since we broke up, I guess that you have, too
These chords were yours and they are once more
Now that I've finally found the right words to use

So this song from Sacramento's one more memento of you

By the time I'm in Seattle, I'll be too late, you'll have left
I don't know how to interpret the messages you've sent
We've both changed a lot since we broke up but I'm glad we're friends again
These chords were yours and they are once more
Now that I've finally found the right words to use

So this song from Sacramento's one more memento of you"

BRESCO & Caesar

Calfornia Song

This is an Italian rap song by two men that was released in 2021.
Despite the title, there is only one verse that mentions California. It's about a guy who wants to impress someone by taking them to exotic places but he's broke. Same old story, different language...

[Verse 1: BRESCO & Caesar]

"...Ne ho fatte di cazzate, saliamo su un seconda classe
Cambiamo a Lambrate, Milano e deserta quando arriva estate
Non ti ho portata al mare, ti ho portato in
popolare
Perche qui la vista e meglio, il sole scompare, wow
Fumo troppo, se sto con
lei il doppio
(Grr, pow)
Non ho sonno, faccio un giro di sotto
Ti porterei a Parigi, baby, ma e troppo chic
E mi sento un po' a disagio come con la police
Ti ho portato a casa mia e non e cosi male
Anche s non vedi il mare, ci possiamo incastrare (Ahahah)
Ti port rei a Parigi sopra la torre Eiffel
Baby, questa citta e busy se ci stiamo io e te
E che a volte quei problemi son piu grandi di te
Poi finisce che ti perdi in giro per le banlieue
Mamma, scusami se a volte mi vedi distratto
E che ho un sogno tra le mani e voglio realizzarlo
E ho passato troppo tempo in giro senza un piano
In quella via sotto la pioggia ti ho strappato un bacio
E allora scusami se esagero, ti metto in imbarazzo
Tu digli a quel coglione che sono io il tuo ragazzo e che gli rompo il naso
Hai il mio cuore in mano e tu sai come usarlo
Babe, fai attenzione se ti sto parlando di me

[Chorus: Caesar]

Non ho soldi per portarti fuori
Torno a casa tardi, mi addormento sul parquet
Sono giorni che starei da solo e ho il portafoglio vuoto (Tu pensi che sia facile?)
Babe, ti passo a prendere, giochi col posacenere
Mi guardi, sei scazzata, non ho voglia di discutere
Sole in spiaggia, il mare accanto mentre penso a tutto quanto
Sto fumando, sono in aria, tu mi mandi sulle nuvole

[Verse 2: BRESCO & Caesar]

Perche ora ripenso a quello che ci spetta
Prendiamoci insieme sto mondo di merda
E quando cadevo eri una spalla destra
Rideremo insieme pensando che
Ce l'abbiamo fatta in dieci rappando, con le pare soltanto
Avevo solo qualche amico e mille rime al mio fianco
Con i soldi contati, i problemi son tanti
Ho giurato a mio fratello: 'Noi faremo i cantanti'
Allora giro e fumo, non serve nessuno
A dirmi cosa devo fare, giuro, scrivo e chiudo
Il mio amico lo sa bene, pure lui ne ha viste troppe
Giriamo in strada, il buio illumina la notte
Ho fatto un casino per dimenticarlo, fumo un altro po'
Mentre pompo nel quartiere la mia California song (Babe)
E non siamo a Dubai, ma da questi tetti puoi vedere lo skyline
Vedi quanto siamo piccoli, parte del paesaggio (Ah)
Arte di passaggio, nella zona il clima e caldo
Carlo ordina due pizze e qualche birra al bar di fianco
Non sediamo al tuo tavolo, ma sto cambiando abito, yeah

[Verse 1: BRESCO & Caesar]

"I've done a lot of bulls**t, let's get on a second class
We change to Lambrate, Milan and deserted when summer arrives
I didn't take you to the beach, I took you to the popular
Because here the view is better, the sun disappears, wow
I smoke too much, if I'm with her twice as much (Grr, pow)
I'm not sleepy, I take a walk downstairs
I'd take you to Paris, baby, but it's too chic
And I feel a little uncomfortable like with the police
I brought you to my house and it's not so bad
Even yes you don't see the sea, we can fit (Ahahah)
I would take you to Paris above the Eiffel Tower
Baby, this city is busy if you and I are in it
And that sometimes those problems are bigger than you
Then you end up getting lost around the banlieues
Mom, sorry if sometimes you see me distracted
And that I have a dream in my hands and I want to make it come true
And I've been walking around too much without a plan
On that street in the rain I snatched a kiss from you
So sorry if I'm exaggerating, I'm embarrassing you
You tell that asshole I'm your boyfriend and I'll break his nose
You have my heart in your hand and you know how to use it
Babe, be careful if I'm telling you about me

[Chorus: Caesar]

I have no money to take you out
I come home late, I fall asleep on the parquet
I've been alone for days and my wallet is empty (Do you think it's easy?)
Babe, I'll pick you up, play with the ashtray
You look at me, you're pissed off, I don't want to argue
Sun on the beach, the sea beside me while I think about everything
I'm smoking, I'm in the air, you send me to the clouds

[Verse 2: BRESCO & Caesar]

Because now I think back to what belongs to us
Let's take this world of s**t together
And when I fell you were a right shoulder
We will laugh together thinking that
We made it in ten rapping, with only apparently
I only had a few friends and a thousand rhymes by my side
With the money counted, the problems are many
I swore to my brother: 'We will be singers'
So I go around and smoke, no one is needed
To tell me what to do, I swear, write and close
My friend knows this well, he too has seen too many
We turn into the street, the darkness lights up the night
I messed up to forget, smoke some more
While I pump my California song around the block (Babe)
And we're not in Dubai, but from these rooftops you can see the skyline
See how small we are, part of the landscape (Ah)
Art of passage, in the area the climate is hot
Carlo orders two pizzas and a few beers at the bar next door
We don't sit at your table, but I'm changing clothes, yeah...."

Jon Brian (featuring WYD)

I Live in California

Jon Brian and WYD, aka Doddy, are musicians from Romania. The YouTube page for the song put up in 2012 describes it as "...a summer club track that will sure make you wanna dance all summer...."

"I live in California
I live in California
I live in California
I live in California

Sexy

Every time I meet a girl like you
I take it slow
'Cause all around the world
If I take a trip I'm sure I won't
Find one who looks like you
Find one who wants the truth
Right now you're goin' through
The city that I built for you
A city inside my heart
Full of colors, full of life
Full of love, you won't see fear
But full of s**t if you're not here

So come come come with me
In California
Come come come with me

I live in California
I live in California
I live in California
I live in California

Sexy

I live in California

Never too late
I'm livin' in the mood
Never too late
I'm feeling all the groove
Never too late
Up in the Golden State
And I wanna scream
'Cause I'm livin' a dream

I live in California
I live in California
I live in California
I live in California"

Rich Brian, 88rising & NIKI (featuring Warren Hue)

If We Make it Through December

This rap song, released in 2021, features three young rapper-singer-songwriters from Jakarta, Indonesia - NIKI, Rich Brian, and Warren Hue, along with 88rising which Wickipedia calls a musical platform and record label that primarily features Asian American and Asian artists who release music in the United States. This song, written by musiians from halfway around the world, has the only mention of "the San Gabriel Valley" that I've heard so far in a song, other than mentioning a city in that valley.

[Warren Hue]

"Yeah I’m faded, fake faces,
I erase ‘em, California,
That fragrance, mad payments,
Fake places, California,
I don’t want to be the one that’s left behind,
I love the way, you lie,
Tryna get my money bag straight this time,
The hills is gon’ decide

L.A. westside mama scared most of the time,
Looking behind what’s this so called life,
Shawty run my other phone yeah,
Fake faces gotta cut em off yeah,
Fake faces they don’t problem solve yeah,
My faith is from the cameras yeah,

Flash flash, Imma take the pictures for my fam damn,
Show em I’ve made it, flashbacks
To the pictures from way back,
The kids were like who’s that, who’s that?
Now I do Hollywood, yeah
Copies everywhere like a walkie talkie,
Imma run the lobby, Speak to nobody,
San Gabriel Valley, might crash your party like.

[Rich Brian]

Yeah you made it, You’ve been anxious,
But you made it, California
Conversations, Til the sun rise,
When you stop by, California
I don’t want to be the one that’s left behind,
I love the way, you lie,
I don’t wanna be the one to lose my mind,
I know you know

Somebody put some brakes on me, I really need rest on me,
Pops callin’ up every couple days I’m smiling so he could think I’m straight,
Why can’t I tell the truth... (wooo)
Playing J Cole back then, with a clear end goal, like it all made sense, I needed myself and nobody else ok let’s go

From how it looks man it’s hard to complain,
Man I just been praying that when I get older that I got some smile in me that can remain,
My money is long but I got some new issues that feel like it’s longer than government names,
Man all I could wish is the mask that I wear and the face that’s below it is looking the same

Like ooooooohhhhh,
You’ve been in this fight, I could see it in your eyes

Like ooooooohhhhh,
I made up my mind, I don’t wanna waste no time

[NIKI]

Moneymaking, while we’re breaking,
It’s amazing, California,
Celebrate it, or berate it,
It’s been fated, California,
Oh Maria, the hills are swarming,
With dead ends and the bots performing,
Don’t mistake it, you can break big,
Til you get sick, Sigh

Shut the f**k up don’t wake another neighbor,
I don’t know you and I don’t want to later,
Praying to God I never run out of His favor,
But we don’t make the textbooks on our best behavior, do we?

I’m the antihero of my own damn movie,
All my exes write songs that I’m based on loosely,
Take after my ma I can be choosy, I can be choosy

And when the sky looks like a painting,
That’s when you look down

[NIKI, Rich Brian & Warren Hue]

California (Money making while we’re breaking)
California (But you made it, California)
California (Yeah I’m faded, fake faces)
California (But you made it, California)"

Phoebe Bridgers

Garden Song

Phoebe Bridgers is a singer/songwriter from L.A. This song is from her album "Punisher" released in 2020 and it's one of my favorites, with a beautiful distortion added to the instruments. There's only one brief mention of the Huntington Gardens, a huge botanical gardens and museum in San Marino, but the song also describes gluing roses on a truck for the Rose Parade in nearby Pasadena.

"Someday I'm gonna live
In your house up on the hill
And when your skinhead neighbor goes missing
I'll plant a garden in the yard then

They're gluing roses on a flatbed
You should see it, I mean thousands
I grew up here till it all went up in flames
Except the notches in the door frame

I don't know when you got taller
See our reflection in the water
Off a bridge at the Huntington
I hopped the fence when I was seventeen
Then I knew what I wanted

And when I grow up, I'm gonna look up
From my phone and see my life
And it's gonna be just like my recurring dream
I'm at the movies
I don't remember what I'm seeing
The screen turns into a tidal wave
Then it's a dorm room, like a hedge maze
And when I find you
You touch my leg and I insist
But I wake up before we do it

I don't know how, but I'm taller
It must be something in the water
Everything's growing in our garden
You don't have to know that it's haunted
The doctor put her hands over my liver
She told me my resentment's getting smaller
No, I'm not afraid of hard work
I get everything I want
I have everything I wanted"

Phoebe Bridgers

This song, released in 2020 as a promotional single, is a cover of the Merle Haggard original which was released in 1973. You can see the lyrics under Merle Haggard's version.

Phoebe Bridgers

Smoke Signals

This song is from her 2017 album "Stranger in the Alps." She explained that the title comes from the way a line of dialog in the movie "The Big Lebowski" was censored on T.V. The line: "This is what happens when you f**k a stranger in the a*s!" was changed to: "This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps!"

"I went with you up to
The place you grew up in
We spent a week in the cold
Just long enough to
"Walden" it with you
Any longer, it would have got old
Singing "Ace of Spades" when Lemmy died
But nothing's changed, L.A.'s all right
Sleeping in my bed again, and getting in my head
And then walk around the reservoir

You, you must have been looking for me
Sending smoke signals
Pelicans circling
Burning trash out on the beach

One of your eyes is
Always half-shut
Something happened when you were a kid
I didn't know you then
And I'll never understand
Why it feels like I did
"How Soon Is Now" in an '80s sedan
You slept inside of it because your dad
Lived in a campground in the back of a van
You said that song will creep you out until you're dead

And you must have been looking for me
Sending smoke signals
Pelicans circling
Burning trash out on the beach

I want to live at
The Holiday Inn
Where somebody else makes the bed
We'll watch TV while
The lights on the street
Put all the stars to death
It's been on my mind since Bowie died
Just checking out to hide from life
And all of our problems, I'm gonna solve 'em
With you riding shot-gun, speeding, 'cause f**k the cops

And you, you must have been looking for me
Sending smoke signals
Pelicans circling
Burning trash out on the beach

I buried a hatchet
It's coming up lavender
The future's unwritten
The past is a corridor
I'm at the exit looking back through the hall
You are anonymous
I am a concrete wall"

Bright Eyes

June On the West Coast

Bright Eyes is an indie rock band founded by Conor Oberst in Omaha, Nebraska, active on and off since 1995. This song is from the band's second studio album "Letting Off The Happiness" released in 1998. (FYI: Winnetka is neighborhood of Los Angeles located in the west-central San Fernando Valley.)

"I spent a week drinking the sunlight of Winnetka, California
Where they understand the weight of human hearts
See, sorrow gets too heavy, and joy, it tends to hold you
The fear that it eventually departs

And the truth is I've been dreaming of some tired, tranquil place
Where the weather won't get trapped inside my bones
And if all these years of searching find one sympathetic face
Then it's there I'll plant these seeds and make my home

I spent a day dreaming of dying in Mesa, Arizona
Where all the green of life had turned to ash
And I felt I was on fire with the things I could have told you
I just assumed that you eventually would ask

And I wouldn't have to bring up my so badly broken heart
And all those months, I just wanted to sleep
And though spring, it did come slowly, I guess it did its part
My heart has thawed and continues to beat

And I visited my brother on the outskirts of Olympia
Where the forest and the water become one
And we talked about our childhood, like a dream we were convinced of
That perfect, peaceful street that we came from

And I know he heard me strumming all those sad and simple chords
As I sat inside my room so long ago
And it hurts that he's still shaking from those secrets that were told
By a car closed up too tight and a heart turned cold

And I went to San Diego and the birthplace of the summer
And watched the ocean dance under the moon
And there was a girl I knew there, one more potential lover
I guess that something's gotta happen soon

'Cause I know I can't keep living in this dead or dying dream
And as I walked along the beach and drank with her
I thought about my true love, the one I really need
With eyes that burn so bright, they make me pure

They make me pure
They make me pure
I long to be with you
They make me pure
They make me pure
I long to be with you"

Brim

California Gold

Brim is a country rock group from Visalia, California, a side project from their hard rock band Westing. This is from their album "California Gold" released in 2021. With steel guitar and harmonies it is reminiscent of the Byrds country sound with Gram Parsons. The lyrics are not online so this is the best I could do. A lot of the words escape me.

"Down in the valley
They mostly would fly over you
Down in the valley
The big wheels will come rollin' through

... truck scales and the cheap motels
You can always hurt some humans if the ... fails
But there's a place where the light comes
Yeah ... mountain dew

Those long ...
The wheels still spinnin' waitin' long
... the country born in ... house...
And when summer comes around
Our life beneath the ground
You can did a little deeper
But remember what we found
Yeah the sky it burned like fire
It burned like California gold
California gold

Up from the valley
The hills take on an amber hue
Up from the valley
Our ... knows just what to do
... who's away
The air is very clear but we're thankful and we sing
If you could see the sunset
You'd call it California gold
California gold...."

Now in the valley
Your children try to run away
Now in the valley
Some of us just have to say

... and heart of a state so blue
Our congressmen betrayed us
But the law will see us through
If you looked at our problems
You'd call them California gold
California gold

Now in the valley
We found an empty swimming pool
Now in the valley
Our ... know just what to do
They can read ...
Every thing is going fine
They've learned to love their neighbors
When their skin don't look like mine
You look into their hearts
And see that California gold
That California gold"

Joey Britton

California Daydream

Joey Britton is a musician from Philadelphia, based in Orange County, California. This song was released in September, 2024. His YouTube comments describe it like this: "Moving to Cali was a dream of mine since I was a kid from Philly. When I got the chance I jumped on it and have never left. For me, this place feels like a vacation every day and I couldn’t be more grateful for the beauty it’s given to my life and all the great people I’ve met here. My new song California Daydream is dedicated to this wonderful place and the great vibes it’s given me from the OC and laguna beach, Crystal cove, up to La , San Diego, Santa Barbara and San Francisco."

"It's a California daydream
Would you find peace of mind
In the California sunshine?
Would you ride on the tide?

Take a drive up the coast
From Crystal Cove to San Francisco
The sunset shining on Melrose
Let's raise a glass and make a toast
'Cause I love this place this place the most

California daydream
Would you find peace of mind
In the California sunshine?
Would you ride on the tide?

Take a boat out to sea
On top of the world you can feel the breeze
Driving through the OC
There's no place I'd rather be
Back in Cali with you next to me

California daydream
Would you find peace of mind
In the California sunshine?
Would you ride on the tide?

Oh, it's a California sun
Together we'll forever be as one
Together we'll forever be as one

It's a California daydream
Would you find peace of mind
In the California sunshine?
Would you ride on the tide?

It's a California daydream
Would you find peace of mind
In the California sunshine?
Would you ride on the tide?"

Cleo Brown

When Hollywood Goes Black and Tan

Cleo Brown was a blues and jazz musician from Mississippi who lived from 1907 or 1909 untill 1995. In this upbeat early 40s 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 few 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!"

Geoff Brown

Geoff Brown is a singer-songwriter from the UK. This song was released in 2019. I give it extra credit for both beginning and ending with a cash-register sound effect, and for acknowledging that there's a difference between Northern and Southern California in the song.

"California Christmas

Let's put the holly back in Hollywood
Let's put the Santa back in Santa Monica
Let's put the angels back in Los Angeles
And have a California Christmas

There's a Jaguar for mommy
If she can quit the hooch
A blanket made of cashmere
And especially for the pooch

The son is getting Gucci
And the daughter's dressed in Pucci
All the shopping's done at Prada
Calvin Kline and Fiorucci

So let's put the holly back in Hollywood
Let's put the Santa back in Santa Monica
Let's put the angels back in Los Angeles
And have a California Christmas

Folks up in Northern California
Pretend they like the gloom and try to scorn ya
But in Malibu the Christmas sun'll warm ya
It's just another day in southern Califor-ni-a
(Southern Califor-ni-a)

In Bel-Air there's a swell air
A sophisticated spend
On Sunset and Rodeo Drive in limos end to end
Women thin and waistless and the starlets that are graceless
Are all fighting at the counters over trinkets that are tasteless

So let's put the holly back in Hollywood
Let's put the Santa back in Santa Monica
Let's put the angels back in Los Angeles
And have a California Christmas

All the chills are tinging winging bling-bling
California Christmas
California Christmas"

Nora Brown

Little Satchel

Nora Brown is a singer from New York who plays old-time traditional music on the banjo and guitar. This traditional banjo song is from her album "Long Time to Be Gone" released in 2022. You can see the lyrics under the version by Fred Cockerham.

Jackson Browne

Barricades of Heaven

Jackson Browne is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, active since 1966, who started out writing songs for others. This song is from his album "Looking East" released in 1996.

"Running down around the towns along the shore
When I was sixteen and on my own
No, I couldn't tell you what the hell those brakes were for
I was just trying to hear my song

Jimmy found his own sweet sound and won that free guitar
We'd all get in the van and play
Life became the Paradox, the Bear, the Rouge et Noir
And the stretch of road running to L.A.

Pages turning
Pages we were years from learning
Straight into the night our hearts were flung
Better bring your own redemption when you come
To the barricades of Heaven where I'm from

All the world was shining from those hills
The stars above and the lights below
Among those there to test their fortunes and their wills
I lost track of the score long ago

Pages turning
Pages we were years from learning
Straight into the night our hearts were flung
Better bring your own redemption when you come
To the barricades of Heaven where I'm from

Childhood comes for me at night
Voices of my friends
Your face bathing me in light
Hope that never ends

Pages turning
Pages torn and pages burning
Faded pages, open in the sun
Better bring your own redemption when you come
To the barricades of Heaven where I'm from.
Better bring your own redemption when you come
To the barricades of Heaven where I'm from."

Jackson Browne

Culver Moon

This song is from "Looking East" released in 1996. He never names it, but the narrator of the song must be from the small city of Culver City which is surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. Angelyne is an L.A. icon, famous for her giant self-promoting billboards. She's also a singer with one of her songs on this list.

"I live in a small town deep in L.A.
About five miles north of where the Lakers play
Now Everybody here's from someplace else
Working all together like Santa's elves

Baby, Culver me
And I'll Culver you
When the streets are shining with the smoggy dew
When the lights are glowing with the mists of June
And the whole world is lit up by the Culver Moon

Baby don't worry 'bout Angelyne
She ain't the prettiest thing I've ever seen
Nothing she wears ever fits her right
And her complexion is just a little too tight
And the way she looks down from so high above
Makes me think the poor child's never been in love

Baby, Culver me
And I'll Culver you
When the streets are shining with the smoggy dew
When the lights are glowing with the mists of June
And the whole world is lit up by the Culver Moon

Baby I'm going to love you 'til the stars come down
'Til they park their limos and they walk to town
'Til the L.A. river overflows its banks
'Til the whole alternative nation bows its knobby head in thanks
'Til the fish are jumping in Ballona Creek
'Til the earth is inherited by the meek

Baby, Culver me
And I'll Culver you
When the streets are shining with the smoggy dew
When the lights are glowing with the mists of June
And the whole world is illuminated by the Culver Moon

Under the rainbow and behind Versailles
From the aisles of Fedco to the 405
From MGM to Veteran's Park
Way down at Chippendale's fumblin' in the dark
Where the ghostly specter of Howard Hughes
Hovers in the smoke of a thousand bar-b-ques

Baby, Culver me
And I'll Culver you
When the streets are shining with the smoggy dew
When the lights are glowing with the mists of June
And the whole world is lit up by the Culver Moon"

Jackson Browne

Running on Empty

This is from Browne's album "Running on Empty" released in 1977. It has become one of his signature songs, and is included on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. (Number 496, but who's counting?) There's only a quick mention of the 101, a major L.A. highway that actually runs all the way north through Washington, but because Browne is singing about growing up in southern California, here it is.

"Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields
In '65, I was 17 and running up 101
I don't know where I'm running now, I'm just running on

[Chorus:]
Running on, running on empty
Running on, running blind
Running on, running into the sun
But I'm running behind

Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive
Trying not to confuse it with what you do to survive
In '69, I was 21 and I called the road my own
I don't know when that road turned on to the road I'm on

[Chorus]

Everyone I know, everywhere I go
People need some reason to believe
I don't know about anyone but me
If it takes all night, that'll be all right
If I can get you to smile before I leave

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I don't know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
Look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running, too

[Chorus]

Honey, you really tempt me
You know the way you look so kind
I'd love to stick around but I'm running behind
(Running on)
You know I don't even know what I'm hoping to find
(Running blind)
Running into the sun but I'm running behind"

Sebastien Brunet

Closing Time In California

Sebastien Brunet is a French Canadian singer-songwriter. This French pop song was put on YouTube in 2012. Most of it is in French but it begins and ends with a chorus that repeats the words "California" and "Hollywood" several times. It seems to be a love song, though I can't understand the breathy French lyrics and I have no idea why California and Hollywood are involved.

"California
California
Hollywood
California
Hollywood...."

Luke Bryan

Luke Bryan is an award-winning country music singer-songwriter and tv personality from Georgia, active since 2001, and one of the best-selling music artists in the world. This song, in which Calfiornia is once again a homewrecker, is from his upcoming eighth studio album "Mind Of A Country Boy" to be released sometime in 2024. Remember - at closing time you don't have to go home but you can't stay here. And don't forget to tip your firefighters.

"It must be closing time in California
They must be shuttin' down the Sunset bars
That's the only time that I hear from ya
Before my world lights up and yours goes dark
And there's a Western wave that called you out there
There's a Southern voice that wants you back
Can almost smell the smoke and cheap tequila
While I'm about to pour my coffee black

I've been tryin' to forget
And you've been tryin' not to miss me and move on
It must be closing time in California
Baby cut me off or come back home

There's a ghost that dances in the driveway
In a dress that hits this hard pine floor
Bet you're still in heels in your bed, sideways
Wishin' I was there to keep you warm
Damn, I wish that I was too, yeah, Lord

I've been tryin' to forget
You've been tryin' not to miss me and move on
It must be closing time in California
Baby cut me off or come back home

Come back home
Come back home, yeah, yeah

I guess we never got the timin' right
Yeah, it's 3 on your wall and 5 on mine

It must be closing time in California
If what you went to find just ain't out there
Then it's closing time in California
And baby, Tennessee ain't gone nowhere"

BrxkenBxy

BrxkenBxy (Broken Boy) is a musician from Canada. He describes his style as a blend of grunge and hip-hop. This was released in 2022.

"ugh
thats the way it go
yeah

i guess i should’ve known a little better
but you told me to keep you forever
and i put you in ever single letter
are you even reading them
please call me when you get 'em

cause the girls at the club don’t care bout me
they just like my chains and the cocaine
and she coming back home with me
she gon f**k me like she love me
but i never took her whole name
and thats just empty as f**k
this game i’m not playing
i guess you ran out of love
for somebody like me
i’m wasted
every night i close my eyes and

waste all my time
i’ll wake up drunk from all these things i’m mixing
it’s all your fault
baby you made me believe that you’re different
you said you’d call when you get home
i guess you never left California
am i to blame?
i stay awake at night
and watch the moon until the sun's up

i wonder if you ever look back
but you’re not sentimental you would never like that
do i ever show up in your dreams?
cause you’re always in mine and i still don’t know what it means
but maybe i think too much
maybe you never gave a f**k and thats why you’re gone
but baby i don’t know what you want
you tell me let it go but there’s something holding on

waste all my time
i’ll wake up drunk
from all these things i’m mixing
it’s all your fault
baby you made me believe that you’re different
you said you’d call when you get home
i guess you never left California
am i to blame?
i stay awake at night
and watch the moon until the sun's up

don’t lie
you never really cared
no you never really cared at all
it cuts too deep
i hope i
i hope i
i hope i
don't wake up
when you call me
don't wake up
when you call me

guess you never left (i hope i)
guess you never left (i hope i)
guess you never left California
(i hope i don't wake up)
guess you never left (i hope i)
guess you never left (i hope i)
guess you never left California
(i hope i don't wake up)
guess you never left (i hope i)
guess you never left (i hope i)
guess you never left California
(i hope i don’t wake up)
(California)

waste all my time
i’ll wake up drunk
from all these things i’m mixing
it’s all your fault
baby you made me believe that you’re different
you said you’d call when you get home
i guess you never left California
am i to blame?
i stay awake at night and watch the moon until the sun's up

i wonder if you ever look back
but you’re not sentimental
you would never like that

don't lie
you never really cared
no you never really cared at all"

Bryce Vine

Drew Barrymore

Bryce Vine (born Bryce Ross-Johnson) is a rapper and singer from New York who grew up on Los Angeles, active since 2010. This song is from his album "Carnival' released in 2019. According to Wickipedia, Drew Barrymore told Bryce that she was a fan of his. He chose her as the ideal metaphor after seeing her in "The Wedding Singer" saying that she's "...kind of Hollywood royalty, but she's kind of a badass, but she's kind of sweet."

This is a song about a guy who is so obsessed with having sex everywhere in his house that he is neglecting the maintainence of his household appliances - the TV is broke and the air conditioner doesn't work. And worse, his girl has no clothes to wear except an old T-shirt. To make up for that, he wants to fly her some place special, but he can't decide between flying to Cairo and flying to L.A. That's a choice we all face at some time in our lives. So far I've never chosen Cairo, but you never know, maybe some day I will. Extra credit to Vine for the nice Natural Born Killers reference that made me look it up.

"I want this forever
Just you in the grotto
With nothin' but your nights on
Keep the f**kin' lights on
Same again tomorrow
We don't need no bottle
Purple colored lip gloss
Room at the saguaro
Ain't nowhere I would rather be
Right between your holidays
Coffee on the flint stone
Jewelry on the ottoman
Baby, let me in
Before I get way too adamant about it

Love the way you shiver
Dig in to my shoulder blades
Feel it when you quiver
Higher level, elevate
You could be the renegade
Bonnie to a Clyde
Harrelson and Juliet
Legends never die
The TV hasn't worked in ages
Probly got a shorted cable
Way too busy f***ing on the sofa or the kitchen table
Is my vision hazy?
You look like you're someone famous

'Cause you're the next Drew Barry
And I want more,
And all these other girls keep wonderin' what I f**k with you for
'Cause you're the next Drew Barry
And I want more
And all these other girls keep wonderin' what I f**k with you for

'Cause you're something like the summer
Kinda like a hurricane
Sweepin' through the desert
Hot Americana rain
Finally wearing nothing but my Lauryn Hill shirt
It's kinda baggy on you, baby but it work
The AC hasn't worked in ages
I could probly read the label
Way too busy f**cking on the counter or the coffee table
Am I hallucinating?
Why do you look hella famous?

'Cause you're the next Drew Barry
And I want more, yeah
And all these other girls keep wonderin' what I f**k with you for
'Cause you're the next Drew Barry, yeah
And I want more
And all these other girls keep wonderin' what I f**k with you for

I wanna make
Every single moment for you great
Fly away to Cairo or L.A.
Girl, I want it now, don't wanna waste time, waste time
I wanna make, yeah
Every single moment for you great, yeah
Fly away to Cairo or L.A., uh
Girl, I want it now, don't wanna waste time

'Cause you're the next Drew Barry
And I want more, yeah
And all these other girls keep wonderin' what I f**k with you for
You're the next Drew Barry, yeah
And I want more
And all these other girls keep wonderin' what I f**k with you for"

Bryce Vine

La La Land

This is another song from the album "Carnival' released in 2019. (He also released another version that features Compton Rapper YG.)

"Oh s**t, you live in the Canyon
How big is your mansion? Yeah
Fresh out of school
Now you working and focus on fashion
Pretty girl, and you let go
Got time, but you got goals
Hey baby, waste your time with me in California
Hey baby, waste your time with me in California

La la la la la
Yeah, I met her at 1 OAK
La la la la la
Now we at the same house party
La la la la la
If you wanna waste time
Baby, waste your time with me in California

Hey baby, waste your time with me in California (California)
Oh s**t, you born in the Hamptons
I heard that's expensive
Damn, and you famous on Insta'
Your pics is a blessing
I think you could be a centerfold
No need for the money, though (No need for the)
Hey baby, waste your time with me in California
Hey baby, waste your time with me in California (California)...."

Bryce Vine

Motel California

This was released in November, 2024. It will be on his album "Motel California" which will be released in the Spring of 2025. The motel sounds like åa lovely place, but can you check out any time you like and then leave? That's the important question. And also, what's the wi-fi password?

"We should run away to the West Coast
Beverly Hills, where I heard that it never snows
Except for bathroom stalls and dollar bills
Young and dumb, we got so much time to kill

Dance with the Devil
We play in the dark
The City of Angels
A haven for sharks
And all of the palm trees
Are blocking the sun
Motel California, here I come

Paparazzi goin' A-Team
Lil' mama been a model since the 18
Had to smoke about it, scared of goin' mainstream
Santa Monica been lookin' like a day dream right now (Yeah)
Dolce and Gabbana but she love the way my wrist shine
OF on the low-key, she be posin' by her bedside
Gimme, gimme, gimme somethin' stronger than the last time

Dance with the Devil
We play in the dark
The City of Angels
A haven for sharks
And all of the palm trees
Are blocking the sun
Motel California, here I come
Motel California, here I come

We should run away to the West Coast
Beverly Hills, where I heard that it never snows

Dance with the Devil
We play in the dark
The City of Angels
A haven for sharks
And all of the palm trees
Are blocking the sun
Motel California, here I come
Motel California, here I come"

bryska

California Boy (jjjerk)

Bryska is Gabriela Nowak-Skyrpan, a singer-songwriter from Poland. This electronic pop song was released in May, 2023. It's a rare song about a "California boy" instead of a California girl.

"Your love is like amnesia
It’s like a never met ya, yeah
But don’t act like a
J-J-J-J-J-Jerk
J-J-J-J-J-Jerk
J-J-J-J-J-Jerk

Every time time I lay in my bed in the dark
I realize how not OK you are

Things are gonna change in time but lately
Every time I see you I go crazy
California boy I love you maybe
But if it doesn’t work don’t f**king blame me

Things are gonna change in time but lately
Every time I see you I go crazy
California boy I love you maybe
But if it doesn’t work don’t f**king blame me

How’s the party in Nevada?
Your T-shirt from Nirvana
It looks better on her
J-J-J-J-J-Jerk
J-J-J-J-J-Jerk
J-J-J-J-J-Jerk

Every time time I lay in my bed in the dark
I realize how not OK you are

Things are gonna change in time but lately
Every time I see you I go crazy
California boy I love you maybe
But if it doesn’t work don’t f**king blame me

Things are gonna change in time but lately
Every time I see you I go crazy
California boy I love you maybe
But if it doesn’t work don’t f**cking blame me

You can call her now and tell her maybe
That every time I saw you I went crazy
California boy I loved you baby
Well it didn’t work don’t f**king blame me

Things are gonna change in time but lately
Every time I see you I go crazy
California boy I love you maybe
But if it doesn’t work don’t f**king blame me"

Bsuavee (featuring Westside Boogie x Yelly x Yoey Composes)

California Dream

Bsuavee is rapper from Sacramento ("Suaveeamento.) This is a track from the album "Hollywood Made" released in 2022.

[Chorus]

"...California you know how we get down
Get money oh ya ya ya ya ya
West Coast oh ya ya ... L.A.
California you know how we get down
Get money oh ya ya ya ya ya
West Coast oh ya ya ... L.A. ...."

Michael Bublé

Michael Bublé is a Grammy-winning traditional pop & jazz singer from Canada, active since 1994. This song is from the album "Hollywood: The Deluxe EP" released in 2010. Hollywood is not dead yet, but it is being replaced by Albuquerque, Atlanta, Vancouver, New Orleans, and other places with better tax incentives.

"Could you be a teenage idol?
Could you be a movie star?
When I turn on my TV, will you smile and wave at me
Telling Oprah who you are?
So you want to be a rock star
With blue-eyed bunnies in your bed?
Well, remember when you're rich that you sold yourself for this
You'll be famous 'cause you're dead

So don't go higher for desire
Put in in your head
Baby, Hollywood is dead
You can find it in yourself

I don't want to take you dancin'
When you're dancin' with the world
You can flush your caviar and your million dollar car
I don't need that kind of girl
But could you be the next sensation?
Will you set the latest style?
You don't need a catchy song
'Cause the kids'll sing along when you sell it with a smile

So don't go higher for desire
Put it in your head
Baby, Hollywood is dead, you can find it in yourself
So don't fly higher for your fire
Put in your head
Baby, Hollywood is dead, you can find it in yourself

Na na na na na na (Keep it in your head, Hollywood is dead)

Well, you can do the money tango
You can start your little band
You can swing from vine to vine while the cuties wait in line
With the money in their hands
But if you get to California, save a piece of gold for me
And it's the only thing you'll save
But I'll bet you'll never wave when I watch you on TV

So don't go higher for desire
Put it in your head
Baby, Hollywood is dead, you can find it in yourself
So don't fly higher for your fire
Put it in your head
Baby, Hollywood is dead, you can find it in yourself
Keep on lovin' what is true and the world will come to you
You can find it in yourself
Love what is true and the world will come to you
You can find it in yourself
No no no no no
Keep it in your head
Hollywood is dead, babe
Get it in your head
Hollywood is dead
Hollywood is dead, baby"

Buck 65

You Know The Science

Buck 65 is the professional name of Richard Terfry, a Canadian hip hop artist and radio DJ active since 1993. This song is from his album "Man Overboard" released in 2001.

"If you're anything like me, you probably don't read The Source
Anymore, and miss crews like the JVC Force
Don't stop, show no shame, dance to disco
And you know the baddest DJs come from San Francisco
But be sure to tell DJ Static if you see him please
When you're in Denmark, he was robbed at the DMCs
Shouts out to Swamp and other DJs that were fronted on
And all of those that like to dig for oldies, yo, the hunt is on
I'm always down to make trades for s**t with those in the know
I just found another copy of Moog Indigo
I'm on a steady look out for dope breaks, non-stop
All I had to pay was fifty cents at a pawn shop
And when it comes to being phat, the best kind of weight gain
Has to be seeing your name up on a freight train
Moving galleries of steel to show the giants
To the people all over the world, you know the science

Uh-huh, you know the science
Uh-huh, you know the science
Uh-huh, you know the science
Uh-huh, you know the science
You get buck wild!...."

Lindsay Buckingham

Bel Air Rain

Lindsay Buckingham is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted musician and producer originally from Palo Alto and Atherton, active since 1966. He's well-known as the lead guitar player and one of the singers in Fleetwood Mac and as Stevie Nicks' musical partner before they joined Fleetwood Mac. This is from his solo album "Gift of Screws" released in 2008. He's known for his great fingerpicking, which is nicely displayed on this song.

In case you never watched "The Fresh Prince", Bel Air is an opulent neighborhood in the Los Angeles Westside above Beverly Hills - the sort of place that won't allow us common people to visit unless we're carrying a leaf blower...

"Fighting for a cause I can't remember any more
Well I guess you could say that I was framed
Somebody said there'd be a knock at my door
But the knock it never came

I changed my name
I went insane
Still I can't complain

Standing in the Bel Air rain
Standing in the Bel Air rain
Standing in the Bel Air rain

In my younger days I was mistaken for a whore
I guess you could say I lived in shame
Well everyone's peace lives side by side with their war
But eventually everyone gets tamed

I changed my name
I went insane
Still I can't complain

Standing in the Bel Air rain
Standing in the Bel Air rain
Standing in the Bel Air rain"

Aaron Bucks

Aaron Bucks is a singer-songwriter from Canada whose style has been described as country soul. This song was released in 2018 and it's also on his album "California" released in 2020.

"I'm waking on the bright side
'Cause the other's just a waste of time
I'll be a hug and a high five
To ease your worried mind

Like the
Sun over California
I'm always gonna be there for ya
Here's my shoulder, you can count on me
Like
Church on Sunday morning
An umbrella when the rain starts pouring
Here's my shoulder, you can count on me

We all have days
We wanna get away
When the light goes out and we need a spark
Out there in the dark

Like the
Sun over California
I'm always gonna be there for ya
Here's my shoulder, you can count on me
Like
Church on Sunday morning
An umbrella when the rain starts pouring
Here's my shoulder, you can count on me

See the God who made the heavens
Made this promise I believe in
It's my anchor in the ocean
It's the hope I put my hope in
Oh-ooh-oohh-ohhh

Oh, just like the
Sun over California
I'm always gonna be there for ya
Here's my shoulder, you can count on me
Like
Church on Sunday morning
An umbrella when the rain starts pouring
Here's my shoulder, you can count on
You can count on me
(Sun over California)
Oh-ooh-oohh-ohhh
You can count on me
Oh-ooh-oohh-ohhh
You can count on me
(Sun over California)
Oh-ooh-oohh-ohhh
You can count on me
Oh-ooh-oohh-ohhh"

Neek Bucks

For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)

Neek Bucks is a rapper from Harlem, New York City. This song was released in October 2022. Apologies for mistakes and omissions in the lyrics below. They're based on the YouTube closed captioning which is hilariously wrong in parts. For one line it writes: "Trying to build the shrimp to look you in your eyes..."

"...Yeah, look, yeah, well,
I miss you too but you just talk too bad about me
And when I slipped them second losses I heard you wasn't too mad about it
Trying to build the strength to look you in your eyes and ask about it
This time around I gotta cut you off if you ain't adding value
You gotta try and get somewhere
You start to see this whole s**t different when you've been somewhere
And try to treat that paper like it's Visine but my vision clear
Try to hide it from a n***a like I ain't gonna get it
Man f**k with n***as kicking they just talking but we living
So please be specific when you kicking all that s**t that you be kicking when you with us
Quit with all that capping like you gangster and you get it when you know that you ain't with it
Ni**as talking down so much I made my ass sore
If you ain't trying to help us prosper what you here for
They took that bracelet off my ankle straight to the ...
Is this the s**t I dreamed of?
Held this s**t down ... when n***as teamed up
And it's a lot of dirty laundry that ain't getting cleaned up
You know I ain't trying to mess that's what this been for the green...
God forgive me for my sins I still be thinking about revenge
'Cause I sit down and I get high and start to think about my friends
Fell like I'm at this s**t too long will I get closer to the win
Or will my n***a back door me for his Rolie or this Benz
S**t that I been thinking lately
I've been overlinking
Maybe I'm just overthinking
Like Beyonce I've been drinking
... we gonna do right as soon as we hit the ...
No we gonna get right back to that thuggin' and that schemin' I been dreamin'
You finally made it there n***a
Ain't no more California dreaming
Finally made it there n***a
Ain't no more California dreaming"

Buddy

Trouble on Central

Buddy (Simmie Sims III) is a rapper from Compton. This is a great upbeat song that's sung instead of rapped, with a laid-back G-funk rhythm but none of the gangsta attitude. It's from his 2018 debut album "Harlan & Alondra" named after the cross streets of his childhood home. Central Avenue is a long avenue that passes through west Compton.

"Just so good at being in trouble
Spending my days out in the ghetto
Mama say that I need to be careful
Going downtown on the Blue Line Metro
A car overheated indicated for the rental (s**t)
Broke down Chevrolets sitting on Central
Turning on my headphones looking out the window
Lauryn Hill playing, it could be so simple
Damn, I just can't wait 'til I get on
What the hell is taking so long?

I wish I had a girl by my side
Wish I had a brand new ride
I wish I had a light
I wish I had a private flight
I wish upon the stars sometimes
I wish I had a ride
I wish I had the finer things
I wish you wasn't so Cobain
I wish I had you (s**t)
And I wish I wasn't stuck on Central

Just so good at being in trouble
Spending my days out in the ghetto
Papa say that I need to be careful
Heard a n***a just got popped at the Arco
Pros on the hoes stro junkies on narcos
Long Beach Compton to South Central
Damn, I just can't wait 'til I get home (s**t)
That's when a cop had pulled me over
... ... ... ...

I wish I was in control
Really wish I wasn't stuck on Central
I still got so far to go, yeah
Won't be stuck here, not for long
Just hold on, hold on
Work late nights and early mornings
I'm on it, I'm on it
Trouble on Central with the homies
Oh no, oh no
Pretty soon we gon' take control
Just wait on it, wait on it"

Buffalo Springfield

Buffalo Springfield was a rock band active from 1966 to 1968 that featured several musicians who went on to greater fame with other bands or as solo acts - Stephen Stills, Neil Young, and Richie Furay.

The band's most commercially successful song, this is often considered a protest song about the war in Viet Nam, but it was not written as an anti-war song. It was written by Steven Stills who was inspired by the Sunset Strip curfew riots in November of 1966. Basically it was about young people rioting because they couldn't get into clubs late at night. The song was released shortly afterwards in late December 1966. The song never once mentions the Sunset Strip or L.A. or the riots, nor does it mention the Viet Nam war. The lack of a specific subject has let it serve as a universal protest song and anti-war anthem for any time and place.

A California song doesn't always need to mention California. For what it's worth, even if what it is ain't exactly clear, because of its well-know association with the Sunset Strip riots when it was released, this is a song about California. I can't say the same thing about the many cover versions, which include recordings by The Staple Singers, Rush, Cher, Queensryche, Miriam Makeba, Ozzy Osbourne, Oui 3, David Cassidy, Haley Reinhart, and others. The song was also sampled by Public Enemy in 1998 in "He Got Game."

"There's something happening here
But what it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking' their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly saying, "hooray for our side"

It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away

We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?...."

Jimmy Buffett

California Promises

Jimmy Buffett is a singer-songwriter and more from Mississippi who started his musical career in Nashville in the 1960s as a country music artist. This easy listening song is from the album "One Particular Harbor" released in 1983.

"Beneath the moonlit sky
Shadows walk beside the water
Sad goodbyes whispered on the shore
Hear those wind chimes play
They serenade the shadow lovers
Ring and fade away
Like California promises

I will never love another
Wait for me 'til I return
But she never will
He waits for her beside the water
Faithful still to California promises

I will never love another
Wait for me 'til I return
Though she never will
He waits for her beside the water
Faithful still to California promises"

Jimmy Buffett

Come Monday

This easy listening ballad is basically a postcard to his wife from a musician tired of touring and looking forward to seeing her. (The brown L.A. haze he sings about is the notorious L.A. smog, which was especially bad in 1974 before smog checks became mandatory in 1976.) It's from his 1974 album "Living & Dying in 3/4 Time, which was released 3 years before his monster pop country hit "Margaritaville."

"Headin' up to San Francisco
for the Labor Day weekend show,
I've got my hush-puppies on,
I guess I never was meant for
glitter rock and roll.
And honey I didn't know
that I'd be missin' you so.

Come Monday It'll be all right,
Come Monday I'll be holding you tight.
I spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze
and I just want you back by my side.

Yes it's been quite a summer,
rent-a-cars and west bound trains.
And now you're off on vacation,
somethin' you tried to explain.
And darlin' I love you so that's
the reason I just let you go.

Come Monday It'll be all right,
Come Monday I'll be holding you tight.
I spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze
and I just want you back by my side.

I can't help it honey,
you're that much a part of me now.
Remember the night in Montana when
we said there'd be no room for doubt.

I hope you're enjoyin' the scenery,
I know that it's pretty up there.
We can go hikin on Tuesday,
with you I'd walk anywhere.
California has worn me quite thin,
I just can't wait to see you again..."

Burna Boy

Devil In California

Burna Boy is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, a singer-songwriter-producer from Nigeria active since 2010 and one of the most successful Afrobeats artists. This is from his third studio album "Outside" released in 2018.

"Have to understand what I'm trying to show ya
Take you OT where nobody knows ya
I don't know what you've been told baby
Lately I've been on my own baby
I don't even know where I'm taking ya
Probably on a boat in the middle of the ocean
Way too drunk, I'm way too fu**ed baby
Popped a molly in the club babeOoh I met the devil out in California
I've been living on the edge
But I won't fall down

Got a couple hundreds for the spending

You should learn to share baby (oh no)
I'm crazy, I know
How I did it, I don't know
Heart breaker, all yours
I know I, said I'd change my life
But that was last night
I'm so high
Can't open my eyes
Can't look in your eyes

You got the juice
I got the sauce
It's only right we hit it off
But you gotta make a decision
You got the hoes
I got my woes
I cannot lose
But tonight I'm too fu**ked up to make decisions
I got so much bi**hes
It's like all my life I've been knowing something's been missing
Devil on my shoulder
That's why I can't stay sober

Ooh I met the devil out in California
I've been living on the edge
But I won't fall down
Got a couple hundreds for the spending

You should learn to share baby (oh no)
I'm crazy, I know
How I did it, I don't know
Heart breaker, all Yours
I know I, said I'd change my life
But that was last night
I'm so high
Can't open my eyes
Can't look in your eyes

Give it one more time
But I said that last time
I know I said that last time
But this is the last time
This is the last time
This is the last time (oh ya)"

Jeremiah Burnham

A Place In California

Jeremiah Burnham is a singer and producer from Vermont. This song which evokes the '60s Beach Boys sound is from an album released in 2014 called "Burnahm Would" that his website says is material he wrote and produced representing his more than fifty years in the music business.

"Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
There is a place in California
A special place in California
Down by the sea
Where the surf meets the bay
There's a place there for me
I will go there one day

A girl is there
And I dream of her
And places where
I find and love her

Down by the sand
Where the sea sings its song
(California)
I'll take her hand
And we'll walk on the sand
(Some day)

Those starry nights in California
Will be alright
They seem to warm ya

Down by the shore
It's where I want to be
(California)
The girl I hope for
Will be there for me

There is a place in California
A special place in California
Down by the sea
Where the surf meets the bay
(California)
There's a place there for me
I will go there one day...."

Jake Burns

California Bound

Jake Burns is a singer from Northern Ireland, now based in Chicago, active since 1977. He's best known as the frontman of Stiff Little Fingers. This song is from 2020, so he'll need to set the way-back machine for 54 years in the past.

"I wish I was California bound
Where the sun shines and music's all around
I'd take a guitar in my left hand
A rucksack on my back
Hitchhike to Laurel Canyon
And probably not come back
Wish I was California bound

Just go back in time to '66
Where the music plays loud all year
You've got Jackson Browne in one ear
While Joni MItchell sings all night
Carole King plays piano
James Taylor's getting high
Wish I was California bound

Imagine if David Crosby lived next door
He'd be talkin' about his future summer tour
Telling stories about The Troubador
Truth and lies beneath the floor
Wish I was California bound

Maybe one day I'll take the plane
And stop off at San Francisco Bay
With a guitar in my left hand
A rucksack on my back
Make my way to the canyon
And probably not come back

Wish I was California bound
Oh one day
I will be California bound
Oh one day
I will be California bound"

Zeke Burse

California Bronze

This song is from the album "Bronze" to be released in 2024. It's a re-recording of his 2022 song titled "California Sun" with a slower tempo and more percussion. It's a bit more intense this way, which is an improvement to my ears. The lyrics are basically the same and you can read them directly below.

Zeke Burse

Zeek Burse's LinkedIn page shows that he's a "Singer, songwriter, producer, model, multi-genre artist. A very interesting human being" from Philadelphia, PA. This song was released in 2022. He re-recorded it and released it in 2024 with a slower tempo and a new title "California Bronze."

"Oh you′re such a psycho
You got me walking on the walls that's some head over heels for yah
Oh and the python, ain't loosening the grip, at all
I think I′m falling

Baptize me in your love, I wanna drown
Now I'm always thinking of ya
Then you go around fu**ing up the town
Soaking in my tears I'm boiling

Oooo I feel it warming (Up) the California (Sun) I feel it warming
Oooo, I feel it warming (Up) the California (Sun)

I got no chance, there′s a barrel to my back saying don′t you move
I sweat oceans, then struggle to swim, there's a shark in the pool

Baptize me in your love, I wanna drown
Now I′m always thinking of ya
Anchored to the past I guess I'm going down
Soaking in my tears I′m boiling

Oooo I feel it warming (Up) the California (Sun) I feel it warming
Oooo, I feel it warming (Up) the California (Sun)

Who turned off the lights I'm lost and clouded
Who turned on the heat I′m burning up (I'm burning up)
This music's so loud I can't get it out of my head (Out of my head)
You say that you′ll stop but I doubt that ya can

Oooo I feel it warming (Up) the California (Sun) I feel it warming
Oooo, I feel it warming (Up) the California (Sun)
(Who turned off the lights)
Oooo I feel it warming (Up) the California (Sun) I feel it warming
Oooo, I feel it warming (Up) the California (Sun)"

Sam Bush

California Earthquake

Sam Bush is a progressive bluegrass (or New Grass) singer and mandolin player from Kentucky, active since 1963. This is a bluegrass cover of the John Hartford song, with added lyrics about Mother Nature having indigestion, from the album "Radio John: Songs of John Hartford" released in 2022.

"Well they tell me they exploded the underground blast
What they say's gonna happen, gonna happen at last
That's the way it appears

And they tell me the fault line runs right through here
If that may be, then that may be
What's gonna happen's, gonna happen to me
That's the the way it appears

And they tell me the fault line runs right through here

Atlantis will rise, Sunset Boulevard will fall
Where the beach use to be won't be nothin' at all
That's the way it appears

And they tell me the fault line runs right through here

Mother Nature's got gas, her diet's gone stale
See her acid indigestion on the Richter scale
That's the way it appears

And they tell me the fault line runs right through here

If that may be, then that may be
What's gonna happen's gonna happen to me
That's the way it appears
They tell me the fault line runs right through here"

Caashcow

This Turkish hip-hop song was released in August 2023. The internet doesn't know much about Cashcow yet, other than that he released his first song in 2019, and he's located in Switzerland. Fortunately someone put the Turkish lyrics online which I let Google translate.

"Kaldim sensiz ben yeah (ben yeah)
Üç gün içtim oldum ben yeah (ben yeah)
Shawty oldu benle (benle)
Yalniz kalmayi hiç sevmez (sevmez)

Bitch'im from the California, California (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Bitch'im from the California, California (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Bitch'im ayni Cali weed
Bitch'im from the Cali yeah (Cali yeah)
(Cali yeah)

Istedi benle kalmak her gün kalamam baby (kalamam babe)
Istedi benle yatmak her gün isine geldi (isine geldi yeah)
Bitch'ine fendi aldim, oldu yine hanimefendi (isine geldi)

Kapida Bentley, sarkimi dinliyor bitch in the
Bentley
Acaba benmi çok içtim, olmusum fame yeah
Paralar dansöz oldu, kaldim every day yeah
Fi?imi taktim bitch'e dünya verdi back yeah
Gecem arti 18, yaniyor sanki esrar
Sanki esrar, içtim bugün esrar
Oldum esrar, bitch'in adi Esra, adi Esra
Sex, Money, Drugs yeah (sex, money, drugs yeah)

Kaldim sensiz ben yeah (ben yeah)
Üç gün içtim oldum ben yeah (ben yeah)
Shawty oldu benle (benle)
Yalniz kalmayi hiç sevmez (sevmez)

Bitch'im from the California, California (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Bitch'im from the California, California (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Bitch'im ayni Cali weed
Bitch'im from the Cali yeah (Cali yeah)
(Cali yeah)"

"I'm left without you yeah (I yeah)
I've been drinking for three days, yeah (I yeah)
Shawty became with me (with me)
She never likes to be alone (she doesn't)

My b**ch from the California, California (yeah, yeah, yeah)
My b**ch from the California, California (yeah, yeah, yeah)
My b**ch is the same Cali weed
My b**ch from the Cali yeah (Cali yeah)
(Cal yeah)

She wanted to stay with me every day I can't stay baby (I can't stay babe)
He wanted to sleep with me every day, it worked (yeah)
I got the lady for your b**ch, it's done again ma'am

Bentley at the door listening to my song b**ch in the Bentley
I wonder if I drank too much fame yeah
Money became a belly dancer, I stayed every day yeah
I plugged it in b**ch gave the world back yeah
My night is plus 18, it's burning like weed
It's like marijuana, I smoked marijuana today
I'm marijuana, b**ch's name is Esra, her name is Esra
Sex, Money, Drugs yeah (sex, money, drugs yeah)

I'm left without you yeah (I yeah)
I've been drinking for three days, yeah (I yeah)
Shawty became with me (with me)
She never likes to be alone (she doesn't)

My b**ch from the California, California (yeah, yeah, yeah)
My b**ch from the California, California (yeah, yeah, yeah)
My b**ch is the same Cali weed
My b**ch from the Cali yeah (Cali yeah)
(Cali yeah)"

Cage the Elephant

Mess Around

This is from a band from Kentucky who have had lots of number one hits on the Billboard Alternative Rock charts, including this song. It's off their 2015 album Tell Me I'm Pretty. There's only a quick mention of California, so don't blink or you'll miss it.

"Ahhhhh, oh no
Ahhhhh, oh no
Ahhhhh, oh no
No, she don't mess around
No, she don't mess around

Oh St. Louis, California
Blue eyes, yeah she's comin' for ya
Land of Mary, Charm City
Oh lord, wish she was my baby
You know she'll drive you crazy
Yeah she's coming for ya
No, she don't mess around
No, she don't mess around

Ahhhhh, oh no
Ahhhhh, oh no
Ahhhhh, oh no
No, she don't mess around
No, she don't mess around

The heat is rising and only getting hotter, ready to blow
I think I'll pour myself a glass of water, let it flow
She'll show you what she's made of
Yeah she's comin' for ya
She's gonna try to break ya
Yeah she's comin' for ya
No, she don't mess around
No, she don't mess around

Ahhhhh, oh no
Ahhhhh, oh no
Ahhhhh, oh no
No, she don't mess around
No, she don't mess around...."

Cake

Arco Arena

Cake is a rock band from Sacramento, active since 1991. This is a bonus song from the deluxe edition of Cake's fourth studio album "Comfort Eagle" released in 2001.The original album version is an instrumental, this versiion adds lyrics. Arco Arena was a sports arena, home to NBA team the Sacramento Kings before they moved downtown to the Golden1 Center in 2016.

After being re-named Sleep Train Arena, the sports complex was demolished in 2022. But the song is still standing! You can put it on your playlist of songs about things that are gone or obsolete - such as Ry Cooder's Chavez Ravine, The Airborne Toxic Event's Hollywood Park, The Beatle's Back in the U.S.S.R., Paul Simon's Kodachrome, Nick Lowe's Switchboard Susan, Want Ads by Honey Cone, or any song about jukeboxes, cassette tapes, pay phones, party lines, 8-track players, the Berlin wall, democracy in America, affordable housing, fair wages, etc.

"Welcome to the King's palace
Arco Arena
Arco Arena
Why walk in circles?
Why walk in circles?
Why walk in circles when you can win?
Move your feet to the spirit of the ball
Move your feet to the spirit of the ball
Welcome to the King's palace

Arco Arena
Arco Arena

Crazy train, daisy chain
People just getting lazy, complaining

Arco Arena
Arco Arena

The parking lot sparkles hot
Around the busy sports complex
Crazy train, daisy chain
People just getting lazy, complaining

Arco Arena
Arco Arena"

Cake

Bound Away

Cake is a rock band from Sacramento formed in 1991. This song, which name checks their home town, is from their 2011 album "Showroom of Compassion.

"I'm an unknown individual in an unattended car
Hey, welcome to Chicago or wherever you are
New York to London, Barcelona to Berlin
Sacramento, California, we are leaving again

Away, away, away, away
Away, I'm bound away

I'm circling, I'm swiveling, I'm waiting just to land
I'm trying to come home, but I'm here with the band
Traveling, unraveling, I'm staying on track
My plastic utensil has broken in half

Away, away, away, away
Away, I'm bound away

There's low visibility, gusty wind and rain
My carry-on luggage is still on the plane
Seconds turn to minutes, minutes turn to hours
Hours give you a lifetime and a grave with pink flowers

Away, away, away, away
Away, I'm bound
Away, away, away, away
Away, I'm bound away"

J. J. Cale

Downtown L.A.

J. J. Cale was a singer-songwriter from Oklahoma known for his great country/blues slide guitar playing. His wah-wah slide on "Crazy Mama" still gets to me after 40 years, not to mention "Magnolia." This is from Cale's "Grasshopper" album released in 1982. Much of downtown L.A. has been developed and gentrified since Cale wrote this, but my impression is that poverty and homelessness in the area is far worse than it was then.

"Downtown L.A. is a depressing place
You can see young men with deep lines in their face
They could all be something if somebody cared
But nobody knows they're even down there
Old woman walking with a sack on her back
Picking up the garbage people put out back
Men down there trying to walk the line
Trading their soul for a bottle of wine

In the inner city it ain't no good
It's a long, long way from Hollywood
Bad kind of people got a hold of the street
They got something that the poor people need
At two in the morning they bust your head
Fat chance walking you'll end up dead
It' the law of the jungle with a gun and a knife
If you stay long enough you lose your life

Man down there he couldn't be lying
He was sleeping in the street and he couldn't keep from crying
Said he'd been there for twenty one years
Through the bars and the brawls and the blues and the tears
Prop up the front the back falls down
All around the canyons of L.A. town
When he asked me for a dollar I looked him in his face
Downtown L.A. is a depressing place"

J. J. Cale

Santa Cruz

This song is from the 1997 album "Anyway The Wind Blows - The Anthology." It mentions two of his songs from the 1970s that were hits for Eric Clapton.

"Oo-wee how did I lose
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Oo-wee how did I lose
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Well I came to coast from L.A.
Just to give a little music to boo me away
Hey J.J. can you play Cocaine
Do After Midnight it's all the same
Oo-wee how did I lose
Talkin' about a night in Santa Cruz
Oo-wee how did I lose
I'll tell you about the night in Santa Cruz
Well we didn't play long it booed too soon
I can't do right no matter what you do
A girl in the crowd, at the finale
Shouted at me had I even turned
Another man left 'cause he didn't stay long
I thought we had played his favorite song
Hey you, pull that weight
A soon as it's cleaned up then I'll fade away
My friends and I hope you're glad to see
Me and friends coming off the street
Play, Richard
I don't mean a man can't lose
Just stay by the night in Santa Cruz
Just stay by the night in Santa Cruz
I don't mean a man can't lose"

California Dreams TV Show Cast

California Dreams

California Dreams was a sitcom that aired on NBC for five seasons from 1992 to 1996, about teenagers in a beach town who formed a band. This was the main theme song for the show, which also appeared on the "California Dreams" soundtrack album. It's hard to know who is actually playing and singing on this song by a band that was formed for the show. Apparently, while some of the actors did sing, other voices were dubbed.

"Surf dudes with attitudes
(Kinda groovy)
Laid back moods
Sky above, sand below
(Good vibrations)
Feelin' mellow

Won't give it up
Don't wanna stop

(Don't wake me up)
Don't wake me up if I'm dreaming
(California dreams)
Just let me lay here in the sun
Until my dream is done

Noise and confusion
Tough times in the neighborhood
Let me keep my illusion
These dreams are good

Won't give it up
Don't wanna stop

(Don't wake me up)
Don't wake me up if I'm dreaming
(California dreams)
Just let me lay here in the sun
Until my dream is done"

California Wives

California Wives are an indie rock band from Chicago formed in 2009. This song is from their debut album "Art History" released in 2012. They get extra credit for namechecking California in the song title and in the band name.

"Los Angeles, arrived
The people talk, people talk now
The voices stick inside your head
They make you wait now for so long
All the day you're on the tracks
You wore a flower to impress
A little more than the less
Told you once now you're lost, lost
When you wake up on your own, don't you know that you were wrong?
When you wake up on your own, don't you know that you were wrong?
Don't you know that you are?
I know the deep past
I watch walk with the wrong crowd
I watch you fake it to the end

And you've been waiting for so long
All the day you're on the tracks
You wore a flower to impress
A little more than the less
You're searching lights now they talk, talk
When you wake up on your own, don't you know that you were wrong?
When you wake up on your own, don't you know that you were wrong?
When you wake up on your own, don't you know that you were wrong?
When you wake up on your own, don't you know that you were wrong?...."

Cab Calloway

San Francisco Fan

Cab Calloway was a popular jazz and scat singer, dancer, and bandleader from New York, known as the "Hi-de-ho" man, which comes from the lyrics to his most famous song "Minnie the Moocher." He had several other hits in the 1930s and '40s. This is a slow blues released in 1947.

"San Francisco Fan
Loved a no-good gamblin' man
She drank the coffee dregs
So she could fry his eggs In a golden frying pan

Can-canned by command Of the Gold Rush Cafe Clan
She gave her man her pay
He gambled it away
Playing Chinatown fan-tan

Once they caught him cheatin'
And he knew that he was beaten
When a miner aimed a pistol at his head
Fanny when she'd seen him Ran and jumped right in between 'em
And she stopped a dozen slugs of poison lead

There was Fanny dyin'
While a hundred men stood cryin'
And the angels up above were cryin' too
When seven horses started draggin'
Fanny's coffin in a wagon
Through a dusty Californian avenue

San Francisco Fan
Gave her life to save her man
A man who wasn't worth
A shovelful of earth
From the grave of San Francisco Fan

San Francisco Fan
Loved a no-good gamblin' man
She drank the coffee dregs
So she could fry his eggs
In a golden frying pan

San Francisco Fan
Gave her life to save her man
A man who wasn't worth
A shovelful of earth
From the grave of San Francisco Fan"

Calvin & Juls (featuring Tobey Nize)

California Diva

This is an electronic dance track that was released in July 2022 with mostly German lyrics. The English translation is from Google translate, so - beschuldigen Sie mich nicht, wenn Sie einen Fehler finden.

Intro:
"Augen funkeln wie das Meer
Wir kommen uns immer näher
Love is in the Air

Hook:
Du ziehst mich in deinen Bann
Hattest mich von Anfang an
Deine Kurven like Latina
Meine California Diva

Deine Blicke machen mich verrückt
Wir genießen jeden Augenblick
Für dich steig ich in jeden Flieger
Meine California Diva

Verse1:
California Girls were unforgettable
Bist wie ein Candyshop den ich vernaschen will
Du lebst den California Dream Ein Blick von dir und Baby alles ist verziehen
Von den Beverly zu den Hollywood Hills Eine Frau mit Stil und du weisst was du willst
Ich halt zu dir wie der Professor zu Raquel Nike Sneaker,
brauchst kein Dior oder Chanel Du bist anders als die andern‘
Sag mir was du willst, wir gehen es sanft an
Männer schauen dir nach, alle Frauen wollen sein wie du Cruisen von Venice Beach bis nach Malibu
Wir erobern uns die ganze Welt Babe sag mir Amex oder Visa Du bist… meine California Diva

Hook 1x

Verse2:
Ah Boom Shaka laka laka
Heisser als Shakira, Waka Waka
Ich zeig dir die ganze Welt wie Aladdin
Meine Prinzessin und keine Drama Queen
Saphir blaue Augen Komm mit in die Suite ich werd‘ dir dein‘ Atem rauben
Bis die Gemälde von der Wand fallen
Während meine Hand sich fest um dein Hals krallt.
Reiten durch die Nacht als wärst du Pocahontas
Jeder läuft dir nach, so wie ein Kompass
Du bist mein Talisman Goldbraunes Haar und eine Haut wie Marzipan
Komm wir leben auf Neverland
Unsere Story will never end
Du machst süchtiger als Fifa
Du bist… meine California Diva"

Hook 1x

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Intro:
"Eyes sparkle like the sea
We're getting closer and closer
Love is in the Air

Hook:
You cast a spell over me
Had me from the start
Your curves like Latina
My California diva

Your looks drive me crazy
We enjoy every moment
I get on every plane for you
My California diva

Verse1:
California girls were unforgettable
You're like a candy shop that I want to eat
You're living the California Dream One look from you and baby it's all forgiven
From the Beverly to the Hollywood Hills A woman with style and you know what you want
I stand by you like the professor to Raquel Nike Sneaker,
don't need Dior or Chanel you're different than the others'
Tell me what you want, we'll take it easy
Men look at you, all women want to be like you Cruising from Venice Beach to Malibu
We're conquering the whole world Babe tell me Amex or Visa You're... my California diva

Hook 1x

Verse2:
Ah Boom Shaka laka laka
Hotter than Shakira, Waka Waka
I'll show you the whole world like Aladdin
My princess and not a drama queen
Sapphire blue eyes Come into the suite, I'll take your breath away
Until the paintings fall off the wall
As my hand tightens around your neck.
Ride through the night like you're Pocahontas
Everyone follows you like a compass
You are my talisman golden brown hair and skin like marzipan
Let's live at Neverland
Our story will never end
You're more addicting than Fifa
You are... my California diva"

Hook 1x

Camera Obscura

Desire Lines

Camera Obscura is a Scottish indie pop band, fronted by vocalist Tracyanne Campbell, who also writes all their songs. This song is from the band's fifth album "Desire Lines" releasd in 2013. Ginger Rogers Road is a road in Rancho Mirage in the desert near Palm Springs, right off Bob Hope Drive.

"I went to California
I needed sun, I warned you
When the green of your eyes met my blue by surprise
There was a storm yeah

We could send letters
Beautiful, let us?
I could illustrate for you my day to day
Would that mend us?

Desire Lines sent me to Badlands
But I am on my way back now
I'm going to love you as I know how
I know how

The shade of Jacaranda
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter
You mention the name
That fills my lungs with pain, eyes like Panda
I could bottle up this love
Find a stall and serve it up
It won't be the same, my heart's calling your name, love

Desire lines sent me to Badlands
But I am on my way back now
I'm going to love you as I know how
I know how

Desire lines sent me to Badlands
But I am on my way back now
I'm going to love you as I know how
I know how

Desire lines sent me to Badlands
But I am on my way back now
Let me love you as I know how
I know how

Ginger Rogers Road
I was heading home
With an official polling card to vote for you, lad
I vote for you, lad
I vote for you, lad
I vote for you, lad
I vote for you, lad
I vote for you"

Steph Cameron

Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)

Steph Cameron is a folk music singer-songwriter originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. This song was released in 2016.

"When you woke up here this morning
And the snow was gently falling soft and slow
And the icicles were forming
And reflecting all the colors of the snow

And the radio was playing that old song from California
And you could see the yellow sunset on the beach
You don't know why it always seems so out of reach so far away
Perhaps some distant sunny day you'll get the nerve to pack your bags and you'll be gone
Oh, you'll be gone
They say that time just ... us a way of moving faster every day
One day you'll wake to find you've barely walked a mile

When you walked out of my doorway you could barely help but let the weather in
And your mind was running circles around the world you'd love to see but never been
But if you're mind is off a wandering, boy, your feet are bound to follow on their own
You don't know why you always feel so all alone so far away
Perhaps today's that distant day you'll get the nerve to pack your bags and you'll be gone
Oh, you'll be gone
They say that time just ... us a way of moving faster every day
One day you'll wake to find you've barely walked a mile

If you end up somewhere quiet maybe find the time to write or send a song
You'll be meeting all those people that you've known inside your own heart all along
And when the radio is playing that old song from California
And you've watched another sunset on the beach
You won't know why it always felt so out of reach so far away
Perhaps some distant sunny day you'll find it's time to pack your bags and you'll come home
Oh, you'll come home

They say that time just ... us a way of moving faster every day
One day you'll wake to find it's time to come back home"

Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell was a country boy from Arkansas who worked for years as a studio musician in L.A., so this song might be somewhat autobiographical, even though he didn't write it. He was a member of the loose group of L.A. studio musicans known as "The Wrecking Crew," playing on records for the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Merle Haggard, Phil Spector, The Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley, and many, many more. Then he had a long and successful solo career, winning awards and selling over 45 million records of his own, and he did some acting, also. This song was a hit single from his 1975 album "Rhinestone Cowboy."

""Livin' in the city
Ain't never been my idea of gettin' it on
But the job demands that you make new plans
Before your big chance is gone

You get a house in the hills
You're payin' everyone's bills
And they tell you that you're gonna go far
But in the back of my mind
I hear it time after time
"Is that who you really are?"

Country boy, you got your feet in L.A.
But your mind's on Tennessee
Lookin' back, I can remember the time
When I sang my songs for free

Country boy, you got your feet in L.A.
Take a look at everything you own
But now and then, my heart keeps goin' home

Talkin' on the telephone
Settin' up another day of people to meet
You've gotta do what's right
You've gotta spend the night
Stayin' in touch with the street

When you're surrounded by friends
They say the fun never ends
But I guess I'll never figure it out
'Cause in the back of my mind
I hear it time after time
"Is this what it's all about?"

Country boy, you got your feet in L.A.
But your mind's on Tennessee
Lookin' back, I can remember the time
When I sang my songs for free

Country boy, you got your feet in L.A.
Take a look at everything you own
But now and then, my heart keeps goin' home....""

Camper Van Beethoven

Cowboys From Hollywood

Camper Van Beethoven is a band formed in Redlands in 1983 before relocating to Santa Cruz and San Francisco. This song is from their 1985 album "Telephone Free Landslide Victory." The lyrics are simple, just one line repeated a dozen times, in true quirky CVB fashion:

"Aren't y'all cowboys from Hollywood?
"Aren't y'all cowboys from Hollywood?
"Aren't y'all cowboys from Hollywood?...." etc.

Camper Van Beethoven

Dockweiler Beach

From "El Camino Real" released in 2014 - a Southern-California-themed album that's a companion to their Northern-California-themed album "La Costa Perdida" released in 2013.

"I am waiting in the water
I am waiting at El Segundo
I am waiting for that rogue wave
I am waiting for your body

I saw you go into the water
I saw Neptune's trident shine
Took you by the hand my darlin'
Took you in the uh-undertow

I will wait ten thousand years
I will wait ten thousand years
Eternity
Ten thousand years
Montgomery-o

I am living in a trailer
Dockweiler Beach at LAX
Planes take off for To-Tokyo
They are never c-coming back

Oceans filled with suh-submariners
Dark secrets and c-c-chemicals
Night time lit by g-g-g-gas flares
Bring my baby's body back

I will wait ten thousand years
I will wait ten thousand years
Eternity
Ten thousand years
Montgomery-o"

Camper Van Beethoven

I Live in L.A.

From "El Camino Real" released in 2014 - a Southern-California-themed album that's a companion to their Northern-California-themed album "La Costa Perdida" released in 2013.

"She comes in like a star, wearing jewellery and fur
With her own entourage, hanger-onners in clogs
From some small town in Spain, it's never explained.

Sufficiently
Or the security

I live in L. A.
Come and see me someday.
You can stay at my house.
I've got plenty of space.
I live in L. A.
Come and see me someday boy
If you wanna have a good time
A good time with me.

Black SUVs in the drive, tinted windows and guards
Cowboy boots and shaved heads, Italian suits, tattood necks
The party rages inside, but its never explained
La Frontera plates
Oh boy I hope it's not too late."

Camper Van Beethoven

Northern California Girls

Another song about California Girls, from "La Costa Perdida" released in 2013 - a Northern-California-themed album that's a companion to their Southern-California-themed album "El Camino Real" released in 2014.

' Northern California girls say, "Baby come home now"
You don't belong there
Everybody knows this but you
Don't you miss the ocean?
Don't you miss the weather?
Don't you miss me just a little bit?
Northern California girls say, "Come home from Texas"
You could take a fast train
Baby take the next plane
You'd be home by suppertime
There ain't nobody like me
Ain't nobody like me out there
Northern California girls say, "You don't know what you're missing"
I got a good job, stay home and play the guitar
You can raise the children barefoot on the beaches
Teach 'em how to surf and play baseball
Northern California girls say, "Come home from Brooklyn!"
You could take a fast train
Baby take the next plane
You'd be home by suppertime
There ain't nobody like me
Ain't nobody like me out there
Northern California girls say, "Everything happens for a reason"
You did what you had to do
Now it's time for you to come home
Northern California girls
Northern California girls
Northern California girls
Northern California girls '

Camper Van Beethoven

City of Industry

An outtake from "El Camino Real" released in 2014, a Southern-California-themed album that's a companion to their Northern-California-themed album "La Costa Perdida" released in 2013.

"So bring a basket for the lions
Of City of Industry
Don't mind the benzene, the double helix
Don't drink the water from my tap

You know the ZIP code, it's got a good one
90601
You love your husband, but you like danger
That's why you're hanging out with me

I'm growing palm trees in wooden barrels
In City of Industry
I've got a contact, a State employee
He's got big gambling debts

I have these wise guys, we meet at Denny's
That's why you can't keep yourself away
You love your husband, yeah I'm a fella
That's why you can't keep yourself away

You love your husband, but you like danger
That's why you're hanging out with me
Meet me at Denny's, we'll plan a heist there
City of Industry

We got a bad man, we got a rock god
We got a man on the inside too
Don't mind the benzene, the double helix
Don't drink the water from the tap."

Victoria Canal

California Sober

Victoria Canal (Tinius) is a Spanish-American singer-songwriter-actor who has lived and studied around the world. This song was released in 2024.

"You're coming over
California sober
Counting down the minutes
Like the meter's running over
But it's all kosher
You know I'm a stoner
You can bring the vibe
Maybe I can bring the closure

Write your name on my skin
Hotel walls are paper thin
Rip my dress, wipe your chin
Holding my breath as you're pulling me

Savor it, bathe in it
For as long as you can take it, baby
Beg for it, lay in it
So close that you can taste it
Be my guest
Be my guest
Hmm

Sit pretty
Put your faith in me
I can be your muse
Our Olympus in the city
Need that higher power
Worship in the shower
Bedroom in the clouds
And it's only getting louder

Kiss my neck, bite my lip
Holding my tongue but you're letting it slip
Dripping wet, on your knees
Like you should, baby, praise me

Savor it, bathe in it
For as long as you can take it, baby
Beg for it, lay in it
So close that you can taste it
Be my guest
Be my guest
Be my guest
Be my guest...."

Cannibal Valley

California Wildfire

Cannibal Valley is a band from Los Angeles. This was released in 2023. The vocals are buried in the mix so most of the lyrics are hard to understand but the ending is clear:

"...California wildfire burn me away
Burn me away
Burn me away
Burn me away
Burn me away
California wildfire
California wildfire
California wildfire
California wildfire"

Freddy Cannon

California, Here I Come

Freddy Cannon is a rock and roll singer active since 1956. This is a rock and roll cover of the 1924 Al Jolson song, from Cannon's album "The Explosive Freddy Cannon" released in 1960. He skips the first verse and sings the chorus two times.

"California, here I come
Right back where I started from
Where bowers of flowers
Bloom in the sun
Each morning at dawning
Birdies sing at everything
A sun-kissed miss said, 'Don't be late!'
'Cuz that's why I can hardly wait
So open up that Golden Gate
California, Here I Come (yeaaaaaah! wooo!)"

Lewis Capaldi

Wish You the Best

Lewis Capaldi is a singer-songwriter from Scotland, active since 2013. This piano ballad only has a single mention of L.A., but it's a hit that went to #1 on the Official Charts in the UK, so it's worth mentioning. It's from his hit album "Broken by Desire to Be Heavely Sent" released in 2022.

"I miss knowin' what you're thinkin'
And hearin' how your day has been
Do you think you can tell me everything, darling?
But leave out every part about him
Right now you're probably by the ocean
While I'm still out here in the rain
With every day that passes by since we've spoken
It's like Glasgow gets further from L.A.

Maybe it's supposed to be this way

But, oh, my love
I wanna say I miss the green in your eyes
And when I said we could be friends, guess I lied
I wanna say I wish that you never left
Oh, but instead I only wish you the best
I wanna say without you, everything's wrong
And you were everything I need all along
I wanna say I wish that you never left
Oh, but instead I only wish you the best

Well, I can't help but notice
You seem happier than ever now
And I guess that I should tell you I'm sorry
It seems I was the problem somehow

Maybe I only brought you down
But, oh, my love
I wanna say I miss the green in your eyes
And when I said we could be friends, guess I lied
I wanna say I wish that you never left
Oh, but instead I only wish you the best...."

The Capricorns

Sunset Over Malibu

The Capricorns were an indie electronica band consisting of two women from Illinois who sing and played keyboards and tambourine, active from 2000-2006. This is from their second studio album "Go the Distance" released in 2003.

"Tonight on highway 1 I saw the sunset over Malibu
I see the sky, the stars, the lights, and I always think of you
I never drink enough when you're around to tell you how I feel
I can hardly say a word, it's like a dream it's so unreal

Feel my heart jump when you come around
I gotta tell you, you turn my world upside down
You make it too easy for me to pretend
That this won't eventually come to an end

The more I see of you the less I understand
The things I want, the things I need, and if you can
Give me some sign you are thinking of me too
Just takes one kiss to make all my dreams come true

Feel my heart jump when you come around
I gotta tell you you turn my world upside down
You make it too easy for me to pretend
That this won't eventually come to an end

It's Friday night and I'm sitting at home
Waiting for you to call me on the telephone
I can't believe I'm falling for you
And it's no good if you don't tell me the truth

I can hardly stand the way I hold my breath
I hope it's not too late

It's getting harder to keep things at bay
I'm so consumed I haven't been home in days
And I'm concerned that it's driving me mad
To get so close to something I can never have

Tonight on highway 1 I saw the sunset over Malibu
I see the sky, the stars, the lights, and I always think of you
I never drink enough when you're around to tell you how I feel
I can hardly say a word, it's like a dream, it's so unreal"

Mariah Carey (featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard)

Fantsy (Bad Boy Remix)

Mariah Carey is a singer, songwriter, producer and actress from New York active since 1988, and one of the best-selling music artists in the world. She holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles by a solo artist and only The Beatles have more. The original version of this song, released in 1995, is one of those #1 songs. Ol'Dirty Bastard was a rapper from New York, and one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, active from 1992-2004.

This remix adds rap verses from Ol' Dirty Bastard and background vocals by Puff Daddy and Kelly Price. It was notable for helping Carey to cross over into the hip-hop market, as well as for helping to introduce R&B and hip-hop collaboration into pop.

The song is so heavily based on samples of Tom Tom Club's 1981 song Genius of Love that its really an interpolation of the song and not an original. When it was released in 1995, some of us Tom Tom Club fans were outraged that Carey could sing over their song and have a massive hit when they only had a minor hit. But that was in the early days of the sampling wars. Sampling is much more common now and these days the original artists are well-compensated and they often get a boost in sales of their version, so everybody wins and the wheels of the music industry keep on turning and taking our money. This is not really a California song, but ODB name checks Sacramento and the West Coast in his first verse, so here it is.

"[Ol' Dirty Bastard]
Keepin' it real, son (That's right)
The shining star, you're my shining star, girl
Yo, New York in the house (Come on)
Is Brooklyn in the house (That's right)
Uptown in the house (Let's go)
Shaolin, are you in the house? (Don't stop)
Boogie Down, are you in the house? (Yeah)
Sacramento in the house (I like that)
Atlanta Georgia, are you in the house? (Come on)
West Coast, are you in the house?
Japan, are you in the house?
Everybody, are you in the house?
Baby, baby, come on
Baby, come on, baby, come on (Bad Boy)

[Mariah Carey]
Oh, when you walk by every night
Talkin' sweet and lookin' fine
I get kinda hectic inside
Mmm, baby, I'm so into you
Darlin', if you only knew
All the things that flow through my mind

[Mariah Carey]
But it's such a sweet sweet, I'm in heaven
With my boyfriend, my laughing boyfriend
There's no beginning and there is no end (So deep, so deep)
Feels like I'm dreaming, but I'm not sleeping (Fantasy) (Remix)
Sweet fantasy (So sweet)
(In my fantasy) Sweet fantasy
Sweet, sweet fantasy

Images of rapture
Creep into me slowly
As you're goin' to my head (I like that)
And my heart beats faster
When you take me over
Time and time and time again

But it's such a sweet sweet, I'm in heaven
With my boyfriend, my laughing boyfriend
There's no beginning and there is no end (So deep, so deep)
Feels like I'm dreaming, but I'm not sleeping (Sweet fantasy) (Remix)
Sweet fantasy
Sweet fantasy
Oh-oh, it's just a sweet
I'm in heaven
With my boyfriend, my laughing boyfriend
There's no beginning and there is no end
(So deep, babe, you're so sweet)
Feels like I'm dreaming, but I'm not sleeping (Fantasy)

[Ol' Dirty Bastard]
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introducing the Old, Dirty, Doggy
Here we go now
Me and Mariah
Go back like babies with pacifiers (That's right)
Old Dirt Dog's no liar
Keep your fantasy hot like fire
Jump, jump, let me see you do the stump
Girls, let me see you shake your rump
Brothers, hit it from the back and front
And let's do it, do it, do it, uh-huh
I'm a little bit of Country
I'm a little bit of Rock and Roll
And I'm soul to soul
Big letters, all big and bold
Old Dirty Bastard across the globe

[Mariah Carey]
I'm in heaven
With my boyfriend, my laughing boyfriend
There's no beginning and there is no end (Sweet fantasy)
Feels like I'm dreaming, but I'm not sleeping...."

Charlotte Cardin

Charlotte Cardin is a model and singer from Montreal, Canada, active since 2013. This is a non-album single released in 2018.

"Miss you every day and L.A. makes me cry
An ocean made its way from your coast to my eyes
You've been hired by them on a brighter side and
Miss you every day, L.A. got me so sad
I wanna kiss your face, tonight it drives me mad
I was separating us, it's never ending 'cause

Dancing in a light
But you're standing
Oh, you're standing
And it burns out when you're high
But you're standing where I'm not
Oh, where I'm not
In California
In California
In California
In California

I miss your skin and your sun in my eyes
When we pole dancing in bed at night
I can't resist you, no, I miss you
I can't resist you
When I see your dark gaze on the shore
No, I can't work any more
'Cause I got a feeling that we're breathing
Together and even

Dancing in a light
But you're standing
Oh, you're standing
And it burns out when you're high
But you're standing where I'm not
Oh, where I'm not
In California
In California
In California
In California

You feel me melting in your hands
My body you held it in the sand
Last night, last night
I'm hot and I'm cold and I'm dry and I'm bleeding
Holding my thoughts and my cries and I'm needing
My, my guy

We're dancing in a light
But you're standing
Oh, you're standing
It burns out when you're high
But you're standing where I'm not
Where I'm not
In California
In California
In California
In California"

Belinda Carlisle

Belinda Carlisle is a musician and singer from Los Angeles who gained fame as the lead singer of the Go-Go's before finding success as a solo artist. This is from her album "A Woman & A Man" released in 1996. (River Phoenix died in October 1993. The Northridge quake happened in January 1994.)
I don't know of other songs that mention River Phoenix, but here's a list of songs that mention California Earthquakes.

"I remember I was In the tanning salon
When I heard that River Phoenix was gone
They say that only the good die young
But that ain't true where I come from
California...California

It took a lot for me to say
I want to walk away, L.A.
From the sharks and the Chardonnay
In California...California

Four in the morning we were in our beds
The swaying palm trees above our heads
Woke up to a primal rumbling sound
When the Northridge quake ripped open the
ground
California...California

It took a lot for me to say
I want to walk away L.A.
from the sharks and the Chardonnay
In California... In California

Golden State, I'm back in the Golden State
Golden State of Mind
Golden State, I'm back In the Golden State
Golden State of Mind

It took a lot for me to say
I want to walk away L.A.
From the sharks and the Chardonnay
In California... In California
Walk, walk away

I remember I was in the tanning salon
When I heard that River Phoenix was gone..."

Belinda Carlisle

Summer Rain

This song is from her album "Runaway Horses" released in 1990. It's another song that mentions southern California's Santa Ana winds.

"Whispering our goodbyes
Waiting for a train
I was dancing with my baby
In the summer rain
I can hear him saying
Nothing will change
Come dancing with me baby
In the summer rain

I remember the rain on our skin
And his kisses hotter than the
Santa Ana winds
Whispering our goodbyes
Waiting for a train
I was dancing with my baby
In the summer rain

I remember laughing 'til we almost cried
(There at station that night)
I remember looking in his eyes

Oh my love, it's you and that I dream of
Oh my love, since that day
Somewhere in my heart I'm always
Dancing with you in the summer rain...."

Vanessa Carlton

Dear California

Vanessa Carlton is an American singer-songwriter from Pennsylvania whose 2002 debut single "A Thousand Miles" was a huge Grammy-nominated hit. This song is from her 2011 album "Rabbits on the Run." The singer of this one is planning on leaving California. Maybe to make room for all the other people who write songs about going there.

"As usual, I'm in a tricky predicament
Weather in my thoughts, on the roof sneaking a cigarette
Dear California, it's been nice to know ya
Tell me, will you miss me when I'm gone?

'Cause he loves me as I leave, so I'm gonna go
And I'm not in companies when you feel it most
And you keep my memory, hope ya keep me close
Would you love me as I leave?

This alchemy is making me suspicious
As if I slipped you some belladonna
That I crossed town to get, don't you know?
Yes, my grand friend checks it

Oh he loves me as I leave, so I'm gonna go
And I'm not in companies when you feel it the most
And you keep my memory, hope ya keep me close
Would you love me as I leave?

Ever-changing as the sea, it's my only hope
It's just me and my pup in the open road
But your face is like a paper-cut to the heart
Slip away while you sleep

It's easy, it's easier
Than it seems
It's easy, it's easier
Than it seems

Just go, I'll go, don't cry
I don't know, I don't know, but you fly
(Hey!)
Paper-cut to the heart

Oh he loves me as I leave, so I'm gonna go
And I'm not in companies when you feel it most
And you keep my memory, hope ya keep me close
Would you love me as I leave?

Ever-changing as the sea
Would you love me as I leave?
Dear California
Would you love me as I leave?
Dear California
Would you love me as I leave?
Dear California
Would you love me as I leave?
Dear California"

Vanessa Carlton

This song is from Carlson's 2004 album "Harmonium."

"I, I know what you did
Like a boy of summer gives his first kiss
Love, is dancing on my finger
He got to the heart of the matter and lingered
Now I'm walking with the living
I always liked Steinbeck and those old men whistling

We're back, we're back in San Francisco
We're back and you tell me I'm home

Talking in the Mission
Over coffee this is my utopia
Man, I'll be your lady
As the ocean rises, the sun is fading

We're back, we're back in San Francisco
We're back, we're back in San Francisco
We're back, we're back in San Francisco

And now I feel the ever after
Over red wine on the eve of summer
The buzz, the buzz of the city
As we settle in it's majesty
I, I know what you did
Like a boy of summer gives his first kiss

We're back, we're back in San Francisco
We're back and you tell me I'm home

You tell me I am home
You tell me I am home
You tell me I am home
Back in San Francisco

And I know what you did in San Francisco
I know what you did in San Francisco
San Francisco"

Hoagy Carmichael

Hong Kong Blues

Hoagy Carmichael was a musician and songwriter and actor from Indiana, active from 1918-1981, who wrote or co-wrote some of the biggest hits of his era, including "Stardust," "Georgia on My Mind", "Heart and Soul," and "The Nearness of You."

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 opium addict says he lives in Frisco if he lives in Tennessee, or why they send rice there (Rice-a-Roni?), but it's just a song.

"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"

Carne Cruda

Oakland's Tight

Wickipedia calls Carne Cruda a "post-Latin band" based in Oakland, formed from a band assembled in Santa Cruz that re-located to Oakland in 2004. This song is from their album "Carne Cruda" released in 2010. It won Oakland Magazine's "Best Oakland Theme Song" in 2010. (I wonder how many other Oakland-themed songs were released that year.) It's a nostalgic look at the old days in Oakland, before the Raiders moved to Las Vegas, before the Warriors moved to San Francisco, and before the A's made plans to move to Las Vegas. East 14th Street was changed to International Blvd. and Oakland native M.C. Hammer also left town, but at least they've still got the Oakland rapper Too $hort. They even named a part of Foothill Blvd. "Too $hort Way." One more thing, I've never heard San Francisco called "San Pancho" but it makes sense, since "Pancho" is a nickname for "Francisco." That's what I'm calling the city from now on, even if it doesn't rhyme with "disco."

"I was born in San Francisco, down on Portrero
San Pancho's a great city, cosmopolitan and gritty
But right across the bay today is where I stay
Not Berkeley, not Fremont, Alameda or Piedmont
I got to tell you all about it because it feels alright

Oakland's tight
You got a lake to walk around
Jack London Square
Chinatown where you can eat late at night
Oakland's tight
The food you can't beat all up and down East 14th Street
And you can talk bad about it but it'd be despite the fact that
Oakland's tight
How's that?
Hell a tight
Oakland's hella tight

I've travelled across the nation, across the oceans and creation
But the place I understand is my home Oakland
Every place I go when the people wanna know
About where I come from, I grab my guitar and I start to strum
Sing 'em all about it 'cause it feels alright

Oakland's tight
... the Raiders, a bustling port, M.C. Hammer, and Too $hort
Half a million people must be right in singing
Oakland's tight
And if you don't know the whole story
We even got an observatory where you can look up at the stars and sing
Sing it with me now
Oakland's tight
How tight?
Hella tight
Oh yeah
Hella tight, yeah

Oakland's hella tight
You know I'm right
Don't try to fight
Oakland's tight
Oakland's here for you, and by the way, we've got a zoo
We got prices so sweet, down at the swap meet
Oakland's tight
Come in and enjoy some of our beautiful days
Did I mention that we've got the A's?
Home to the Raiders, a bustling port, M.C. Hammer, and Too $hort
Oakland's hella tight, you know I'm right, you know I'm right
Oakland's tight"

Carolina Liar

California Bound

Carolina Liar is an indie rock band from L.A. but the lead vocalist is originally from South Carolina, and other band members are from Sweden. This song is from the album "Coming to Terms" released in 2008. The singer can't wait to get back from a dirty town in the north to that California sun that everyone is always singing about, but he's coming by train and not by car. Good luck getting around in California without a car...

"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"

Sabrina Carpenter

Coincidence

Sabrina Carpenter is a pop singer-songwriter and actress from Pennsylvania, active since 2011 when she was 12. This upbreat song is from her sixth studio album "Short n' Sweet" released in 2024. Whenever I hear the line in it "Your car drove itself from L.A. to her thighs" I wonder how much more money does it cost to get that self-driving navigation feature. Maybe it's in the ultra premium package.

"The second I put my head on your chest
She knew, she's got a real sixth sense
Now her name comes up once, then it comes up twice
And without her even bein' here, she's back in your life
Now she's in the same damn city on the same damn night

And you've lost all your common sense
What a coincidence

Oh, na-na, na-na-na-na
Oh, na-na, na-na-na-na

Last week, you didn't have any doubts
This week, you're holdin' space for her tongue in your mouth
Now sh?'s sendin' you some pictures w?arin' less and less
Tryna turn the past into the present tense, huh
Suckin' up to all of your mutual friends

And you've lost all your common sense (You've lost all your common sense)
The way you told me the truth, minus seven percent (Minus seven percent)
What a coincidence, uh

Oh, na-na, na-na-na-na
Oh, na-na, na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na

What a surprise, your phone just died
Your car drove itself from L.A. to her thighs
Palm Springs looks nice, but who's by your side?
Damn it, she looks kinda like the girl you outgrew
Least that's what you said (That's what you said)

What a coincidence
Oh wow, you just broke up again
What a coincidence

Oh, na-na, na-na-na-na (Coincidence)
Oh, na-na, na-na-na-na (Coincidence)
Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na (Coincidence)
Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na (Coincidence)"

Car Seat Headrest

Car Seat Headrest is an indie rock band formed in Virginia. This song is from the 2020 album "Making a Door Less Open." As happens often in songs about Hollywood, this song doesn't refer to the district in Los Angeles as much as what the word Hollywood has come to represent, which songwriter Will Toledo said in NME is "...a place where people go to make their fantasies come to life, and they end up exploiting other people and doing terrible things to maintain their fantasy." It's a cliche that could be boring but the music makes it worth listening to again.

"I'm sick of violence
Sick of money
Sick of drinking
Sick of drugs
Sick of f**king
Sick of staring at the ads on the bus

Hollywood makes me wanna puke
Hollywood makes me want to -

You got a face that you think
Will last as long as the sphinx
But the poster's painted over in a week if it stinks
So let the people decide
On a metro ride
Because everyone's an artist but
No one has the time, yeah

Everywhere I go, I'm oppressed by these energies
Like it? Yes, I love it
I hear music in my head
Was that a gun?
(He was snapping his gum)
Are my earbuds on the fritz?
There's a hiss on the bus
And it goes round

Hollywood makes me wanna puke
Hollywood makes me wanna puke
Hollywood
Hollywood
Hollywood
Hollywood

Faces form faces
Phrases come in phases
Take me to the palace
Make me think I'm famous
Okay
Hop inside (Come see my movie)
Hop inside (Come see my movie)
Hop inside (Come see my movie)
(Catch a ride) It's kinda groovy

You can't disengage with one single aspect
Watching from the sidelines
Supervising lines
Why don't you take what you can get?
No disruptions on the set
You're gonna wind up back home
Where the fear splits in two like Moses

Into Mansons and Monroeses
Logic and hypnosis
Good and evil
Only people
They don't talk about the
12-year-olds on pills waking up in beds of big producers
I can make you famous
I can make you something...."

Julian Casablancas

Old Hollywood

Julian Casablancas is a singer-songwriter from New York City, active since 1998, and best known as the lead singer for The Strokes. This song is a bonus track download from his solo album "Phrazes for the Young" released in 2009. Seems like something he wrote after watching a lot of TCM.

"In old Hollywood, proud and gray
All of the ghosts gathered 'round the TV

We can argue all that you like
We can argue until we fight
But the loser may have been right

Glamorous, black and white
Zoning out, most the night

Why do we end up imitating
All the ones that we once were hating?
Men are clumsy, violent fools
Women are a delicate pool of flowers and cobras

Short story long
I put it in a song
As the TV was shouting on

Because being quiet can sometimes
Be more powerful than being right
You could try it

We can argue all that you like
We can argue until we fight
But the loser may have been right"

Rafael Casal & Daveed Diggs (featuring Chinaka Hodge)

Foxy Girls (Candy Store)

Rafael Casal is a musician and actor from Berkeley and Daveed Diggs is a rapper/actor/songwriter from Oakland who won awards for his work in the Broadway production of "Hamilton." Chinaka Hodge is a writer from Oakland. Casal and Diggs are both filmmakers also, and I recommend their 2018 film "Blindspotting" which they wrote and produced and starred in. It's mostly about the gentrification of Oakland, cultural appropriation, loss of identity, and the struggles of a man who witnesses a white police officer gun down a black man.

This hyphy/hip-hop track from the Bay Boy Mixtape, released in 2010, samples Rodger Collins' song "Foxy Little Girls in Oakland" from 1970.

"The Bay
The Bay
The Bay
Candy store
The Bay
Candy store

[Rafael Casal]
There they go
Done up from head to toe
She’s so incredibly town
Guess that’s just how they roll
So I figured I’d say hi
She waved at me “hello”
Just checking if she’s sweet
See, Oakland’s the candy store

[Daveed Diggs]
Maybe I didn’t appreciate you till I left

[Rafael Casal]
But I’m back and I promise you the town got the best

[Daveed Diggs]
Rocking naturals, infallible, impeccably dressed

[Rafael Casal]
Lips smashing, toes going with the tips of your dreads

[Daveed Diggs]
Shake ‘em, pretty little Bay baby
Say, yuh, if I may play you this song would you come into my scrap

[Rafael Casal]
From the Lake to E14 we bending corners
Every day I fall in love when I’m in Oakland, California

[Daveed Diggs]
Oh, Ghost Town girls gon' give me the holy ghost
Ride my (uh) let me get you alone
I’m’a spit it for you, lick it, it be sweeter than the berry
Can I get them panties off by the time we hit Seminary

[Rafael Casal]
Say oh yeah, they’re everywhere I see
So when I was grammy afternoons and yelling “Mami, ven aquí”
So Oaklandish full of Spanish
She all hips and town bidness, I'm tryna get out this young

[Chorus]
Foxy little girls in Oakland
Something like I’ve never never seen before
Candy store
Foxy little girls in Oakland
Something like I’ve never ever seen before
Candy store
Candy store
Foxy little girls in Oakland (where they at)
Foxy little girls in Oakland (I wanna see em baby)
Foxy little girls in Oakland (where you goin’, girl)
Foxy little girls (what’s yo name)

I've gots sweets and
You call home
Come on home to my
Candy store

[Rafael Casal]
There they go
Done up from head to toe
She’s so incredibly town
Guess that’s just how they roll
So I figured I’d say hi
She waved at me “hello”
Just checking if she’s sweet
See, Oakland’s the candy store

[Chinaka Hodge]
First things first, raise a toast to my city
Where the girls go dumb, and the pimps get pretty
Where the metro phone’s got my ringtone playing
It’s a Getback tune but the call is delayed
No problem, I got it
Hi Oakland, it’s 'Naka
Go back to my block where the girls all grown
Packed full of hair in they rat tail combs
Ratchin a scrap of a Mac Dre tome
Slabs full of concrete, pop, call home
So stick with it, get lifted
Throw your weave back like you all mixed it
F**k what you heard about an L.A. beauty
Oakland face, East Bay booty
Get y’all rakes in the gate of the dancer
My kitty go hard, it’s the shape of a panther...."

The Casanovas

The Casanovas are a rock band from Melbourne Australia, active since 1999. This song is from their album "All Night Long" released in 2006.

"I'm packing up my suitcase
I'm gonna hit that road
And I don't mind if I never see this place again
I'm going where the sun shines
Almost every day
And I don't know if I'm ever gonna go back home
'Cause I'm so tired of being stuck in this old hotel
Where I'm going nobody knows my name

Far away
In sunny California
Far away
In sunny California

I'm sick of all this bitchin'
I feel like I can't move
And I don't care if I never hear another word
Where I'm going nobody cares about what you've done
On that mountain the snow slowly melts away

Far away
In sunny California
Far away, yeah yeah, yeah,
In sunny California

Far away
In sunny California
Far away, yeah yeah, yeah,
In sunny California

Far away
In sunny California
Far away, yeah
In sunny California"

The Casanovas

Hollywood Riot

The Casanovas are a rock band from Melbourne Australia active since 1999. This song is from "Reptilian Overlord" released in 2020. Are there really still cheap hotels in Hollywood?

"The glitz and the glamour is ready to take for you
But you feel so scared like you ain't ever gonna break it through
Working harder to please for the coke and the sleaze everywhere
Till they're chewing you up, and leave you back on the streets oh yeah.

It's a burning in the night
Burning in the night
Burning in the night
Burning in a nightmare
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
(oh baby don't buy it)

Now you're just a zombie in a glamorous town,
Hollywood riot's gonna bring you down

They tell you you're great with a smile when they talk to you
But they're stabbing your back when you're not around, you know it's true
Disillusion sets in with the lies and the sin everywhere
Now you're lost in a haze on the floor of a cheap hotel

It's a burning in the night
Burning in the night
Burning in the night
Burning like a nightmare
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot
Hollywood riot

Now you're just a zombie in a glamorous town,
Hollywood riot's gonna bring you down...."

Cascada

Thrice All American (Tacoma)

Cascada is a German dance music group formed in 2004. This is a EuroDance song from their 2011 album "Original Me" that has been criticized as being similar to Katy Perry's "California Gurls." I don't know why the singer wants to go back to 1969. 1967 was The Summer Of Love. That's the year I would set my time machine for, if I was her.

"I'll take you back to 1969
Let's hit the city of freedom, like old times
It's getting dirty
Underneath the blue sky

Imagine you and me count the butterflies

One, two, three
Let's bring it on
Keep on dancing in the streets of love
French kissing on JFK Drive
Till we crash at the beach
Where we watch the sun rise

Tell me what you waiting for

We're crossing the Golden Gate
Party at the Frisco Bay

Wake me up in San Francisco

We knew the power is in your head, girl
Party everywhere, girl

Wake me up in San Francisco

Where the love is in the air
All the people stop and stare
Baby take me back to the city of love
To the place that I've been dreaming of

San Francisco

Wake me up in San Francisco

It's 10 pm
Getting ready for the night
Wanna be a hippie when the city's getting high
I'm cruising down Broadway, you on my side
Pulling over my pink rover at the Hungry Eye

One, two, three
Let's bring it on
DJ play my favorite beats
All night long
Poppin' some bottles, champagne, red wine
And we both giddy up on the rooftop
And watch the city lights

Tell me what you waiting for

We're crossing the Golden Gate
Party at the Frisco Bay

Wake me up in San Francisco..."

Neko Case

In California

Neko Case is a singer-songwriter from Tacoma, Washington, active since 1994. The narrator of this song dreams of snow now that she's living in sunny L.A. where she feels like just another victim of the same show business machine that murdered the Black Dahlia. This song is also included on her album "Live from Austin TX" released in 2017. She recorded it earlier, but I can't find out when that was.

"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

Another suicide on the 405
The Black Dahlia she smiles and smiles
It's the same old town that bled her dry
One more starlet, one more time
Bound to make it do or die
Talk a walk to Bonnie Brae
Try to wash these dreams away
They try to tell me L.A is beautiful when it rains"

Neko Case & Her Boyfriends

This song from the album "Furnace Room Lullaby" released in 2000 is about Neko Case's home town of Tacoma Washington, which had seen hard times. She gets in a dig at California singing "God bless California, make way for the Walmart. I hope they don't find you Tacoma." I'm sorry to report to her that they did find it. Walmart opened a store in Tacoma in 2013.

"I want to tell you about my hometown
It's a dusty old jewel in the South Puget Sound
Well the factories churn and the timbers all cut down
And life goes by slow in Tacoma

People they laugh when they hear you're from my town
They say it's a sour and used up all place
I defended its honor, shrugged off the put downs
You know that you're poor, from Tacoma

Buildings are empty like ghettos or ghost-towns
It gives me a chill to think what was inside
I can't seem to fathom the dark of my history
I invented my own in Tacoma

There was nothing to put me in love with the good life
I'm in league with the the gangs guns, and the crime
There was no hollow promise that life would reward you
There was nowhere to hide in Tacoma

People who built it they loved it like I do
There was hope in the trainyard of something inspired
Once was I on it, but it's been painted shut
I found passion for life in Tacoma

Well I don't make it home much, I sadly neglect you
But that's how you like it away from the world
God bless California, make way for the Walmart
I hope they don't find you Tacoma"

case/lang/veirs

Best Kept Secret

Case/lang/veirs are Neko Case, a singer-songwriter from Tacoma, Washington, active since 1994, k.d. lang, a singer-songwriter from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, active since 1981, and Laura Veirs, a sijnger-songwriter from Colorado based in Portland, Oregon, active since 1999. This song is from their album "case/lang/veirs" released in 2016.

"December, I was lost in darkness that I couldn't shake
Called you in California and you answered right away
You answered right away
You picked up right away

You were workin' at the table that your father made
You were gonna teach guitar to half the kids across L.A.
All across L.A.
Half the kids across L.A.

You're the best-kept secret in Silver Lake

I talked about my misery, you called it pain of pain
How we let it pile on until we go insane
'Til we go insane
Until we go insane

You're the best-kept secret in Silver Lake

Oh, you can sing and you can really play
(Ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da)
You're the real thing
Your heart's in the right place

(Ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da)

When we hung up, I was lifted, turned my head up to the rain
Shortest day of winter, but the light found me again
Found me again
The light came rollin' in

Yeah, you're the best-kept secret in Silver Lake

Oh, you can sing and you can really play
(Ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da)
You're the real thing
Your heart's in the right place
You're the best-kept secret in Silver Lake
(Ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da)
You're the best-kept secret in Silver Lake
(Ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da)
You're the best-kept secret in Silver Lake
You're the best-kept secret in Silver Lake

(Ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da)"

Johnny Cash

Folsom Prison Blues

Johnny Cash was a country music artist from Arkansas active from 1954-2003 and one of the best-selling music artists of all time. This became a signature song for him that often started his shows. The song became a huge hit and Cash later made a classic country album recorded live at the prison.

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 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. Cash's song is much better, but this is just another ugly example of powerful people stealing l from the less powerful.

"I hear the train a comin'
It's rolling round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison, and time keeps draggin' on
But that train keeps a rollin' on down to San Antone

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 blowing, I hang my head and cry

I bet there's rich folks eating in a fancy dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee and smoking big cigars
Well I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free
But those people keep a movin'
And that's what tortures me

Well if they freed me from this prison
If that railroad train was mine
I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line
Far from Folsom Prison, that's where I want to stay
And I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away"

Johnny Cash

Friends in California

This song was written by Waylon Jennings, and released in 2012, but it looks like Cash released it first on his album "American Outtakes" released in 1993. You can see the lyrics under Waylon Jennings.

Johnny Cash

Shamrock Doesn't Grow in Calfornia

This is from "The Unissued Johnny Cash", a compilation album of Cash's unreleased songs that was released in 1978. This song was recorded in 1961.

"You know
Shamrock doesn't grow in California
And your sheleighly is a 45
It's the leaf of all the chiefs
But I can't keep it alive
'Cause shamrock doesn't grow in California

A letter came from my sweetheart in Ireland (ooh)
The envelope was brimming full of tiny shamrock seeds
She said, 'I'm sure you know
You can't make the shamrock grow
Don't plant it over there beside the sage and jimsonweed
'Cuz you know...'

Shamrock doesn't grow in California
(It won't grow)
And your sheleighly is a 45

It's the leaf of all the chiefs
But I can't keep it alive
'Cuz shamrock doesn't grow in California

Well, I planted the shamrock seeds
My sweetheart sent me (ooh)
'Me thumb is Irish green, I said
For me, they're sure to grow'
My good friend, Mike O'Shea
Came every day for 30 days
When cactus grew instead, Mike said
'Well I could have told you so
Don't you know, boy that uh...'

(Shamrock doesn't grow in California)
Yeah
(And your sheleighly is a 45)

It's the leaf of all the chiefs
But I can't keep it alive (ooh)
'Cause shamrock doesn't grow in California"

Cashman & West (aka Morning Mist)

California On My Mind

Soft rock duo and producers Terry Cashman (Dennis Minogue) and Tommy West (Thomas Picardo Jr.) started out as a trio formed in New York in 1967 with Gene Pistilli called Cashman, Pistilli & West. Then they used the name Buchanan Brothers, until Pistilli left to join Manhattan Transfer and they became Cashman & West in 1971 and at the same they time produced several hit albums by Jim Croce and others.

This song was released as a single in 1971 under the artist name "Morning Mist" but it was written and produced and performed by Cashman & West. I don't think they used Morning Mist on other recordings. It was re-released on the album "Cashman & West - The AM-FM Blues (Their Very Best)" in 1993. The song will either make you long for the days of early '70s string-saturated soft rock, or it will make you want to throw up. I think I did a little of both.

"There are moments I remember
Though they're hazy in my mind
When the California sun was shining
And I saw you for the first time
And I felt I heard the morning sing
And I felt the warmth that love can bring
And I'd love to live those moments once again

California on my mind
I remember you and the sunshine
And the love you gave me
California one more time
California on my mind

I remember days of sunshine
When we spoke without a word
There was something in your eyes that sang
The sweetest song I'd ever heard
But now a memory of love that I can't hold
New York's lonely New York's cold
And I can't go on without you
No there's nothing left to find

California on my mind
I remember you and the sunshine
And the love you gave me
California one more time
California on my mind

And I felt I heard the morning sing
And I felt the warmth that love can bring
And I'd love to live those moments once again

California on my mind
I remember you and the sunshine
And the love you gave me
California one more time
California on my mind"

Cashman Pistilli & West

Sausalito

Terry Cashman (Dennis Minogue), Eugene Pistilli, and Tommy West (Thomas Picardo Jr.) were a trio formed in New York in 1967. They also used the name Buchanan Brothers, until Pistilli left to join Manhattan Transfer in 1971 and Cashman & West became a duo.

This is the B-side to the single "Some Of My Best Friends Are People" released in 1969. It was re-released in 1993 on the album "Cashman & West - The AM-FM Blues (Their Very Best)".

"Just about to pack it in
Lord knows what condition I've been in
When I got your letter in the mail
I don't know why you picked this time to write to me
But I'm sure glad you did

Sing me a song so soft and sweet, oh
The guitar played me back to Sausalito

Every morning in New York
I'd wake up and hear those poor birds call
It's enough to bring a body down

I wasn't ready to settle down and plant my roots
But lord I'm ready now

Sing me a song so soft and sweet, oh
The guitar played me back to Sausalito

Sing me a song so soft and sweet, oh
The guitar played me back to Sausalito

Just got time to pack my bags
And say goodbye to disappointment town
Just got time for one last look around
(?) is where I'm bound
Gonna plant my feet and tack 'em to the ground

Sing me a song so soft and sweet, oh
The guitar played me back to Sausalito
The guitar played me back to Sausalito"

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

All the Gold in California

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are a rock band from Australia active since 1983. This 14-minute-long ambient-electronic song is from the band's critically-acclaimed seventeenth studio album "Ghosteen" released in 2019.

"The fires continued through the night
The kid with a bat face appeared at the window
Then disappeared into the headlights

I was halfway to the Pacific Coast
I had left you in your longing
In your yearning like a ghost

There is little room for wonder, now
And little room for wildness too
We crawl into our wounds
I’m nearly all the way to Malibu

I’m gonna buy me a house up in the hills
With a tear-shaped pool and a gun that kills
Cause they say there is a cougar that roams these parts
With a terrible engine of wrath for a heart
That she is white and rare and full of all kinds of harm
And stalks the perimeter all day long
But at night lays trembling in my arms

And I’m just waiting now for my time to come
And I’m just waiting now for my time to come
And I’m just waiting now for my place in the sun
And I’m just waiting now for peace to come

And I’m just waiting now for my time to come
And I’m just waiting now for my time to come
And we hide in our wounds
And I’m nearly all the way to Malibu
And I know my time will come one day soon
I’m waiting for peace to come
I’m nearly all the way to Malibu
Oh babe, we’re on the run, we’re on the run
Half down the Pacific Coast
Well I left you sleeping like a ghost
In your wounds

Darling your dreams are your greatest part
I carry them with me in my heart
Darling your dreams were your greatest part
I carry them with me in my heart
Somewhere, don’t know

Now I’m standing on the shore
All the animals roam the beaches
And sea creatures rise out of the sea.
And I’m standing on the shore
Everyone begins to run
The kid drops his bucket and spade
And climbs into the sun...."

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis

Nick Cave is a singer-songwriter-poet-screenwriter-composer-actor from Australia, active since 1973. He fronted the punk band The Birthday Party before fronting Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. This collaboration, with Australian musician and member of the Bad Seeds Warren Ellis, was made for the HBO Series "True Detective" in 2015. It's a cover version of the 1979 Gatlin Brothers song.

"All the gold in California is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills
In somebody else's name, so if you're dreaming about California
It don't matter at all where you've played before
California's 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

And all the gold in California is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills
In somebody else's name, so if you're dreaming about California
It don't matter at all where you've played before
California's a brand new game...."

Cavo

Cavo is a rock band from St. Louis Missouri, active since 2001. This is a good hard rock song from the album "Thick as Thieves" released in 2012.

"Sitting in a dark room
Falling to pieces
Try to find the right words
So you can sing along

Wear it like a tight noose
I don't wanna feel this
Might of made a wrong move
Now I'm all alone

I never know which way to go
A million thoughts I can't control
The city sleeps, but I can't close my eyes
In California
In California

Drowning in a bright room
Faking the feelings
Wonder if the right words
Are even here at all

I'm living through the hardest part
In a city full of fallen stars
A million dreams but I can't close my eyes
In California
(California)
In California

How many miles until I lose myself
How many miles until I lose myself
How many miles until I lose myself
How many miles until I lose myself
In California
(California)
In California
(California)
How many miles until I lose myself
(California)
In California
How many miles until I lose myself
In California
(California)...."

Cayucas

Cayucas (formerly Oregon Bike Trails) is an indie pop band from Santa Monica active since 2011. It's an intentional misspelling of Cayucos, the Central Coast beach town, which is Spanish for a small canoe of the kind the native Californians used. This song is from the album "Blue Summer" released in 2012.

"I was heading down Sunset
Had the fold-up convertible down
I took a left at Patrick's Roadhouse
Past the cliffs up and into town

I said I don't know where I'm going
(Don't know where I'm going)
But I'm out and I'm looking for fun
(Looking for fun)
They say lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice
Well, I'm underneath the summer sun

California girl
(California girl)
Summer in her eyes
(Summer in her eyes)
From the Golden Coast
(From the Golden Coast)
I saw her passing by
(There she goes)
California girl
(Been looking for a)
California girl
(Been dreaming of a)
California girl and there she was
Whoa

She was hanging by the laundry mat
From the trunk of a Wagoneer
I saw a sun-bleached copy of 'On The Road'
While I was countin' empty bottles of beer

I said I don't know where I'm going
(Don’t know where I’m going)
But I'm out and I’m looking for fun
(Looking for fun)
It's the last slow song of the night
So take a chance or you'll regret it for the rest of your life

California girl
(California girl)
Summer in her eyes
(Summer in her eyes)
From the Golden Coast
(From the Golden Coast)
I saw her passing by
(There she goes)
California girl
(Been looking for a)
California girl
(Been dreaming of a)
California girl and there she was
Whoa

California girl
(California girl)
Summer in her eyes
(Summer in her eyes)
From the Golden Coast
(From the Golden Coast)
I saw her passing by
(There she goes)
California girl
(Been looking for a)
California girl
(Been dreaming of a)
California girl and there she was
Whoa

Ooh, California girl
I think I fell in love with a California girl
Ooh, California girl
I think I fell in love with a California girl"

Cayucas

California Inn

This is from "Hangin' On the Westside" released in 2023.

"I can feel the sun and the warmth around me
Far across the room I could hear her whisper
That it's only for the weekend
From the west side of L.A.
See I'm just looking for a cheap vacation
To take me far away

She was a sleepy señorita from a town near Encinitas
When she pulled up on the side of the road
As she checked into her room
Smell the smell of her perfume
Said she's heading down south
On her way to Mexico

One last night at the California Inn
One last night at the California Inn

I can feel her in the shadows
Or down the halls of the hotel
There were spirals spinning in my eyes
She left me under her spell

She was my Blue Hawaii baby
My blonde-haired Bahama Mama
They say don't fall in love with the green-eyed girl
On the night of the iguana

She was a sleepy señorita from a town near Encinitas
When she pulled up on the side of the road
As she checked into her room
Smell the smell of her perfume
Said she's heading down south
On her way to Mexico

One last night at the California Inn
One last night at the California Inn

Was she real
I'll never know
But every now and then
My mind sneaks up to the night we left
At the California Inn

She was a sleepy señorita from a town near Encinitas
When she pulled up on the side of the road
As she checked into her room
Smell the smell of her perfume
Said she's heading down south
On her way to Mexico

One last night at the California Inn
One last night at the California Inn

One last night at the California Inn
Just give me
One last night at the California Inn
Just give me
One last night at the California Inn
Just give me
One last night"

Cayucas

Cayucos

Cayucos is a small beach resort town on the Central California Coast in San Luis Obispo County known for its surfing. This song is from the album "Bigfoot" released in 2013.

"Can you hear it coming?
Feel it all around
Feet are stomping
On the ground
It's that something
So familiar
Strange but not so
Peculiar

Cayucos, past Morro Bay
Shelly, Shelly, Shelly, Shelly, Shelly
Nu-uh, no way
Come on big fat wave, come crashin' through
Back behind the rocks
Paddle from the dunes

Ooooh
O eh Oh eh Oh
C'mon c'mon c'mon
Ooooh
Ca ca ca ca Chameleon
O eh Oh eh Oh

Did you see me up there?
Looking down below
The waves come in
So slow
Saying 'Oh my God! I think I'm falling in love'
I think I'm falling in love

Cayucos
Past Morro Bay
Shelly, Shelly, Shelly, Shelly, Shelly
Nu-uh no way
C'mon bright red fire
Burn ten feet high
No hidden lizards
Caught chasing fireflies

C'mon snap your fingers
C'mon clap your hands
C'mon stomp your feet
As fast as you can
Just shake shake shake shake shake shake
Said I'm going to Cayucos
Hey
Said I'm going to Cayucos
Hey
Oooh
O eh Oh eh Oh
C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon
Oooh
Ca ca ca ca Chameleon
O eh Oh eh Oh
O eh Oh eh Oh...."

Cayucas

Hella

This is from the album "Dancing at the Blue Lagoon" released in 2015.

"He's no Dora back from Bora Bora
Jumps in head first row, the whitewashed to the shore
And you saw him cannonball, come crashing down the falls
You saw him somersaulting down to the ocean floor

Back to back got beat down bad, no shack
He went from swarms to sewers tagging their attack
Without a T-shirt on, phenom-phenomenon
An old white turtleneck leaving Saskatchewan

He's a Northern Californian, or so he says
Ended up in Carpinteria cause he went the wrong way
Exit Encinitas, in a washed-out sea foam green
T-shirt read, 'Jesus Saves' and he was yelling out 'No Valleys'

Hella, hella, hella
Hella, hella, hella
Hella, hella, hella

Through the dried up empty field of dirt
On leafy branches peeking through
Down the cliffside, dig and drag your feet
Left to dry your soaking socks and shoes

He's a Northern Californian, or so he says
Ended up in Carpinteria cause he went the wrong way
Exit Encinitas, in a washed-out sea foam green
T-shirt read, 'Jesus Saves' and he was yelling out 'No Valleys'

Hella, hella, hella
Hella, hella, hella
Hella, hella, hella

Boys in poster red shred, hockey equipment 'neath the bed
Swimsuit calendar on the wall, deflated basketball
Limbo says, 'You don't know no Jose Conseco'
Got dirty laundry on the floor, got piled up against the door

Through the dried up empty field of dirt
On leafy branches peeking through
Down the cliffside, dig and drag your feet
Left to dry your soaking socks and shoes

He's a Northern Californian, or so he says
Ended up in Carpinteria cause he went the wrong way
Exit Encinitas, in a washed-out sea foam green
T-shirt read, 'Jesus Saves' and he was yelling out 'No Valleys'

Hella, hella, hella
Hella, hella, hella
Hella, hella, hella

He's a Northern Californian, or so he says
Ended up in Carpinteria cause he went the wrong way
Exit Encinitas, in a washed-out sea foam green
T-shirt read, 'Jesus Saves' and he was yelling out 'No Valleys'

Hella, hella, hella
Hella, hella, hella
Hella, hella, hella"

Arman Cekin (featuring Snoop Dogg & Paul Rey)

Arman Cekin is a musician from the Netherlands and broke onto the dance music scene in 2014. Paul Rey is a singer from Sweden, active since 2015. Snoop Dogg is a rapper and actor from Long Beach. This dance track was released in 2017, but an earlier version without Snoop Dogg was released in 2016. The singer of this song is already in California but he has to do some California dreaming anyway because he's stuck inside working. We can all relate to that.

[Paul Rey]

"These palm trees they sway
Each night and each day
I'm California dreamin' 'bout you
Ah yeah, got this world class view
But it's you that I think about every time when my mind zoning
It's you that I think about every time that I get lonely
It's you that I call on my FaceTime when I need something real
I work the night shift 'til late in the PM
I'm California dreamin'
You, you, you

California dreamin' 'bout you
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey...)
California dreamin' 'bout you
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey...)

Ah yeah, not quite right sometimes, 'cause I
I've been feeling myself too much
Feeling myself too much oh I'm missing your touch
Missing the way you say my name
Hate that I'm away, you know I'd stay
But I got these songs to cut
In the stu' with an empty cup
I've been sipping this drink too much
But Goddamn, I've been working hard as f**k
And what's work without play in L.A.?

I'm California dreamin'
(California dreamin')
About you, you, you, you-you, you
One time I tell 'em I'm California dreamin', dreamin' dreamin'
One time I tell 'em I'm California dreamin', dreamin' dreamin'

California dreamin' 'bout you
California dreamin' dreamin' dreamin'
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey...)
California dreamin' 'bout you
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)

[Snoop Dogg]

Don't wake me up, just bake-cake me up
And get a whiff of these tasty buds
In HD cuz, I'm thinkin' 'bout safes and hugs
I chase the love, cheese please
Palm trees, breeze, ease your mind I put cream on it
Lay back relax, now dream on it
Watchu think? You want a drink?
You want a sea on the shore, make you walk the plank
Skydive, overview
California what a point of view
The weather, whatever, endure your endeavor
If you ride with me baby we can do this forever
In a day, yessir ain't no other way
This is Cali-for-ni-yay!
Yay, yay, dream on, dream on

[Paul Rey]

One time I tell 'em I'm California dreamin', dreamin' dreamin'
California dreamin' 'bout you
California dreamin', dreamin' dreamin'
California dreamin' 'bout you

You, you, you, you-you, you

California dreamin' 'bout you"

Celeborate

California Breeze

Celeborate is a rapper from Sacramento who started out in the Bay Area in 2011. This is from his album "Hear Me Out" released in 2019.

"I'm just like Kenny from the Cosbys 'cause I'm always with my bud
No‚ I'm not a pothead‚ it just keep me chill as f**k
'Cause you know‚ I think about you from the second I wake up
'Til the numbers on my clock place me in my slumber
And none of these b***hes ever help me with the way I felt 'bout you
'Cause baby, you a blessing like a n***a said hachoo
Andy Dufresne ain't even close compared to what I put you through
I realize now that you are not a plaything for me to use
So just tip this brew, lay your head on my chest‚ my love is Temper-Pedic
I got an appetite for destruction, but won't use you to feed it
Just wanna give you rounds and work you out until you feel defeated
Look you up and down then walk around, act like I'm Willie Beamen
These are just some of the crazy ideas‚ baby, that I've been thinking
Gotta excuse me for being so suggestive, I've been drinking
I've been saving up for you to tell me when you gon' be leaving
And when you'll fly out to me one evening and feel this California breeze, yeah

Feel this California breeze
Come feel this California breeze, yeah
Come feel this California breeze
Come feel this California breeze
Please come feel this California breeze...."

Exene Cervenka

Alone in Arizona

Exene Cervenka was one of the vocalists from the seminal L.A. punk band X. She also sang with the Knitters and other bands. She wrote this song and included it on her 2011 album "The Excitement Of Maybe." Her former X bandmate John Doe also sings a version of the song.

"My heart is blue with losing you
My soul is still losing you
The road is rough, I'm losing you
The sun beats down, I'm losing you

My heart's in California, I'm alone in Arizona
My heart's in California, I'm alone in Arizona

Found her where it shouldn't be, I'm losing you
Cactus run away from me, I'm losing you
The shades I've drawn, I'm losing you
My eyes are closed, I'm losing you

My heart's in California, I'm alone in Arizona
My heart's in California, I'm alone in Arizona

My heart is blue with losing you
My soul is still losing you
The road is rough, I'm losing you
The sun beats down, I'm losing you

My heart's in California, I'm alone in Arizona...."

Chanel West Coast

California State of Mind

Chanel West Coast is the stage name of Chelsea Chanel Dudley, a rapper, actress, and TV personality raised in Los Angeles and New York City, active since 2009. This is from her 2024 album "California State of Mind."

"I just came here tryna to kill some time
Then I met you and it changed my mind
I won't let nobody kill my vibe
That's that California state of mind

Riding down Sunset
Watch me like the sunset (West Coast)
I just made a big bag, it ain't even one yet
Always fall in love with somebody I don't trust yet
Double up the Cs every time I'm feeling upset

I just came here tryna to kill some time
Then I met you and it changed my mind
I won't let nobody kill my vibe (My vibe)
That's that California state of mind (State of mind)
That's that California state of mind
Broken hearts and dreams is all you'll find

Yeah, forget about the love just like I know I should
I don't want to wife you but I know I could
I could buy my mama anything she want (Anything)
You're trying to find a star to love in Hollywood (Yeah)
I'm way too misunderstood, ain't really in the mood (No)
Miss me with that Oshi roll, got a different attitude
I do what I have to do, I'm not coming after you (No)
I'ma piss 'em off, when you real they're always mad at you

Pick another place that I could fly to
No plans, took a chance, let you slide through (Skrrt)
Sip on my [?] forget I like you
But I can't even if I try to

I just came here tryna to kill some time
Then I met you and it changed my mind (Changed my mind)
I won't let nobody kill my vibe (Kill my vibe)
That's that California state of mind (State of mind)

That's that California state of mind (State of mind)
Broken hearts and dreams is all you'll find"

Chanel West

West Coast Christmas

This Christmas rap is from 2019.

"(Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas)

No, it might not snow but I bet I make it rain, dear
I been slayin' on these bi**hes, know that ain't fair
We on the West Coast, so you know the gang here
I've been naughty, I've been nice in the same year

'Cause this that West Coast Christmas
I want the world to feel this
Sing it like la-la-la-la
While we roll up the la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la

Just pulled up to Granny's (Skrrt) in my jammies (Jammies)
Brought some cookies and candies
We 'bout to kick it with family (Kick it)
No white Christmas here, we 'bout to barbecue
Sunshine and sky clear, goin' hard at it too (Goin' hard)
Cookin' up the ham, got hella sides (Hella sides)
Mash potatoes, corn bread, mac and cheese, and a few pies (A-ha, OK)
Got the tree lit up, pretty twinkle lights (Lit, haha)
Eggnog in my cup, I'm 'bout the good vibes (Good vibes)
Feelin' hella jolly, hella Bob Marley
Palm trees, homies on Harleys, hella gnarly
Been a little nice, been a little naughty (Yep)
So I'ma be surprised to see what Santa got me (Ho ho ho)
If you dreamin' fo' a baddie, better hope you got me (For a baddie)
Got a little fatty and a bangin' body (Bangin', West Coast)
Ugly Christmas sweater wit' my Santa hat (Santa)
Nobody do it better, West Coast Christmas where it's at

No, it might not snow but I bet I make it rain, dear
I been slayin' on these bi**ches, know that ain't fair
We on the West Coast, so you know the gang here
I've been naughty, I've been nice in the same year

'Cause this that West Coast Christmas
I want the world to feel this
Sing it like la-la-la-la
While we roll up the la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la

Ain't worried 'bout the haters, y'all some grinches (Grinch)
I'm just tryna get that paper, rock some inches (Inches)
I love family time and givin' out some presents (Yup)
Our Christmas parties be so lit they got a guest list (VIP)
It ain't chilly here, so hot we sizzle, yo
And if you're feelin' flirty, we got the mistletoe (Mistletoe)
Red, green, white and gold, playin' 'Let It Snow' (Let it snow)
Bakin' gingerbread cookies, eatin' cookie dough (Cookie dough)
Got the stockings hangin' and the fire lit
Music bangin', we hangin' on the porch and s**t
F**k a wishlist, I just bought a Porsche and s**t
'Bout to eat dinner and all the portions big
It's a L.A. winter, 60 cold as it get (West Coast)
Ain't no beginner here, I'm as cold as it get
Slay all day (Slay queen) like I'm Santa
Happy holidays, this the West Coast Christmas anthem

No, it might not snow but I bet I make it rain, dear
I been slayin' on these bi**hes, know that ain't fair
We on the West Coast, so you know the gang here
I've been naughty, I've been nice in the same year

'Cause this that West Coast Christmas
I want the world to feel this
Sing it like la-la-la-la
While we roll up the la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la

OK, I'm 'bout to open up these gifts
Let's see what I got, let's see what I got
Alright, mmm - oh hell - who the f**k got me socks?
Who the f**k got me socks?
Man, that is messed up
Whatever, Merry Christmas"

Harry Chapin

Taxi

Harry Chapin was a Grammy-winning pop rock singer-songwriter from New York who produced a lot of hits in his short life, including the #1 hit "Cat's in the Cradle." This song is from his 1972 album "Heads & Tales." While the song is about a taxi driver in San Francisco who picks up an old girlfriend, don't bother looking for her address - I already did. It doesn't exist.

"It was raining hard in 'Frisco
I needed one more fare to make my night
A lady up ahead waved to flag me down
She got in at the light

Oh, where you going to, my lady blue
It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain
She just looked out the window
She said, Sixteen Parkside Lane

Something about her was familiar
I could swear I'd seen her face before
But she said, I'm sure you're mistaken
And she didn't say anything more

It took a while, but she looked in the mirror
And she glanced at the license for my name
A smile seemed to come to her slowly
It was a sad smile, just the same

And she said, How are you Harry
I said, How are you Sue
Through the too many miles
And the too little smiles
I still remember you

It was somewhere in a fairy tale
I used to take her home in my car
We learned about love in the back of a Dodge
The lesson hadn't gone too far

You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off to find the sky

Oh, I've got something inside me
To drive a princess blind
There's a wild man, wizard
He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind
Oh, I've got something inside me
Not what my life's about
'Cause I've been letting my outside tide me
Over 'til my time, runs out

(Baby's so high that she's skying)
(Yes, she's flying, afraid to fall)
(I'll tell you why baby's crying)
('Cause she's dying, aren't we all)

There was not much more for us to talk about
Whatever we had once was gone
So I turned my cab into the driveway
Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns

And she said, we must get together
But I knew it'd never be arranged
And she handed me twenty dollars
For a two fifty fare
She said, Harry, keep the change

Well, another man might have been angry
And another man might have been hurt
But another man never would've let her go
I stashed the bill in my shirt

And she walked away in silence
It's strange, how you never know
But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for
Such a long, long time ago

You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off for the sky

And here, she's acting happy
Inside her handsome home
And me, I'm flying in my taxi
Taking tips, and getting stoned
I go flying so high, when I'm stoned"

Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan is the professional name of Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, a singer-songwriter from Missouri, based in Los Angeles, active since 2017. This song is a non-album single released in 2020. It's another song that criticizes California for not having any seasons, but California does have seasons - the wet season, the dry season, and the fire season.

""I stretched myself across four states
New lands, west coast, where my dreams lay
I trade amber clay roads for the
Sea foam and the endless sun rays

'Cause I was never told that I wasn't gonna get
The things I want the most
But people always say, "If it hasn't happened yet
Then maybe you should go"

Come get me out of California
No leaves are brown
I miss the seasons in Missouri
My dying town
Thought I'd be cool in California
I'd make you proud
To think I almost had it going
But I let you down

Too hard, to find reasons to stay
Even true love could not persuade

'Cause I was never told that I wasn't gonna get
The things I want the most
But people always say, "If it hasn't happened yet
Then maybe you should go"

Come get me out of California
No leaves are brown
I miss the seasons in Missouri
My dying town
Thought I'd be cool in California
I'd make you proud
To think I almost had it going
But I let you down

Come get me out
Come get me out
Come get me out
Come get me out

Come get me out of California
No leaves are brown
I miss the seasons in Missouri
My dying town
Thought I'd be cool in California
I'd make you proud
To think I almost had it going
But I let you down''

Chappell Roan

Pink Pony Club

Chappell Roan is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, a singer-songwriter from Missouri, active since 2017 when she was 17 years old and moved to L.A. (to be a singer, not a stripper.) This song was released in 2020. It's a common assumption that strippers don't perform because they want to, but because circumstances force them to do it to make a living. But not the singer of this song. Apparently, it's her dream job.

"I know you wanted me to stay
But I can't ignore the crazy visions of me in L.A.
And I heard that there's a special place
Where boys and girls can all be Queens every single day

I'm having wicked dreams
Of leaving Tennessee
Santa Monica
I swear it's calling me
Won't make my mama proud
It's gonna cause a scene
She sees her baby girl
I know she's gonna scream

God, what have you done
You're a Pink Pony girl
And you dance at the club
Oh mama, I'm just having fun
On the stage in my heels
It's where I belong down at the

Pink Pony Club
I'm gonna keep on dancing at the
Pink Pony Club
I'm gonna keep on dancing down in
West Hollywood
I'm gonna keep on dancing at the
Pink Pony Club, Pink Pony Club

I'm up and jaws are on the floor
Lovers in the bathroom and a line outside the door
Black lights and a mirrored disco ball
Every night's another reason why I left it all
I thank my wicked dreams
A year from Tennessee
Oh, Santa Monica
You've been too good to me
Won't make my mama proud
It's gonna cause a scene
She sees her baby girl
I know she's gonna scream

God, what have you done
You're a Pink Pony girl
And you dance at the club
Oh mama, I'm just having fun
On the stage in my heels
It's where I belong down at the
Pink Pony club
I'm gonna keep on dancing at the
Pink Pony club
I'm gonna keep on dancing down in
West Hollywood
I'm gonna keep on dancing at the
Pink Pony club, Pink Pony club

Don't think I've left you all behind
Still love you and Tennessee
You're always on my mind
And mama, every Saturday
I can hear your southern drawl a thousand miles away, saying

God, what have you done
You're a Pink Pony girl
And you dance at the club
Oh mama, I'm just having fun
On the stage in my heels
It's where I belong down at the
Pink Pony Club
I'm gonna keep on dancing at the
Pink Pony Club
I'm gonna keep on dancing down in
West Hollywood
I'm gonna keep on dancing at the
Pink Pony Club, Pink Pony Club

I'm gonna keep on dancing
I'm gonna keep on dancing"

Charlene

I've Never Been to Me

Charlene is a singer from Hollywood who only had one big hit - this one. It's original release in 1977 was unsuccessful, but its re-release in 1982 charted at #3. I have nothing against women who are happily married with children or against women who choose to give up their dreams to stay in a loveless marriage and raise their children (thanks mom!) but this has to be one of the most anti-feminist songs ever written. The singer tries to convince a woman that it's better to give up her dreams and stay in an unhappy marriage than it is to be making love in the sun in paradise and sipping champagne on a yacht - a woman who tries to be free only ends up alone because only babies will make her complete. It's not hard to tell that the lyrics were written by a man, is it? (Along with the awful cloying melody, too.)

"Hey lady, you lady
Cursing at your life
You're a discontented mother
And a regimented wife
I've no doubt you dream about
The things you'll never do
But, I wish someone had talked to me
Like I wanna talk to you

Whoooa, I've been to Georgia
And California and anywhere I could run
Took the hand of a preacher man
And we made love in the sun
But I ran out of places
And friendly faces
Because I had to be free
I've been to paradise
But I've never been to me

Please lady, please, lady
Don't just walk away
'Cause I have this need to tell you
Why I'm all alone today
I can see so much of me
Still living in your eyes
Won't you share a part
Of a weary heart
that has lived a million lies

Whoooa, I've been to Nice
And the Isle of Greece
While I've sipped champagne on a yacht
I've moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo
And showed 'em what I've got
I've been undressed by kings
And I've seen some things
That a woman ain't supposed to see
I've been to paradise
But I've never been to me

[Spoken Bridge - not in all versions]

Hey, you know what paradise is
It's a lie
A fantasy we create about people
And places as we'd like them to be
But you know what truth is
It's that little baby you're holding
And it's that man you fought with this morning
The same one you're going to make love with tonight
That's truth, that's love...."

Sometimes I've been to crying
For unborn children
That might have made me complete
But I, I took the sweet life
I never knew
I'd be bitter from the sweet
I've spent my life exploring
The subtle whoring
That costs too much to be free
Hey lady, I've been to paradise
But I've never been to meeeeeee

I've been to paradise
(Never been to me)

I've been to Georgia
And California and anywhere I could run
I've been to paradise
(Never been to me)

I've been to Nice
And the Isle of Greece
While I've sipped champagne on a yacht
I've been to paradise
(Never been to me)"

Benjamin Charles

Benjamin Charles is singer-songwriter born in Los Angeles and raised in the U.S. and the U.K. This strange song was released in 2021 and is featured on his debut album "Before The Fire."

"I was dreaming alone like a dog with a bone
And god gave me a thumb to get me into the zone
He said the sicker the bliss is the sweeter the ice cream cone
When there's a million flavors in the star of my hand
When all the people are small and the piano is grand
I said I'm only a thing and I don't have a plan

In my eyes I get so lost in the lightning
That the beat of my heart is cheap as my art upon the market

Shooting for the moon I hit a space station plantation
Slaving for the nation of an ether a provider on the side
I had the fries and the nacho dip
Just trying to get to heaven on a microchip

It's love in the time of robots, we're wired – we're wired
It's love in the time of robots, we're wired – we're wired

California ain't what it used to be
Everyone's looking down at a very black screen
California where did your water go?
You took it from the ground gonna have a new dust bowl
California what are you trying to prove?
To be the exception that only proves the rule?

California it's a golden state of mind
While the devil plays you the blind lead the blind

It's love in the time of robots, we're wired – we're wired
It's love in the time of robots, we're wired – we're wired...."

Ray Charles

California, Here I Come

Ray Charles was a singer-songwriter from Geortia, active from 1947-2004, and regarded as one of the most influential musicians in history. This is from Charles' album "Genius Hits the Road" released in 1960. It's a cover of the Al Jolson 1924 original. He changes the lyrics a bit and skips the intro, singing only the "California here I come" chorus.

"California, here I come
Right back where I started from
Where bowers of flowers
Bloom in the sun
Each morning at dawning
Birdies sing at everything
A sun-kissed miss said, 'Don't be late!'
That's why I can hardly wait
So open up your Golden Gate
California, Here I Come

A sun-kissed miss said, 'Don't be late!'
'Cuz that's why I can hardly wait
Open up that Golden Gate
California
California
California, Here I Come"

Charli XCX

Boys

Charli XCX is a pop singer and songwriter from the UK who has written some very successful songs for other singers, most notably so far - Iggy Azalea's "Fancy." There's only a brief mention of L.A. in this single from 2017, but after hearing so many songs sung by guys bragging about having girls all over the world, it's refreshing to hear a song about a woman with a similar one track mind. (This song pairs well with "Girls" by the Beastie Boys.)

"I was busy thinkin' 'bout boys, boys, boys
Always busy dreamin' 'bout boys, boys, boys
Head is spinnin' thinkin' 'bout boys

I need that bad boy to do me right on a Friday
And I need that good one to wake me up on a Sunday
That one from work can come over on Monday night
I want 'em all, I want 'em all

And when they finally leave me, I'm all alone but
I'm lookin' down and my girls are blowin' my phone up
Them twenty questions, they askin' me where I'm at
Didn't hit 'em back

I'm sorry that I missed your party
I wish I had a better excuse like
I had to trash the hotel lobby

But I was busy thinkin' 'bout boys, boys, boys
Always busy dreamin' 'bout boys, boys, boys
Head is spinnin' thinkin' 'bout boys

In every city I've got one with different ringtones
Flyin' from L.A. all the way to Puerto Rico
My girls are callin' me askin' me where I'm at
Didn't hit 'em back

I'm sorry that I missed your party
I wish I had a better excuse like
I can't even lie you got me

I was busy thinkin' 'bout boys, boys, boys
Always busy dreamin' 'bout boys, boys, boys
Head is spinnin' thinkin' 'bout boys...."

The Charlie Daniels Band

Uneasy Rider

Charlie Daniels is a country, bluegrass, southern rock musician best known for the fiddling duel with the Devil in his hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." This top ten hit is a silly spoken narrative country novelty song with a guitar background from the band's 1973 album, "Honey in the Rock." The title plays with the title of the movie "Easy Rider." It's about a man driving to L.A. who gets a flat tire in Jackson Mississippi. Back then a man with long hair was considered an offensive "hippy-type, pinko fag" with "a commie flag" by red-necks. (Must have been before the longhaired Alman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd got popular.) At the end, the singer considers rerouting his trip to L.A. via Omaha, which doesn't make any sense since it would add about a thousand miles of driving, and since, in 1973, long-hairs weren't very safe anywhere outside of big cities, not even in California, and you can't hid your hair under your hat forever....

"I was takin a trip out to L.A.
Toolin along in my Cheverolet
Tokin' on a number and diggin' on the radio

Just as I crossed the Mississippi line
I heard that highway start to whine
And I knew that left rear tire was about to blow

Well the spare was flat and I got uptight
Cause there wasn't a filling station in sight
So I just limped on down the shoulder on the rim

I went as far as I could and when I stopped the car
It was right in front of this little bar
Kind of a red-neck lookin' joint called the Dew Drop Inn

I stuffed my hair up under my hat
And told the bartender that I had a flat
And would he be kind enough to give me change for a one

There was one thing I was sure proud to see
There wasn't a soul in the place except for him and me
He just looked disgusted and pointed toward the telephone

I called up the station down the road a ways
He said he wasn't very busy today
And he could have someone out there in just about 10 minutes or so

He said, "Now, you just stay right where yer at!"
And I didn't bother to tell the darn fool
That I sure as hell didn't have anyplace else to go

I just ordered up a beer and sat down at the bar
When some guy walked in and said, "Who owns this car
With the peace sign, the mag wheels and the four on the floor?"

He looked at me and I damn near died
And I decided that I'd just wait outside
So I laid a dollar on the bar and headed for the door

Just when I thought I'd get outta there with my skin
These 5 big dudes come strollin' in
With one old drunk chick and some fella with green teeth

I was almost to the door when the biggest one
Said, "You tip your hat to this lady, son!"
And when I did, all that hair fell out from underneath

Now the last thing I wanted was to get into a fight
In Jackson Mississippi on a Saturday night
Especially when there was three of them and only one of me

They all started laughin and I felt kinda sick
And I knew I better think of something pretty quick
So I just reached out and kicked old green teeth right in the knee

Now he let out a yell that'd curl yer hair
But before he could move I grabbed me a chair
And said "Now watch him Folks cause he's a thoroughly dangerous man!"

"You may not know it but this man is a spy.
He's a undercover agent for the FBI
And he's been sent down here to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan!"

He was still bent over holdin on to his knee
But everybody else was looking and listening to me
And I laid it on thicker and heavier as I went

I said, "Would you believe this man has gone as far
As tearing Wallace stickers off the bumpers of cars.
And he voted for George McGovern for President."

"Well, he's a friend of them long haired, hippy-type, pinko fags!
I betchya he's even got a commie flag
tacked up on the wall inside of his garage."

"He's a snake in the grass, I tell ya guys.
He may look dumb but that's just a disguise,
He's a mastermind in the ways of espionage"

They all started lookin' real suspicious at him
And he jumped up and said "Now just wait a minute Jim!
You know he's lying I been living here all of my life!"

"I'm a faithful follower of Brother John Birch
And I belong to the Antioch Baptist Church.
And I ain't even got a garage, you can call home and ask my wife!"

Then he started saying somethin bout the way I was dressed
But I didn't wait around to hear the rest
I was too busy moving and hoping I didn't run outta luck

When I hit the ground I was making tracks
And they were just taking my car down off the jacks
So I threw the man a twenty and jumped in and fired that mother up

Mario Andretti wouldda sure been proud
Of the way I was movin' when I passed that crowd
Coming out the door and headed toward me at a trot

And I guess I should of gone ahead and run
But somehow I just couldn't resist the fun
Of chasing them all just once around the parking lot

Well they headed for their car, but I hit the gas
And spun around and headed them off at the pass
I was slinging gravel and putting a ton of dust in the air

I had them all out there steppin' and fetchin'
Like their heads was on fire and their asses was catchin'
then I figgered I had better go ahead and split before the cops got there

When I hit the road I was really wheelin'
Had gravel flyin' and rubber squeelin'
And I didn't slow down till I was almost to Arkansas

I think I'm gonna reroute my trip
I wonder if anybody'd think I'd flipped
If I went to L.A., via Omaha"

Cheap Trick

Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots

Cheap Trick is a rock band from Illinois formed in 1973. This is from the band's album "The Latest" released in 2009. It's a good companion to their song "California Man."

"There's a bad little girl
In the neighborhood
She's got backstreet savvy
Up to no good
She looks my way all wound up tight
Bitin' her lips, hoo! Ready to fight

She's a California girl
She's a California girl
She's a bad little girl
And I know I'm gonna make her mine

Oh, just like a cat
She scratched my back
Under the midnight moon
Hollywood baby
Up to no good
She looks that way
All jacked up tight
Bitin' her lips, hoo! Shakin' her hips

She's a California girl
She's a California girl
She's a bad little girl
And I know I'm gonna make her mine, hoo!

She's the devil's little lady
And my little girl
Sex in the city
She looks my way all wound up tight
All bitin' her lips, hoo! Awww yeah!

There's a California girl
In the neighborhood
She's got a back street savvy
Up to no good
She looks my way
She's all half cocked
Walkin' the walk
Get ready to rock!

She's a California girl
She's a California girl
She's a California girl
And I know I'm gonna make her mine whoo!

She's a California girl (California girl)
She's a California girl (California girl)
She's a California girl (California girl)
She's a California girl (California girl)
She's a California girl (California girl)
She's a California girl
Know I'm gonna make her mine whoo!"

Cheap Trick

California Man

This is a cover of the 1972 song by The Move (Roy Wood's band that became The Electric Light Orchestra). It's off the album "Heaven Tonight" released 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."

Cheat Codes

Home

Cheat Codes is a trio of DJs based in Los Angeles. This is a dance-pop song released in 2018.

"Blonde hair and a sun dress
Cocaine on her lips
She is new to Los Angeles, uh
Not used to the lifestyle
Not used to the rules
Don't know if she can handle it

So come in close and stay right by my side, side, side
Believe me, baby, I know what it's like

And she said
Home, it feels like home when I'm with you
Home, it feels like home when I'm with you
Leave it all behind
Put your hand in mine
Home, it feels like home when I'm with you

Feels like home
Feels like home

Spend time like a Rolex
I'll order a car
Take her where she hasn't been, oh yeah
Undress at the coat check
Make out at the bar
She bad but she's innocent

So come in close and stay right by my side, side, side
Believe me, baby, I know what it's like...."

Cheat Codes

Washed Up

This 2020 pop song from the L.A. DJs wonders if the singer's companion will stay with him after his star fades and he has to move from L.A. to a place with no five star restaurants. Myself, I'd rather be in a place with a good taco truck.

"If you had to wear a coat to the club
'Cause you know we'd have to wait in the line
If I couldn't get you straight to the front
Would you wanna be seen by my side?
If I had to work just a little hard
If I wasn't so quick to provide
Would you be down for the count?
Or would you be up for the ride?

If what we did in public
Wasn't all recorded
Then put up on Perez
'Cause the people love my story
If we don't hide our face
Under shades that are imported
Would you still feel the same
When I'm just not that important?

If they say I'm washed up
Would you still be in love?
If I'm on the way down
Would you stick around when I'm off the wave?
If they say I'm washed up
Would this still be enough?
If I'm back underground
Would you stick around or forget my name?

Would you stay? Would you stay? Would you stay, yeah?
Would you stay? Would you stay? Would you stay, yeah?

If we had to move away from L.A.
'Cause I couldn't handle the lights (handle the lights)
If it was all over today (over today)
Can you tell me, would we survive?
Without the
Five stars and Four Seasons
With three words that have a meaning
You say yes, but do you mean it?
Yeah

If what we did in public
Wasn't all recorded
Then put up on Perez
'Cause the people love my story
If we don't hide our face
Under shades that are imported
Would you still feel the same
When I'm just not that important?...."

Cheech & Chong

Born in East L.A.

Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo who formed in Vancouver Canada. Cheech is from southern California. They did stand-up on stage, made records, and made movies. This song is a parody of the Bruce Springsteen song "Born in the U.S.A." Both were released in 1984. After the duo split up, Cheech Marin made a movie based on the song that was released in 1987. East L.A. is a neighborhood historically made up almost entirely of residents of Latin American heritage (96 percent in 2010.)

(Cheech:)
Took a walk to the corner store
Just to buy a loaf of bread and a box of s'mores
Up pulled a guy in a yellow van
Shiny gold badge flashing in his hand

He said,
(Chong:)
Alright all you mojados down here
I want you all to hit the floor
I got one thing to ask you and nothing more
So answer in English, if you can
Where were ya born, man

(Cheech:)
Huh? Where was I born?
(Chong:)
That's right, I said
Where were ya born?
(Cheech:)
Hey, are you one of those dudes who do horoscopes, man
Hey, I'm a Cancer with a bad moon rising
(Chong:)
Look here el vago, watch my lips
Where were ya born?

(Cheech:)
I was born in East L.A.
Man, I was born in East L.A.
(Chong:)
Oh yeah, you were born in East L.A.
Well let's see your green card, hun?
(Cheech:)
Huh? Green card?
I'm from East L.A.
(Chong:)
Alright, then who's President of the United States
(Cheech:)
Oh, that's easy, man
That guy that used to be on Death Valley Days, John Wayne
(Chong:)
Alright, let's go, come on!

(Cheech:)
Next thing I know, I'm in a foreign land
People talkin so fast, I couldn't understand
There was nobody there to lend a helping hand
I was cold, it was dark, where is a burger stand?

I want to go back to East L.A.
I wish I was back in East L.A.
I don't belong here in downtown T.J.
Cause I was born in East L.A., ole!

I crawled under barbed wire, swam across a stream
Rode in six different trucks packed like a sardine
Walked all day in the burning sun
Now I know what it's like to be Born to Run

Up ahead was the promised land
Shining like a star just beyond my hand
All I could see was a golden door
I looked up, a sign said "Five Zillion Sold Sold"

And I was back in East L.A.
Yes, I was back in East L.A.
You know I'm never gonna stray
Cause I was born in East L.A. Orale!...."

Cheema Y (featuring Gur Sidhu)

California Love

Cheema Y (Sarbit Singh Cheema) is an Indian-Canadian movie and TV actor and a singer who sings in the Punjabi language, active since 1993. Gur Sidhu is also a singer-producer-songwriter associated with Punjabi music and cinema, active since 2019. This sing was put on YouTube in January, 2023. No, it's not a cover of the 2Pac song.

A slowed + reverb version was released in September, 2023: California Love (Perfectly Slowed) - Cheema Y & Gur Sidhu and another slowed and reverbed remix was released in January, 2024: California Love Mexa Rapmix - Bohemia x Gur Sidhu x Chemma Y Prod by Music Full Bass.

LyricsRaag describes the song like this:
"It is a vibrant Punjabi song that celebrates the singer’s love for his life in California while cherishing his roots in Punjab. Sung by the talented Cheema Y, the song captures the essence of appreciation and hard work. The lyrics, penned by Chhina and Cheema Y, showcase the singer’s gratitude for his opportunities and success in California. The composition by Gur Sidhu perfectly complements the lyrics, infusing the song with an energetic and catchy rhythm."

These are the lyrics and English translation from LyricsWiz:

"Sheeshe Down Karwaundiyan Ne
Hans Hans Aundiyan
Te Puchhan Swag Vich Kivein Aa

Label’an Chon Label
Blue Sohniye Ni
Jadon Peene Aa
Te Paani Wangu Peene Aa

40 Killeyan Di Kheti
Addhi Theke Utte Ditti
Munde Sohniye
Punjab De Hi Jaaye Ne

Loki Taan Mangaunde
Afghan Ton Afeem
Assi Boote California Laye Ne

Ho Loki Taan Mangaunde
Afghan Ton Afeem
Assi Boote Vancouver Ch Laye Ne

Gur Sidhu Music!

Kothe Uggan De Beej
Billo Copy De Kude Ni
Yuba Sydney Naal Kille Nu
Canal Laggi Aa

Kiddan Call Dass Karaan
Teri Pick Main Rakaane
Meri Ungal De Utte
Kaala Maal Laggeya

Ghode Ghoode Hunn Aaye
Dubban Vich Pehlan Dovan
Hathan Vich Dadar Chalaye Ne

Loki Taan Mangaunde
Afghan Ton Afeem
Assi Boote California Laye Ne

Ho Loki Taan Mangaunde
Afghan Ton Afeem
Assi Boote Vancouver Ch Laye Ne

Gur Sidhu Music!

Ho 6-6 Foote Jatt
Dinde Kise Nu Na F*Ck
Top Shaiba Utte
Rakhde Aa Ankh Ni

Circle Chhota
Kam Kaar Bada Mota
Third Party Naal
Mildi Na Matt Ni

American Dollar
Kamayi Jaane Aa
Khulla Kharchan
Sohniye Dubai Jaane Aa

Chhadd Dena Dhandha
Billo Kahi Jaane Aa
Har Nave Saal
Navi Gaddi Layi Jaane Aa

Book Hummer Karayi
Jehdi Tha Lugi Tabaahi
Paise Sajre Truck Utte Laye Ne

Loki Taan Mangaunde
Afghan Ton Afeem
Assi Boote California Laye Ne

Ho Loki Taan Mangaunde
Afghan Ton Afeem
Assi Boote Vancouver Ch Laye Ne

Ho Mullanpur Dhaka Ton
Dorahe Sohniye Ni
Khanne Karde Aa Yaar
Wait Chirdi Badi

Ikko Gall Baar Baar
Jaane Ho Kari
Veer Jhanjran Ton
Utte Vi Aa Duniya Badi

Ho Naagni De Bande Ne
Dealer Kude Ni
Kudi Yaaveya Ne
Chemical Paye Ne

Loki Taan Mangaunde
Afghan Ton Afeem
Assi Boote California Laye Ne

Ho Loki Taan Mangaunde
Afghan Ton Afeem
Assi Boote Vancouver Ch Laye Ne"

"They Bring Down Glass Panes,
Laughing And Asking,
'What’s In The Swag?'

From One Label To Another,
Oh Beautiful In Blue,
When You Come To Drink,
You Drink Like Water.

Farming Forty Acres,
Half The Distillery Is Given,
Boys, My Dear,
Belong To Punjab.

People Keep Asking,
From Afghanistan To Opium,
We’ve Brought Seeds To California.

Oh, People Keep Asking,
From Afghanistan To Opium,
We’ve Planted Roots In Vancouver.

Gur Sidhu Music!

Seeds For Growing On The Farm,
No Need For Copies,
Connecting Yuba With Sydney,
A Canal Is Dug.

How Should I Call And Tell You,
That I’ve Picked Your Pic?
On My Fingernail,
The Black Stuff Looks Good.

Horses And Mules Have Come,
First In The Tub, Then In The Pond,
They’re Holding The Reins In Their Hands.

People Keep Asking,
From Afghanistan To Opium,
We’ve Brought Seeds To California.

Oh, People Keep Asking,
From Afghanistan To Opium,
We’ve Planted Roots In Vancouver.

Gur Sidhu Music!

A Six-Foot Tall Jatt,
Won’t Give Anyone A F*Ck,
Keeping An Eye On The Top Shelf,
They Won’t Blink.

The Circle Is Small,
The Work Is Big,
With A Third Party,
You Won’t Find A Match.

American Dollars,
We Know How To Earn,
Spending Freely,
Honey, We’re Going To Dubai.

Leaving The Business Behind,
Baby, We’re Going Somewhere,
Every New Year,
We Get A New Car.

We Got A Book Hummer,
Which Causes Havoc Wherever It Goes,
We’re Loading Money Onto Trucks.

People Keep Asking,
From Afghanistan To Opium,
We’ve Brought Seeds To California.

Oh, People Keep Asking,
From Afghanistan To Opium,
We’ve Planted Roots In Vancouver.

From Mullanpur To Dhaka,
Oh Dear, From Door To Door,
We Eat With Friends,
The Wait Is Long.

One Thing Over And Over,
You Know It’s True,
Brother, From The Jingling Anklets,
The Whole World Knows.

They’re The Men Of The Naagni,
They’re The Dealers,
The Girls Are Into It,
They’re Into Chemicals.

People Keep Asking,
From Afghanistan To Opium,
We’ve Brought Seeds To California.

Oh, People Keep Asking,
From Afghanistan To Opium,
We’ve Planted Roots In Vancouver."

The Cheers

The Cheers were a vocal group popyular in the mid-1950s. This hit 1955 single was written by the famous songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It's a teenage tragedy song that might be the first of the genre. A bunch of similar songs were written in the years following. The filthy biker in the song hits a diesel that was California bound while riding on Highway 101, and apparently then turns into a naked ghost biker. (Maybe he was even one on fire like the fiery biker in the Nicholas Cage movie.) I'm assuming the accident happened on the 101 in Oregon, but maybe it was in California.

"He wore black denim trousers and motorcycle boots
And a black leather jacket with an eagle on the back
He had a hopped-up 'cycle that took off like a gun
That fool was the terror of Highway 101

Well, he never washed his face and he never combed his hair
He had axle grease embedded underneath his fingernails
On the muscle of his arm was a red tattoo
A picture of a heart saying "Mother, I love you"

He had a pretty girlfriend by the name of Mary Lou
But he treated her just like he treated all the rest
And everybody pitied her 'cause everybody knew
He loved that doggone motorcycle best

He wore black denim trousers and motorcycle boots
And a black leather jacket with an eagle on the back
He had a hopped-up 'cycle that took off like a gun
That fool was the terror of Highway 101

Mary Lou, poor girl, she pleaded and she begged him not to leave
She said "I've got a feeling if you ride tonight I'll grieve"
But her tears were shed in vain and her every word was lost
In the rumble of his engine and the smoke from his exhaust

Then he took off like the Devil and there was fire in his eyes
He said "I'll go a thousand miles before the sun can rise"
But he hit a screamin' diesel that was California-bound
And when they cleared the wreckage, all they found

Was his black denim trousers and motorcycle boots
And a black leather jacket with an eagle on the back
But they couldn't find the 'cycle that took off like a gun
And they never found the terror of Highway 101."

The Cheetah Girls

Christmas in California

The Cheetah Girls are an American girl group that was formed for the 2003 Disney TV movie "The Cheetah Girls," based on a series of books, about four teen girls in Manhattan who are in a girl group. There are three Cheetah Girls movies, a few albums and some video games and probably lots of other marketing products, but I had never even heard of them until I discovered this song 14 years later. (Probably because I was never a tween girl.) This song is not from the movie soundtrack, it's from their 2005 album "Cheetah-licious Christmas." The title should have been "Christmas in Southern California" because you won't be getting a tan in Nor Cal in late December or catching any waves (at least not without a wet suit.)

"They got the snow
But we got the beach now
They're getting cold
We're getting pool side seats now

Yeah, we're surfin' through the holidays
bustin' out some candy canes
Hot in the sun

Yeah we're rollerskatin' everyday
Santa Claus is catching waves
Having some fun

(You know I'm talkin' 'bout)
Christmas time in California
All this fun here waiting for ya

They got the sleigh rides and sleigh bells too (Come on girls)
But we got convertables, at Christmas we cruise
We never made a snow man
But we're working on our sun tan

(Everyone knows)
That we can have a holiday
Celebrate it our way
(Come on lets go)

(You know I'm talkin' 'bout)
Christmas time in California
All this fun here waiting for ya

California is the place that you wnana be
Santa even likes our weather better out on Christmas Eve...."

Chris Cheney

Chris Cheney is from Australia, active in a number of bands since 1992, the most well-known being the rockabilly band The Living End which formed in 1994. But this is his debut solo single released in March 2022 from his forthcoming album "The Storm Before The Calm." Wickipedia says he relocated to Los Angeles in 2011, so maybe that's what inspired the song.

"Slow day, streets on fire
Hey friend, it's been a long while
Back down to the pier last summer
Turn around, go back to California again

She'll still be waitin' there for you
California
When all the people have returned
I guess you have to take her word
She'll never turn her back on you
Dead in the water
And now I wish that I had stayed
The stars are never gonna fade
How could I ever face myself again
If I let you down

Firefly trapped in a jar in
Tennessee
Avoid the long distance
Break down
Jump to California
Fault line
Hey you're just in time for the rain

She'll still be waitin' there for you
California
When all the people have returned
I guess you have to take her word
She'll never turn her back on you
Dead in the water
And all the wishes that you made
The stars are never gonna fade
How could I ever face myself again
If I let you down

She'll be waitin' there
California
When all the people have returned
I guess you have to take her word
California
Like a long lost forgotten road
Wake up now we're goin' home

Dream baby dream
Dream baby dream
California
Dream baby dream"

Cher

L.A. Plane

Cher is a singer, actress, TV personality, and style icon from southern California, active since 1963. This song about going home to California is from her album "Cherished" released in 1977.

"Seven thousand miles to Paris
Nine hundred miles to Rome
And I'm goin' every mile to find
My piece of mind at home

This infatuation is driving me insane
Make my reservation
On the next L.A. bound plane

Get me high, get me sane
Get me aboard that L.A. plane
I'm tired of this pouring rain
I'm tired of just passin' through

Get me safe, get me warm
Get me a southern California morning
Where I was born, boy I'm coming
I'm coming home to you

He looked so fine in Europe
On all the posters and brochures
I thought they promised something more
Than what was mine and yours

Well I was lookin' for excitement
On every boat and train
But all I saw were unfamiliar
Faces in the rain

Get me high, get me sane
Get me aboard that L.A. plane
I'm tired of this pouring rain
I'm tired of just passing through

Get me safe, get me warm
Get me a southern California morning
Where I was born, babe I'm coming
I'm coming home to you

And now nothing looks better in my mind
Than your warm and loving face
And all these miles have taught me
That your love can't be replaced

Get me high, get me sane
Get me aboard that L.A. plane
I'm tired of this pouring rain
I'm tired of just passing through

Get me safe, get me warm
Get me a southern California morning
Where I was born, babe I'm coming
I'm coming home to you"

Cherry Ghost

Cherry Ghost is an indie rock band from Bolton, England. This song is from the album "Herd Runners" released in 2014. I had to look it up, but apparently there are lots of orange trees in Sacramento.

"Sacramento's half the city since you took that job two states away
I count the days as I wait these tables trying to save the funds to come and stay
And the smiles on the outside couldn't be further from the truth if I tried
It's a fight just to survive, working two jobs to keep the meter alive

Old Mr. Linden passed on his warmest regards from the window seat
Since his good wife took leave of this life he ain't half the man he use to be
And the smiles on the outside, couldn't be further from the truth if he tried
And the stars up the skies may as well burn out if you ain't by my side

Oh Marianne, Marianne wait for me
One day I will be your king and you will be my queen

Remember Joe, well they let him go down at the saw mill on the edge of town
They say that pride can cost a man his life, well Joe's taken to drinking now
And the smiles on the outside couldn't be further from the truth if they tried
It's a fight just to survive, working two jobs to keep the meter alive

Oh Marianne, Marianne wait for me
One day I will be your king and you will be my queen

The orange groves that line these roads ain't gonna offer me no sympathy
The kids have grown and they miss you so, while you've been out there making history
And the smiles on the outside couldn't be further from the truth if we tried
It's a fight just to survive, working two jobs to keep the meter alive

Oh Marianne, Marianne wait for me
One day I will be your king and you will be my queen"

Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney is a country music artist from Tennessee, active since 1988. They don't get much bigger than Chesney in any genre, and he has 30 million album sales and almost as many awards to prove it. This song is from his 1999 album "Everywhere We Go." It's about a woman who thinks that going to sunny California will solve all her problems. Maybe it will. Probably it won't.

"She lived at the end of a little dirt road
In a house where secrets go untold
Barefoot in a cotton dress
Dark hair in a tangled mess
And a head full of crazy dreams
She said

I'm goin' to California
A place where the sun always shines
I'm goin' to California
And I'm leavin' everything behind

You can't help but feel a little bit touched
When your daddy loves you a little too much
You can wish on four leaf clovers
But all the fields have been plowed over
And there's nothin' left to do but fly away
She said

I'm goin' to California
A place where the sun always shines
I'm goin' to California
And I'm leavin' everything behind

Stars burn like candles on that two-lane highway
She made her wish, and disappeared on her 18th birthday
And she said

I'm goin' to California
A place where the sun always shines
I'm goin' to California
And I'm leavin' everything behind

I'm goin' to California
And I'm leavin' everything behind

Oh California
I'm goin' to California
Oh California
Leavin' it all behind
California"

Kenny Chesney

El Cerrito Place

This is a cover of a song written by Keith Gattis and originally recorded by Charlie Robison from Country megastar Kenny Chesney's 2012 album "Welcome to the Fishbowl." El Cerrito Place supposedly refers to some apartments in Hollywood. The song also name checks Pioneertown in the Mojave Desert.

"I been hangin' round this place, I been lookin' through your space
I been waitin' for you, I've been waitin' for you
All the places that you go, all the people that you know
I've been lookin' for you, I've been lookin' for you

And all these pretty people up on El Cerrito Place
They all got somethin' in their pockets, all got somethin' on their face
They roll down to La Brea where it meets the boulevard
Singin' hallelujah while they dance over the stars
They all say they're goin' far

Me I've been lookin' for you baby, I've been lookin' for you baby
I've been lookin' for you baby, I've been lookin' for you baby
All night long, all night long, all night long

Someone said they might have seen you where the ocean meets the land
So I've been out here all night lookin' for your footprints in the sand
Did you hear the ocean singing, baby did you sing along
While you danced out in the water to some ol' forgotten song,
Were you even here at all?

Me I've been lookin' for you baby, I've been lookin' for you baby
I've been lookin' for you baby, I've been lookin' for you baby
All night long, all night long, all night long

Somehow I wound up in the desert just after daylight
Where the Joshua Trees grow that little place you always liked
These Pioneertown people ain't got too much to say
And if you ever were here baby they ain't givin' you away

Now it's been two days
I'm still lookin' for you baby, I've been lookin' for you baby
I've been lookin' for you baby, I've been lookin' for you baby
All night long, all night long, all night long

And all these pretty people up on El Cerrito Place
They all got somethin' in their pockets, all got somethin' on their face

Someone said they might have seen you where the ocean meets the land
So I've been out here all night lookin' for your footprints in the sand

Think I'll go back to the city, back to El Cerrito Place
That's the last time that I saw that pretty smile upon your face
I've been lookin' for you baby"

Kenny Chesney

Get Along

Kenny Chesney spends half his time playing stadiums in front of hundreds of thousands of shoeless fans, half his time counting big piles of money and country music awards, and the other half of his time kicking back on a beach in a tank top with Jimmy Buffett. I'm sure of that. The singer of this inspirational 2018 country song wonders if a woman he saw on a highway billboard advertising some kind of sex phone line got stranded there on her way to L.A. where she hoped to achieve a higher level of success in the entertainment industry. I wonder - are there still phone sex lines? Maybe that billboard has been there since the 90s.

"Met a man wearin' a t-shirt, says "Virginia is for lovers"
Had a Bible in his left hand and a bottle in the other
He said "all you're really given is the sunshine and your name"
We both started laughin' when the sky started to rain

Get along, on down the road
We've got a long long way to go
Scared to live, scared to die
We ain't perfect but we try

Get along while we can
Always give love the upper hand
Paint a wall, learn to dance
Call your mom, buy a boat
Drink a beer, sing a song
Make a friend, can't we all get along

Saw a model on a billboard, 1-800 get to know me
Wondered was she photoshopped, or were her eyes really that lonely?
Did she leave her hometown thinkin' she'd end up in L.A.?
Did she break down in the desert and get stuck beside the highway?

Get along, on down the road
We've got a long long way to go
Scared to live, scared to die
We ain't perfect but we try

Get along while we can
Always give love the upper hand
Paint a wall, learn to dance
Call your mom, buy a boat
Drink a beer, sing a song
Make a friend, can't we all get along...."

Kenny Chesney

Live Those Songs

This is from Chesney's album "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" released in 2002.

"Saw him sitting on a sidewalk in Fresno
Braided hair and a tie-dyed T-shirt on
Talking to himself about Vietnam
About the tour he did and the deal he got
He said, 'This world ain't the same if you ask me
If I could be somewhere else, I'll tell you where I'd be'

'I'd be rolling on the river with Credence
Stealing kisses from Peggy Sue
I'd be knee deep in sand on a Panama beach in the spring of '72
I'd be wasting away on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll in
He said, 'What I wouldn't give just to live those songs again'

Saw him working the counter at Walgreen's
With a new haircut and a bachelor's degree
Talking to himself about his raw deal
Cussing Uncle Sam and the G.I. bill
He said, 'This world ain't the same if you ask me
If I could be somewhere else, I'll tell you where I'd be'

'I'd be rolling on the river with Credence
Stealing kisses from Peggy Sue
I'd be knee deep in sand on a Panama beach in the spring of '72
I'd be wasting away on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll in
He said, 'What I wouldn't give just to live those songs again'...."

Chicago

Describing themselves as a rock and roll band with horns, Chicago (originally called Chicago Transit Authority) formed in Chicago in 1967 then went on to record a steady stream of hits into the 80s, becoming one of the best selling groups of all time. This is from the album "Chicago VI" released in 1973.

"People running everywhere
Got no place to go
Got no time to look around to find out where they are
Where they are
Where they are

People having such a race
Don't know where it ends
Got beat the other man, not getting anywhere
Anywhere
Anywhere

Hollywood
Crazy neighborhood
Never understood why I stay
Hollywood
Lovely lady hood
Make you feel good
Every day

Feeling the night's flash by
Under the glowing eyes
Of the sweet butterflies

Watch
What you say
When you say it
Someone you know
Will betray it
Will betray it

Hollywood
Oh, crazy neighborhood
Never understood why I stay
Heard it through the grapevine
Heard it through the grapevine
Heard it through the grapevine"

Chicago

South California Purples

This is from the band's debut album "Chicago Transit Authority" released in 1969. On a cloudy day, the singer wonders where 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. (Maybe he should try looking in "Southern California," since there's no place called "South California.")

"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."

Chicano Batman

La Jura

Chicano Batman is a band formed in Los Angeles in 2008. This psychedelic rock song is from their album "Freedom is Free" released in 2017. "La Jura" is Spanish slang for the police. There are no lyrics in the song that specifically mention California, and unfortunately the tale it tells of police brutality could happen almost anywhere, but since the band is from Los Angeles and it was recommended, here it is.

"La otra noche fue
Una noche muy terrible
Balaciaron un amigo mío

En la calle cerca de aquí
Lo dejaron abandonado
Un objeto sin vida junto a la esquina

Yo no entiendo por qué
Los que deben proteger
Hacen lo opuesto
Matan inocentes

Los que deben proteger
Hacen lo opuesto
Matan inocentes

Y ahora mi amigo no vive más
La jura llegó, lo mató y se acabó
¿Qué culpa tenía si el solo fue
Un niño feliz?, ay Dios ya no respirará jamás

Yo no entiendo por qué
Los que deben proteger
Hacen lo opuesto
Matan inocentes

Los que deben proteger
Hacen lo opuesto
Matan inocentes

Yo no entiendo por qué
Los que deben proteger
Hacen lo opuesto
Matan inocentes

Los que deben proteger
Hacen lo opuesto
Matan inocentes"

"The other night was
A very terrible night
They shot a friend of mine

On the street near here
They left him abandoned
A lifeless object by the corner

I do not understand why
Those who must protect
They do the opposite
They kill innocents

Those who must protect
They do the opposite
They kill innocents

And now my friend doesn't live anymore
The oath arrived, killed him and it was over
What was his fault if he just went
A happy child?, oh God, he will never breathe anymore

I do not understand why
Those who must protect
They do the opposite
They kill innocents

Those who must protect
They do the opposite
They kill innocents

I do not understand why
Those who must protect
They do the opposite
They kill innocents

Those who must protect
They do the opposite
They kill innocents"

The Chicks

Gaslighter

The Chicks are a country group formed in Texas composed of three women that was formerly named The Dixie Chicks. The biggest-selling country group in the U.S.A, the group was blacklisted and boycotted in 2003 for criticizing President George Bush for his plans to start a war in Iraq. Their best-selling 2006 album "Taking the Long Way" won the highest Grammy Awards - Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. After that the band mostly took a long hiatus until 2020 when they released this song, the first single from their first new album in 14 years "Gaslighter" Then they changed their name to avoid the connotations that the name "Dixie" has with slavery.

"Gaslighter
Denier
Doing anything to get your ass farther
Gaslighter
Big timer
Repeating all of the mistakes of your father

We moved to California and we followed your dreams
I believed in the promises you made to me
Swore that night til death do us part
But you lie lie lie lie lied

Hollywood welcomed you with open doors
No matter what they gave you, you still wanted more
Acting all above it when our friends divorced
What a lie lie lie lie lie

You're such a
Gaslighter
Denier
Doing anything to get your ass farther
Gaslighter
Big timer
Repeating all of the mistakes of your father
Gaslighter
You broke me
You're sorry but where's my apology
Gaslighter
You liar

You thought I wouldn't see it if you put it in my face
Give you all my money you'll gladly walk away
You think it's justifiable I think it's pretty cruel
And you know you lie best when you lie to you
Cause boy you know exactly what you did on my boat
And boy that's exactly why you ain't comin' home
Save your tired stories for your new someone else
Cause they're lie lie lie lie lies
Look out you little

Gaslighter
Denier...."

The Chicks

Texas Man

This is another song from their album "Gaslighter" released in 2020.

"I could use a Texas man
But one who can feel at home
Yeah, here in the California sand
Who holds me like he'll never let go
It's been way too long

Since somebody's body was tangled with mine
Yeah, tangled up with mine

Everybody wants top market
But I'm a little bit unraveled
Everybody wants the new model
But I'm a little bit more traveled
If you got the strength I do
Then sign me up
If I'm not too much for you
Then sign me up, sign me up
I'm a little bit unraveled, but I'm ready
Uh-huh, uh-huh
And I'm ready
Uh-huh, uh-huh

Yeah, I could use a Texas man
Who's not afraid to take his time
He's gotta have patient hands
'Cause the way to my heart is through my mind
Been way too long since somebody's body kept me up all night
Yeah, that good kinda keepin' me up all night...."

Childish Gambino

Telegraph Ave. ("Oakland by Lloyd")

Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover is an award-winning musician, comedian, actor, producer, writer, director etc. who was raised in Atlanta, active since 2005. This song was released in 2016, back when people could still upload their six-second-long video clips on the now-defunct social media site Vine.

"She want to move to California
She must've fu**king lost her mind
She want to move to California
That's how they get you every time

She make a movie with her friends
Put it up in a minute
Everybody say it now
Ain't no loop at the minute
Everybody saying
'How, how you do it, you did it?'
I'ma show you what it done
But enough for a finish
Pay attention, you listen
You keep losing your mind
How you want to loop this s**t
But looking like a Vine?

But they no pay for no privilege
Now she broke in Koreatown
In the condo you rented
Better get your percentage

In California, oh
She must've fu**king lost her mind, yeah

He want to move to California
He want to hang with DC Fly

All the people all around and the follower people
I go watching a 'haha' make a girlfriend giggle
Make her feel so official, make it Serena Vista
Supernova, new residual, making money a little
Make the smoker illegal
Make the living illegal
Make the laughing illegal
Make it snap for a people
When you make a movie now
Know you making no difference
It's a tickle on the mind
'Fore me finish your sentence

So go pimp a like on Vine
But don't pay for the privilege
Now you broke in Koreatown
In the condo you rented
Better get your percentage
Oh, you broke in Koreatown
In that condo you rented
Better get your percentage

In California
She must've fu**king lost her mind, yeah
I want to move to California
I want to hang with DC Fly"

Childish Gambino (featuring Jorja Smith & Amaarae)

In the Night

Jorja Smith is a singer-songwriter from England active since 2016, and Amaarae is a singer-songwriter raised between Atlanta, Georgia and Accra, Ghana, active since 2010. This song is from Donals Glover's fifth studio album and the soundtrack to the upcoming film of the same name "Bando Stone & The New World" released in 2024.
The California mention is trivial (as most of them are) but I like the implication that good looking women belong in California and not in backwoods Georgia. (Wait a minute, what about Daisy Duke?)

"....I'm just a country boy from Georgia
Your body's made for California, my love
Your man does nothin' but adore ya
But I wonder, what would he say?
You look so good, I can't afford ya
He kissed your lips, it looked like torture for you
Just 'cause you're sweet don't make you loyal
And I wonder, what would he say?

If in the night, I dream of you
Doesn't matter what I do
In the night, I dream of you
Every night, I dream of you

I had to sneak around
'Cause he could never know that
I never wanted happiness
I just wanna be with you
I know you'd drag me down
But you know I know that
You need me too
In the night...."

Childish Gambino

This song is from his album "Because The Internet" released in 2013.

""Power 106!
L.A., it's ya girl, Yesi Ortiz
Got some brand-new music
I need y'all to turn it up and let me know what you think
It's Lloyd, called "Oakland", on Power 106

I was making Japanese and she's watching DVDs
In Oakland, in Oakland
Now I'm driving up the 5 and she waits 'til I arrive
In Oakland, in Oakland
Everything that I wanted
Only gotta drive for the moment
If you tell me, "Turn around," then I'm on it
For the moment, but you know me
You know how I get when I'm lonely
And I think about you and the moments
But everything you do is so Oakland, so Oakland

Foot on the gas, I'm just trying to pass
All the red lights and the stop signs
I'm ready to go
Before I get to The Bay, babe, that's a problem
Because I'm way too scared to call
And you might get me to stay, and oh

I don't really mind the drive
But I think I'd rather die in Oakland, in Oakland
With my hands on two and ten
So I guess it all depends on Oakland, on Oakland
And I'm nervous, truth be told
I never saw me growing old in Oakland, in Oakland
And if I married you tonight
It would probably start a riot in Oakland, in Oakland

Everything, that I needed
Now that I got you in your feelings
Everything you won't say, you tweet it
And a n***a don’t like that s**t at all
So treated
Can we just roll with the feeling?
Can we just roll for a minute?
Wait a minute

Foot on the gas, I'm just trying to pass
All the red lights and the stop signs
I'm ready to go
But I'm really not ready, girl, that's a problem
'Cause I'm way too scared to fall
And I know you choose to stay, and oh

All the girlfriends saying, "Here we go again"
Rich kid, but he act like a gentleman
Last one didn't end like it should've been
Two dates and he still wanna get it in
And they're saying it's because of the Internet
Try her once and it's on to the next chick
X-O the O face on your exes, right?
And we can do the same thing if you wanna have at it
When your thoughts can't breathe and you thinking asthmatic
And you wanna be a mom and I wasn't mad at it
I was thinking 'bout me, I'd be really bad at it
'Cause I'm thinking 'bout me, weeks in Dubai
Fourth of July, house in Kauai, yeah, we can try
So let's try

Whoa
I took off my nine-to-five
But you still don't have the time to kiss me, just hit me
And if I left you all alone, would you still pick up the phone?
It's iffy, you miss me
I got furniture to move
And we'll both be thirty soon in Oakland, in Oakland
The only one I know is you
So the f**k I'm supposed to do in Oakland? In Oakland
In Oakland, in Oakland
In Oakland, in Oakland
In Oakland, in Oakland
In Oakland, in Oakland
In Oakland, in Oakland""

Chili-Bo

Chili-Bo is a rapper, producer, writer, and DJ, active since 1986, and one of the pioneer rappers of underground Bay Area West Coast hip-hop. He's also the CEO of West-Oakland based Drink-A-Lot Records. This single was released in 2022.

"I grew up in a place called California
It's the Golden State where them boys be on ya
Sunny blue skies big houses and palm trees
6- 4 Impalas candy paint sittin' on three
Eses and cholos, vatos and locos
Black and brown pride 'cause we all the same bruh
California livin' is a serious task
If you ain't got nuts then you ass don't last
'Cause everybody's tough and everybody's packin'
And triple OGs like myself they be stackin'
Thinkin' of a master plan, cookin' some fish
I'm a black male livin' in a world full of s**t
I talk like I talk 'cause I'm from California
Even walk a certain way 'cause I'm from California
I love the six trey 'cause I'm from California
Even know how to grow 'cause I'm from California

Welcome to the place called the Golden State
(I'm from California)
Welcome to the place called the Golden State
(California)
Welcome to the place called the Golden State
(I'm from California)
Welcome to the place called the Golden State
(California)

We got crips and bloods pimps playas and macks
Politicians tellin' lies, ya we got all of that
We got black revolutionaries takin' no s**t
California is the place where you can't be not b**ch
Because n***as out here is known for fakin'
Takin' all your traps tryin' to steal what you makin'
So when you come to Cali keep your head to the sky
And when they say what's that you from homie say good-bye
'Cause livin' life in Cali is a serious task
Five ni**as on a corner got a question don't ask
'Cause that's the way it is if you wanna survive
And it's a real cool place if you wanna get high
And if you wanna make a dollar out of fifteen cent
You better take your ass back where you come from b**ch
'Cause livin' like in Cali is a serious task
And if your car's short-stoppin' we'll blast your ass

Welcome to the place called the Golden State
(I'm from California)
Welcome to the place called the Golden State
(California)
Welcome to the place called the Golden State
(I'm from California)
Welcome to the place called the Golden State
(California)"

Chilliwack

Chilliwck is a rock band formed in Vancouver, B.C., Canada in 1970. This song is from their sixth studio album "Dreams, Dreams, Dreams" released in 1977.

"California
California
Well I know you now
Understand you now
And I love you more each day

California Girl
California Girl
You're the best thing that I've seen in awhile
California Girl
California Girl
There must be something magic in your smile

Now when I came to this California town
I came here to make the big time
And I tried so hard but got no reward
And it seemed like I was wasting my time

I was kicking around this lonesome town
Trying to pick myself up instead of going down
But something sure changed when I met you
California now is lookin' bright and blue

California Girl
California Girl
Well it seemed like I was wasting my time
But now I know you girl
And I love you girl
And it seems like California's all mine

I've been knocking on doors trying to sell my songs
I've been getting refused everywhere I've gone
But something sure changed when I met you
California now is looking bright and blue

California Girl
California Girl
Well I don't know how to say what's on my mind
And now I know you girl
And I love you girl
And it feels like California's all mine
Well it feels like California is all mine

California
California Girl
California
California Girl"

Chilly

Come to L.A.

Chilly was a German disco group from 1978-1983. This is one of their hits, from their 1979 album "Come to L.A." Disco does not get any cheesier than this.

"In L.A. there's beautiful ladies
Hey L.A., you beautiful town

A town full of musical people
Where true stars are always found
Come, come, come
Come, come, come, come to L.A.
Come, come, come
Come, come, come, come to L.A.

Down on the boulevard, man, it's hot
And disco lights are flashing fancy colors

Hell's Angels, movie stars and limousines
L.A.'s got just what you want
L.A.'s got just what you want
L.A.'s got just what you want
... ... ...
Glittery tights, satin ballet shoes
A fashion that's catching every man by the eye
Temperature rise when they see me walk by
Asking where I live and is it far?

Come, come, come
Come, come, come, come to L.A.
Come, come, come
Come, come, come, come to L.A.
Come, come, come
Come, come, come, come to L.A.
Come, come, come
Come, come, come, come to L.A....."

Chokebore

Ciao L.A.

Chokebore is an indie rock band from Hawaii and then Los Angeles, active on and off since 1993. This song is from the album "It's a Miracle" released in 2002. The singer's reason for saying goodbye to L.A. is a good one. Who hasn't worried they might die of old age in their car when stuck in an epic L.A. traffic jam?

"I'm not here I'm looking out into the distance
And I'm not here I'm looking back against the tour of black black oh
black black oh

Oh you can't make me stay, I am not like you are
I won't stay in L.A. and die inside my car

You're cut out from my memory
I thought that we'd never be
But we're surrounded

Oh you can't make me stay, I am not like you are
I won't stay in L.A. and die inside my car

Oh you can't make me stay, I am not like you are
I won't stay in L.A. and die inside my car

But I'm not here I'm looking out into the distance
And I'm not here I'm looking back against the tour of "black black" oh
black black oh
black black oh
black black oh"

Chris & Herb

Bakersfield Bound

Chris & Herb are Chris Hillman, who was a founding member of the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers and other bands, and Herb Pederson, a studio musician for many years and a producer. This is a country song in the Bakersfield Country style from their album with the same name released in 1996.

"I was the youngest boy in a family of four
We lived in Oklahoma, the wind whistled through our door
We scratched out a living in the dirt and the clay
I never will forget it until my dying day

The dust storms they came at us, the sky turned cold and black
We packed up our belongings and never looked back
We rode out west toward the sun just a heartbeat away
I never will forget it until my dying day

We were Bakersfield bound and the California dream
Down the road lay the promised land, our fields would all turn green
We were Bakersfield bound like so many gone before
Just to cross our river Jordan and reach the other shore

When we first set eyes on the San Joaquin was like a friend we always knew
The gates swung open so far and wide even God could drive through
We worked the crops from dawn to dusk, shared along the way
I never will forget it until my dying day

We were Bakersfield bound and the California dream
Down the road lay the promised land, our fields would all turn green
We were Bakersfield bound like so many gone before
Crossed our river Jordan and reached the other shore
Crossed our river Jordan and reached the other shore"

The Chris Massey Band

California Country

The Chris Massey Band is from Atlanta. This song was released in 2019.

"The sun is sinking slow in the desert sky
Another day has come and gone by
Here I sit without you, drinking my wine
California country in the summer time

I can hear the freeway outside my door
A voice inside me says you couldn't take no more
I pack up and leave where would I go?
This California country is all I know

There's no reason to the wise
All the notes you left I read only say goodbye
Now this California sunshine hurts my eyes
While in NYC tonight all is fine

The June gloom has set in
Now nothin's right
Still I see you hangin' 'round in my mind
A heartache's where I know you ought to be
Here with me in the California country
Here with me in the California country"

Christie

San Bernadino

Christie is a soft rock band formed in England in 1965. This pop song is a single released in 1970. According to Wickipedia: "After the song became a hit, the band members admitted that they had never visited the city of San Bernardino, California." That might explain why they misspell the name of the city, spelling it how everybody says it.

"I've been all around this great big world
To Paris and to Rome
And I've never found a place that I
Could really call my own
But there's one place where I know
The sun is shining endlessly
And it's calling me across the sea
So I must get back to San Bernadino

I remember when I was sixteen
My daddy said to me
'You could travel round this universe
Until eternity
But you'll never find that peace of mind
That you've been dreamin' of
Not until you finally decide
To come on home to San Bernadino'

Oh, I'm longin' for
San Bernadino
Oh, I'm longin' for
San Bernadino

I've been all along the water
Right up to the Rio Grande
And I've never found that paradise
They call the promised land
I was young and foolishly
I thought the world was at my feet
But I'm no different now and so*
I'm homeward bound for San Bernadino

Well I'm older and I'm wiser
And I've seen the light of day
And I think it's time to realise
My dreams have gone astray
But I tried so hard to reach that star
That was so far away
So now I gotta find that road
That's leading home to San Bernadino

Oh, I'm longin' for
San Bernadino
Oh, I'm longin' for
San Bernadino"

Christopher

I can't find out anything about this singer because he doesn't use a last name. There is a Danish singer now who also goes by "Christopher" which makes it even harder. All I know is that the song is from a single released in 1970 and that Christopher is credited as one of the songwriters. It's a soft rock song that starts with a sitar, brings in some horns, and ends with the sounds of the Santa Ana winds. What could be better than that? And even stranger - in this song the winds are not the "devil winds" that make people crazy and fan wildfires, they are good winds that clear the cloudy skies and blow his girl back to him.

"Does she know that I still love her?
Does she know that I still care?
And Does she feel the way that I feel?
And is she watchin' to the northwest air for

Santa Ana winds
Clearin' up my cloudy skies
Santa Ana winds
Blow my love back to my arms again

On the horizon I can see her
I close my eyes but she's still there
And as I open up my window
I smell the dust and feel the desert air

Santa Ana winds
Clearin' up my cloudy skies
Santa Ana winds
Blow my love back to my arms again

Yes it's true I left her
But yes I'm also lonely
And now I know that only
She can free me

Santa Ana winds
Clearin' up my cloudy skies
Santa Ana winds
Blow my love back to my arms again
Santa Ana winds
Clearin' up my cloudy skies
Santa Ana winds ...."

CHUNG HA

California Dream

Kim Chung-ha (Chungha or CHUNG HA) is a pop singer-dancer from South Korea who also lived in Texas for eight years so she is also fluent in English. This song is from her second album "Bare & Rare" released in 2022. Half of the lyrics are Korean and half in English but I don't know how to post the Korean characters so I have put an English translation of the Korean lyrics in italics. You can also find the Korean characters online and the Romanized lyrics, too, because K-pop fans are very diligent!

"After looking back at the end of my daily life
I found myself tired once again, broken
Do you want to take it off and leave? Hmm-hmm
Will swim in mixed emotions to the fullest, ocean
Draw it in your dreams every night
Following that romantic ray of light
Dance together on the shiny-shimmering street

Come on, California girls,
Excitingly on the beach
On the West Coast, baby, let's go, let's go
Give me that Hollywood heat
My California dream
(Ooh-ooh, ooh)
My California dream
(Ooh-ooh, ooh)
That's where I wanna be
(Ooh-ooh, ooh)
My California dream
On the West Coast, baby, let's go, let's go

Under the pouring sunlight
Burn your worries with lime and tequila
I'm drunk on the atmosphere, you're mine
You don't have to know the name, just call me señorita
I'm getting colored under the languid sunset
Meet me who have a different color
My heart flutters when I walk softly and gently

Come on, California girls,
Excitingly on the beach
On the West Coast, baby, let's go, let's go
Give me that Hollywood heat
My California dream
(Ooh-ooh, ooh)
My California dream
(Ooh-ooh, ooh)
That's where I wanna be
(Ooh-ooh, ooh)
My California dream
On the West Coast, baby, let's go, let's go

In the night sky, galaxy, forever be beautiful
Let's be together, party, oh-oh, oh-oh
In this sparkling moment, run away like a dream
It shines in an instant, oh-oh, oh-oh
Draw it in your dreams every night
Following that romantic ray of light

Come on, California girls,
Excitingly on the beach
On the West Coast, baby, let's go, let's go
Give me that Hollywood heat
My California dream
(Ooh-ooh, ooh)
My California dream
(Ooh-ooh, ooh)
That's where I wanna be
(Ooh-ooh, ooh)
My California dream
On the West Coast, baby, let's go, let's go"

Eric Church

Heart of the Night

Eric Church is a country/rock music singer-songwriter from North Carolina, active since 2005. This is from his album "Heart & Soul" released in 2021. It's another song that mentions the Santa Ana winds, but this time they're compared to someone who can start his fire.

"Come on, let's go baby, don't even pack
This town feels like a cage and honey I'm not made like that
I can see the maybe in the jasmine of your eye
I'm a Roman candle baby do you have a light

Put lightning in this Thunderbird till the metal comes alive
The rhythm of the road will give these horses wings to fly
And my true north is anywhere I can leave it all behind
Let's point this thing west into the chest of the still beating heart of the night

I know the crazy in these words coming from my mouth
But I swear that's where I'm going girl if we don't leave right now
I'll be your wildfire you be my Santa Ana wind
Turn every town we never been to into somewhere that we've been

Yeah put lightning in this Thunderbird till the metal comes alive
The rhythm of the road will give these horses wings to fly
Yeah, my true north is anywhere I can leave it all behind
Let's point this thing west into the chest of the still beating heart of the night...."

CHVRCHES

Each Time You Fall in Love

CHVRCHES is an electropop band from Scotland active since 2011. It's pronounced "Churches" but it's more fun to pronounce the "V." This song is from their album "Screen Violence" released in 2021.

"Waste a month, waste a year
Waste the time you could've been here
Count the debt, count the tears
Count the truths and all of my fears
I didn't want to be cynical
Passing place for the soul
You were never predictable
Now I need to let it go

Found the song, played it back
Heard your voice under the feedback
Found a tape that was blank
Saw your face fading into black
I know love is delusional
And I hate when I'm wrong
Yours was never conditional
And now I need to get it gone

No one ever warns ya
You'll die in California
Falling in a dream, you let, let go
No one ever seems to say, say so
No one ever tells ya
There's freedom in the failure
Dying in a dream feels like home
No one ever seems to say, say so

Close my eyes, close my heart
Close the book I never meant to start
Say your name in the dark
No one said it would be this hard
I didn't go to the funeral
Heard you cry on the phone
Your voice was so beautiful
And now I need to let it go

No one ever warns ya
You'll die in California
Falling in a dream, you let, let go
No one ever seems to say, say so
No one ever tells ya
There's freedom in the failure
Dying in a dream feels like home
No one ever seems to say, say so

God bless this mess that we made ourselves
Pull me into the screen at the end and
God bless this mess that we made for ourselves
Pull me into the screen at the end

Pull me into the screen at the end
Pull me into the screen at the end
To the screen at the end"

Cielo

California Song

According to her Linked In page (which says nothing about her music) Cielo Lavergne is from Argentina and she is "...the CEO & Founder of FUTURA, a dynamic construction startup that is pushing the boundaries of what's possible in space exploration...." with the goal of developing communication infrastructure on the Moon. Maybe that's why this haunting melancholy song released in August, 2024 sounds like it was recorded out in deep space.

"Pictures of you
And the moon still shines
California songs
And the open road

I'm moving away
From the oldest town
I wanna grow like a Hollywood star

Even away I remember your voice
Even when you said
I'll never leave you alone

Years passing by
Walking on the open road
Took the last airplane
And left my old home

When the stars shine
Do your remember my voice?
I'll sing a little louder
So you don't forget at all

When you are apart
Do you remember our home?
I walked over the streets
It seems a long time ago

Is this all you ever wanted?
Is this all you ever wanted?
Is this all?
Is this all?
Is this all you ever wanted?

Is this all you ever wanted?
Is this all you ever wanted?
Is this all?
Is this all?
Is this all you ever wanted?

But even away
But even now
I remember your voice
Oh I remember it all

Time passed by
I'm leaving my town
Walking on the road
On the Hollywood sign

Is this all you ever wanted?
Is this all you ever wanted?
Is this all you ever wanted?
Is this all you ever wanted?
Is this all you ever wanted?
Is this all you ever wanted?
Is this all?
Is this all?
Is this all you ever wanted?"

Cigarettes After Sex

Cigarettes After Sex is a band from El Paso, Texas, known for their dream-like musical style and lead singer Greg Gonzalez' sensual androgenous voice. This song is from their self-titled album, released in 2017.
(Also recommened: Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby, 2012, and Falling in Love, 2019.)

"Each time you fall in love it’s clearly not enough
You sleep all day and drive out in L.A.
It isn’t safe

and each time you kiss a girl you never know what it’s worth
You say all of the words they wanna hear
It isn’t real

She took you for a ride in summer baby
Lost all your money to her
All I wanna know is if you love her how come you never give in

Each time you have a dream you never know what it means
You see that open road and never know which way to go

and each time you fall in love it’s clearly not enough
You sleep all day and drive out in L.A.
It isn’t safe…"

Circle Jerks

Beverly Hills

Circle Jerks were a hardcore punk band formed in 1979 in L.A. This is from the band's first studio album "Group Sex" released in 1980.

"Beverly Hills, Century City
Everything's so nice and pretty
All the people look the same
Don't they know they're so damn lame

There she goes
Three piece suit
Spandex pants
Cowboy boots

I don't know what I'm gonna do
I don't know what I'm gonna do
Maybe I'll have to move from

Beverly Hills, Century City
Everything's so nice and pretty
All the people look the same
Don't they know they're so damn lame

There she goes
Three piece suit
Spandex pants
Fiorucci too
Beverly Hills, Century City!"

City and Color

The Golden State

City and Color is the alias of Dallas Green, a singer-songwriter from Canada. His name makes more sense when you realize that Dallas is a "city" and Green is a "color." This simple acoustic song is from the album "The Hurry and the Harm" released in 2013. It's interesting how he asks "Haven't we've heard enough about the Golden State?" then he sings another song about California. If he couldn't resist, how can anyone? This list will never end...

"Why's everyone still singing about California?
Haven't we heard enough about the Golden State?
I guess if you like sandy beaches and blue ocean water
There's something about it, to which I cannot relate
I need to see the leaves change and the snowflakes falling
I need to hear the call, the wind whistling through the winter pines

Why's everyone still singing about California?
Haven't we heard enough about the Golden State?
And people still follow them dreams to sweet California
And from time to time I pass on by, but I will never stay

Sure there are beautiful people, in the city of lost angels
They're living like they're kings and queens, from some royal age
But fortune and fame won't save you, when California
Is wiped out by the ring of fire or a great earthquake

Why's everyone still singing about California?
Haven't we heard enough about the Golden State?
And people still follow them dreams to sweet California
And from time to time I'll pass on by, but I will never stay
No, I will never stay
Never stay
Never stay"

City of Vain

Song of the Republic

City of Vain is a band from Sacramento. This punk sports anthem is from their 2014 self-titled album. Republic FC is a professional soccer team in Sacramento founded in 2012. "Urbs Indomita" (the indominable city) is a nickname for Sacramento.

"From Poverty Ridge to Roosevelt Park
Republic supporters, they show their heart
On the make-shift pitch, under bright city lights
Republics' gonna take the victory tonight

It's the soul of our city behind this FC
From the neighborhood bar you can hear them shout
'Glory, Glory' from the Tower Bridge rings,
The pub goes wild, Republic breakout

Let's Go, Sacramento!

We're the Republic
We stand and sing together
A valley united, a city like no other
We're the Republic
Home or away
Urbs Indomita
We came to play!

Week after week we're after the cup
To bring a championship home, where it will stay
The rest of the league will remember our name
We're Republic from Sacramento, C-A!

Let's Go, Sacramento!

We're the Republic
We stand and sing together
A valley united, a city like no other
We're the Republic
Home or away
Urbs Indomita
We came to play!

We are Republic!
We are Republic!
We are Republic!
We are Republic!
We are Republic!
We are Republic!
We are Republic!
We are Republic!

Let's Go, Sacramento!

We're the Republic
We stand and sing together
A valley united, a city like no other
We're the Republic
Home or away
Urbs Indomita
We came to play!...."

CjayQ

Her Warmth

CjayQ is a musical artist from San Jose. This indie rock song was released in 2023.

"Painting all my walls
So I can feel alright
There I go again
Chasing after strife
Calling up my friends
Putting on disguise
Times of dread we face
Weighing on my mind
It’s you me and against the world babe
So let’s do this right
I know your so far away from home
I’ll get you on that flight
California from a pay phone
On the side of Highway 5
Paranoia and anxiety f**cking up my high

Give myself away
I feel the warmth
Crawling on my skin
Beneath the sun
Living up my days
Draining all your love
Nothing else I’d want
Your number one
Tougher times we faced
Betting on my luck
I know the feeling's strange
It always was

Thought I had a plan
I dreamt it all
Castle made of sand
It washed away dissolved
Find a way through mazes
In my mind the countless hallways
Feet runnin' on the pavement
I been runnin' through it all day

Give myself away
I feel the warmth
Crawling on my skin
Beneath the sun
Living up my days
Draining all your love
Nothing else I’d want
Your number one
Tougher times we faced
Betting on my luck
I know the feeling's strange
It always was"

CjayQ

Monterey Purple

This psychedelic track is from the album Sunburst, released in 2021.

"We should take some
Let’s float away
Can’t run away from
Anxieties
Baby you're safe from life when you ride with me
We could just stay home
And watch it all burn on TV

And these drugs gonna help you be you matter of fact
And this love don’t stop for nothin' baby that’s that
I'ma take this trip to moon I’ll be right back
I'ma buy some time yeah some time I could never buy back
Baby that’s that

We should take some
Let's float away
Can’t get away from society
Baby you're safe from life when you ride with me
We could just stay home
And watch it all burn on TV

Purple like the sky that I came from to say this
Just look around man this world's what you're made with
Take that around tell your friends
Don’t just say it
Tomorrow's not real but today is amazing

I said put this on your tongue
Let’s take a trip across the seas
Lucy said she knows the way so I said my girl that’s fine with me
I’m just talkin' to the walls I’m in they alive and start to breathe
I was talkin' to the sunflowers they told me life’s a dream
Said I’m just like them I'm from the dirt I started as a seed
I’m Just stuck in side the material world
And nothings as it seems
Let’s smoke this green and fade away
Lets leave this scene and make away
I know you’ve seen some days better days
Let’s take a trip to Monterey
Let’s smoke this green and fade away
Let's leave this scene and make away
I know you’ve seen some days better days
Let’s take a trip to Monterey

Purple like the sky that I came from to say this
Just look around man this world's what you're made with
Take that around tell your friends
Don’t just say it
Tomorrow's not real but today is amazing"

Clams

I don't know anything about this band except that this quirky indie rock song is from their album "Caution Wet Floor" released in 2021.

"Que pasa senora?
Could you help me try to find what I've been looking for
Es un lindo dia
Pacific Coast Highway right by Morro Bay
I saw you
Walking
And pulled off to the side like I had something to say
So pardon
Excuse me
I don't think I had the chance to catch your name
(Como se llama)
I don't think I had the chance to catch your name
(Como se llama)
I don't think I had the chance to catch your name
Let's run like Pamplona
Things will be much better once we're on our way
Down to Santa Barbara
A cooler full of wine from Paso Robles
Now we're talking
And soon we'll be together wading through the waves
So pardon
Excuse me
Things are much better now I know your name
(?)
Things are much better now I know your name
(?)
Things are much better now I know your name
(Now I know your name)
(Now I know your name)
(Now I know your name)
(Now I know your name)
(Now I know your name)
(Now I know your name)
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la
(Oh let me take you to the old bodega)
An orange bodega
I know, I know we're leaving town but we should grab a drink
I know we're leaving town but we should grab a drink
(Two hours later she was there just to make us daiquiris)
Two hours later
I think we had one too many daiquiris
? remind me
There's something on my mind that I had wanted to say
So pardon
Excuse me
I can't believe we lost ourselves in Morro Bay
(Deeper and deeper)
I can't believe we lost ourselves in Morro Bay
(Deeper and deeper)
I can't believe we lost ourselves in Morro Bay
(Deeper and deeper)
I can't believe we lost ourselves in Morro Bay
(Deeper and deeper)
I can't believe we lost ourselves in Morro Bay"

Eric Clapton

San Francisco Bay Blues

This is a cover of the Jesse Fuller 1954 original. It was included on Clapton's 1992 album "Unplugged" which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
The lyrics are listed under Jessie Fuller.

Gene Clark

Gene Clark was a founding member of the great L. A. band The Byrds who were pioneers of folk rock and the L.A. Sunset Strip music scene in the mid 1960's. Clark wrote a lot of their songs including a couple of their best - "Eight Miles High" and "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better." "Los Angeles" is a solo recording from his album "Flying High," released in 1998 and containing previously unavailable tracks, but I don't know when the song itself was recorded. Clark left the Byrds in 1966 and died in 1991.

"Los Angeles, city of the doomed
Los Angeles, city of the doomed
Well I loved you once but I gotta go, yeah

San Francisco, city pretty by the bay
San Francisco, city pretty by the bay
Well I loved you once but I gotta go, yeah

Well I don't know where she'll be going
Yeah I saw her about a day or so ago
Yeah I don't know if I should look for her
Well I'd say she's gone down to San Diego

Los Angeles, city of the doomed
Los Angeles, city of the doomed
Well I loved you once but I gotta go, yeah"

Guy Clark

L.A. Freeway

Guy Clark was a folk and country music singer-songwriter from Texas, active from the 1970s to 2016. He wrote this song in 1970 after moving from California to Nashville, so it's about leaving L.A. and also leaving California. The song was originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker for his self-titled album released in 1972, then Clark released a version on his album "Old No 1" in 1975. He also sings a great solo version of the song.

"Pack up all your dishes
Make note of all good wishes
Say goodbye to the landlord for me
That son of a b**ch has always bored me
Throw out them L.A. papers
And that moldy box of vanilla wafers
Adios to all this concrete
Gonna get me some dirt road back street

If I can just get off of this L.A. freeway
Without getting killed or caught
I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke
To some land that I ain't bought bought bought

Here's to you old skinny Dennis
Only one I think I will miss
I can hear that old bass singing
Sweet and low like a gift you're bringing
Play it for me just one more time now
Got to give it all we can now
I believe everything your saying
Just keep on, keep on playing

If I can just get off of this L.A. freeway
Without getting killed or caught
I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke
To some land that I ain't bought bought bought

And you put the pink card in the mailbox
Leave the key in the old front door lock
They will find it likely as not
I'm sure there's something we have forgot
Oh Susanna, don't you cry, babe
Love's a gift that's surely handmade
We've got something to believe in
Don't you think it's time we're leaving

If I can just get off of this L.A. freeway
Without getting killed or caught
I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke
To some land that I ain't bought bought bought

Pack up all your dishes
Make note of all good wishes
Say goodbye to the landlord for me
That son of a b**ch has always bored me"

Shana Cleveland

Face of the Sun

Shana Cleveland is an L.A. based artist and vocalist and guitarist for the surf noir rock band La Luz. This psychedelic folk song is from her solo album "Night of the Worm Moon" released in 2019.

"Guitar baby you've stumbled
Right into the blinding light
Looking to the face of the sun
Rode a midwest song
All the way to San Francisco Bay
Looking to the face of the sun

When you have all
All you want so young
So hard to start new
Still defined by who you
Were back then
But that’s no longer you

Good friends burned bright and blew out
And now you're still around
Looking to the face of the sun
Barflies wait in a smiling line
To ask you what it's like
Looking to the face of the sun

When you have all
You want so young
So hard to start new
Still defined by who you
Were back then
But that’s no longer you

Guitar baby you've stumbled
Right into the blinding light
Looking to the face of the sun
Rode a midwest song
All the way to San Francisco Bay
Looking to the face of the sun"

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers

California Breakdown

Robert Clyne and the Peacemakers is a rock band formed in Tempe, Arizona in 1998. This song is from the album "The Independent" released in 2014.

"Wheels on the bus don't wanna go 'round
We got another California breakdown
We was doin' alright 'til everything went wrong
Now we're stuck on the side of the road where we don't belong

It's the California breakdown
California breakdown

Jessie's trying out for a little bit part
This time she really nails it, she plays it from the heart
This could be her big break, the one she's waiting for
But now her only take is lying on the cutting room floor

It's the California breakdown

Feeling all alone far away from home
Trying to figure out
How she's gonna make it out here in this town

California breakdown
California breakdown

Jimmy's writing songs out in Hollywood
He just needs connections, he knows his tunes are good
Then he hears his song, it's in a picture show
Then he knows he's been wronged while he's sitting all alone
And he's watching the credits roll

Breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown

It's a California breakdown
Stranded on the road where your dreams got sold
Trying to figure out
How you're gonna make it count here in this town
California breakdown
California breakdown

Breakdown
California breakdown
Breakdown
California breakdown"

CMAT

CMAT is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, a singer-songwriter from Ireland, active since 2017.
This big-production song is from her second studio album "Crazymad, For Me" released in 2023. Imagining that her ex cut her up with a knife and buried the pieces in the yard with the dog (who he also killed?) is such a great way to start a breakup song, and something we can all relate to.

"A new game scrapping my life
It was you out back with a butcher knife
Who took my parts, buried 'em with the dog
Not great, but what did I think
That a bouncy-castle Catholic could give to me
But a little wine and God?

So I'm working on a wreckage
With nothing there to salvage
Oh, I'm just taking photos
For my book about the damage and
Some have called me cheap
But it's not that fu**ing deep
Like, what's left for me but poetry
And getting really old?

I'm heading to California
Don't say I didn't warn you
I'm milking what I can from this grief
I'm heading to California
Don't say I didn't warn you
I'm writing for the peace you wouldn't leave

A cold call to get me out
Of your big boy starving artist's house
But you drove me there and opened up the doors
Now I trade in English, dear
My nanny's nanny's nanny's fears
Are living here along with all of yours, oh, yeah

Whinging like a woman is
Hedging on what's coming
'Cause everybody likes me
When my pain is in a sonnet
And you can call me cheap
But you did this s**t to me
Made me brilliant, you fu**ed me up
And I'm reaping what you've sown

I'm heading to California
Don't say I didn't warn you
I'm milking what I can from this grief
I'm heading to California
Don't say I didn't warn you
I'm writing for the peace you wouldn't leave

I'm heading to California
Don't say I didn't warn you
I'm finishing the hat like we agreed
I'm heading to California
I wonder, is it torture
Harvesting all this misery?

California, oh-woah
California, oh-woah
California, oh-woah (I'm writing up a book about us)
California, oh-woah (They're gonna make a movie of it)
California, oh-woah (They're gonna cast Jake Gyllenhaal)
California, oh-woah (And I'm Kristen Schaal)
California, oh-woah (They're gonna do it with a Coen brother)
California, oh-woah (Set it in Wicklow with your mother)
California, oh-woah (Oh no, it won a Razzie)
California, oh-woah (It's all for nothing, should've just tried being happy)"

Cobra Skulls

Cobra Skullifornia

Cobra Skulls is a punk band formed in Reno, Nevada then relocated to the S.F. Bay area, active from 2005-2013 and since 2018. Southern California might not be exclusively responsible for the sprawl that has turned so much rural land into tract homes and strip malls, (there is plenty of that in the north) but it gets some well-deserved blame here. This anti-suburbanization punk song is the first track on the band's debut studio album "Sitting Army" released in 2007.

"So you come from the city
You got big city money to spend
I don't want your big city money
In my town my friend
You don't appreciate it
You want to appropriate it
And make a profit turn

So you heard it through the grapevine
Or read it in a magazine
You're living in a hell hole
And somewhere far away
Has a national ranking
And you start thinking
'How could they be wrong?'

Southern California
Stay where you are!
We don't want vacation homes
And a garage for every car
You planted seeds in the desert
You stole your water from afar
Now Southern California
Stay where you are!

You had enough of the hustle and bustle
That delivered you to success
But you need that Neiman Marcus
And you can't go long without
All the amenities that
Made it such a mess
You want to bring it with you

Southern California
Stay where you are!
We don't want vacation homes
And a garage for every car
You planted seeds in the desert
You stole your water from afar
Now Southern California
Stay where you are!

Southern California
Look how you sprawl!
You're addicted to construction
You will consume us all
You planted seeds in the desert
You stole your water from afar
So if you want to make my town
Look like L.A. you might as well
Just stay right where you are"

Tammy Cochran

Life Happened

Tammy Cochran is a country music artist from rural Ohio, active since the year 2000. This great country song is from her album "Life Happened" released in 2002. It begins with a description of a young actor who dreamed of going to Hollywood to become a star, but then life happened.

"From the time she was 13 Julie Thompson had a dream
That someday she would see her name in lights
After every high school play the grownups all would say
That Julie's future sure is looking bright
Well I saw her selling videos at a store in Eastland Mall
I said why aren't you in Hollywood taking casting calls

Life happened
Me and Bobby Chapman fell in love
Daddy passed away and the babies came and drama school was just too much
Now there's Little League and mouths to feed
And I direct the kindergarten Christmas pageant

Life happened
Curtis had an old Chevelle, the cops knew that car well
He never lost a race on Windy Hollow Road
By the time he turned 18 he was the Georgia dirt track king
Proudly sponsored by the local Texaco
Well I bumped into him at Murphy's Bar and I ordered us a round
I said why aren't you in Rockingham chasing Gordon down
He killed his drink and tore the corners off his napkin and said:
Life happened

I was driving home from Athens late one night
Trucker fell asleep and swapped paint with me they said I rolled that van at
least 5 times
Now I thank my lucky stars and I sell used cars
And I teach driver's education at St. Catherine's
Yeah life happened

I saw the rest of my old friends at our reunion at the Holiday Inn
It seemed like it was only yesterday
Standing in the gym in our caps and gown full of wanderlust and glory bound
We set out to chase our dreams on wings of passion
But somewhere along the way we got distracted

Life happened
Our clothes went out of fashion with our songs
We started families and bought SUV's, became step dads and soccer moms
I finally realized we turned out alright
And we spend the night just catching up and dancing
And life happened"

Fred Cockerham

Little Satchel

Fred Cockerham was a folk music fiddle and banjo player from North Carolina. This traditional banjo song is from the album "High Atmosphere: Ballads and banjo tunes from Virginia and North Carolina collected by John Cohen in November of 1965" released in 1975.

""Under my bed you can set your little satchel
On my head you'll lay your hand
If you'll be my little darling
I will be your little man

Oh, little girl, go ask your mother
Bride of mine may ever be?
If she says, "No," come back and tell me
I will wait 'til you get free
And when you're free, oh, we will get married
Look how happy then we'll be
And we'll go to California
Settle down and live at home

I wish I were a little sparrow
And I had two wings to fly
I'd fly back to the arms of my darling
Weep and mourn until I die
As you can see I'm no little sparrow
Neither have the wings to fly
I'll go home all broken-hearted
Weep and mourn until I die""

Coco & Clair Clair

The Hills

Coco & Clair Clair are a rap pop duo from Atlanta. Deela is a rapper from Lagos based in London. This song is from the album "Sexy" released in 2022. I know what you're thinking - there are hills everywhere, maybe even in Atlanta. But after hearing the lyrics "the Golden State" I decided they must be the Hollywood Hills, since that area is often referred to as "the hills," or it could also be Beverly Hills or Bel Air - one of those expensive elevated places in L.A. County where the rich go to stay away from the rest of us and young people go to party and pretend they're rich. There is also a mention of the hit song The Hills by The Weeknd which involves a rich woman who lives in a gated community in the hills which might also be Beverly Hills or Bel Air.

" It’s tough being so fine
Girls blaming me cause they ni**a acting outta line
It’s nice being so fine
Kick back do nothing, everything still aligns
It girl but I party hard
Hungover on a Tuesday
Blow bills, reckless
Like it’s my fu**in’ birthday
Walk round, head high
Treat it like a runway
I, I walk it like a runway

I need a venti straight to the dome
Your man's hit me up he wanna know I’m home
Driving through the hills no cares, no phone
If you need a clue you better call Tyrone
Big pout, legs out, and my lips stay juicy
We only drink that Grey, loosey goosey
Give it to me straight, nothing fruity
Atlanta girlies with the homegrown booties
I’m hittin’ the road
Twenty four seven
But when I see you
On my phone
There’s no question
Life of the party every day of the week
Gucci on my eyes, Uggs on my feet
Driving through the hills
But I’m thinking about us in the passenger seat

Monday
I’m busy but I’m thinking of ya
And Tuesday
Still got a lot of work to do
I’m sorry
You know I wanna be with you
I’m in the hills, on the way
Thursday
I’m hoping that I hear from you
‘Cus Friday
I only wanna see my boo
My baby
It doesn’t matter what we do
I’m in the hills, on the way

I ain’t got no clock so call me when you wanna party
Good vibes only, bring the bubbly
Got dressed up, I look like a Barbie
So tell me where all the boys at, get started
Work on my line, I press decline
You my fave so call anytime
Let’s go out on your dime
Gotta be cute, my love ain’t blind
It’s true, thinking ‘bout you
I couldn’t buy all your love, but you know I’d wish to
So I bounce to the next on a pogo stick
And I’m still outside ‘cus I know your tricks
And I’m not that b**ch to fall for your s**t
Still I miss you bad, and your crazy stick
Uh
Them others fools gold, but I love the hunt bad
I like to play hard, work fast, get cash
I’d like to keep it, sweet girl but I’d freak it
I love The Hills bad, damn, I love the Weeknd
I wear my heart on my sleeve, I hate the pretense
Still I’ll keep my guard up like a defense
With a golden girl in the Golden State
Mesmerized I see, you made no mistake
One of one no competition and it’s no debate
I’m at every party, making ni**as think it’s fate

Monday
I’m busy but I’m thinking of ya
And Tuesday
Still got a lot of work to do
I’m sorry
You know I wanna be with you
I’m in the hills, on the way
Thursday
I’m hoping that I hear from you
‘Cus Friday
I only wanna see my boo
My baby
It doesn’t matter what we do
I’m in the hills, on the way ...."

Coconut Records (Jason Schwartzman)

West Coast

Coconut Records is an indie pop music solo project by L.A. based Jason Schwartzman, who is also an actor, a member of the Coppola family, and a former member of the band Phantom Planet. This is from his 2007 album, Nighttiming. I'm declaring here that the West Coast to which the singer is going back home, is California, since Schwartzman grew up in L.A. If he tells me that I'm wrong, that he is referring to his home in Perth, or maybe his home in Panama City, or Puerto Vallarta, or Mumbai, then I will remove this.

"For a second there I thought you disappeared
It rains a lot this time of year
And we both go together if one falls down
I talk out loud like you're still around
No, no

And I miss you
I'm goin' back home to the West Coast
I wish you would've put yourself in my suitcase
I love you
Standin' all alone in a black coat
I miss you
I'm goin' back home to the West Coast

And if you shake her hard enough she will appear
Tonight I think I'll be stayin' here
And you never did like this town
I talk out loud like you're still around
No, no

And I miss you
I'm goin' back home to the West Coast
I wish you would've put yourself in my suitcase
I love you
Standin' all alone in a black coat
I miss you
I'm goin' back home to the West Coast

Come on, everybody

La la la la, la la la la-la
La la la la, la la la la-la

So pack up the bags to beat back the clock
Do I let her sleep or should I wake her up?
You said
We both go together if one falls down
Yeah, right, heh
I talk out loud like you're still around
Oh, no, no

And I miss you
I'm goin' back home to the West Coast
I wish you would've put yourself in my suitcase
I love you
Standin' all alone in a black coat
I miss you
I'm goin' back home to the West Coast

Goin' back home to the West Coast
Goin' back home to the West Coast"

Gabriella Cohen

Music Machine

Gabriella Cohen is an Australian musician. This song is from her 2018 album "Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love." The singer disparages L.A. because girls strut around in bikinis while homeless people sleep on sidewalks. I saw the same thing in Sydney.

"We're all looking for that small green
Or we're looking for something in between
We're wondering if we can park on your street
I took a left not a right but you didn't see me

I think your garden needs a couple of trees
You think you drive but I have your keys

I said I love you and you know what I mean
I take it slow on the road while the traffic beeps
I'm playing gigs in the music machine
In the music machine
In the music machine

I like L.A. cos the people are mean
I like L.A. cos the people seem clean
I saw many homeless on the concrete
While bikini girls strut down Venice Beach

I'm doing time in the industry
I go to parties but I'm not in your scene
My mama thinks I'm doing gigs for free
I'm playing gigs but I'm
Anti-machine

I said I love you and you know what I mean
I take it slow on the road while the traffic beeps
I'm playing gigs in the music machine
In the music machine
In the music machine"

Leonard Cohen

Everybody Knows

Leonard Cohen was a critically celebrated singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist from Montreal, Canada, active from 1954-2016. This song is from his eighth studio album "I'm Your Man" released in 1988.

"Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long-stem rose
Everybody knows

And everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you've been faithful
Ah, give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you've been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

And everybody knows that it's now or never
Everybody knows that it's me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah, when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe's still picking cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows

And everybody knows that the plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows

And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Oh, everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows"

Marc Cohn

Lost You in the Canyon

Marc Cohn is a singer-songwriter from Ohio, active since 1986, who won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1992. This is from "Burning the Daze" released in 1998 back when cell phone coverage wasn't so great.

"Got your call from California
But I could hardly hear your voice
Through the hissing of the highway
And all that other noise
You said 'I might lose you in the canyon'
Then you went riding up the coast
All these things we leave unspoken
Seem to haunt me like a ghost

I lost you in the canyon
Guess you tried to let me know
Lost you in the canyon
A long, long time ago
Lost you in the canyon
Brother you fade out slow

There were times I thought I knew you
Before these changes came to pass
But you don't think about it do you?
From up there in your house of glass
The Earth is shifting underneath you
The land is sliding all around
Do you ever stop to wonder
About that paradise you've found?

I lost you in the canyon
Guess you tried to let me know
Lost you in the canyon
A long, long time ago
Lost you in the canyon
Brother you fade out slow

I hear you moving through the mountains
Through the fires and the floods
But I can't fix this bad connection
In the wires or the blood

I lost you in the canyon
Guess you tried to let me know
Lost you in the canyon
A long, long time ago
Lost you in the canyon
Brother you fade out
Brother you fade out slow"

Cold Sweat Roc

California Heat

I can't find out anything about Cold Sweat Roc, but maybe they're from California based on this song and the album it's from, also titled "California Heat" released in 2015.

"Couldn't stand the heat
Comin' off the street
California heat wave
Burns the souls of my feet

Ocean beach is callin'
Callin' out to me
Oh the heat burns so deep
Burns my soul, burns my feet
And I just can't get no peace

Gonna find a tree
Try and get some sleep
I think I need some shut-eye
To try and comfort me
California heat wave
Burns the souls of my feet
Oh the heat burns so deep
On the streets you get no relief
My mind just craves some peace

Gonna ditch this toaster
Hop a ride in a coaster
Try and get real mellow
A 12 pack of Modelo
Oh the heat burns so deep
California heat wave burns my feet
Walkin' these sunny California streets"

Cold War Kids

Cold War Kids are a rock band formed in Fullerton California in 2004. This song is from the "Behave Yourself" EP released in 2009.

The Santa Ana winds are strong, hot, dry winds that come down from the high deserts towards the valleys and coastal plains, exaggerated by the mountain passes. They often blow during autumn when they're infamous for fanning the flames of wildfires. They're also called "devil winds" and they can make it feel like you're in Hell.

"I got the roof tied tight
Shiny buildings peak
The L.A. river swims
Snorkels and knees

Seatbelt sticks in the poison heat
My pores are opening

Making headlines again
Santa Ana Winds
Making headlines again
Santa Ana Winds

Take the elevator to the Getty's highest place
See the cliffs fall to the sea
Do an about face

Easter on Olvera Street
Girls nursing new
Babies in alleyways
In between is a basin like the great divide
Where the 110 swallows the 105
Chutes and ladders leaving me where I begun
Like JJJ-Joan Didion

Making headlines again
Santa Ana Winds
Making headlines again
Santa Ana Winds
Making headlines again
Santa Ana Winds
Making headlines again
Santa Ana Winds

You tore me up by the roots and went silent again
My seeds have blown around but never land
You tore me up by the roots and went silent again
My seeds have blown around but never land"

The ColdWaters

(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66

The ColdWaters have released at least three versions of this song: this one, released in 2018 with a male singer; a version released in 2020 with female singer Sandra North; and a version released in 2021 with another female singer - Shawn Mayer.

"The Santa Ana winds are kicking up again
I haven't been cold since I don't know when
The feeling in your heart, something good's about to start
Santa's on his way from San Diego to The Bay

We might wash into the sea
The earth might shake right out from under our feet
There's no place I'd rather be
Than here with you, here with me, all alone

This Christmas Eve
It's a California Christmas

The sand and the sun, man on the run
Running from love, looking for fun
We might wash into the sea
Well the earth might shake right out from under our feet
There's no place I'd rather be
Than here with you, here with me, all alone

This Christmas Eve
It's a California Christmas
It's Christmas, babe

We might wash into the sea
Well the sun might be too hot for this evergreen
There's no place I'd rather be
Than here with you, here with me, all alone

This Christmas Eve
It's a California
(California)
It's a California
(California)
It's a California
It's a California Christmas"

Lendon Cole

Dear California

Lendon Cole is a singer-songwriter from Mississippi who started making music at the age of 15 for his church. This song was released in October 2022. (It's actually titled "Dear, California." I'm not trying to be the punctuation police, but I just can't bring myself to use a comma where it doesn't belong.)

"Dear California
I hope you know I'll always be there for ya
When I close my eyes I see the waves crash on the beach
Like you crashed into me on that summer day

Dear California
I hope you know that I will always love ya
And even in my dreams
I see the moonshine through the trees
Your nervous stare at me
When I took your hand

Oh we fell like lovers do
Do you remember?
The nights that we would talk all night together
Dreaming 'bout the life that we would build

Where the sun sets across the bay
Do you remember?
You said I was always and forever
I wonder if your heart's thinking that still
Well if it does know you still have my love

Dear California
I hope you know I'll always be there for ya
When I close my eyes I see your hair blow in the wind
Brown eyes, sun-tan skin
On that summer day

Dear California
I hope you know that I will always love ya
And even in my dreams I'm falling more and more each day
There's nothing left to say
But I love you

Do you remember?
The nights that we would talk all night together
Dreaming 'bout the life that we would build
Where the sun sets across the bay
Do you remember?
You said I was always and forever
I wonder if your heart's thinking that still
Well if it does know you still have my love

There's not a day that passes by
I don't think about that night when I held you
And if you looked into my eyes
You could see it's not a lie
I still love you

Do you remember?
You said I was always and forever
I wonder if your heart's thinking that still
Dear California"

Lloyd Cole

California Earthquake

Lloyd Cole is a singer-songwriter from the UK, active since 1984 and formerly the lead singer of Lloyd Cole and The Commotions. This is the first track from his album "Standards" released in 2013. It's a cover of John Hartford's song from 1968 that was first recorded by Cass Elliot. You can see the lyrics at these links.

Lloyd Cole and The Commotions

Rattlesnakes

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions were a rock band formed in Scotland in 1982. This upbeat pop rock song with strings and a mandolin is from their debut album also titled "Rattlesnakes," released in 1984.

"Jodie wears a hat although it hasn't rained for six days
She says a girl needs a gun these days
Hey, on account of all the rattlesnakes

She looks like Eve Marie Saint in On The Waterfront
She reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance

She's less than sure if her heart has come to stay in San Jose
And her never born child still haunts her
As she speeds down the freeway
As she tries her luck with the traffic police
Out of boredom more than spite
She never finds no trouble, she tries too hard
She's obvious despite herself

She looks like Eve Marie Saint in On The Waterfront
She says all she needs is therapy, yeah
All you need is, love is all you need

Jodie never sleeps 'cause there are always needles in the hay
She says that a girl needs a gun these days
Hey on account of all the rattlesnakes

She looks like Eve Marie Saint in On The Waterfront
As she reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance

Her heart, heart's like crazy paving
Upside down and back to front
She says ooh it's so hard to love
When love was your great disappointment"

Nat King Cole

Midnight Flyer

Nat King Cole was an American jazz pianist who became a very popular singer. In a previous hit (below) he was driving on Route 66, but this time the singer is on a train to L.A. to try to get his girl back, something a lot of singers have tried without ever telling us if they were successful. The song won a Grammy Award in 1959.

"Midnight flyer
Take me to L.A.
Midnight flyer
Take me to L.A.

There'll be a whole lot of kissing
When I jump off that Santa Fe

Midnight flyer
Roll on down the track
Midnight flyer
Roll on down the track

The quicker I get there
The sooner I'll get her back

A pocket full of money
A heart full of pain
I won't be myself
Until I see her again
... ... ...
I got a whole lot of dust
On my dancing shoes
And I've got a lot of loving
That I haven't used

Midnight flyer
Be on your way
Midnight flyer
Be on your way...."

Nat King Cole

This rock 'n' roll classic was written in 1946 by Bobby Troupe, recorded first the same year by the King Cole Trio, and recorded by many more musicians, including Chuck Berry in 1961 and the Rolling Stones in 1964. Route 66 used to be a popular way to drive to southern California. My family moved to California from Illinois in the 1960s, driving most of the entire route, so thirty years later a friend and I drove some of the parts of the road that still remain after much of the route was converted to freeways, just to get some of those kicks.

"Well if you ever plan to motor west
Just take my way that's the highway that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66

Well it winds from Chicago to L.A.
More than 2000 miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66

Well it goes from St Louis,
down to Missouri
Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty
You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona don't forget Winona
Kingsman, Barstow, San Bernadino
Would you get hip to this kindly tip
And go take that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66"

Rodger Collins

Foxy Girls in Oakland

Rodger Collins is a funk singer and songwriter from Oakland by way of Texas who started his career in about 1960. This song was written by Joe Crane of the Hoodoo Rhythm Devils and recorded by Collins in 1970.

"Foxy little girls in Oakland
Somethin' like I never never seen before
Foxy little girls in Oakland
Somethin' like I never never seen before
Foxy little girls in Oakland
Like somethin' in a candy store

Pretty leg girls in Oakland
Struttin’ down East 14th
Skinny leg girls in Oakland
Struttin' and splittin’ down East 14th
Thick pretty legs in Oakland
Gonna knock you right off your feet
You don't watch your self

You can hear them ooh and awin’
All the way 'cross the bay
All of the guys in Frisco
Don’t do nothin' all day
But think about the girls in Oakland
And the way they goin' there to play
And they goin' to play
And now watch me play

True fine mamas in the East Bay
Shuckin’ and jivin’ at cha while they talk
True fine mamas in the East Bay
Shuckin’ and jivin’ at cha while they talk
But if they don’t know you’re watchin’
Might even see ‘em do the camel walk, camel walk

Look here, Oohee, all these girls are killin’ me
Make me happy, make me so happy I could slap my pappy...."

Colonel Loud (feat. Young Dolph, Ricco Barrino)

Where the Wild Things Are

Colonel Loud is an American rapper from Florida, Atlanta and North Carolina. This song is from his 2015 album "Plug Talk." It's a celebration of California weed, women, and sunshine that features three other rappers - T. I., Young Dolph, and Ricco Barrino.

[Verse 1: T.I.]

"Bankroll Mob
Okay okay
You know, you know
Well I be
Bumping California Love on the West Side
Thanking God for the weed, women, and the sunshine

Dumb hot
Out on Sunset
Blowing kush
From the one time
You get a contact
Catch ya ass at the red light
Wanna run at 'em sideways in a Hellcat
On some run flat
By the way I
Never seen a better view, not in Malibu
Bunch of bad b**ches naked in the swimming pool
Hear the waves crashing, playing spades in the living room (Cracking)
Sound like a Doggystyle interlude
Kurupt Gotti, n***a where the gas at?
Moon rock got me acting like I never had sh*t
From Bankhead to a Hollywood address
Same n***a tho
One on one get your ass kicked
Respect it more than a tad bit
Every hood every set though
Sheesh!
One time for the West Coast
L.A., the Bay, from Sacramento out to San Diego, California

[Hook: Ricco Barrino]

Stay getting that work in California
And all the killers they show me love in California
I flew a b**ch from the A to California
And I be smoking on the best loud in California
Ayy California, oh California
I swear
I got to get back to that place to smoke on that Cali

[Verse 2: Young Dolph]

Palm trees in the air, the top pushed back
Blowing smoke out the roof cookies to be exact
I'm always in Cali cause this is where it's at
b**ches, bud, good weather, what you know bout that
Where all the fly b**ches ride Benzs and Beamers
They either wanna be an actress, or a singer
I'm at the strip club on Sunset, throwing singles
With this bad b**ch from Compton, pouring lean up
Breaking down backwoods, rolling gasoline up
Left the Laugh Factory, pulled up in Inglewood
I f**k with some crips and I f**k with some bloods
And I f**k with some esé
My stash house in the Valley
Welcome to my palace
Just went and killed two shows out in Dallas
Selling OG from LA and crates from the Bay

[Hook: Ricco Barrino]

Stay getting that work in California
And all the killers they show me love in California
I flew a b**ch from the A to California
And I be smoking on the best loud in California
Ayy California, oh California
I swear
I got to get back to that place to smoke on that Cali

[Verse 3: Colonel Loud]

You know I gotta show the West love
I had to take a trip to Cali for the best bud
I been chilling with the goons, yeah the real thugs
Went to Sacramento n***a met a real plug
I said I'm looking for the gas where the kill at
Want the strong gotta go where the hill at
I met a bad bopper chilling out in Frisco
Like to sip the lime-a-ritas and the sisco
I hopped my ass on the 101 and headed north
And when I hit the hill I found what I was looking for
I'm feeling like a leprechaun with a pot of gold
Bags of the gas yeah the Colonel got a soul
I fly a b**ch from the A with 100 racks
Put her ass in a rental told her run it back
Fly another b**ch in with 200 more
Welcome to California the State of gold...."

Jerry Colonna

August In Azusa

Jerry Colonna was an actor, comedian, singer, songwriter, and trombone player from Boston, active from 1935-1971 and probably best known for playing Bob Hope's zany sidekick. This song is from the album "Jerry Colonna Entertains at Your Party" released in 1957. I've been to Azusa in August so I know Colonna is just playing around with the unusual name. Maybe in the '50s you could sip tea under an orange tree, but they cut all the orange groves down and replaced them with suburbs and strip malls long ago. The line about Azusa having everything from A to Z is an actual town slogan.

"You can have April in Paris
You can have flowers in May
You can have June in January
But I'd like to say

I like August in Azusa
That's the only place for me
I like August in Azusa
Underneath an orange tree
September in Cucamonga
They say is grand
But to crush all those grapes with my feet
I can not stand

But come August in Azusa
Oh how happy I will be
Sipping tea 'neath an orange tree
In Azusa

Azusa has everything from A to Z in the U.S.A.

I like August in Azusa
Azu-da-lee-sa, that's the only place for me
I like August in Azusa
Azu-da-lee-sa, underneath an orange tree
In the breeze and the bees and the fleas
September in Cucamonga they say is grand, yes sir
But to crush all those grapes with me feet
I cannot stand, no sir

But come August in Azusa
Azu-da-lee-sa, Oh how happy I will be
Like a bee, I would be
Sipping tea 'neath an orange tree
In Azusa
Azu-da-lee-susa"

Color Me Badd

California Dreamin

Color Me Badd is an R&B group from Oklahoma that formed in 1985, broke up in 1998, and reformed in 2010. This nice retro soul groove from 2022 would be great music for cruising around on a summer night in a big old convertible Impala. Or an old junker like mine. Who can afford a new car these days? (Thanks to Adolfo Morales for telling me about this and many other California songs.)

"Let me tell you from my heart
When I first met you you made everything so right
Holding hands, makin' plans
I fell in love with you that night

Feelin' like a fool
No more playin' games this time
You're heaven sent
With you I went
Every day is yours and mine

Gray skies are blue
To ... the time

I've seen the sunset in your mind
Baby you make me smile

California love will be dreamin'
Just as long as I'm with you
So in love together baby
You make my greatest wish come true

We were meant to be together baby
Me and you
No one in the world I'd rather be here with
You're the answer to my prayers
You're the reason why I feel so good inside
Every day, every night
Every minute of my life, yeah
You're my song
You're my melody I'm singin'
Singin' for only you baby

We'll make it through
Oh, count your blessings from above
Heaven knows how I need your love

California love will be dreamin'
Just as long as I'm with you
So in love together baby
You make my greatest wish come true

Yeah, nothin' in the world can stop us now
Me and you
Come rain or shine
Let's waste no time

California love let's ride
California dreamin'

California love will be dreamin'
Just as long as I'm with you
So in love together baby
(So in love with you baby)
You make my greatest wish come true

California love will be dreamin'
(I'm in love I'm in love I'm in love I'm in love with you baby)
Just as long as I'm with you
So in love together baby
You make my greatest wish come true

California love will be dreamin'
(So in love with you baby)
Me and you
So in love together baby"

Luke Combs

Luke Combs is an award-winning country music singer-songwriter from North Carolina. This song is from his fourth studio album "Gettin' Old," a companion album to his 2022 album "Growin' Up."

"My big brother rode an Indian Scout
It was black like his jacket
American Spirit hangin’ outta his mouth
Just like our Daddy
He kicked-started that bike one night and broke mamma's heart
He pointed that headlight west
Out where the wild things are

He'd call me up every couple of weeks
From South California
Talk about the desert and the Joshua trees
And his pretty girl stories
How he bought an Airstream trailer and a J-45 guitar
Said little brother you'd love it out here
Out where the wild things are

Oh, it's hearts on fire and crazy dreams
Oh, the nights ignite like gasoline
And light up those streets that never sleep when the sky goes dark
Out where the wild things are

I called my brother from the back of that plane
The second I made it
We started drinkin’ on the strip in L.A.
And then it got crazy
Ended up at a house in the hills with some Hollywood stars
Kissin’ on a blonde in a backyard pool
Out where the wild things are

Oh yeah
Couple iron horse rebels
Wild as the devil
I knew I had to move back east
Said goodbye to my brother
At the end of that summer
But I knew he'd never leave
w
Oh, its hearts on fire and crazy dreams
Oh, where the nights ignite like gasoline
Oh, them Indian Scouts, man they’re built for speed
And oh, they said he hit that guardrail at half past three
Lit up those streets that never sleep when the sky goes dark
We buried him out in the wind 'neath the West Coast stars
Out where the wild things are
Out where the wild things are"

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Hot Rod Lincoln

Commander Cody... is an American country rock band formed in the 60s. This was a top ten hit and the band's biggest hit, from their 1971 album, Lost in the Ozone. It's a cover of Charlie Ryan's 1955 rockabilly song that was an answer song to Arkie Shibley's "Hot Rod Race," a 1950 song about a hot rod race in San Pedro by. The full lyrics can be seen under Charley Ryan's entry.

"....Pulled out of San Pedro late one night
The moon and the stars was shinin' bright.
We was drivin' up Grapevine Hill
Passing cars like they was standing still....."

Frank P. C. Composer

California Style

YouTube requires creators to disclose "meaningfully altered or synthetically generated content that seems realistic" and this message is shown on this songs YouTube page:

How this content was made
Altered or synthetic content
Sound or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated.

That means this insipid upbeat pop country song, put online in October, 2024, is artificially created, as is the accompanying video (which is hilariously bad - the people have grotesque faces and their arms sometimes disappear.) Until now I've avoided putting any AI-created California songs on this list, but it's something we all need to be aware of because they're not going away and some day we won't be able to tell them from music created by real humans.

The listed artist, Frank P. C. Composer, could also be computer-generated for all I know. His info says that he specializes in creating short custom songs and music, and for 60 dollars or more he will make a short custom song or jingle in any style in almost any language for any occasion. I wonder if someone paid for this song. It certainly wan't me.

"Rolling down the highway
Sunset and the sky
Golden coast is calling
Where the waves never die

Through the hills and valleys
Chasing endless dreams
In this land of freedom
Nothing's what it seems

From the desert sands to the city lights
To the rhythm rising burning through the night
You can lose yourself of find your soul
In this land of legends where stories unfold

California style
Chasing the fire
Living like a dream
Never getting tired
Surfing thought the nights
Racing through the miles
Underneath the stars
It's California style
California style
Wild and free
In this land of legends
We're running history
California style

From the crowded streets of Hollywood
To the silent shores
Whispers of the ocean
Like an ancient lore

The neon lights are shining
Casting shadows deep
In the land of sunshine
Where no one dares to sleep

From the canyon roads
To the endless sky
You're the heat of passion in every life
You can rise to fame or lose it all
In this place of wonder where the mighty fall

California style
Chasing the fire
Living like a dream
Never getting tired
Surfing thought the nights
Racing through the miles
Underneath the stars
It's California style
California style
Wild and free
In this land of legends
We're running history
California style

It's the land of broken hearts and endless hope
Where the world keeps turning and you learn to cope
On the boulevard of dreams you'll walk alone
But the fire inside will guide you home

California style
Chasing the fire
Living like a dream
Never getting tired
Surfing thought the nights
Racing through the miles
Underneath the stars
It's California style
California style
Wild and free
In this land of legends
We're running history
California style"

Concrete Blonde

Still in Hollywood

Concrete Blonde was a rock band from Hollywood, CA, formed in 1982. This song is from the album "Concrete Blonde" released in 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 f**k, 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..."

Con Funk Shun

California 1

Con Funk Shun is a soul/funk band founded in Vallejo, California in 1969. This is from the album "7" released in 1981. It's another song about California 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, a 656 mile scenic road. It'll make you want to put the top down and drive - or better yet, let somebody else drive so you can enjoy the view.

"L.A. nights ain't for sleeping
Carmel sights are for my fantasies
Redwoods reaching for the sky
And the Golden Gate lights are calling me

California 1
Highway of my memories
California 1
Spinning me toward my dreams

Western days are so easy
Pacific waves take my mind away
When the sun sets on the ocean
This is where I know I'm gonna stay

California 1
Highway of my memories
California 1
Spinning me toward my dreams

California 1
Highway of my memories
California 1
Spinning me toward my dreams

California 1
Highway of my memories
California 1
Spinning me toward my dreams

California 1
California 1
California 1
California 1...."

Ry Cooder

Down in Hollywood

Ry Cooder is a songwriter/musician from Santa Monica who has been active since 1967. He has an amazing list of achievements that includes producing the great Cuban music album "Buena Vista Social Club," making the soundtrack for Wim Wenders' great film "Paris Texas," and collaborating with Ali Farka Toure and other musicians from around the world. This is an R&B song featuring Chaka Khan from his 1979 album "Bop Till You Drop.

"Well, did you hear the good news ?
There's gonna be some bad blues
Somebody said they're playing all night long
So go and fill your brown bag and put on all your clean rags
Let's go downtown and see what's going on

You take me down the Vine Street
Stop when you hear the back beat
And I'll sneak past the bouncer at the door
Now I know that he ain't looking
Not when the band is cooking
Because he's watching the ladies dancing on the floor

Going down in Hollywood
You better hope that you don't run out of gas
Down in Hollywood
He'll drag you right out of your car and kick your ass
Down in Hollywood
They're standing on a corner waiting for a sucker like you
Down in Hollywood
Now, if you want to stay healthy just keep a-moving right on through
Be careful, don't look back, keep moving, keep moving

Well, the scotch has started flowing
And some girls she is showing everything she's got
Folks, it's a sight!
Some men will give a week's pay if she would just dance down their way and say
"Baby, I'm gonna take you home with me tonight"
Outside the streets is shaking and I hear the windows breaking
Some poor fool's gonna land in jail tonight
Well, all those hookers trying to pull your coat and the pimps reach out to cut your throat
Ain't no way out of here without a fight
(What's that fool saying ?)

Going down in Hollywood...."

Ry Cooder

In My Town

From his album "Chavez Ravine" released in 2005. This song, like many of them on this album deal with Chavez Ravine which was a Mexican-American neighborhood that was torn down to build public housing in the 1950's, but then Dodger Stadium was built on the site instead. Like other cities, poor non-white neighborhoods were often destroyed by rich white developers. Of course, so was the entire country. Ask any Native American....

"Up here on the hill, it's starting to rain,
The sun's disappearing through my windowpane,
And everything's still in my room.
Then a trolley goes by with its clattering sound,
Like a clock on the wall and the rain coming down,
And somebody's chattering way down the hall from my room.

From my room, I see old town.
Crook town, wop town, and spic town.
Black town, shack town, and hick town, from my room.
Looking down through the rain,
I think the future's going my way.
And there's a freeway coming soon
Right through this dirty old room.
Can't you see a 50-story building
Where a palm tree used to be?
Well, I like a town that's flat, I like a street that's tame.
You take out the trash; they all do the same.
But get back inside and remain, until notified.
I want a town that's clean and I want a rule that's maintained.

If you're brown, back down.
If you're black, get back.
Better white than right.
Better dead than red.
Better keep it contained in my town.
Now, in my town, I'm the big cheese.
Don't like all those commie rats in the palm trees
Up there in Chavez Ravine.
They come down here to City Hall,
Creating a big scene, crying "foul ball."
We'll put the head rat on the stand.
"Are you now or have you ever been?"
Chief runs a make; director runs the names.
I write the rules; I call the game.
There's the pitch, it's good; there goes your old neighborhood.

Tell the mayor duck out the back,
Tell the monsignor keep the deal under his hat.
Chavez Ravine plugged up, Bunker Hill ripped down.
Cement mixers spreading the word around.
This here is my town.
Then the trolley stops by on its way down the hill,
And somebody's passing by my window sill.
No shoes on the stairs, no knock at the door
Of my room, of my room.
Why should I go down?"

Ry Cooder

Poor Man's Shangri-La

This is another song from "Chavez Ravine" (2005) mentioned above.

"Tell you 'bout a friend of mine that you don't know
He lives way up a road that's lost in time
Don't know his name or where he's coming from
Only thing you know
He's a real gone cat, this friend of mine

He don't have no uptown friends that drive a Cadillac
But he's got cool threads and a beat up car
All his downtown friends like me, ride around in the back
'Cause he's a real cool cat
Yeah, he's a real gone cat, this friend of mine

La Loma boys will run with you
Do anything that you want 'em to
And if you need a friend 'cause you're feeling blue
Palo Verde girls never let you down

Na, na, na, na, na
Living in a poor man's Shangri-La
Na, na, na, na, na
Living in a poor man's Shangri-La

Firme guys in their firme cars
Underneath the moon and stars
The city lights way down below

What's that sound? What's that light?
Streaking down through the night
What's it mean? It's a red cloud over Chavez Ravine

Orale, UFO, come gliding low
Se cayo, up Chavez road
Space vato, square cat
Say, "Caramba, partners, where's the party at?"

I heard about the cool jerk and the alligator
And I heard about Tokay Wine, Mary Jane, and lil' Julian Herrera
I wanna learn to dance, make romance
These La Bishop girls might take a chance

My friend say, "No, be cool, bro'
If you want to dance slow
Learn to ask a mi hermana con respeto"

UFO's got a radio
Lil' Julian singing soft and low
Los Angeles down below
DJ say, we got to go, where?
To El Monte, El Monte, El Monte, pa El Monte

Na, na, na, na, na
Livin' in a poor man's Shangri-La
Na, na, na, na, na
Livin' in a poor man's Shangri-La...."

Elizabeth Cook

Not California

Elizabeth Cook is a country music artist from Florida. This song is from her album "Welder" released in 2010. She didn't write it, but she sings it here. It seems to be about someone who moved away from California and misses it.

"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...."

Coolio

Fantastic Voyage

Coolio is a rapper and producer from Compton, CA. (He's also a chef with a cooking show and a "Ghetto Gourmet" cookbook.) From his album "It Takes a Thief" released in 1994 this song was a huge hit on the pop charts. (In 1995 he had an even bigger worldwide hit with "Gangsta's Paradise.") This song mentions the California city of Watts one time but it's as good an example of West Coast G-funk as you'll ever find with its lyrics about gangs and drive-by shootings and the car culture of L.A. and its funk beat taken from "Fantastic Voyage" the #1 1980 party anthem by Ohio funk band Lakeside.

"Come on y'all let's take a ride
Don't you say s**t just get inside
It's time to take your ass on another kind of trip
'Cause you can't have the hop if you don't have the hip

Grab your gat with the extra clip and,
Close your eyes and hit the switch
We're going to a place where everybody kick it
Kick it, kick it, yeah, that's the ticket

Ain't no Bloodin', ain't no Crippin'
Ain't no punk-ass n***a's set trippin'
Everybody's got a stack and it ain't no crack
And it really don't matter if you're white or black

I want to take you there like the Staple Singers
Put something in the tank and I know that I can bring ya
If you can't take the heat get yo' ass out the kitchen
We're on a mission

Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
Slide slide slippidy-slide
With switches on the block in a '65
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
Slide slide who-ride
Ain't no valley low enough or mountain high

I'm tryin' to find a place where I can live my life and
Maybe eat some steak with my beans and rice, a
Place where my kids can play outside
Without livin' in fear of a drive-by

And even if I get away from them drive-by killers
I still got to worry about those snitch-ass n****as
I keep on searching and I keep on looking
But n***as are the same from Watts to Brooklyn

I try to keep my faith in my people
But sometimes my people be acting like they evil
You don't understand about runnin' with a gang
'Cause you don't gang bang, and

You don't have to stand on the corner and slang
'Cause you got your own thang
You can't help me if you can't help yourself
You better make a left

Come along and ride on a fantasic voyage
Slide slide slippidy-slide
I do what I do just to survive
Come along and ride on a fantasic voyage
Slide slide who-ride
That's why I pack my 45

Life is a b**ch and then you die
Still tryin' to get a peace of the apple pie
Every game ain't the same, 'cause the game still remains
Don't it seem kinda strange, ain't a damn thing change

If you don't work then you don't eat
And only down-ass n***as can ride with me
Hop-hop-hop your 5 quickly down the block
Stay sucka-free and keep the busters off your jock

You gotta have heart son, if you want to go,
Watch this sweet chariot swing low
Ain't nobody cryin', ain't nobody dyin'
Ain't nobody worried, everybody´s tryin'

Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'
If you want to have something, you better start frontin'
What ya gonna do when the 5 roll by
You better be ready, so you can ride

Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
Slide slide slippidy-slide
When you're living in a city it's do or die
Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage
Slide slide who-ride
You better be ready when the 5 roll by

Just roll along - that's what you do...."

Cornbugs

Cornbugs was an avant-garde metal band formed in 1995 and disbanded in 2007. This song is from their album "Skeleton Farm" released in 2002. The lead singer William Moseley, from Connecticut, is known for acting in horror films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and several of Rob Zombie's movies. The lead guitarist, Buckethead, is known for wearing a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head and a Mike Meyers Halloween mask when he plays guitar on stage.

"Me and my little truck
Were going down the highway about 75
And I see these girls a-looking at me and they say 'Man alive!'

Oh, I'm driving
I got my hands on the steering wheel, one on the mirror
And I'm smoking a cigarette
It's all very clear
Starts to rain
Starts to rain

Woah, it's so wet
I'm sliding back and forth at 75
And the weather's got me back and forth (back and forth)

I've lost the girls
I think they went and took an exit somewhere
And now I'm by myself again

Oh!
Hey, there's a big truck coming up ahead
There's a big truck!
Maybe it's my brother, the long-haul trucker
Coming down to Sacramento

I've got these green cigarettes
And they're keeping me awfully nice and mellow
And I got some Buckethead on the radio
Buckethead on the radio

I'm pulling it up, and I'm pulling it down
And I'm thinking 'man, oh man, oh man'

I got the world by the string
I got it by the short and curlys
And I'm feeling just fine
Nothing another beer wouldn't help, though
I'll tell you that right now

Oh, my, my, that feels good
Oh, there's the man, I don't give a s**t
I'll flip him off, the motherf***er
Ah!

Yeah, I've done some time in the joint
It's all right
I've paid my debt to society
I own my own truck

And I gotta couple of horse saddles in the back
And I'm gonna go up to the
Little town of Hesperia
And go riding, riding, riding

I sure could use a Rally burger, I'll tell you that right now
Double cheese
Gimme a big
Frosty cup of root beer with a straw
And a couple of cubes of ice

Wonder what my ex-wife is doing now
I thought I saw her name in a cloud
But I guess I was hallucinating

Back on the road
Boy, oh boy
It feels good, good, good
Back on the road
Back on the road
Boy, it feels good
Boy, it feels good, good, good
There is a toad
There is a toad
I don't wanna touch him
I don't wanna squash, squash, squash him
Back on the road
Back on the road
Boy, it feels good
Boy, it feels good, good, good...."

Cornershop

No Rock: Save in Roll

Cornershop is a British rock band formed by two brothers in 1991. This song is from their album "England Is a Garden" released in 2020. The lyrics are mostly stream of consciousness rambling with a mention of California. Since the lyrics have not been put online these are just my guess at what they are. There are definitely some mistakes, but they definitely include "California" and that's all that matters to this list.

"I keep chewin' keep chewin'

There ain't no rock save in roll
No rock save in roll
There ain't no rock save in roll
No rock save in rock 'n' roll

Cold creek California
(California)
Cold creek California

Sue the dial Tokyo
The preacher man is only gonna warn ya
And leave your poor heart cold
Keep the gear box and traffic car

There ain't no rock save in roll
No rock save in rock 'n' roll

In England's Midlands there's a drop forge
In Englands' Midlands there's a drop forge
That makes Midlands England glow
The foreman's talking tight guage
A wild plum and service berry
Heavy metal from the back of the stage

There ain't no rock save in roll
No rock save in roll
There ain't no rock save in roll
No rock save in rock 'n' roll
Save in roll"

W. Corona & El Chino Del Rancho

California High

W. Corona is a hip-hop artist from Monterrey, Mexico and El Chino del Rancho is the stage name of Oscar Alvarado, a musical artist from Durango, Mexico. This song is a mix of Mexican traditional music with Spanish rap and hip-hop beats. It was released in 2020. I can't find the lyrics anywhere and I can't understand them, but the phrase "Puro California high" is repeated often and the song also mentions San Diego and Los Angeles. That's all I got...

The Coronas

San Diego Song

The Coronas are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland, active since 2003. This song is from their album "Heroes or Ghosts" released in 2007. Here's another band that will fight for their right to party.

"We sleep all day and we drink all night
We are not wasting our time
We refuse to hide, we're going out tonight

Single in San Diego, 6 weeks just wasting time
We moved in with the girls and left it all behind
So what's wrong with this life? You say it's not enough
What does it feel like? You think you're better than us

'Cause we sleep all day and we drink all night
We are not wasting our time
We refuse to hide, we're going out tonight

Lonely in San Diego, just don't let it get you down
'Cause I've been there before but I know better now
Just one last storm before the calm while we're still young
Yeah we know yeah we understand what needs to be done

'Cause we sleep all day and we drink all night
We are not wasting our time
We refuse to hide, we're going out tonight

'Cause we sleep all day and we drink all night
We are not wasting our time
We refuse to hide, we're going out tonight"

Cosmo & Leslie

California Song

Cosmo & Leslie describe themselves on Instagram as a "Bluesy Folk-Rock duo from Napa, CA." This song is from their EP "Years in the Making" released in 2024. I can't understand all the lyrics and they're not online, so there are a lot of words missing, but I couldn't let that stop me from adding a song about a California song.

"I came headed ...
When I was in a fragile place
I had to say that I ... you
... high
And the mountains are on fire
I'm not sure I'm ever going to leave

'Cause when the sun shines down on California
I really like the way it makes me feel
From San Jose to Monterey
The skies are always blue
But the best part of California
Is that's where I found you
That's where I found you

Hey, lets go for a drive
I'll take us north on the 5 to ...
Well get to ... or Santa Cruz
You choose

... I'll take your hand ...
We can walk in the sand
One eye on the rising cliffs
The other on the Pacific

'Cause when the sun shines down on California
I really like the way it makes me feel
From San Jose to Monterey
The skies are always blue
But the best part of California
Is that's where I found you
That's where I found you

Have you ever seen
A ... walking through the forest of your ...
Or a hot air ... floating ... and never found me

Put on your hiking shoes
Or your cowboy boots
Your Birkenstocks or your ...

Hollywood might make you famous
And San Francisco a little shameless

When the sun shines down on California
I really like the way it makes me feel
From San Jose to Monterey
The skies are always blue
But the best part of California
Is that's where I found you
That's where I found you

Just another song about California and you
That's where I found you"

Elvis Costello

Beyond Belief

Elvis Costello is an English singer-songrwiter and. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who began his career in the early 1970s. This is from his album "Imperial Bedroom" released in 1982. It includes a nice California earthquake pun.

"History repeats the old conceits
The glib replies, the same defeats
Keep your finger on button issues
With crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues

I'm just the oily slick
On the windup world of the nervous tick
In a very fashionable hovel

I hang around dying to be tortured
You'll never be alone in the bone orchard
This battle with the bottle is nothing so novel

So in this almost empty gin palace
Through a two-way looking glass
You see your Alice

You know she has no sense
For all your jealousy
In a sense she still smiles very sweetly

Charged with insults and flattery
Her body moves with malice
Do you have to be so cruel to be callous

And now you find you fit
This identikit completely
You say you have no secrets
And then leave discreetly

I might make it California's fault
Be locked in Geneva's deepest vault
Just like the canals of Mars and the Great Barrier Reef
I come to you beyond belief

My hands were clammy and cunning
She's been suitably stunning
But I know there's not a hope in Hades

All the laddies cat call and wolf whistle
So-called gentlemen and ladies
Dogfight like rose and thistle

I've got a feeling
I'm going to get a lot of grief
Once this seemed so appealing
Now I am beyond belief

I've got a feeling
I'm going to get a lot of grief
Once this seemed so appealing
Now I am beyond belief..."

Nev Cottee

The Hollywood Sign

Nev Cottee is singer-songwriter from Manchester, England. This very short but lovely acoustic song is from the album "River's Edge" released in 2019.

"A fading star
The Hollywood Sign
I can see you from afar

A prairie wind
Blowing through my mind
I can hear your guitar

Sing to the sun
A golden age is gone

A fading star
The Hollywood Sign
Noone knows who you are"

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, who became popular using the internet. This is another song about California that's really about coastal Southern California. Believe me, it's OK to dress as if the weather's gonna change up north.

"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...."

Counting Crows

Elvis Went to Hollywood

Counting Crows is a rock band from Berkeley, formed in 1991.
This is from "Somewhere Under Wonderland" released in 2014. "Hollywood" here really refers more to the film industry than the city, but whatever, here it is.

"November promises, it seems
are broken February dreams
That don't come true,
Do you remember me?
I don't remember you.
Were you the one who liked to sing?
Or just some other one.
It's strange how Paige remains
She stays the same
We're always changing.

We are driving on the ceiling
There are aliens on motorcycles
Riding in the radio while we destroy the world
I said - oh oh, oh no no
The news it read, the future's dead
When Elvis went to Hollywood
That's when everything went wrong.

So long Goodbye,
The taste of wedding cakes
The sound of nursey rhymes
The ghosts of Fredericksburg, of Alex Chilton,
Of Victor Frankenstein
The girl you'll always love
The one you have no memory of
It's strange how Paige remains
She prays for rain on The Invasion

We are driving on the ceiling
There are aliens on motorcycles
Hiding in the radio while we devour the world
I said - oh oh, oh no no
The future said, the news is dead
When Elvis went to Hollywood
That's when everything went wrong.

The God of Maine proclaims the last evacuation of The Dream
The gospels scream a song of movie stars and girlie magazines
And spacemen too from somewhere far away
You have to say it's strange
We prayed in vain,
The rockets came and now we're fading.

We are hiding on the ceiling
There are aliens on motorcycles
Riding from the radio while they destroy the world.
I said - oh oh, oh no no
The paper said, the King is dead
When Elvis went to Hollywood,
That's when everything went wrong."

Counting Crows

Holiday in Spain

This is from the band's album "Hard Candy" released in 2002.

"Got no place to go
But there's a girl waiting for me down in Mexico
She's got a bottle of tequila, a bottle of gin
And if I bring a little music I can fit right in

We've got airplane rides
We got California drowning out the window side
We've got big black cars
And we've got stories how we slept with all the movie stars

I may take a holiday in Spain
Leave my wings behind me
Drink my worries down the drain
And fly away to somewhere new...."

Counting Crows

A Long December

This is from the band's album "Recovering the Satellites" released in 1996.

"A long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember the last thing that you said as you were leavin'
Now the days go by so fast

And it's one more day up in the canyon
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think that I could be forgiven
I wish you would

Na na na na, na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na yeah

The smell of hospitals in winter
And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters, but no pearls
All at once, you look across a crowded room
To see the way that light attaches to a girl

And it's one more day up in the canyon
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think you might come to California
I think you should

Na na na na, na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na yeah

Drove up to Hillside Manor sometime after 2 A.M
And talked a little while about the year
I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower
Makes you talk a little lower
About the things you could not show her

And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass

And it's one more day up in the canyon
And it's one more night in Hollywood
It's been so long since I've seen the ocean
I guess I should...."

Counting Crows

This is from "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings" released in 2008.

"Dancing like the nights are down in Nashville
But I seem to know the ghosts who like to run
I got a call to go to a late night picture show
So I traded in the darkness and I'm already there
I'm already there

And I'm tryin' to make some friends
So if you see that movie star and me
If you see my picture in a magazine
Or if you fall asleep by the bedroom TV
Well honey I'm just tryin' to make some sense
Outta' me

I left a lot of ghosts in San Francisco
And now you wanna say you see through me
But what you wanna see ain't your memories of me
So why you turn around tonight
But I'm already there
I'm already there

And I'm tryin' to make some friends
So if you see that movie star and me
If you see my picture in a magazine
Or if you fall asleep while you're watching TV
Well honey I'm just trying to make some sense

Los Angeles

Boston gets cold this time of year
Seems like each day just leaves me numb
I gotta get out of here
Go walking in the sun

Well if you see that movie star and me
Or if you should see my picture in a magazine
Or if you fall asleep by the bedroom TV
But honey I'm just trying to make some sense
Honey I'm just trying to make some friends
Well baby I'm not trying to make amends
For coming to Los Angeles

Oh Los Angeles

No more Boston, no more Nashville, no more Oakland
Oh baby come on out to the sea
Come on take a walk down Sunset with me
Oh we gonna get drunk, find up some skinny girls, and go street walking
In Los Angeles!

And man it's a really good place to find yourself a taco"

Counting Crows

Perfect Blue Buildings

This song is from the band's 1993 debut album "August and Everything After." Virginia and La Loma are streets on the north side of the U.C. Berkeley campus.

"Just down the street from your hotel, baby
I stay at home with my disease
And ain't this position familiar, darling
Well, all monkeys do what they see
Help me stay awake, I'm falling...
Down on Virginia and La Loma
Where I got friends who'll care for me
You got an attitude of everything I ever wanted
I got an attitude of need
Help me stay awake, I'm falling...

Asleep in perfect blue buildings
Beside the green apple sea
Gonna get me a little oblivion, baby
Try to keep myself away from me (myself and) me
It's 4:30 A.M. on a Tuesday
It doesn't get much worse than this
In beds in little rooms in buildings in the middle
of these lives which are completely meaningless
Help me stay awake, I'm falling...

I got bones beneath my skin, and mister...
There's a skeleton in every man's house
Beneath the dust and love and sweat that hangs on everybody
There's a dead man trying to get out
Please help me stay awake, I'm falling..."

Country Joe and the Fish

Flying High

Country Joe and the Fish was a psychedelic rock band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1965. This is the first song on their first album released in 1967 "Electric Music For the Mind and Body."

"I'm stuck on the L.A. freeway
Got rain water in my boots

My thumbs done froze, can't feel my toes
I feel a little destitute
Wheels throwing water all over my axe
And Mr. Jones won't lend me a hand
Up come two cats in a Cadillac
And they say: 'Won't you hop in, man?'
I went flying high all the way, all the way.

The one that's driving's got a bowler hat
The other's got a fez on his head
They turn around and grin and I grin back
But not a word was said
So I took out my harp and I played 'em a tune
I could see they were diggin' it
Then the one with the fez, well he turns and he says
'We'd like to help you make your trip.'
I went flying high all the way, all the way.

He said: 'We can't leave him out in the rain'
'He just might freeze and die'
'So why not put him on a plane'
'And send him home in the sky?'
So they took me to the L.A. airport
Laid twenty dollars in my hand
Well, I paid my fare, I'm in the air
Flying back home again
And I went flying high
All the way, yeah all the way, all the way
You know I went flying high all the way
Don't you know I went flying high all the way...."

The Courettes (featuring La La Brooks of the Crystals)

According to their website:
"The Courettes is an explosive rock duo from Denmark and Brazil who found the perfect blend between garage rock, 60s Girl Group, Wall of Sound, surf music and doo wop. Like The Ronettes meet The Ramones at a wild party at Gold Star Studios echo chamber. " La La Brooks is Dolores Brooks, a singer from the girl group The Crystals originally from Brooklyn, NY, active since 1962. This is a single released in July, 2024.

"I'm missing the sun
It's been so long
Here I come
Road trip to the west
No time to rest
Summer at last

I should be dancing in the sun in California
But I left my heart back home
Instead I'm missing all the fun in California
'Cause I left
('Cause I left)
My love
(My love)
Alone

I follow my heart
Right from the start
Ready or not
The winter is gone
And I sing a song
While my baby's up north

I should be dancing in the sun in California
But I left my heart back home
Instead I'm missing all the fun in California
'Cause I left
('Cause I left)
My love
(My love)
Alone

With the sun and the breeze and the flowers in your hair
I have so many dreams to fulfill when I'm there

I should be dancing in the sun in California
But I left my heart back home
Instead I'm missing all the fun in California
'Cause I left
('Cause I left)
My love
(My love)
Alone

With the sun and the breeze and the flowers in your hair
I have so many dreams to fulfill when I'm there...."

Courier (featuring Sidney Rudder & Josh Gabbard)

San Francisco (Alex Schulz Remix)

Courier is Blake Mundell, a singer-songwriter from Nashville, and a lot more. I don't know anything about Sidney Rudder, but Josh Gabbard aka GATSBY is a musical artist from Kentucky. This upbeat pop song was released in 2016. It's better known from the Alex Schulz dance remix (shown below) released in 2017.

"Westbound, far as he could make it on denial
Touched down, looking for the darkest street on the bay
Hopin' to start a revolution, a revival
A few days in and he can already say

San Francisco, I been there before
I kicked down the door at those Golden Gates
Hey, San Francisco, I been there before
So near to the shore, but it's so far away

Here we go, San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco

Made do workin' at a hostel through September
One room, blanket and a Bible, all that he had
Some days never saw the sun on streets so tender
And some nights they felt like fights against going mad

Hey, San Francisco, I been there before
I kicked down the door at those Golden Gates
Hey, San Francisco, I been there before
So near to the shore, but it's so far away

Here we go, San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco
San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco

The sons of thunder in a dome off West End
God willing he found a town where he had a friend
But he thinks about that city every now and again
Wondering if he changed it like it changed him
Wondering whether he ever had it together inside
If he might recognize that sigh in his own eyes
That he sees peeking out from those cardboard signs
The streets are all the same
And he says the streets are all the same, hey
Music city by the bay
Oh, here we go

San Francisco, I been there before
I kicked down the door at those Golden Gates
San Francisco, I been there before
So near to the shore, but it's so far away

Here we go, San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco
San Francisco
San Francisco"

Courier

Alex Schulz is a DJ from Stuttgart, Germany (who does not appear to be related to the German DJ Robin Schulz.) This song was released in 2017. It's a remix of an original song by Courier (shown above) with the vocals sped up and the lyrics changed a bit.

"Westbound, far as he could make it on denial
Touched down, looking for the darkest street on the bay
Hopin' to start a revolution, a revival
A few days in and he can already say

San Francisco, I been there before
I kicked down the door at those Golden Gates
Hey, San Francisco, I been there before
So near to the shore, but it's so far away

Here we go, San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco

Made do workin' at a hostel through September
One room, blanket and a Bible, all that he had
Some days never saw the sun on streets so tender
And some nights they felt like fights against going mad

Hey, San Francisco, I been there before
I kicked down the door at those Golden Gates
Hey, San Francisco, I been there before
So near to the shore, but it's so far away

Here we go, San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco
San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco
Far away
Far away
Far away

And he says the streets are all the same, hey
Music city by the bay
Oh, here we go

San Francisco, I been there before
I kicked down the door at those Golden Gates
San Francisco, I been there before
So near to the shore, but it's so far away

Here we go, San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco
Far away
Here we go, San Francisco
Here we go, San Francisco
Far away
Far away
Far away"

Cracker

Almond Grove

Cracker is a rock band formed in Bakersfield in 1990 by Camper Van Beethoven lead singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman. Biologist Jeff Ahrens recommended that I add some songs from the new Cracker album, Berkeley to Bakersfield, released in December 2014, which I hadn't heard yet, and I'm glad he did. Thanks to Cracker for producing a great fun political album about the state, dealing with topics others won't dare to touch (like the totalitarian tech industry that has overtaken our lives) leading off with "Torches and Pitchforks" (not on this list because it doesn't specifically mention the state) and it's revolutionary lyrics:

"We will fight you from the mountains
And we will fight you in the streets
And we will fight you in the valleys
You cannot take what isn't yours."

Berkeley to Bakersfield is a double album about California. The first one could be titled "Berkeley" (a liberal city with roots in social protest) with punk-based songs protesting economic inequality, much of it created by the Silicon Valley tech industry and its gentrification of the Bay Area. The second one could be titled "Bakersfield" (a conservative city with roots in the oil industry and country music) with country songs about the red state half of the golden state that most of the rest of the country is not aware of. I could list all of the songs on the album, but I'll just list a few of them below and let you check out the entire album.

"Said goodbye to Miss Jenny, sleeping on a subway grate
Say goodbye to all the ladies, waiting for the tricks to show
Got a hundred dollars, more than I need to score
Got a hundred dollars, just enough to get me home

Yeah I'm going back home, to the cotton fields
To the almond groves, to the old homestead
See my Ma and Pa, mighty brother Jack
He went to Kandahar, but he never come back

Came from Maricopa, had no family left
Working for Evoclin, fell in with the narco set
Ended up a junkie, living in my brother's car
Don't shed a tear for me, home ain't so far
...
No he never come back

In a national boulevard, ladies don't you weep and moan
I've gone to a better place off the dirty streets
Mr Patel, won't you send my ashes home?
Spread 'em in the old family almond grove."

Cracker

Beautiful

From "Berkeley to Bakersfield" released in 2014. This one is all about Berkeley.

"If you haven't heard it
If you don't know it
If you don't think it
You are beautiful

Saw you working at the coffee shop
Saw you walking down Telegraph
Pink mohawk and Doc Marten boots
Don't you know that you're beautiful?

Let's buy records at Rasputin's
Let's see a show at Gilman Street
An anarchists' rally at People's Park
Don't you know you're beautiful?

If you don't know it
If you haven't heard it
If you don't think it
You are beautiful

If you come to doubt it
If you don't feel it
If you haven't heard it
You are beautiful

Now you own your own coffee shop
Punk rock shows at matinees
You got a little house west of San Pablo
Don't you know you're still beautiful?

Two teenagers with blue Mohawks
Working at the local fruit co-op
Everything's different but nothing has changed
Don't you know that you're beautiful?"

Cracker

Big Dipper

This one's slow and moody, about Santa Cruz and it's "Giant Dipper" roller coaster. David Lowery described Santa Cruz as combining "carrot juice and cigarettes." Like most of California, it's a combination of healthy/natural and carcinogenic.

"Cigarettes and carrot juice and get yourself a new tattoo
For those sleeveless days of June
I'm sitting on the Cafe Xeno's steps with a book I haven't started yet
Watching all the girls walk by

Could I take you out?
I'll be yours without a doubt on that Big Dipper
And if the sound of this it frightens you
We could play it real cool and act somewhat indifferent

And hey June why'd you have to come
Why'd you have to come around, so soon?
I wasn't ready for all this nature
The terrible green green grass
And violent blooms of flowered dresses
And afternoons that make me sleepy

But we could wait awhile
Before we push that dull turnstile into the passage
The thousands they have tread and others sometimes fled
Before the turn came

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

And hey Jim, Kerouac, a brother of the famous Jack
Or so he likes to say, lucky bastard
He's sitting on the Cafe Xeno's steps with a girl I'm not over yet
Watching all the world go by...."

Cracker

California Country Boy

From "Berkeley to Bakersfield" released in 2014.

"Ain't no palm trees where I come from
No big waves crashing on the shore
No grid-locked traffic, no movie stars, no
In the part of California I come from

We got oil fields in the Central Valley
We got cowboys out in the Mojave
Salinas Valley, yeah where I come from
We got farms, far as the eye can see

Now I got good friends out in Texas
And I got family in Tennessee
But this here country boy's from California
Ain't no place I'd rather be
Ain't no place I'd rather be

From Paso Robles to the Owens Valley
From Manchester on down to Salton Sea
It's where I pick this guitar, it's where I write these songs
Ain't no place that I'd rather be

Yeah I got good friends out in Texas
And I got family in Tennessee
But this here country boy's from California
Ain't no place I'd rather be
Ain't no place I'd rather be

Ain't no palm trees, ain't no movie stars
In the part of California I come from."

Cracker

El Cerrito

This is another song from "Berkeley to Bakersfield" released in 2014. This one complains about the gentrification of the San Francisco Bay Area fueled by the mostly south-bay tech companies and their conformist wealth-obsessed employees whose affluent lifestyles have driven up prices (especially housing prices) forcing many people to live elsewhere. There was a good article online about the song in the San Jose Mercury News.

"Walkin down the street in San Francisco just the other day,
wondering what has happened to the freaks and hippies and the punks.
Everybody's squeaky clean. They look and dress and act the same.
I don't give a s**t about your IPO I live in El Cerrito.

Do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do
El Cerrito

Mama took the Alameda Transit bus to work each day.
All the way down San Pablo.
30 years the Navy Base.
Never heard her once complain about taking public transportation.
You should ride the city bus just like the rest of us in El Cerrito.

Pink-moustached taxi cabs. Don't you know that they're just scabs.
Union busting techie uber alles. I said it.
Bulls**t claims to change the world. Making Wall Street bankers even richer.
El Cerrito's got it's problems but we don't pick pockets of the workin' man.

Papa was an engineer. Worked at Hewlett-Packard.
Dumbarton bridge two times a day, then lost his job and pension.
We would go and visit him in bars in Jack London square.
I don't give a s**t about your IPO I come from El Cerrito.

Do do do do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do do do do do do
El Cerrito

If there is a lesson from this story to be learned.
It's not exactly what you think.
You shouldn't be concerned.
It's not that we don't like the rich,
it's simply that we think it's kind of boring.
Everybody acts and thinks the same
that's why I live in El Cerrito."

Cracker

King of Bakersfield

From "Berkeley to Bakersfield" released in 2014.

"I got a double wide in my own merlot vineyard
I got plenty of space to park my dually truck
I never have to deal with L.A. traffic
Life is good they call me the king of Bakersfield

I work from dusk to dawn for Paramount Pictures
Set carpenter and all around handy man
Back in Bakersfield I got a Sinaloan beauty
Life is good they call me king of Bakersfield

We got wide open spaces
For my friends to come drink beer
We got a stage in the back with a band two stepping all night long

I got some motorcycle-riding neighbours
We never have no trouble round here
All my friends say I live like a king in Bakersfield

And I do

Yeah, play it weird man. this ain't Nashville.
...
Ain't nobody's business how you live your life
I'm a red state union man from California
Life is good they call me king of Bakersfield

Life is good they call me king of Bakersfield
Life is good they call me king of Bakersfield"

Cracker

Miss Santa Cruz County

From the album "Forever" released in 2002. The Artichoke Festival takes place in Castroville, which calls itself "the artichoke center of the world."

"So let's all be someone else
I'm tired of being myself
Let's all be someone else

You could be someone else
I know you're tired of yourself
You say you're so bored you could cry
Well let me tell you, so am I
… … …
So come on down Miss Santa Cruz County
Won't you come on down from your daddy's hydroponic farm?
'Cause there's no shame in being seen as the Artichoke Festival Queen
You know we like what you've become
You know we like what you've become"

Cracker

The San Bernardino Boy

From 2014's Berkeley to Bakersfield, about the Inland Empire, including area codes.

"In his underwear
Playin' in that dirty air
And his daddy's in the Chino jail.
He'll grow up to be
Dumb as dirt by 23
With the county sherriff on his trail.

714 who's that knockin' on my door
It's the San Bernardino boy.
909 everybody hide it
The San Bernardino boy.

I've seen him over by the keg
Dancin' on his broken leg
Blisters risin' on his sunburned hide.
Later on tonight
He'll be startin' up a fight
Till those billy clubs commence to wail.

714 who's that knockin' on my door
It's the San Bernardino boy
909 somebody kill the lights
It's the San Bernardino boy...."

John Craigie (featuring TK & The Holy Know-Nothings)

California Sober

John Craigie III is a singer-songwriter and storyteller from Los Angeles, active since 2003. This is from his album "Pagan Church" released in 2024. If you're wondering where Ron "Pigpen" McKernan is buried - it's at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto, where Steve Jobs is buried.

"I'm gonna hang from the rafters and stretch out my crooked spine
I'm gonna hang from the rafters and stretch out my crooked spine
I see a black-haired woman every time I close my eyes

You're born sunny side up, spine to spine with your mom
You're born sunny side up, spine to spine with your mom
Ah, Mary never told Jesus to get a job

Way down in Petaluma, said her drinking days are over
Way down in Petaluma, said her drinking days are over
Still smoking weed on the weekend, call it California sober

I lay a busted harmonica out on Pigpen's grave
I lay a busted harmonica out on Pigpen's grave
Cure my Oakland sadness on the shores of Monterey

I'm gonna hang from the rafters and stretch out my crooked spine
I'm gonna hang from the rafters and stretch out my crooked spine
I see a black-haired woman every time I close my eyes
I see a black-haired woman every time I close my eyes"

John Craigie (featuring Gregory Alan Isakov)

I Am California

John Craigie is a singer-songwriter and storyteller from Los Angeles, active since 2003. Gregory Alan Isakov is a singer-songwriter originally from South Africa and raised in Philadelphia. This song is from Craigie's album "No Rain, No Rose" released in 2017. While it seems to be a great song about California, it was actually recorded at Craigie's home in Portland, Oregon and it's about moving out of the state. (Portland is the "rose city" and gets a lot of rain, hence the title of the album.)

James Farley in his Mother Church Pew 2017 review of the album describes the song better than I ever could:

"On album standout, “I am California,” Craigie takes a somber turn; each verse speaks of sorrow and remorse as the chorus turns to a cry from his native and beloved California. “So drink all my wine, cut all my trees, make love on my beaches, smoke all my weed. I am California can’t you see, wherever you roam, You’ll always want me,” a personified California cries, pointing out how we use those things to make us feel good, to chase our muse in a vicious cycle of only longing for more, when all reality all we ever wanted was a sense of home—a wonderfully poetic song with unrivaled depth on the record. Sometimes we must leave what we love behind in order to discover what really matters."

"You try to drown your sorrows, shouldn’t taught them how to swim
And now you are right back where you began
Winter skies approaching, all alone in the wasteland
Alone is the only way that they let you in

So drink all my wine, cut all my trees
Make love on my beaches, smoke all my weed
I am California, can’t you see?
Wherever you roam, you’ll always want me

We struggle with our lovers, we don’t know what to let in
'Cause the new ones pay for the old ones sins
Blinded by your shadows, faded on your love
You don’t know how deep you are 'till you get pulled back up

So drink all my wine, cut all my trees
Make love on my beaches, smoke all my weed
I am California, can’t you see?
Wherever you roam, you’ll always want me

So drink all my wine, cut all my trees
Make love on my beaches, smoke all my weed
I am California, can’t you see?
Wherever you roam, you’ll always want me

Yeah, dig all my gold, soak in my springs
Conquer my mountains if that’s what you need
I am California, can’t you see?
Wherever you roam, you’ll always want me
You’ll always want me
You’ll always want me...."

The Cranberries

The Cranberries were an alternative rock band from Ireland, active on and off from 1990 to 2019, and probably best known for their 1994 hit "Zombie". This is the first track from the album "To The Faithful Departed" released in 1996.

"I've got a picture in my head, in my head
It's me and you, we are in bed, we are in bed
You've always been there when I call, when I call
You've always been there most of all, all, all, all

This is not Hollywood, like I understood
Is not Hollywood, like, like, like
This is not Hollywood, like I understood
Is not Hollywood, like, like, like

Run away, run away, is there anybody there?
Away, run away, isn't anybody there?
Get away, get away, get awa-a-a-a-a-a-ay
Get away, get away, get awa-a-a-a-a-a-ay

Oh, oh oh oh oh oh, oh

I've got a picture in my room, in my room
I will return there I presume, it should be soon
The greatest irony of all, shoot the wall
It's not so glamorous at all, all, all, all

This is not Hollywood, like I understood
Is not Hollywood, like, like, like
This is not Hollywood, like I understood
Is not Hollywood, like, like, like

Run away, run away, is there anybody there?
Away, run away, isn't anybody there?
Get away, get away, get awa-a-a-a-a-a-ay
Get away, get away, get awa-a-a-a-a-a-ay

Oh, oh oh oh oh oh, oh

This is not Hollywood, runaway
This Is not Hollywood, like, like, like
(runaway)...."

Crash Adams

My Brother Lived In San Francisco

Crash Adams are two musicians, from Toronto, Canada, singer Crash and guitarist Adams, who got their start on social media, known for their street videos with their grandma's red couch. This song was released in February, 2022. The opening line is right out of Rupert Homme's "Escape (The Piña Colada Song). I have just one other little question about the girl - if she's a California girl, why did she come in heavy like a hurricane and not like an earthquake? Or maybe a firenado - I want to hear a song about a California girl who comes in like a firenado!
There's also an "official lyric video" for the song that was released a few weeks before the "official music video."

"She’s drinking Piña coladas
And watching Netflix in bed
She’s having dinner on the boardwalk
In a sports bra
To mess with my head

And she’s a classy woman
She’s got the weight of the world
And the bleach blonde hair
She likes the sound of the streets in New York City
But she lives in Bel Air

And now she’s feeling kinda wonderful
You’re living but you’re comfortable
When no one tells you that you’re beautiful
California girl

And you came in heavy like a hurricane
Left your lipstick stain on the back of my brain singing
Girl
California girl

Cruising down Sunset waiting for the sun to rise
She says that everything gets better
It don’t matter it’s just black and white

And she’s a classy woman
She’s got a face for the crowd
And the bleach blonde hair
She likes the sound of the streets in New York City
But she lives in Bel Air

And now she’s feeling kinda wonderful
You’re living but you’re comfortable
When no one tells you that you’re beautiful
California girl

And you came in heavy like a hurricane
Left your lipstick stain on the back of my brain singing
Girl
California girl

Stopped waiting for love
Waiting for me
Waiting for love
She’s got places to be
That girl fell in love with that West Coast world

And now she’s feeling kinda wonderful
You’re living but you’re comfortable
When no one tells you that you’re beautiful
California girl

And you came in heavy like a hurricane
Left your lipstick stain on the back of my brain singing
Girl
California girl
California girl
California girl"

The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Cast

(featuring Rachel Bloom & Vincent Rodriguez III)

California Christmastime

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is an Emmy-winning musical television series set in West Covina that aired on The CW from 2015-2019. This song is from the "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 1 (Original Television Soundtrack, Vol. 1)" released in 2016. As with most California Christmas songs, it should be called "Southern California Christmastime) because there's usually plenty of snow in the mountains on Christmas and not enough sun in the north to roast Chet's nuts....

“[Rebecca]
Well, you can take your snow and shove it
This is our Christmas and we love it
It's a hundred degrees, this elf is Vietnamese
That's the way that California does it

[Josh Chan]
Even our Santa has a suntan
He's also an unemployed stuntman

[Rebecca]
Is he even awake?

[Santa]
Yeah, I'm just really baked

[Josh]
If he can be Santa Claus, anyone can!

[Rebecca & Josh]
California Christmastime
It's just a Golden State of mind
Chet's nuts roasting in the bright sunlight!

[Rebecca, spoken]
Put on some pants, Chet!

[Rebecca & Josh]
And what would Christmas be without
Historically low mountain snow causing staggering drought

[Josh]
But hey, this eggnog fro-yo's super tight!
Super tight!

[Rebecca]
'Cause this is California
And we do Christmas right!

[Back-up Singers]
California Christmastime

[Josh, spoken]
Mmm, so good!

[Darryl]
Don we now our surf apparel
And we have our own kind of Christmas Carol

[Paula]
It's this chick named Carol
She does henna tattoos

[Darryl]
Carol's fifty, but no judgement
She's still finding herself

[Rebecca, Josh, Darryl, Paula & Carol]
We're all finding ourselves!

[Greg]
Okay, there is no easy answer

[Heather]
For our high rates of skin cancer

[Carol]
It took my dad's life

[Santa]
And it killed my wife

[Greg, Heather, Carol & Santa]
Hang ten, Rudolph and Prancer!

[Everyone]
California Christmastime
We gather 'round and sing songs by Sublime
And all our local reggae bands are white
The kids get lots of toys on Christmas morn
'Cause daddy makes big bucks directing porn

[Rebeca]
They may have gonorrhea
But at least it's not frostbite!

[Everyone]
It's not frostbite!
'Cause this is California
And we do Christmas right!

California Christmastime
California Christmastime
California Christmastime
California Christmastime
California Christmastime
California Christmastime
California Christmastime
California Christmastime"

The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Cast (featuring Eric Michael Roy)

Santa Ana Winds, Pt. 1-5

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is an Emmy-winning musical television series set in West Covina that aired on The CW from 2015-2019. Michael Roy is an entertainer who had a recurring role in the series playing a weatherman character portraying the Santa Ana Wind.

Hello there, it's me
I'm the Santa Ana winds
I cause allergies
I also make things weird

A little bit about me
I'm a hot, hot breeze
That originates from high-pressure air masses
Technically, I'm known as a katabatic wind
That's science for "a pain in your asses"

I'm mystical but also carry dangerous spores
I bring whimsy and forest fires
When I blow, there's magic in the air
And a higher risk of suicide

I make children wheeze
'Cause I'm the Santa Ana winds
To reiterate, I make things weird
When I blow, it sounds like "whee!"

I'll be back because I'm the wind
And also kind of a narrator

Hey, it's me again
I'm the Santa Ana winds
Here's some magic dust
Which will make things weird

They had the same dream
They just got Santa Ana winded

You might say, "Don't do it, wind
Leave these poor people alone"
But I'm a prankster
Tee-hee-hee-hee
I just wanna see what will happen...."

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Green River

Creedence Clearwater Revival was a rock band from El Cerrito, California that consisted of some members who had played together since 1959 under different band names. This song from the album "Green River" released in 1969 was a huge hit that went all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. (It's hard to think that swamp rock was ever that popular...)

The song evokes a river that could be anywhere in the world, but since, according to Wickipedia, John Fogerty, who wrote and sings the song, told Rolling Stone magazine in a 2012 interview that the Green River of the song was actually Putah Creek near Winters, California, a place he remembered going to in his childhood, that's close enough for this list. But feel free to add it to any list of songs about any other place, because it's really universal.

"Well, take me back down where cool water flow, y’all
Let me remember things I love, Lord
Stoppin' at the log where catfish bite
Walkin' along the river road at night
Barefoot girls dancin' in the moonlight

I can hear the bullfrog callin' me, aw
Wonder if my rope's still hangin' to the tree, aw
Love to kick my feet way down the shallow water
Shoo fly, dragon fly, get back to mother
Pick up a flat rock, skip it across Green River
Well

Up at Cody's camp I spent my days, Lord
With flat car riders and cross-tie walkers
Old Cody Junior took me over
Said, 'You're gonna find the world is smolderin'
And if you get lost, come on home to Green River'
Well
Come on home"

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Lodi

This song is from the album "Green River" released in 1969. Lead singer and songwriter John Fogerty had never been to Lodi in 1969 when he used the city's name 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" later became 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.

There have been a lot of good recorded cover verisons of the song (and probably a thousand more by bands that never made it out of Lodi.) Here are a few:

Tim Armstrong 2012
Bo Diddley 1971
Eric Church 2017
Shawn Colvin 2015
FIDLAR
Emmylou Harris 2016
Ronnie Hawkins 2019
Tom Jones 1970
Freddie King (Lowdown in Lodi) 1972
Lobo 1974
Dan Penn 1973
Tesla 1990
Al Wilson 1969

"Just about a year ago, I set out on the road,
Seekin' my fame and fortune, lookin' for a pot of gold.
Things got bad, and things got worse, I guess you will know the tune.
Oh ! Lord, stuck in Lodi again.
Rode in on the Greyhound, I'll be walkin' out if I go.
I was just passin' through, must be seven months or more.
Ran out of time and money, looks like they took my friends.
Oh ! Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again.

The man from the magazine said I was on my way.
Somewhere I lost connections, ran out of songs to play.
I came into town, a one night stand, looks like my plans fell through
Oh ! Lord, stuck in Lodi again.

If I only had a dollar, for ev'ry song I've sung.
And ev'ry time I've had to play while people sat there drunk.
You know, I'd catch the next train back to where I live.
Oh ! Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again.
Oh ! Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again."

Cripple Creek Band

Cold in California

This is from Cripple Creek Band's album "Bonafide" released in 2017.
From their website: "The Cripple Creek Band has a unique sound blending multiple genres and styles of music including Country, Americana, bluegrass and Southern Rock." ... "Since 2012, The Cripple Creek Band has been playing all over the west coast while releasing Three Albums and two Singles."

"Left me cold in California
Clinging to a life I had
Left me so long ago
In a life I can't get back

Pretty brown hair and sparkling eyes
Had a way that made me smile
Till she told me it was over
Couldn't overcome the miles

She left me cold in California
Clinging to a life I had
Left me so long ago
In a life I can't get back

I guess I never saw it coming
Last December when she's sad
Now this heart of mine is broken
Over a love I never had

She left me cold in California
Searching for a girl
Who left me so long ago
All alone in this world

She left me cold in California
All alone in this world."

Cripple Creek Band

State of Jefferson

Jefferson is a proposed Pacific state that spans southern Oregon and a large part of Northern California. That makes it suitable for this list, but it's really an anti-Californai song. This secessionist anthem is from the album "Last of a Dying Breed" released in 2022.

"Up in the hills of Northern California
We believe America is the home of the brave
What we got is earned by workin'
It ain't handed out for free
Stand by the flag and say the pledge of allegiance
We're the last of a dying breed
Last of a dying breed

300 miles from nowhere
At least that's what it seems
Politicians in the big old city
Are running everything
Our way of life might be simple
And it's not for everyone
It's a state of mind
It's a state of change
It's a State of Jefferson
Sing it with me one time now

State of Jefferson
State number 51
We believe in freedom
Believe in God and guns
We believe in workin' hard
'Till the workin' day is done
Teach the children to follow their heart
Teach them right from wrong
One day this will be their land
And this will be their song

For many generations
My family lived up on this land
They push us to the limits
United we all stand

They want to change our way of living
And take away our rights
This is our home, we protect our own
Now hear our battle cry

Sing it, sing it, sing it with me one time now
State of Jefferson
State number 51

We believe in freedom
Believe in God and guns
We believe in workin' hard
'Till the workin' day is done
Teach the children to follow their heart
Teach them right from wrong
One day this will be their land
And this will be their song

State of Jefferson
State number 51

We believe in freedom
Believe in God and guns
We believe in workin' hard
'Till the workin' day is done
Teach the children to follow their heart
Teach them right from wrong
One day this will be their land
And this will be their song

Jefferson
State of Jefferson
State of Jefferson
State of
Sing it with me one time now."

Kim Criswell

Kim Criswell is an actor and musical entertainer from Virginia and Tennessee, based in London.
This is from the 1993 album "Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens," from a 1989 musical of the same name that was written by Janet Hood and Bill Russell, featuring songs and monologues inspired by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology.

"My brother lived in San Francisco
He said he finally found his place
And when I go to San Francisco
Everywhere I look I see his face

Bud and I faced childhood
Under stark Montana skies
And Bud, he seemed to always
Have cities in his eyes
He longed for possibility
He lived to move away
And he finally found his dream
In the city by the bay

Joe and I were best of friends
In our small-time college town
And Joe had personality
What a campus clown
His jokes hid deeper rivers
That bubbled far below
And he rode the current west
Where the rapid waters flow

Oh, lots of us had brothers there
Who would love to show the sights
And share the balmy freedom
Of San Francisco nights
They liked it so much more
Than anywhere they'd been
And we thought they would be there
When we made it back again

My brother lived in San Francisco
He said he finally found his place
And when I go to San Francisco
Everywhere I look I see his face"

Jim Croce

Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)

Jim Croce was a popular folk rock singer originally from Philadelphia. This is a song from his huge hit album You Don't Mess Around with Jim 1972, released the year before he died in a plane crash at the age of 30. He's trying to find the phone number of his ex-girlfriend who moved to L.A. with his ex-friend. This song is probably incomprehensible to anyone born in the cell phone era who never talked with a telephone operator or used a pay phone that only cost a dime.

"Operator, well could you help me place this call
See, the number on the match book is old and faded
She's living in L.A.
With my best old ex-friend Ray
A guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated

But isn't that the way they say it goes
Well let's forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell 'em I'm fine, and to show
I've overcome the blow
I've learned to take it well
I only wish my words
Could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real
But that's not the way it feels...."

Bing Crosby

San Fernando Valley

Bing Crosby was a best-selling singer and Oscar-winning actor from Washington state, active from 1922-1977. He was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century and was once voted the "most admired man alive." It was because of his need to make so many radio shows that magnetic audio tape recording became widely-used and you can blame him for the invention of the "laugh track." This song was recorded in L.A. and released in 1944, when, according to the lyrics, the San Fernando Valley was still "cow country."

"Oh I'm packing my grip
And I'm leavin' today
'Cause I'm takin' a trip
California way
I'm gonna settle down and never more roam
And make the San Fernando Valley my home

I'll forget my sins,
I'll be makin' new friends
Where the West begins
And the sunset ends
'Cause I've decided where 'yours truly' should be
And it's the for me
San Fernando Valley
I think that I'm safe in statin'
She will be waitin'
When my lonely journey is done
And kindy old Reverend Thomas
Made us a promise
He will make the two of us one
... ... ...
So, I'm hittin' the trail
To the cow country
You can forward my mail
Care of R.F.D.
I'm gonna settle down and never more roam
And make the San Fernando Valley my home
And make the San Fernando Valley my home
And make the San Fernando Valley my home"

David Crosby

Tamalpais High (At About 3)

David Crosby was a singer-songwriter born in Los Angeles, active from 1963-2023, first famous as a member of the Byrds, then as part of Crosby, Stills & Nash and sometimes Young. This song is from his debut solo album 'If I Could Only Remember My Name" released in 1971. The song has no lyrics, only beautiful dreamy harmonies of non-lexical vocables, but it is still one of my favorite California songs, one that I never tire of listening to. It evokes the California sound of its time so well. The musicians are from some of the most influential California bands of the time, with David Crosby and Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills & Nash on guitar and vocals, Jorma Kaukonen of the Jefferson Airplane on guitar, and three members of the Grateful Dead - Jerry Garcia on guitar, Phil Lesh on bass, and Bill Kreutzmnn on drums.

I don't think the song is about Marin County's Tamalpais high school, since Crosby didn't go to school there. It's more likely about Mt. Tamalpais (Mt. Tam) the mountain in Marin County, which is even mentioned in some versions of "I Love You California" the California state song.

Crosby Stills & Nash

Live It Up

Crosby Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young) are a rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1968. This song is from their album "Live it Up" released in 1990 sounds nothing like their harmony-rich acoustic folk rock sound from the '60s.

"Don't need the look of a millionaire
Takes more than money just to live it up
Don't need designer on the things I wear
Takes more than fashion just to live it up

Don't need my home sitting in Bel Air
Forty room apartment just to live it up
Don't need Jacuzzis or midnight affairs
Neighbors in the nude just to live it up

But I need to live it up, oh, oh, oh
I need to live it up, oh, oh, oh
I want to live it up, live it up

Don't need connections for a ringside seat
Takes more than power just to live it up
Don't need the keys to the governor's suite
Takes more than politics to live it up

Don't like the tricks they play on Easy Street
So don't do me favors just to live it up
Don't need to mingle with the stars I meet
Backstage passes just to live it up

But I need to live it up, oh, oh, oh
I need to live it up, oh, oh, oh
I want to live it up, live it up oooh

Just look around you
So many ways that you can live it up, really got to live it up
It's all around you
All you gotta do is open up, all you do is open up

Don't need to drink 'til we all fall down
Takes more than liquor just to live it up
Don't need no dealer pushing me around
Takes more than chemicals to live it up

Don't need a ticket to a gambling town
Twenty-one don't get it just to live it up
Why are we looking in the lost and found?
People try so hard just to live it up...."

Crosby Stills & Nash

Our House

The story is that Graham Nash wrote this song quickly one day when he was living with Joni Mitchell in her house in Laurel Canyon and that the song is about that particular house. It's also the place where Nash met Crosby and Stills. This is why people put this one on their lists of Calfornia songs. I'm not convinced it really belongs - it can be about a house anywhere the listener wants it to be, which makes it more universal. Nevertheless, it's on my list since the song is so strongly associated with a particular house and time in the Hollywood Hills. Joni Mitchell's house is even a music tourism site, not so much because of this song but because it's where she wrote so many of her own songs. There are plenty of web pages about the house including this one on Joni Mitchell's site.

"I'll light the fire
You place the flowers in the vase
That you bought today

Staring at the fire
For hours and hours while I listen to you
Play your love songs all night long for me
Only for me

Come to me now (Come to me now)
And rest your head for just five minutes
Everything is done
Such a cozy room (Such a cozy room)
The windows are illuminated
By the evening sunshine through them
Fiery gems for you, only for you

Our house is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our

La-la, la-la-la-la-la
... ... ...
Our house is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our

I'll light the fire
While you place the flowers in the vase
That you bought today"

Sheryl Crow

All I Wanna Do

Sheryl Crow is a singer-songwriter-actress from Missouri who moved to L.A. like so many wanna-be musicians, but unlike most, she went from wanna-be to fame and fortune.

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.

"This ain't no disco
This ain't no country club either, this is L.A.
… … … … …
We are drinking beer at noon on Tuesday
In the bar that faces the giant car wash
And the good people of the world
Are washing their cars on their lunch breaks
Hosing and scrubbing as best they can
In skirts and suits chi

And they drive their shiny Datsuns and Buicks
Back to the phone company, the record stores, too
Well, they're nothing like Billy and me
'Cause All I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling I'm not the only one...
Until the sun comes up over
Santa Monica Boulevard"

Sheryl Crow

Leaving Las Vegas

This song is from Crow's debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, released in 1993 and certified 2x platinum (back when people used to buy a piece of plastic with music on it.) Sure the song is about Las Vegas for good, but the sleazy alcoholic gambling-addicted blackjack-dealing ex-showgirl singing the song tells us that when she needed to get away from the city she used drive all the way to Barstow, California.

"Life springs eternal
On a gaudy neon street
Not that I care at all
I spent the best part of my losing streak
In an Army Jeep
For what I can't recall
Oh I'm banging on my TV set
And I check the odds
And I place my bet
I pour a drink
And I pull the blind
And I wonder what I'll find

I'm Leaving Las Vegas
Lights so bright
Palm sweat, blackjack
On a Saturday night
Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving for good, for good
I'm leaving for good
I'm leaving for good

Used to be I could drive up to
Barstow for the night
Find some crossroad trucker
To demonstrate his might
But these days it seems
Nowhere is far enough away
So I'm leaving Las Vegas today

I'm Leaving Las Vegas
Lights so bright
Palm sweat, blackjack
On a Saturday night
Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving for good, for good
I'm leaving for good
I'm leaving for good

I'm standing in the middle of the desert
Waiting for my ship to come in
But now no joker, no jack, no king
Can take this loser hand
And make it win

I'm Leaving Las Vegas
Lights so bright
Palm sweat, blackjack
On a Saturday night
Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving for good, for good
I'm leaving for good
I'm leaving for good

I quit my job as a dancer
At the Lido Des Girls
Dealing blackjack until one or two
Such a muddy line between
The things you want
And the things you have to do

I'm Leaving Las Vegas
Lights so bright
Palm sweat, blackjack
On a Saturday night
Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving for good, for good
I'm leaving for good
I'm leaving for good

I'm leaving Las Vegas
And I won't be back
No I won't be back
Not this time"

Rodney Crowell

California Earthquake (A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On)

Rodney Crowell is a Country music singer-songwriter from Texas. This song is from his 1978 album "I Ain't Living Long Like This." There are also versions of Grateful Dead covers of this song that they sang live just after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

"There was a California earthquake, in the year of '83
It shook the living daylights out of the Owens County Seat
Not a building still left standing when the dust had cleared away
Just a rumble in the distance all the way to San Andreas

Oh Sherman Buck was driving his old mule into town
When a big one came and shook so hard, that it knocked him to the ground
Lord there opened up a hole so big, he thought his time was up
And it swallowed up that poor old mule and it just missed Sherman Buck

California earthquake you just don't know what you've done
We may fall off in the ocean, but you'll never make us run
You're a partner to the devil, but we ain't afraid of him
We'll build ourselves another town so you can tear it down again

Then came the quake of '99 that levelled Mission Creek
The earth was like an ocean churning, with waves of twenty feet
Lord it sounded like a thousand trains were screaming underground
Clean across to San Joachim, they heard that mournful sound

Then came one day the holocaust on San Franciso Bay
[Ninety] miles of walls came down like old Jericho that day
Might near everything the earthquake missed, a holy fire consumed
And left 'em smoke and the ashes of the dreams that can't be ruined
Build ourselves another town so you can tear it down again"

Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup

Mean Ol' Frisco Blues

Arthur William "Big Boy" Crudup was a delta blues singer-songwriter from Mississippi. He wrote "That's All Right Mama" in 1946 which later became Elvis Presley's first single. As far as I can tell, he also wrote this song and recorded it as early as 1942, but I'm no delta blues musicologist. Sometimes the authorship of old blues songs is complicated. I don't understand what's going on with the train and Santa Fe and the southern. (Maybe she left on an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway train called the "southern" ?) Whatever her itinerary was, she left him and he hates the place and that's easy to understand.

There are a lot of other recordings of this song, usually titled "Mean Old Frisco" or "Mean Old Frisco Blues" and some of them have slightly different lyrics. My favorite version is by Little Walter, but you can take your pick of these and more:
Little Walter, 1959
John Hammond, 1963
Eric Clapton, 1977
Muddy Waters, 1981

"Well that mean old old Frisco
And that lowdown Santa Fe
Done took my babe away
Lord and blowed back out on me

Well my mama she done told me
And my papa told me too
Yes my mama told me
Papa told me too

Son any woman scream in your face
Lord she ain't no friend to you

Lord I wonder
Do she ever think of me
Lord I wonder
Do she ever think of me
Well I wonder I wonder
Will my babe come back to me

Well I'm standing lord looking
Watching that southern whistle blow
Yes I'm standing looking
Watching that southern whistle blow
Well she didn't catch that southern
Lord now where did the woman go

Lord I ain't got no
Special rider here
Lord I ain't got no
Special rider here
I might leave
Because I don't feel welcome here"

The Crusaders (featuring Bill Withers)

Soul Shadows

The Crusaders were a jazz fusion band from Houston. Bill Withers was a singer-songwriter from West Virginia. This is from the album "Rhapsody and Blues" released in 1980.

"San Francisco morning coming clear and cold
Don't know if I'm waking or I'm dreaming
Riding with Fats Waller on the Super Chief
He said, music's real, the rest is seeming

Oh, he played
Feeling that won't go away
Left a sound of his soul in the air
I can hear it out there
And I know

He left those soul shadows
On my mind
On my mind
On my mind

He left a soul shadow
On my mind
On my mind
On my mind

Standing by the window as a fog rolls in
I swear I can hear a far-off music
Jelly Roll is playing down in Storyville
And Satchmo is wailing in Chicago
You ought to heard 'em play
Feelings that won't go away
Left the sound of their souls in the air
I hear out there and I know

They left them soul shadows
All on my mind
On my mind,
All on my mind...."

Cruzmatik

California Grown

Cruzmatic is a collaboration of two musicians, FMZ, aka Reggie Stephens, a former professional football player from Shreveport Louisiana (Ratchet City) who moved to Santa Cruz as a teenager, and Jwilz, aka Jason Williams, who was also raised in Santa Cruz. Their website describes their music as "surf/reggae/rock music." There's also a rap verse in this song which was released in 2012 and included on their Style Trippin EP released in 2013.
Maybe the guys forgot about Del Norte County because that's where California ends, not at the Humboldt line.

"(West coast)
(Cruzmatik)

[Chorus:]
California grown
(West coast)
You're raised this way
If you're from the C-A I'm
California grown
(West coast)
Sunsets at the beach I love my home I'm
California grown
(West coast)
Where it's laid back and crazy all at the same time I'm
California grown
(West coast)
From the tip of San Diego to the Humboldt line I'm

California grown you can smell it like cologne
Nor Cal, So Cal, Cruzmatic's home
Central Coast's own I'm stackin' my provalone
I'm from that Ratchet City but Cali it be my home
Palm trees bomb [?] make the streets bleed
We gon' wake the west up like we gave it angel dust
[?] the bus, 501s on, black Chucks
Pocket full of guacamole, feel me out in Mexico
My Eses are from [?] dope
Quality you pay for, get it on the west coast
I'm black [?] but we back for the stash
Black Cadillac, I call it Mad Max
And when you see us on the block we get active
My [?] my rack city chick
Santa Cruz to L.A. then back to the Bay
To all the soldiers we lost from Cali-forn-i-a

California grown... [Chorus]

[?] place where there's time you can waste
I'll be California dreamin' pretty girls on the chase
I was raised on the music from the Bay to L.A.
The Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, [?] stuipid Mac Dre
Still a California kid, cruise the bikes, foggy night
Friends become family, my circle's big, we tight
And that's what keeps me grounded
Drivin' up and down the 5 wherever I roam
It's palm trees, lazy days
Readin' on the beach, toes in the sand, time flies by
We got the best green you ever seen
Kick back, inhale, exhale, why ask why
I'm road trippin' up and down the coast
Ocean breeze, mountains, I love Cali the most
And in the winter time I ride my dirt bike when it's dry
Cause if it rains it snows, snow boarding, Tahoe, I'm

[Chorus]
California grown...

Ah ah ah
Nor Cal
California
(West coast)
Ah ah ah
So Cal
California
Ah ah ah
[?] zone
California
(West coast)
Ah ah ah
[?] west coast
California

[Chorus]
California grown...

(West coast)
(Cruzmatic)"

Nick Cunningham

NIck Cunningham is a singer-songwriter from south Australia. This song was released in 2017.

"Does your heart race
Oooh down the highway
Miss California runaway

Funny how it all changed
All in that one day
And for the first time everything was clear
MIss California

If I had it my way
I would always have you by me
Because the world's on fire every time you go

California come home
So come home
Ooh Ooooh Oh Ooh
California come home
Ooh Ooooh Oh Ooh
California come home
Ooh Ooooh Oh Ooh
California come home
Ooh Ooooh Oh Ooh

Even on a bad day
No you won't have to worry
Because I'll hold you like I always do
California it's true

So come home
Ooh Ooooh Oh Ooh
California come home
Ooh Ooooh Oh Ooh
California come home
Ooh Ooooh Oh Ooh
California come home
Ooh Ooooh Oh Ooh

I'm sick and tired of telephones
We're miles apart and you're all alone
You told me darling you won't be long

So come home
Ooh Ooooh Oh Ooh
California come home
Ooh Ooooh Oh Ooh
California come home...."

Current Joys

California Rain

Current Joys is the music project of Nicholas Rattigan, a singer-songwriter, journalist, and director from Reno, Nevada, active since 2011. He's also the drummer for the indie surf rock band Surf Curse. He released this song in July, 2024. The version linked to here is a short indie pop song but there is also a longer version of the song that is more inventive with the pop song turning into a majestic instrumental that then morphs into a couple of minutes of tinkly piano.

"Never knew just why I came here
It’s as good as any place
Like a bad tattoo synthetic blues come rolling down your face
And I don’t mind the taste

But isn’t it nice to get away
Clear my head up and dull away the pain
It’s hard to see you. but I’m so glad you came
Cause I don’t feel too much in California rain

Never knew just how it started
I never understood the pain
But I can feel the scars when the stars get dark rolling up in waste
Why throw away a face

But isn’t it nice to run away
Clear my head up from abhorrent fits of rage
It’s hard to see you
But I’m so glad you came
Cause I don’t feel too much
In the California rain"

Catie Curtis

Hey California

Catie Curtis is a singer-songwriter from Boston, Mass., active since 1989. This folk rock or alt country song was released in 2014. It's a nice alternative to all the songs that glorify California sunshine. So Cal, that is. They don't make many laying-on-the-beach sunshine songs about Northern California, but it's possible there, if you can avoid the fog.

"I'm gonna get you to take your heavy coat off
I'm gonna turn the heat up in the house
I'm gonna get you to lie down with me baby
Make the sun shine underneath the clouds

The ground below us is frozen
And the snow, well it keeps on coming down
I'll build a tunnel to your skin, if you'll let me in
We'll make a fire right inside the house

Hey California, we're cold as hell
But we got ways to entertain ourselves

In December we pretend that we're moving
We point out places on the map
We look at houses online, we read the L.A. Times
We go out in to the snow and laugh

Hey California, we're cold as hell
But we got ways to entertain ourselves

And when you go to California
They want to know why you'd live back East
When the weather there is cold and the people there are cold
I say the people are why I'll never leave

Hey California, we're cold as hell
But we got ways to entertain ourselves
Hey California, when you watch us freeze
Please don't talk about those lemon trees
Hey California just one more thing
I'm about to get my mind blown by spring"

Andy Cutrell

Andy Cutrell is a musician with a Facebook page but with no bio info available. This song is a single released in 2014. It's a rare California Christmas song that puts a reminder of the Christ in Christmas in between the references to surfing and sunshine. But the image that sticks with me is Frosty the Snowman melted into a puddle on the floor. Probalby with yellow crime scene tape around it.

"Not gonna be cold outside
And we don't have to run and hide
From a snow storm
'Cause it'll be so warm

Don't get to reminisce
About having a white Christmas
We've never had one
Not gonna have one

And it's a California Christmas
There's nothin' quite like this
Hangin' ten, catchin' waves
On the perfect holiday
It's a California Christmas
And I sure don't wanna miss it
Everybody comin' together
Singin' carols in the perfect weather
It's a California Christmas
...
Not gonna build a Frosty here
Even if we did he would disappear
He would be no more
Than a puddle on the floor

'Cause it's a California Christmas
There's nothin' quite like this
Hangin' ten, catchin' waves
On the perfect holiday
It's a California Christmas
And I sure don't wanna miss it
Everybody comin' together
Singin' carols in the perfect weather
It's a California Christmas

But to celebrate Christmas you know
You don't need the sunshine or the snow
The reason for the season in December
Is for a soul to remember
The savior's birth

And it's a California Christmas
There's nothin' quite like this
Hangin' ten, catchin' waves
On the perfect holiday
It's a California Christmas
And I sure don't wanna miss it
Everybody comin' together
Singin' carols in the perfect weather
It's a California Christmas...."

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus is an American singer, songwriter & actress from Tennessee where her father was a country music star with the hit "Achy Breaky Heart." Malibu was the lead single from her album "Younger Now" released in 2017. Cyrus sings about being young and beautiful and rich living in the exclusive Malibu community. The next year when images of her Malibu house reduced to ashes in a massive wildfire were shown in the news it was hard not to contrast that tragedy with the hopeful optimism of this song.

"I never came to the beach or stood by the ocean
I never sat by the shore under the sun with my feet in the sand
But you brought me here and I'm happy that you did
'Cause now I'm as free as birds catching the wind

I always thought I would sink, so I never swam
I never went boatin', don't get how they are floatin'
And sometimes I get so scared
Of what I can't understand

But here I am
Next to you
The sky's more blue
In Malibu
Next to you
In Malibu
Next to you, baby

We watched the sun go down as we were walking
I'd spend the rest of my life just standing here talking
You would explain the current as I just smile
Hoping that you'll stay the same and nothing will change
And it'll be us just for a while
Do they even exist?
That's when I make the wish
To swim away with the fish

Is it supposed to be this hot all summer long?
I never would've believed you
If three years ago you told me
I'd be here writing this song

But here I am
Next to you
The sky's so blue
In Malibu
Next to you
In Malibu
Next to you, baby

Next to you
The sky's so blue
In Malibu, baby
Next to you

We are just like the waves that flow back and forth
Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning and you're there to save me
And I wanna thank you with all of my heart
It's a brand new start
A dream come true
In Malibu"

Miley Cyrus

Party in the USA

This is an upbeat pop song from her first EP “The Time of Our Lives” released in 2009 when she was 16 years old that was a huge hit.

“I hopped off the plane at L.A.X.
With a dream and my cardigan
Welcome to the land of fame excess (whoa),
Am I gonna fit in?

Jumped in the cab,
Here I am for the first time
Look to my right and I see the Hollywood sign
This is all so crazy
Everybody seems so famous

My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda home sick
Too much pressure and I'm nervous,
That's when the taxi man turned on the radio
And a Jay-Z song was on
And a Jay-Z song was on
And a Jay-Z song was on

So I put my hands up
They're playing my song,
The butterflies fly away
I'm noddin' my head like yeah
Movin' my hips like yeah
I got my hands up,
They're playin' my song
I know I'm gonna be OK
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Yeah, it's a party in the USA

Get to the club in my taxi cab
Everybody's looking at me now
Like, "Who's that chick that's rockin' kicks?
She gotta be from out of town."

So hard with my girls not around me
It's definitely not a Nashville party
'Cause all I see are stilettos
I guess I never got the memo

My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda home sick
Too much pressure and I'm nervous
That's when the DJ dropped my favorite tune
And a Britney song was on
And a Britney song was on
And a Britney song was on

Feel like hoppin' on a flight (on a flight)
Back to my hometown tonight (town tonight)
Something stops me every time (every time)
The DJ plays my song and I feel alright”

Noah Cyrus

I Burned L.A. Down

Noah Cyrus is a singer-songwriter-actress from Nashville active since 2003. She's also the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus and sister of Miley Cyrus. This country/pop heartbreak song was released in 2022.

"You left a hole in my chest
When you left
And my heart followed you out the door
And I stood and bled in the hall
Watched it all
And the mess that it left on the floor

If I gave you less
Would you want me more?
And you could’ve said anything at all

Ooo,
Embers in the dark
Can look just like shooting stars
To a bitter broken heart
Oh,
I wish I hadn’t burned this city down
Cause you didn’t care, no you didn’t care
Yeah, I burned L.A. down and you left me there
Oh, you left me there

I waste my breath on a prayer
You don’t care
I was never a part of your plan
You can’t make a god
Of somebody who’s not
Even half of a half-decent man

Ooo,
Embers in the dark
Can look just like shooting stars
To a bitter broken heart
Oh,
I wish I hadn’t burned this city down
Cause you didn’t care, no you didn’t care
Yeah, I burned L.A. down and you left me there
I burned this city down
Cause you didn’t care, no you didn’t care
Yeah, I burned L.A. down and you left me there

You left a hole in my chest
When you left
And my heart followed you out the door"

Marcin Czersky Czerwinski

Marcin Czersky Czerwinski is a singer-songwriter and producer from Poland. This song was released in January 2023. The chorus uses the music from the chorus of "Miss California" by Dante Thomas. The lyrics are in Polish and I don't know if they are a translation of the original lyrics because I can't find them online. The YouTube page describes the song like this: " 'California' is a song on the borderline of a mix of several genres, a bit of reggateon, a bit of latin pop with an admixture of Afropop."

Gregory D & DJ Mannie Fresh

Buck Jump Time (Project Rap)

Gregory Duvernay and Mannie Fresh are a New Orleans rapper and producer. This is a classic "New Orleans Bounce" track from 1989 that describes how tough New Orleans' projects are. Gregory D taunts West Coast Gangsta Rappers that they couldn't survive the Calliope. (He's not rapping about a steam organ or the Muse of poetry - Calliope here refers to a housing project in New Orleans that was known to be one of the most violent projects in the country before it was demolished in 2014.)

"....Listen to the rhymes back-to-back
That I wrote for the project rap
This rap is wild, a number one hit
When you ever heard a rapper bust like this?
Uptown, Third Ward, that Calliope
Melpomene, Magnolia, the home of dope
St. Thomas, Lafitte, the Iberville's hard
And that Seventh Ward St. Bernard
The Fischer from that one point five
Where the brothers at from that wild Desire?
Where the Floridas at? Y'all ready to roll?
Where that wild buck jumping going Hollygrove
Gert Town, Pigeon Town
Seabrook -- this whole city throws down
That Uzi Ward, jack rope and geese(?) symbolizes New Orleans East
Them brothers wild, they don't give you a chance
Jumped everybody at the St. Mary's dance
Brothers go to popping, you're running like stallions
Ahhh ahhh! Pop, he got your medallion
Remember St. Mary's dance? Please!
Brothers used to be hopping out of trees
Wild horde New Orleans lord
I heard they kicking colors in the St. Bernard

The point behind this whole rap
This city is cold as any other on the map
New York this, California that
Forget that talk, this is where it's at
They're talking bout California like it's so dope
Let me see Cali walk through the Calliope
The projects, Wards, all on time
New Orleans number one in this rhyme...."

Daddy Yankee & Katy Perry
(featuring Snow)

Con Calma Remix

This is a Spanglish reggaeton song released in Spring 2019 about a guy watching a girl shake her poom poom on the dance floor. It's a revision of Canadian rapper Snow's big number one hit from 1992 "Informer." It's also a remix of Daddy Yankee's original version of the song, adding Katy Perry and more tropical rap. After Despacito destroyed the pop charts, every English-speaking pop singer is now required by the industry to sing on Latin pop songs. Katy Perry does better than most. It's been 9 years since her smash hit "California Gurls" but she's still working that moniker here. Daddy Yankee is her Puerto Rican dream aka the guy who invented the name "reggaeton."

"[Katy Perry]
¿Cómo te llamas baby?
A little mezcal got me feelin' spicy
I know that we don't speak the same language
But I'm gonna let my body talk for me (Talk for me)
Hola me llamo Katy
A little mezcal got me feelin' naughty
I know that we don't speak the same language
So I'm gonna let my body talk for me (Talk for me)

[Daddy Yankee]
Con calma, yo quiero ver como ella lo menea
Mueve ese poom-poom, girl

Es un asesina, cuando baila quiere que to' el mundo la vea
I like your poom-poom, girl (Sube, sube)
Con calma, yo quiero ver como ella lo menea
Mueve ese poom-poom, girl
Tiene adrenalina, en medio 'e la pista, vente hazme lo que sea
I like your poom-poom, girl (¡Hey!)

[Katy Perry]
Dress up with my girls, on the hunt tonight
Got a feelin' Ima catch a wild one
I know that I'm not typically your type
But you never had this kind of stimulation
All eyes on my when I light up the room
You play the right vibe and my body will move
Easy baby, I see you're in the mood
Me too

Con calma
I see you're lovin' the way I work the floor now

I got the poom-poom, boy
You could be my Puerto Rican dream, I'll be your California gurl now
I got the poom-poom, boy
Con calma
I see you're lovin' the way I work the floor now
I got the poom-poom, boy
You could be my Puerto Rican dream, I'll be your California gurl now
I got the poom-poom, boy...."

"[Katy Perry]
What's your name baby?
A little mezcal got me feelin' spicy
I know that we don't speak the same language
But I'm gonna let my body talk to me (Talk to me)
Hello my name is Katy
A little mezcal got me feelin' naughty
I know that we don't speak the same language
So I'm gonna let my body talk to me (Talk to me

[Daddy Yankee]
Calmly, I want to see how she shakes it
Move that poom-poom, girl

She is a murderer, when she dances she wants the whole world to see her
I like your poom-poom, girl (Go up, go up)
Calmly, I want to see how she shakes it
Move that poom-poom, girl
It has adrenaline, in the middle of the track, come do whatever it takes to me
I like your poom-poom, girl (Hey!)

[Katy Perry]
Dress up with my girls, on the hunt tonight
Got a feelin' I'ma catch a wild one
I know that I'm not typically your type
But you never had this kind of stimulation
All eyes on me when I light up the room
You play the right vibe and my body will move
Easy baby, I see you're in the mood
me too

Calmly
I see you're loving the way I work the floor now

I got the poom-poom, boy
You could be my Puerto Rican dream, I'll be your California gurl now
I got the poom-poom, boy
Calmly
I see you're loving the way I work the floor now
I got the poom-poom, boy
You could be my Puerto Rican dream, I'll be your California gurl now
I got the poom-poom, boy...."

Hunter Daily

California Poppies

Hunter Daily is an actress, singer, and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. This poppy pop song with the singer comparing herself to the California state flower was released in 2024.

"Staring out my window
Watching clouds go by
I wonder what they look like from the other side

Tell me where the wind blows
‘Cause I’m try'na catch a ride
I don’t know where I’m going
But I see it in my mind

California poppies don’t die
They just turn into butterflies
And baby if I run away
I'll come back in the summertime
Wish I could say that it wasn’t goodbye
I could just stare at your big brown eyes
California poppies don’t die
They just turn into butterflies

Driving after midnight
Do I cross your mind?
Underneath the street lights
Hollywood and Vine

Tell me where the wind blows
‘Cause I’m try'na catch a ride
I don’t know where I’m going
But I see it in my mind

California poppies don’t die
They just turn into butterflies
And baby if I run away
I’ll come back in the summertime
Wish I could say that it wasn’t goodbye
I could just stare at your big brown eyes
California poppies don’t die
They just turn into butterflies

It’s alright under rainbow skies
If I could turn back time

California poppies don’t die
They just turn into butterflies
And baby if I run away
I'll come back in the summertime
Wish I could say that it wasn’t goodbye
I could just stare at your big brown eyes
California poppies don’t die
They just turn into butterflies"

Daisy Jones & The Six

Regret Me

Daisy Jones & The Six is an Emmy-Award-winning TV miniseries, based on the 2019 novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, about a band in the L.A. music scene of the 1970s. It deals mostly with the The show premiered in March, 2023. The band is also called Daisy Jones & The Six, and it features vocals by the lead actors Sam Claflin and Riley Keogh (the granddaughter of Elvis Presley.) Regret Me is a single released in January, 2023 that aired several times on the show and appeared on the album "Aurora" released in March, 2023, which is also the album the band made in the movie. The song, as well as everything on the album, was produced and co-written by L.A. singer-songwriter and producer Blake Mills.

Blake Mills is a great singer and songwriter, but I hope he didn't write the line about the Pacific Coast Highway: "Off the PCH highway...." I'm going to have to report the line to the U.S. Department of Redundancy Department. It's classic RAS Syndrome (Redundant Acronym Syndrome syndrome). Saying "PCH highway" is as unnecessary as saying "ATM machine", "PIN number", or "LCD display". (You're welcome to report my reduntant explanation, also.)

The lyrics to the song are written out in the book but they are entirely different from the lyrics in this song, so I can't blame the author. In the show, Daisy wrote the lyrics. She's an L.A. native, so she should know better. Also, the preceding lyrics "I find it perfectly natural here in my car to be doing off the PCH highway..." don't make a lot of sense. ("to be doing off" what?) They might be transcribed incorrectly. I've seen a different version written out online also: "I find it perfectly natural here because if you do off the PCH highway..." which makes even less sense. There are other nonsense lyrics in the song, too: "I'm the slippage in the system with a natural gift, how I move". Lyrics are often used just because they scan or rhyme. They don't always have to make sense, and sometimes they're better when they don't. But this is regrettable....

"You regret me and I'll regret you
Except I don't care what you feel and I totally already do
I'm the slippage in the system with a natural gift, how I move
So go ahead and regret me, but I'm beatin' you to it, dude

(Ah) You regret me and I'll regret you
You couldn't handle your liquor and you can't seem to handle the truth
I'm the slippage in the system and I'm perfectly ready to strike
So go ahead and regret me, but I'm not easin' up on this mic

Seven fallen angels in a tumbler
Meet me in the parlor with your keys
Meet me in the corner where you keep me
I'll do anything you please
I'll do anything you please

You regret me and I'll regret you
I find it perfectly natural here in my car to be doing
Off the PCH highway with the typical wonderful view
Go ahead and regret me, but I'm beatin' you to it, dude

Go ahead and regret me, but I always will too regret you
Go ahead and regret me, but I always will too regret you
Go ahead and regret me, but I always will too regret you"

Daisy the Great x AJR

Record Player

Daisy the Great is an indie pop band from New York City, active since 2016, led by two women. AJR is an indie pop trio formed in New York City in 2005 by three brothers. This is a reworked version of Daisy the Great's "The Record Player Song" with AJR added into the mix to make it even more catchy and upbeat, released in 2021. In one verse, the AJR singer mentions heading out to Monterey to throw his phone into the waves to improve his life. What a great idea! We should all do that. You first...

"I've got a record player that was made in 2014
Dyed my hair blue, it came out a seasick sort of green
I like vintage dresses when they fall just below my knees
I pretend I scraped them climbing in the trees

I've got a record player that was made in 2014
Dyed my hair blue, it came out a seasick sort of green
I like vintage dresses when they fall just below my knees
I pretend I scraped them climbing in the trees

I'm in an elevator, it's goin' down, down, down
I spent forever with my feet on the ground
But not now (not now)
'Cause I don't wanna do the wrong thing
Guess I gotta go and get famous for doin' nothing

Da-da-da-da-da
Crack a smile, crack a smile
Da-da-da-da-da
Stay a while, stay a while
Da-da-da-da-da
Am I holdin' for applause?
Is it gone? (Gone) Is this on?

I've got a record player that was made in 2014
Dyed my hair blue, it came out a seasick sort of green
I like vintage dresses when they fall just below my knees
I pretend I scraped them climbing in the trees

I've got a record player that was made in 2014
Dyed my hair blue, it came out a seasick sort of green
I like vintage dresses when they fall just below my knees
I pretend I scraped them climbing in the trees

I'm in the simulator, I'm doin' a-okay
But every day is just rewind and replay
Not today (ah)
I'll head out to Monterey
Throw my phone into the waves
Can you see it in my eyes? Am I finally awake?

Da-da-da-da-da
Crack a smile, crack a smile (da-da-da-da-da)
Stay a while, stay a while (da-da-da-da-da)
I think the best is yet to come
So drink up and good luck

I've got a record player that was made in 2014
Dyed my hair blue, it came out a seasick sort of green
I like vintage dresses when they fall just below my knees
I pretend I scraped them climbing in the trees

I've got a record player that was made in 2014
Dyed my hair blue, it came out a seasick sort of green
I like vintage dresses when they fall just below my knees
I pretend I scraped them climbing in the trees
Sometimes I think all I'm ever doin' is
Tryin' to convince myself I'm alive
Sometimes I think all I'm ever doin' is
Tryin' to convince myself I'm climbing in the trees"

Dakota Jones

Christmas in San Francisco

Dakota Jones is a rock band formed in 2015, based in Brooklyn, NY, and led by singer-songwriter Tristan Carter-Jones. This soul/blues rock tune is from their first album "Black Light" released in 2021.

"Thinking 'bout California
I need to clear my slate
It feels like there’s nothing here for me
I got too much on my plate

You wanna walk the streets with me?
I’m fine with traveling alone
I’m not comfortable with dependence
And you’re becoming my home

Face like a saint, pictures we paint
You’re red and I’m blue
Face like a saint, pictures we paint
I’m calling for you

I love to sin with you, baby
I hate that I love like I do
I love to sin with you, baby
Tell me what I’m supposed to do

Searching for sanctuary
My legs might buckle this time
So come on and hit me like you really mean it
We’re running out of town

Thinking 'bout California
Can I get my head on straight?
Can I be as bold as I look?
I was a mess out the gate

Face like a saint, pictures we paint
You’re red and I’m blue
Face like a saint, pictures we paint
I’m calling for you

I love to sin with you, baby
I hate that I love like I do
I love to sin with you, baby
Tell me what I’m supposed to do

I love to sin with you, baby
I hate that I love like I do
I love to sin with you, baby
Tell me what I’m supposed to do

Face like a saint, pictures we paint
You’re red and I’m blue"

Vic Damone

Vic Damone was the professional name of Vito Rocco Farinola, a crooner from Brooklyn, NY, active from 1947 to 2001. This is from his album "In San Francisco" released in 1977. He didn't write the song, I think it was written by Tony Romano, but I'm not sure when. Russ Lorenson also does a version of the song, but he changes some of the lyrics in the Chinatown verse as well as changing "fairyland" to "wonderland," which was probably a good idea, considering it could be heard as a gay slur.

"Christmas in San Francisco
What a lovely place to be
Seeing the hills being all lit up
Like a diamond Christmas tree
Hearing children singing carols
People come from everywhere
To sing along with the children
Standing all around Union Square

Christmas in San Francisco
Looking like some fairyland
People with gifts in the crispy air
Giving old Saint Nick a hand

Let's take a peak in Chinatown
Eating lychee nuts and barbecued boar
What can you say about the Golden Gate
That hasn't been said before

Christmas in San Francisco
There is no place quite so dear
It's the closest thing to Heaven
How I wish that you were here

What can you say about the Golden Gate
That hasn't been said before

Christmas in San Francisco
There is no place quite so dear
It's the closest thing to Heaven
How I wish that you were here"

The Dan Band

Christmas Time in California

The Dan Band is a comedy band created by actor and comedian Dan Finnerty, active since 2000, and known for appearing in hit comedy movies such as "The Hangover" and "Old School" This song is from "Ho: A Dan Band Xmas" released in 2014.

"Well the snow ain't falling down
Nobody bundled head to feet
There's no children sledding snowball frickin' fighting in the street
There ain't no Christmas carolers singing jolly winter songs
It's just spray-tanned people out sunbathing in their thongs

Nobody with chestnuts roasting
No snowmen being made
You can pray for some hot cocoa; all you'll get is lemonade
There ain't no snowflakes falling cuz it's 85 degrees
When it drops way down to 70, people think they're gonna freeze
And you're sweating half to death as you hang lights in the palm trees

It's Christmas time in California
Put on your sunscreen
Christmas time in California
Toasty, warm and green
Take a sleigh ride to the beach
Do snow angels in the sand
'Cuz it's Christmas Time in California

You decorate your lawn with surfin' Santas made of lights
You put the fake snow on the rooftop and scratch mosquito bites
You cruise in your convertible; drive thru the Taco Bell
The lot next door has million-dollar Christmas trees to sell
And you buy a dried-up Douglas Fir and wonder 'What the hell?'

It's Christmas time in California
Put on your sunscreen
Christmas time in California
Toasty, warm and green
Take a sleigh ride to the beach
Do snow angels in the sand
'Cuz it's Christmas time in California

I don't wanna mow the lawn right now; I wanna shovel snow
I don't wanna any more damn sunshine; I want 29 below
I don't wanna wear a tank top cuz my snow suit can't be beat!
I don't want these stupid flip flops; I want moon boots on my feet
I don't wanna go out swimming; I'd rather be on skis
I don't wanna be all toasty warm; I'd rather frickin freeze
And if I spend another minute on the stupid 405
I will drive my damn car off a cliff and burn my ass alive

Maybe I should move away, but the rest of the year is pretty okay
So I'll suffer through another holiday

It's Christmas time in California
Put on your sunscreen
Christmas time in California
Toasty, warm and green
Take a sleigh ride to the beach
Do snow angels in the sand
'Cuz it's Christmas time in California"

Dance Yourself Clean & Van Bobbi

Time Spent in Los Angeles

Dance Yourself Clean is an indie-electronic music project based in Los Angeles. Van Bobbi is a performing artist from L.A. This dance track was released in 2016.

"Morro Bay
Let the sunlight shine on you forever
Morro Bay
Summer never ends in California

... burnin' in the street
Young lover down by the sea
I feel those memories
Fading back to me
Can you hear me calling?
Holler back to me

Somebody's lover in my head
In my heart, in my veins
Filing me up with a sweet sensation
Somebody's lover in my head
In my heart, in my veins
Filing me up with a sweet sensation

Bodies turning in sheets
Skin on skin like a new baby
I feel the winter coming in the breeze
Just want to stay with you in the summer seas

Sun is calling us
Calling us under the shade
Sun follow us
Down to ...

Somebody's lover in my head
In my heart, in my veins
Filing me up with a sweet sensation
Somebody's lover in my head
In my heart, in my veins
Filing me up with a sweet sensation
... ... ...
Morro Bay
Let the sunlight shine on you forever
Morro Bay
Summer never ends in California"

Jesse Daniel

California Highway

Jesse Daniel is a country music singer-songwriter from Ben Lomond, California. This song is from his album "Jesse Daniel" released in 2019.

"...On that California highway
Like a bird I yearn to fly away
And I can't recall the last time that the highway gave me this much peace of mind

You were gone 'fore this mornin'
You left me without warnin'
And I can't recall the last time that you left and I had no tears left to cry

I push that pedal to the floor like you pushed us apart
My mind has seen the reddest shade of blue
My boots are cracked and worn and scarred
Just like my shattered heart
You left me only one thing left to choose

On that California highway like a bird I yearn to fly away
And I can't recall the last time that the highway gave me this much peace of mind

I stopped off in Salinas at a country western bar
To have a drink and think what to do
Right then that jukebox started playin' our old weddin' song
Buck Owens, 'The Way That I Love You'

On that California highway
Like a bird I yearn to fly away
And I can't recall the last time that the highway gave me this much peace of mind

You were gone 'fore this mornin'
You left me without warnin'
And I can't recall the last time that you left and I had no tears left to cry
I can't recall the last time that the highway gave me this much peace of mind"

Danny

Adios California

Danny is Danny Sawyer, aka the 90's kid (niño de los 90: Danny) a singer from Spain who says on Tumblr "My dream is leaving Spain and settling myself somewhere in California...." Then he can leave and the song will be autobiographical... This is from his demo EP "Schizophonic" released in 2019.

"Mi lugar favorito eras tú
Me perdí en tu californiano mar azul
Donde siempre me solía refugiar
Paraíso alterno a esta realidad

Me pusiste entre la espada y la pared
Y ahora te extraña que desee desaparecer
Pero me has dejado sin más opción
No tengo otra alternativa, he de decirte adiós

California
Me voy de aquí
Me has dejado ir
Para no volver

California
Me voy sin ti
No pude elegir
Te añoraré

Me voy de California
California
California
California
Lejos de ti

California se empezó a quemar
Incendiando el paraíso en el que pensé acabar
Hice lo posible por permanecer
Pero tuve que huir, no quería arder

Lo que hiciste no lo puedes deshacer
Te has quedado toda mi felicidad
Me mantuviste secuestrado
Pero el karma ya ha pagado mi libertad

Pensaste que no me iría así
No me pude quedar
No creas que no duele no volverte a ver sonreír p
ero

California
Me voy de aquí
Me has dejado ir
Para no volver

California
Me voy sin ti
No pude elegir
Te añoraré

Me voy de California
California
California
California
Lejos de ti

California
Me voy de aquí
Me has dejado ir
Para no volver

California
Me voy sin ti
No pude elegir
Te añoraré

Me voy de California
California
California
California
Me voy de California
California
California
California
California
California
Mi California
Te digo adiós
En busca de un lugar mejor"

"My favorite place was you
I got lost in your Californian blue sea
Where I always used to take refuge
Alternate paradise to this reality

You put me between a rock and a hard place
And now it surprises you that I want to disappear
But you've left me with no choice
I have no other alternative, I have to say goodbye

California
I'm out of here
You have let me go
Never to return

California
I'm leaving without you
I couldn't choose
I will miss you

I'm leaving California
California
California
California
Away from you

California started to burn
Burning down the paradise in which I thought I would end up
I did my best to stay
But I had to run away, I didn't want to burn

What you did you can't undo
You have kept all my happiness
You held me hostage
But karma has already paid for my freedom

You thought that I would not go like this
I couldn't stay
Don't think it doesn't hurt not to see you smile again but

California
I'm out of here
you have let me go
Never to return

California
I'm leaving without you
I couldn't choose
I will miss you

I'm leaving California
California
California
California
Away from you

California
I'm out of here
you have let me go
Never to return

California
I'm leaving without you
I couldn't choose
I will miss you

I'm leaving California
California
California
California
I'm leaving California
California
California
California
California
California
My California
I say goodbye
Looking for a better place"

Darrion

Dear Sacramento

Darrion (formerly Lil Darrion) is a rapper from Sacramento. This rap song about a love/hate relationship with Sacramento was released in 2019.

"....So why you take my fam away from me?
And why you let my n***as die and not wait for me?
You the reason n***as smoke and ... only
You gave n***as every reason to throw shade on me
And you the reason n***as been hatin'
Feel like if I woulda move I probly been made it
But I can't because I love you so much
But sometime I feel like my love ain't enough

Dear Sacramento
I hate you then I love you again
I hate you then I love you again
Dear Sacramento
I hate you then I love you again
I hate you then I love you again

Sacramento
I hate you then I love you again
I hate you then I love you again
Sacramento
I hate you then I love you again
I hate you then I love you again...."

DASHA

Austin

DASHA is an artist and songwriter who was based in Nashville for years, then moved to Los Angeles. I get the feeling she also spent some time Austin. This great upbeat country breakup song is from her album "What Happens Now?" released in 2024. Long ago when I lived in Austin it seemed like it would be a great place to be drunk and washed up. I hope it still is.

"We had a plan
Move out of this town baby
West to the sand
It's all we talked about lately
I'd pack the car, bring your guitar and Jane for smoking
First thing at dawn you'd cue the songs and we'd get going

But you weren't home
Waited on the porch for ya
Sat there alone
All throughout the morn 'till I
Got a hunch, down in my gut
And snuck around the back
Empty cans and I'll be damned
Your s**t was never packed

Did your boots stop workin'?
Did your truck break down?
Did you burn through the money?
Did your ex find out?
Where there's a will then there's a way and I'm damn sure you lost it
Didn't even say goodbye
Just wish I knew what caused it

Was the whiskey flowing?
Were you in a fight?
Did the nerves come get ya?
What's your alibi?
I Made my way back to L.A., and that's where you'll be forgotten
In 40 years you'll still be here, drunk, washed up in Austin

A hell of bluff
You had me believin'
How many months
Did you plan on leaving
What happened, bad habits
Did you go back,
Go bats**t
I loved you, how tragic

Did your boots stop workin'?
Did your truck break down?
Did you burn through the money?
Did your ex find out?
Where there's a will then there's a way and I'm damn sure you lost it
Didn't even say goodbye
Just wish I knew what caused it

Was the whiskey flowing?
Were you in a fight?
Did the nerves come get ya?
What's your alibi?
I Made my way back to L.A., and that's where you'll be forgotten
In 40 years you'll still be here, drunk, washed up in Austin"

DASHA

King of California

This is another great breakup song from her album "What Happens Now?" released in 2024.

"That hot Sunday in Texas where I ate my tears for breakfast and drove out
Your silence really said it as I took that final exit out of town

Every once in a while through those Northern pines
See the light that I turned off come on again

'Cause I’ve been born in the orange
With the king of California, but no
Not even the sun compares to you
I've been drowned in the sound of
The Carolina mountains, but no
Not even the rain hits like you do

So what's the use?
Can’t change it now
But the should've, would've, could've gets so loud
So what's the use?
I've kissed around
Oh, I've tried and I've tried but the flame just won’t go out
It won’t go out

Left my heart there on the concrete
There with all your dirty laundry and where were you?
Where were you?
I never did recover, I just painted all those days in shades of blue
And where were you?

Every once in a while through those Northern pines
See the light that I turned off come on again

'Cause I’ve been born in the orange
With the king of California, but no
Not even the sun compares to you
I've been drowned in the sound of
The Carolina mountains, but no
Not even the rain hits like you do

So where do I
Do I go now?
Will I hate myself for not tracking you down?
Oh, we're not kids
We're all grown now
Sure the closest thing to Heaven that I found
So don’t you let this flame burn out

Well, I think I might've lost it
'Cause I just touched down in Austin on a one way, mhh
And I bet that you're out drinking in the bar you used to live in
Let's see if this thing's burning, first round's on me"

Das Kope

LAX

Das Kope is a singer-songwriter-filmmaker originally from Sao Paulo Brazil, then based in Los Angeles in 2006. He's part of a DIY psychedelic music thing and he even makes his own videos.

LAX, of course, is the abbreviation for Los Angeles International Airport. it's hard to get excited about going to any international airport these days. The horrors of getting there then waiting for hours just to be crammed into a tin can with a mob of maniacs almost overshadow the thrill of getting away.

"Time to time, yes I do
Need a different point of view
Let my mind, break through
Heavy clouds and skies of blue

Would you give me a ride?
Drive me down there, around 5
And a kiss, hug goodbye
And you take care and I take care

Fresh ideas are flowing
LAX LAX
From all places in this world
LAX LAX
I'll go far, I'll go all the way
LAX LAX
But I know I'll come back to you
LAX LAX

The expansion of the soul
Interactions make you grow
Different shades of the skin
All opinions I let in

Cause this light is so nice
It's Los Angeles' super sky
I fly in I fly out
You go nowhere you go somewhere

Fresh ideas are flowing
LAX LAX
From all places in this world
LAX LAX
I'll go far, I'll go all the way
LAX LAX
But I know I'll come back to you
LAX LAX

I'm gonna catch a flight tonight
Yeah I'm gonna fly so high

Fresh ideas are flowing
LAX LAX
From all places in this world
LAX LAX
I'll go far, I'll go all the way
LAX LAX
But I know I'll come back to you
LAX LA

Yeah I'm gonna fly"

Das Kope

Pacific Coast Highway

This queasy echo-drenched synth psychedelia was released in 2022.

"Ask me what I like to do, where I like to go
Do I have a favorite place In the whole wide world?

I don’t Know - Pacific Coast
I don’t Know - Pacific Coast Highway

I was just looking in the rearview mirror
And now you ask me if I’m doing it right

I don’t Know - Pacific Coast
I don’t Know - Pacific Coast Highway

I don’t Know - Pacific Coast
I don’t Know - Pacific Coast Highway"

Daughter of Swords

Gem

Daughter of Swords is a side project of Alexandra Sauser-Monnig of the indie folk trio Mountain Man. This song is from the 2019 debut album "Dawnbreaker"

"On the edge of the world
Out in the night, darkness
On a path of dusty brush and eucalyptus
There's tall grass moving in the wind
On the edge of a cliff over water
I could die in

The sun's hanging low over the ocean
Sand in my hair
Cool sand under my feet
Pink clouds and the moon coming out
To join me and the heart beat rhythm of your gold soul, beating

California, Carolina
It's a dry summer again
I miss you over me
Rain falling, soft and warm in bed

High-beams sweep around edge of the mountain
Etching out in light some line of the hills
Wrapped up with a blanket around
Waves on the rocks below
You were my abalone boy
The heart beat rhythm of your gold soul
Beating
No

California, Carolina
It's a dry summer again
I miss you over me
Rain falling, soft and warm in bed
They were legend
Ooh, oh, oh, oh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, oh, oh, oh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, oh, oh, ooh"

Betty Davis

Hangin' Out in Hollywood

No, not the movie star - this is a different Betty Davis - a singer-songwriter-model from North Carolina known for her controversial sexual lyrics and performance style, and for introducing her husband Miles Davis to some of the psychedelic rock and funk that influenced his music. This funky song is from "Crashin' From Passion" released in 1995.

"Things are lookin' good
Hangin' out in Hollywood
I just met me a movie star
Ridin' round in a Rolls Royce car
I'm drinkin' Dom Perignon all day
Please pass the beluga tray
... nothing but the movie scene
Something funny like Cleo the queen
I am swangin' so good
Hangin' out in Hollywood
I just met me a movie star
Flyin' high in a Ferrari car

Hangin' out in Hollywood
Swingin' and swingin'
Hangin' out in Hollywood
...
...she's a feelin' fine
Gettin' down in Tinseltown
A party here and a playin' there
We're goin' big Mr. Beatty find me somethin' to wear
Sugar daddy I am lookin' so good
Hangin' out in Hollywood
I just met me a movie star
...down in a Mercedes car...

I am so bad
I'm hangin' out in Hollywood
Swingin'...
I'm hangin' out in Hollywood
...
I just met me a movie star
Sneaking out in a little red car
Hangin' out in Hollywood
Hangin' out in Hollywood"

Johnny 'Scat' Davis and Frances Langford

Hooray For Hollywood

This is the classic and campy song from the 1937 film "Hollywood Hotel" directed by the always amazing Busby Berkeley. The music was composed by Richard A. Whiting and in the film it was sung by Johnny 'Scat' Davis and Frances Langford accompanied by Benny Goodman and his orchestra. The song has been covered by many other singers and orchestras including Benny Goodman and Orchestra, Doris Day, Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Mercer, Rosemary Clooney, and Nancy Sinatra.

"Hooray for Hollywood
That screwy ballyhooey Hollywood
Where any office boy or young mechanic can be a panic
With just a good looking pan
And any barmaid can be a star maid
If she dances with or without a fan

Hooray for Hollywood,
Where you're terrific if you're even good
Where anyone at all from Shirley Temple to Aimee Semple
Is equally understood
Go out and try your luck, you might be Donald Duck
Hooray for Hollywood

Hooray for Hollywood
That phoney super-Coney Hollywood
They come from Chillicothes and Paducas with their bazookas
To get their names up in lights
All armed with photos from local rotos
With their hair in ribbon and legs in tights

Hooray for Hollywood
You may be homely in your neighbourhood
But if you think that you can be an actor, see Mr. Factor
He'll make a monkey look good
Within a half an hour you'll look like Tyrone Power
Hooray for Hollywood"

Alternate lyrics from later versions of the song update some of the star names:

"Hooray for Hollywood
That screwy ballyhooey Hollywood
Where any office boy or young mechanic can be a panic
With just a good looking pan
And any shop girl can be a top girl
If she pleases Mister Businessman

Hooray for Hollywood
Where you're terrific, if you're even good
Where anyone at all from TV's Lassie to Monroe's chassis
Is equally understood
Go out and try your luck, you might be Donald Duck
Hooray for Hollywood"

Dawes

Dawes is a folk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 2009. This is from the album "Nothing Is Wrong" released in 2011.

"These days my friends don't seem to know me
Without my suitcase in my hand
Where I am standing still
I seem to disappear
But maybe that's how I found you
Maybe that's taught me exactly what I want
Maybe meeting you so far away from home
Is what makes it all so clear

But you got that special kind of sadness
You got that tragic set of charms
That only comes from time spent in Los Angeles
Makes me wanna wrap you in my arms

When people ask me where I come from
To see what that says about man
I only end up giving bad directions
That never lead them there at all
It's something written in the head lights
Is something swimming in my drink
And if I were the moon
It would be exactly where I fall

Cause you got that special kind of sadness
You got that tragic set of charms
That only comes from time spent in Los Angeles
Makes me wanna wrap you in my arms

I used to think someone would love me
For places I have been
And the dirt I have been gathering
Deep beneath my nails
But now I know what I've been missing
And I'm going home to make it mine
And I'll be battening the hatches and pulling in the sails.

But you got that special kind of sadness
You got that tragic set of charms

That only comes from time spent in Los Angeles
Makes me wanna wrap you in my arms

That only comes from time spent in Los Angeles
Makes me wanna wrap you in my arms"

Dead Kennedys

California Uber Alles

Dead Kennedys are a punk band formed in San Francisco in 1978. This was the debut single from the band, released in 1979. The title is a riff on the German national anthem as sung by the Nazis "Deutschland uber alles" or "Germany above everything" and a criticism of Governor Jerry Brown, who was Governor of the state from 1975-1983, and later from 2011-2019.

The band has recorded several versions of the song, and Biafra revised it in 1985 to satirize former California Governor Ronald Reagan, then President Reagan, in "We've Got a Bigger Problem Now." He later revised it again with the Melvins in 2004 to satirize California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on "Kalifornia Uber Alles, 21st Century." The original song has also been covered by many other artists, including Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy.

Watching the Dead Kennedys play songs like this at the Mabuhay club in San Francisco was one of the highlights of the 1970s & 80s San Franisco punk scene for me. But since then Jerry Brown became the Governor of California once again in 2011 for two more terms with very high approval ratings from the press and the people, while the credibility of the Dead Kennedys took a pie in the face after lead singer Jello Biafra was convicted for cheating the rest of the band out of their royalties. He then accused the rest of the band of stealing his songs and selling them for use in video games. Maybe the song should have been called "Money Uber Alles." Fortunately for the fans, the band's punk anthems live on for us to enjoy regardless of the controversy.

"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

Zen fascists will control you
Hundred percent natural
You will jog for the master race
And always wear the happy face
Close your eyes, can't happen here
Big Bro' on white horse is near
The hippies won't come back, you say
Mellow out or you will pay
Mellow out or you will pay

California Uber Alles
California Uber Alles
Uber Alles California
Uber Alles California

Now it is nineteen eighty-four
Knock-knock at your front door
It's the suede denim secret police
They have come for your uncool niece

Come quietly to the camp
You'd look nice as a drawstring lamp
Don't you worry, it's only a shower
For your clothes, here's a pretty flower

Die on organic poison gas
Serpent's egg's already hatched
You will croak, you little clown
When you mess with President Brown
When you mess with President Brown

California Uber Alles
California Uber Alles
Uber Alles California
Uber Alles California"

Dead Kennedys

I Fought the Law

The song is from the compilation album "Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death" released in 1987, but it was written long before then. It's a cover of a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and made popular in 1965 by the Bobby Fuller Four with changed lyrics. The original lyrics were "I fought the law and the law one." The DKs changed the lyrics to make it about the 1978 killings of openly gay San Francisco Board of Supervisor member Harvey Milk and San Francisco mayor George Moscone by former S.F. supervisor and S.F. police officer Dan White, who got away with murder. Though the killings were clearly premeditated, to which he allegedly confessed years later, White's devious lawyers used the "Twinkie defense" to convince the jury that his mental state was in a diminished capacity because before he committed the political assassinations White ate a Hostess Twinkie which made him depressed and incapable of premeditating the murders. And the ruse worked. White was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, the lightest possible sentence, and he was sentenced to only seven years in prison, of which he served five years then moved back to San Francisco. White's sentence incited a violent riot and a conflict between the police department and the gay community. The verdict also led to the elimination of the "diminished capacity" law in California. White killed himself less than two years after his release. Did another Twinkie make him do it, or was it the guilt?

"Drinkin' beer in the hot sun
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won

I needed sex and I got mine
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won

The law don't mean s**t if you've got the right friends
That's how this country's run
Twinkies are the best friend I ever had
I fought the law and I won

I fought the law and I won
I blew George and Harvey's brains out
With my six-gun

I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won

Gonna write my book and make a million
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won

I'm the new folk hero of the Ku Klux Klan
My cop friends think that's fine
You can get away with murder if you've got a badge
I fought the law and I won
I fought the law and I won

I fought the law and I won
I am the law so I won"

Dead Kennedys

Moon Over Marin

This is from the DK's second album "Plastic Surgery Disasters" released in 1982. Marin is the county north of the San Francisco Bay. When this song was written, only the rich could afford to live there. Now, of course, that's the entire S.F. Bay Area and much of the state.

"The crowded future stings my eyes
I still find time to exercise
In uniform with two white stripes

Unlock my section of the sand
It's fenced off to the water's edge
I clamp a gasmask on my head

On my beach at night
Bathe in my moonlight

Another tanker's hit the rocks
Abandoned to spill out its guts
The sand is laced with sticky glops

O' Shimmering moonlight sheen upon
The waves and water clogged with oil
White gases steam up from the soil

On my beach at night
Bathe in my moonlight

I squash dead fish between my toes
Try not to step on any bones
I turn around and I go home

I slip back through my basement door
Switch off all that I own below
Dive in my scalding wooden tub

My own beach at night
Electric Moonlight

There will always be a moon
Over Marin"

Dead Kennedys

We've Got a Bigger Problem Now

"California Uber Alles," the 1979 song about California Governor Jerry Brown, is updated here for the President Reagan era. (Reagan was also Governor of California from 1967-1975, just beforeJerry Brown.) Biafra whip pans back and forth from a sleazy lounge singer to an angry punk in this 1985 evisceration of the Reagan regime from the band's "In God We Trust, Inc." EP.

"Last call for alcohol.
Last call for your freedom of speech.
Drink up. Happy hour is now enforced by law.
Don't forget our house special, it's called a Trickie Dickie Screwdriver.
It's got one part Jack Daniels, two parts purple Kool-Aid,
and a jigger of formaldehyde
from the jar with Hitler's brain in it we got in the back storeroom.
Happy trails to you.
Happy trails to you.

I am Emperor Ronald Reagan
Born again with fascist cravings
Still, you made me president

Human rights will soon go 'way
I am now your Shah today
Now I command all of you
Now you're going to pray in school
I'll make sure they're Christian too

California Uber alles
California Uber alles
Uber alles California
Uber alles California

Ku Klux Klan will control you
Still you think it's natural
N****r knockin' for the master race
Still you wear the happy face

You closed your eyes, can't happen here
Alexander Haig is near
Vietnam won't come back you say
Join the army or you will pay
Join the army or you will pay

California Uber alles
California Uber alles
Uber alles California
Uber alles California

Yeah, that's it. Just relax.
Have another drink,
few more pretzels,
little more MSG.
Turn on those Dallas Cowboys on your TV.
Lock your doors. Close your mind.
It's time for the two-minute warning.

Welcome to 1984
Are you ready for the third world war?!?
You too will meet the secret police
They'll draft you and they'll jail your niece

You'll go quitely to boot camp
They'll shoot you dead, make you a man
Don't you worry, it's for a cause
Feeding global corporations' claws

Die on our brand new poison gas
El Salvador or Afghanistan
Making money for President Reagan
Making money for President Reagan
And all the friends of President Reagan

California Uber alles
California Uber alles
Uber alles California
Uber alles California"

The Dead Milkmen

Punk Rock Girl

The Dead Milkmen are a punk rock band from Philadelphia active since 1983. This silly pop punk classic is from their fourth album "Beelzebubba" released in 1988. It's probably their biggest hit and was played a lot on MTV when it was released. It's a Philadelphia song that mentions several locations in that city including Zipperhead a counterculture clothing store. The songwriter describes the singer as a "middle-of-the-road kid" who is not interested in punk music only in having a punk rock girlfriend so he can "walk on the wild side." He's just the kind of kid who would buy punk clothes at a counterculture clothing store, who would think that harassing a waitress was anarchy, and who would probably not know that the Beach Boy's 1986 version of "California Dreaming" is not the original version of the song. Extra credit for putting an accordion in the song and for the great bad guitar solo.

""One Saturday I took a walk to Zipperhead
I met a girl there and she almost knocked me dead
(Punk rock girl)
Please look at me
(Punk rock girl)
What do you see?
Let's travel round the world
Just you and me punk rock girl

I tapped her on the shoulder
And said do you have a beau?
She looked at me and smiled
And said she did not know
(Punk rock girl)
Give me a chance
(Punk rock girl)
Let's go slam dance
We'll dress like Minnie Pearl
Just you and me punk rock girl

We went to the Philly Pizza Company
And ordered some hot tea
The waitress said
'Well no we only have it iced'
So we jumped up on the table
And shouted "anarchy"
And someone played a Beach Boys song
On the jukebox
It was "California Dreamin'"
So we started screaming
"On such a winter's day"

She took me to her parents'
For a Sunday meal
Her father took one look at me
And he began to squeal
(Punk rock girl)
It makes no sense
(Punk rock girl)
Your dad is a Vice President
Rich as the Duke of Earl
Yeah, you're for me punk rock girl

We went to a shopping mall
And laughed at all the shoppers
And security guards trailed us
To a record shop
We asked for Mojo Nixon
They said "He don't work here"
We said "If you don't got Mojo Nixon
Then your store could use some fixin'"

We got into a car
Away we started rollin'
I said "How much you pay for this?"
She said "Nothing man, it's stolen"
(Punk rock girl)
You look so wild
(Punk rock girl)
Let's have a child
We'll name her Minnie Pearl
Just you and me
Eating fudge banana swirl
Just you and me
We'll travel round the world
Just you and me punk rock girl""

Dear John

Never Rains in California

Dear John are Dirk-Jan Smit and Ruud Bos, two singer-songwriters from the Netherlands. The YouTube comments say: "On the very last day of summer 2019 we recorded this sun drenched song on a cozy boat in Haarlem." I first heard this song in 2023, a year of record rainfall in California including rain from a hurricane that flooded a lot of SoCal. So, yeah, it does rain in California. But it's the thought that counts.

"Never rains in California
Never rains in California
From what I’ve heard it never rains
It never pours
Let’s take a plane
To sunny California

Well I’ve been to lots of places
Figured out distinctive tastes
Saw a million faces passing by

Always talking 'bout the local weather
Sunny, cloudy, shirt or sweater
Doesn’t matter, makes me wonder why

Never rains in California
Never rains in California
From what I’ve heard it never rains
It never pours
Let’s take a plane
To sunny California

To the best of my belief
Rincon is the place to be
And all I see is clean waves to ride

The Golden State is not a joke
According to them Insta posts
It looks as if the sun will always shine

Never rains in California
Never rains in California
From what I’ve heard it never rains
It never pours
Let’s take a plane
To sunny California

I don’t judge a book by its cover
And seeing is believing, so I
I think we should go, don’t squander
Let’s see if we don't wander the streets of L.A. tonight

It never rains in California
Never rains in California
From what I’ve heard it never rains
It never pours
Let’s take a plane
To sunny California

It never rains in California
Never rains in California
From what I’ve heard it never rains
It never pours
Let’s take a plane
To sunny California"

Death Cab For Cutie

Bixby Canyon Bridge

Death Cab For Cutie is an Indie rock band from Bellingham Washington. This is from the album "Narrow Stairs" released in 2008. It's about the tall scenic bridge over a canyon next to the ocean on Highway One near Big Sur that we often see in movies, TV shows, and commercials. Jack Keroac spent some time in Big Sur and wrote a book named after the area. 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

El Dorado

This is from the band's 2015 album "Kintsugi" which was nominated for a Grammy. El Dorado is a legendary city or land of gold and riches. Singer Ben Gibbard's ex-wife is Zoey Deschanel who found her personal "El Dorado" starring in a TV series "The New Girl," that was filmed in Culver City.

"Seems you finally found, finally found El Dorado
Over in Culver City, shining bright, name in lights

And I tried to be kind for you
Oh I'm trying to be kind for you

It's kinda like a party that you never wanted to attend
But when an invitation finally arrives you change your mind

And I tried to be kind for you
Oh I'm trying to be kind for you
As you slip away behind the gates
Behind the gates

Seems you finally found, finally found El Dorado
So why does it feel underwhelming there be real

And I tried to be kind for you
Oh I'm trying to be kind for you
As you slip away behind the gates
Behind the gates

El Dorado
El Dorado
El Dorado
El Dorado"

Death Cab For Cutie

Ghosts of Beverly Drive

This is a single from the band's 2015 album "Kintsugi" which was nominated for a Grammy. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing pottery with gold so that the breaks become a part of the design instead of being hidden. It's a pretty good metaphor for how to get over the failed relationship the singer sings about, and as the song's writer/singer Ben Gibbard did after his divorce and move away from L.A. (Beverly Drive is a street in Beverly Hills.)

"If only you'd had known me
before the accident
For with that grand collision
came a grave consequence

Receptors overloaded
They burst and disconnect
Til' there was little feeling
Please work with what is left

Oh, I need not be flattered
that you've never been here before
So there's no need to mention
that you've no firsts anymore

But if you let me be your skyline
I'll let you be the wave
That reduces me to rubble
That looked safe from far away
I don't know why, I don't know why
I return to the scenes of these crimes
Where the hedgerows slowly wind
through the ghosts of Beverly Drive...."

Death Cab For Cutie

Grapevine Fires

This 2008 release is from the album Narrow Stairs. The band is from northwest Washington State, and there are bad forest fires in that state also, but it seems to be inspired by the terrible fires in California in 2007 (including one at Gorman in the Tejon Pass - aka "The Grapevine.") The fires seem to be a metaphor for death and change and renewal that the singer welcomes with optimism as he watches his daughter laughing and dancing through a graveyard while everthing burns.

"When the wind picked up, the fire spread
And the Grapevine seemed left for dead
And the northern sky looked like the end of days
The end of days

The wake up call to a rented room
Sounded like an alarm of impending doom
To warn us it's only a matter of time
Before we all burn
Before we all burn
Before we all burn
Before we all burn

We bought some wine and some paper cups
Near your daughter's school when we picked her up
And drove to a cemetery on a hill
On a hill

And we watched the plumes paint the sky gray
As she laughed and danced through the field of graves
And there I knew it would be alright
That everything would be alright
Would be alright
Would be alright
Would be alright

And the news reports, on the radio
Said it was getting worse
As the ocean air fanned the flames
But I couldn't think of anywhere I would have rather been
To watch it all burn away
To burn away

The firemen worked in double shifts
With prayers for rain on their lips
And they knew it was only a matter of time"

Death Cab For Cutie

No Room in Frame

This is another song from the album "Kintsugi" released in 2015. The 5 is the north-south freeway that runs through California north to Canada.

"I don’t know where to begin
There’s too many things that I can’t remember
As I disappeared like a trend
In the hum of the 5 in the early morning
And now I'm taking my time
Up through Coalinga, through the valley
This highway lived in my mind
It takes me back to the place that made me

Was I in your way?
When the cameras turned to face you
No room in frame
For two

You cannot outrun a ghost
Speeding southbound lanes with abandon
It catches you on the coast
Or on the cliffs of The Palisades, you killed the engine
And then it hovers above
Reeling bodies failing to discover
The thing they once knew was love
Raising their voices to convince one another

Was I in your way?
When the cameras turned to face you
No room in frame
For two

How can I stay
In the sun, when the rain flows
All through my veins?
It's true
And I guess it's not a failure we could help
And we will both go on to get lonely with someone else
With someone else...."

Death Cab For Cutie

Why You'd Want to Live Here

This anti-L.A. song is from the album "The Photo Album" released in 2001.

"I'm in Los Angeles today...
Garbage cans comprise the medians of freeways always creaping
Even when the population's sleeping.

And I can't see why you'd want to live here.
... ... ... ... ...

The vessel keeps pumping us through this zentropic place
In the belly of the beast that is Californ-i-a,
I drank from a faucet and I kept my receipts
For when the weigh me on my way out
(Here nothing is free).
The greyhounds keep coming
Dumping locusts into the street
Until the gutters overflow
And Los Angeles thinks,
'I might explode someday soon.'

It's a lovely summer's day
And I can almost see a skyline through a thickening shroud of egos.
(Is this the City of Angeles or demons?)
Here the names are what remain...
Stars encapsulate the gold lame
And they need constant cleaning for when the tourists begin salivating.

You can't swim in a town this shallow - you will most assuredly drown tomorrow."

Angelo De Augustine (featuring Sufjan Stevens)

Santa Barbara

Angelo De Augustine is a musician from Thousand Oaks, California who released his first album in 2014. He has collaborated on several projects including an entire album with Sufjan Stevens, a singer-songwriter from Michigan, active since 1995. This song was released in 2020.

"All my life has been a surprise
Faces cast in gold on the fire
Phantoms colloquial and new
Feelings aside
Floating through you

All my life leads me to die
Now Sherlock and Watson decide
On a true mystery of the mind
One Arthur Doyle would cease to write

Oh my love I’m lost again
Though I try when will I win?
You say life’s not a race
But if you’re not around

All this time has been wasted to find
The darkness triumphed over light
Is the creator on my side?
Or has he left us all behind?

Oh my love I’m lost again
Though I try when will I win?
You say life’s not a race
But if you’re not around

All this life has been a disguise
Except for the hand in mine
Belonging to my one true love
In Santa Barbara on Hanukkah"

Angelo De Augustine with Sufjan Stevens

Fictional California

This song is from the album "A Beginner's Mind" released in 2021. I have no idea what they mean by the line "Now, Whittier arrived in fictional California." Whittier probably refers to the Quaker poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier. The city of Whittier in Los Angeles County was named after him, but he never visited the city. I've never been to Gary, Indiana, myself, but I have been to Gary, New Mexico, which consists of absolutely nothing. It's a freeway offramp to nowhere, just as it should be.

"Now, Whittier arrived in fictional California
We’re gonna bring it on again
Bring it on to you hard
Our school spirit was defined by dance and drama
The lord above will be my guide
The light into my heart

Open the light to the darkness
Open your heart, let it all hang out
Open your life to the hardness
Open your mind ‘til it all falls out
Let it all fall out

Now that I have survived the spectacle of my youth
I’m gonna bring it on again
Bring it on with my truth
My foolish spirit was denied by a romance diorama
I put my passion in my pride
My beloved was finally refused

Open the light to the darkness
Open your heart, let it all hang out
Open your life to the hardness
Open your mind ‘til it all falls out
Let it all fall out

I’m all alone at the megaphone
I’m all psyched up as I make my mark in total darkness
I look alive but I feel so dead inside I’m bleeding
Gonna break a leg with the basket toss for the loss of my broken dreams

Now, Whittier arrived in fictional California
We’re gonna bring it on again,
Bring it on to you hard"

DeCalifornia

Out 2 Rap!

Decalifornia is a group formed in southern California whose website bio describes them as: "A blend of raw Hip-Hop Spanish lyrics coupled with raw live instrument sounds, all riding a sweet melodic Hip-Hop beat! DeCalifornia represents the new West Coast face, pure aggression and soul from two L. A Mexican (Compton, South Central) Spics!" This song was released in 2017.

"West coast where you at?
Compton, where you at?
L-o-s A-n-g-e-l-e-s, where you at?
Watts, where you at?
Come on California,
Yeah, come on, let's go
Let's go, come on, yeah

I'm a Latino, sicker than your average MC
Feel free to cause static if you disagree
And I ain't [? Drey] affiliated and I'm cool with that
And I'm gonna keep on producin' 'till the day I die
So I'ma be around like an unpaid bill
Whether you like it or not I was born with a skill
To produce hot s**t for the corners and streets
... ... ...
This-this Mexican just out to rap-rap
... that is hot hot hot hot
Breakin' out the beats and the drums that pop-pop
To make you motherf**kers just bounce and clap-clap...."

The Decemberists

California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade

The Decemberists are an American indie folk band from Portland Oregon. This is a 2003 song about the coast highway, highway 1.

"Take a long drive with me
On California one, California one
...
We're lining up the light-loafer'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 1980s REM (literally - because Peter Buck is playing guitar on this.) There's not much really about California, just the stereotypical end-of-the-world view of the state destroyed by an earthquake, but it's still a great song.

"Had a dream
You and me and the war at the end times
And I believe
California succumbed to the fault line
We heaved relief
As scores of innocents died

And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel

Hetty Green
Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab
If you know what I mean
On the road
It's well-advised to follow your own path
In the year of the chewable Ambien tab

And the Panamanian child
Stands at the Dowager Empress's side
And all the remains is the arms of the angel
And all the remains is the arms of the angels

And you've receded into loam
And they're picking at your bones
Will call cold
We'll come home

Quiet now
Will we gather to conjure the rain down
Will we now
Build a civilization below ground
And I'll be crowned
The community kicked it around

And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angels"

The Decemberists

Grace Cathedral Hill

This is from the album "Castaways and Cutouts" released in 2002. Grace Cathedral is a large gothic-style church on Nob Hill in San Francisco.

"Grace Cathedral hill
All wrapped in bones of setting sun
All dust and stone and moribund
I paid twenty-five cents to light
A little white candle

For a New Year's Day
I sat and watched it burn away
Then turned and weaved
Through slow decay
We were both a little hungry
So we went to get a hot dog

Down the Hyde Street Pier
The light was slight and disappeared
The air it stunk of fish and beer
We heard a Superman trumpet
Play the National Anthem

And the world may be long for you
But he'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike
When all the city lights
Blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?
Are you feeling better now?
Are you feeling better now?

Some way to greet the year
Your eyes all bright and
Brimmed with tears
The pilgrims, pills and tourists here
All sing "fifty-three bucks to buy
A brand new halo"

I'm sweet on a green-eyed girl
All fiery Irish clip and curl
All brine and piss and vinegar
I paid twenty-five cents to light
A little white candle

And the world may be long for you
But he'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike
When all the city lights
Blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?
Are you feeling better now?
Are you feeling better now?"

The Decemberists

Los Angeles, I'm Yours

This song is from the band's second album "Her Majesty the Decemberists" released in 2003.

"There is a city by the sea
A gentle company
I don't suppose you want to
And as it tells its sorry tale
In harrowing detail
Its hollowness will haunt you
Its streets and boulevards
Orphans and oligarchs it hears
A plaintive melody
Truncated symphony
An ocean's garbled vomit on the shore,
Los Angeles, I'm yours

Oh ladies, pleasant and demure
Sallow-cheeked and sure
I can see your undies
And all the boys you drag about
An empty fellow found
From Saturdays to Mondays
You hill and valley crowd
Hanging your trousers down at heel
This is the realest thing
As ancient choirs sing
A dozen blushing cherubs wheel above
Los Angeles I love

Oh what a rush of ripe elan
Languor on divans
Dalliant and dainty
But oh, the smell of burnt cocaine
The dolor and decay
It only makes me cranky
Oh great calamity,
Ditch of iniquity and tears
How I abhor this place
Its sweet and bitter taste
Has left me wretched, retching on all fours
Los Angeles, I'm yours"

DeeBaby

California Quarantine

DeeBaby is a Hip-hop artist from Houston, Texas. This song was released in May, 2023. I can't make many of the lyrics but they seem to cover a lot of the usual contemporary song subjects - girls, guns, drugs, and money. At first I thought that "California quarantine" was about the Covid-19 quarantine, but the last line makes me wonder if it's a drug reference, since I doubt anybody ever said "this s**t's really fire" about the quarantine.

"....go head see me off
Give my ashes to my partner put me in a blunt
Light that b**ch up with codeine
...
...you could haver the world now go get everything
If you've seen me in your dreams just know that wasn't me
I'm with ... stuck in California quarantine
I'm tryin' to see what I can stuff in these ... jeans
Feel like I ain't...the mic 'cause I'm super clean
Plugged in I really got some dope as good as Medellin
I just need some money and my partners and some medicine
...with my family I won't lie and say I never need 'em
...
it's a home run in L.A. with no gun
God gave me legs to stand on I'm not goin' run
...no plane so we might gotta drive
California quarantine we might need a ride
It ain't ... back at home I ain't gonna need to lie
California quarantine this s**t's really fire"

Deep Dish

Deep Dish is a Grammy-winning American electronic music duo formed in Washington D.C. in 1992 by Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi, both of whom were born in Iran. They're known for their dance remixes of artists such as Madonna.

"I can't help but feeling that love is always dealing me a losing hand
California's sleeping and you've got me weeping
I am just a man
I'm just a man
I'm just a man

Standing at the airport she is just a cohort, coffee in her hand
Sacramento's breathing and I can't help believing
You don't understand
Don't understand
I'm just a man
Don't understand
I'm just a man

California's sleeping and you've got me weeping
I am just a man
I can't help but feeling that love is always dealing me a losing hand
My losing hand
I'm just a man

Standing at the airport she is just a cohort, coffee in her hand
Sacramento's breathing and I can't help believing
Conscious of my losing hand
My losing hand
My losing hand
Don't understand
My losing hand
Don't understand

California's sleeping and you've got me weeping
I am just a man
I can't help but feeling that love is always dealing me a losing hand
My losing hand
My losing hand
Don't understand
My losing hand
Don't understand
My losing hand
Don't understand
Don't understand
Don't understand"

Delinquent Habits (featuring Sen Dog)

Delinquent Habits is a hip hop group formed in Norwalk, CA in 1991. Sen Dog is a Cuban-born rapper from South Gate, CA, active since 1986, best known as a member of Cypress Hill. This is from the album "It Could Be Round Two" released in 2017. In case you don't know, "Hub City" is another name for Compton.

"Checkin' in from the left coast where we take sound
That combines sunshine with rhyme and move around
We take it slow, watch the smoke we blow
Bringing California swing in this thing fa sho
Well hey there babydoll dance the go-go
Off a little mentally I see it in slow mo
Hollywood the East side, Hub City and 'Frisco
Calles to the playa, fiyas up in the disco
Wooh oh woh now here we go
Mira Delinquentes bum rush the show

Aqui in Cali where trees so sweet
And these habits is feeling irie on this Ruck P beat
And on summer nights we use our feet
Keeping in mind the danger walking on these L.A. streets
So with eyes that reflect as the waves hit shore
Through the smoke of the green you seen burn next door
And the birds sing but they don't tell the truth no more
And the night's hot, so truth is, better lock your door

(From California)
Days is hot nights get hotter
Fathers better watch your daughters
(From California)
Days get longer nights get shorter
Remember the police got quotas
(From California)
City of Angels
Here even angels watch the angles
Living in (California)
Showing nothing but love
Bringing peace 'till the push turns shove

Now you can bury me out in the back
El Californio
Right beside a cactus plant
Damn right sporting some corn rolls
I be the vato with the bomb ass green from the left coast
Seny Sosa out here living fresco
All is good from the ready and a set go
But if you illin' I'm dropping that left bro
South Gate, California what it's all about homies
From the hill is who I'm shouting out
We all O.G.'s Veteranos
Putting work in for a chingo de años
And it don't ease up or slow down
Still getting money when we come around
You know what's up
We delincuente
Twenty five years I been familia with these gente
Check me out on they new LP
Tequila and shots and the jet fuel trees
Ragtop down on a '63
Glock 17 and the ocean breeze

(From California)
Days is hot nights get hotter
Fathers better watch your daughters
(From California)
Days get longer nights get shorter
Remember the police got quotas
(From California)
City of Angels
Here even angels watch the angles
Living in (California)
Showing nothing but love
Bringing peace 'till the push turns shove

These days the sea shore
I see a little bit more
But I still love botella reflections plus more
I love breeze, long laughs, guitar chords, old blues, reggae too
Click clack of skate boards
What's that that's making me feel this hardcore
From the land with the hip hop that y'all gon' starve for
Bob your head so hard you'll wreck your car for
I like money, but your love and respect is far more

Asi lo es sur Califa te aplacan a prisa
Saliendo de la barra o saliendo de misa
Put'em down no frown, deja ver la sonrisa
No beef in the party but I'm killing the pista
From the underground so I'm turning the milpa
Re-ignite the whole scene cause I'm bringing the chispa
Been around the world pero aqui mero rifa
Deeply rooted right here tu sabes en Califa

(From California)
Days is hot nights get hotter
Fathers better watch your daughters
(From California)
Days get longer nights get shorter
Remember the police got quotas
(From California)
City of Angels
Here even angels watch the angles
Living in (California)
Showing nothing but love
Bringing peace 'till the push turns shove
(From California)
(From California)
(From California)
(From California)"

Delinquent Habits

This is L.A.

This is a hip hop track in the great late '90s style from the album "Here Come the Horns" released in 1997.

"It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans

It's time to mount an enormous amount of muscle
Move in like fifth batallion while woofers gonna bring trouble
Que quieres a mia moving to make me a little somethin'
Won't catch me chasin' the dragon, adrenalin got me pumpin'
Stop take a breath my thoughts
Release defenses and check senses
Pull jacks in dope spots
Puff boom mutha****a I swerve and hit the center
Hit it silver star style while others afraid to enter
Bravery in the battle homes I ain't no doubt
We stand alone usually we left the third click out
That's why we moved on when mental spirits was gettin' broken
By some leech mutha****as best kill em because we chokin'
Send a heat seeker to take a section of the industry
Not paranoia you really think they feelin' me?
I cut they fingers from hands and cut they hands from wrists s**t
Light another joint time to get lit

It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans

Now everybody checkin' the lingo you know I bringo
(Strong arm tactics) represento fresco raw through the weso
Y digo trucha con tu susa cuando entro con el latin lingo
Collecting masa across the map like Desperado steelo
Now you can bust and I can bust but
Who got that gold in they clutch?
And I'm tremendo cuando prendo lenos down to the crutch
So if we hittin' la botella then let's gulp it all down
And if we hittin' yerba buena then let's smoke the whole pound
The LowerEast is back up in this muthakilla for realla
Los Delinquentes rifan todo Sur Califa I figure
No need for hand on trigga
If they bigga break them down like [?]
My DNA is everlasting

It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans"

Deliverance

Leaving L.A.

Deliverance was a pop rock band formed in Germany in 1974 by three Canadian musicians and disbanded in 1981. This song, from their album "Tightrope", released in 1979, was a minor hit for the band but not quite making the top 40.

"A child can dream, but man must always remember
Drives into the cold of December
World is bittersweet, just painful perfection
And who, who can forget the memory?

Fade away, leaving L.A.
Tomorrow's waiting, memory's fading
Take me away; don't wanna stay
Must a man always remember?

A child can hope, but a man is always waiting,
Waiting for the rains of next November
World is bittersweet, just cruel cursing
And who, who can forget the memory?

Fade away, leaving L.A.
Tomorrow's waiting, memory's fading
Take me away; don't wanna stay
Must a man always remember?

Fade away, leaving L.A.
Tomorrow's waiting, memory's fading
Take me away; don't wanna stay
Must a man always remember?...."

The Delta Saints

The Delta Saints is a rock band from Nashville, active since 2007. This song is from their album "Monte Vista" released in 2017.

"Hello
Glad to see you made it
Calling we've been waiting
Around for a while
The sun
How'd you get the number
Trying to find the answer
We got corners to hide

What do you say we get out of here
'Cause we can't stay
Load up a bag and kiss your mama on the way
Pack up the pills and pray
Pointing west and shaking loose
'Cause all we got is there to lose
The sun is blessed and we are too

The road
Miles into morning
Left without a warning
We can sleep in the sand
Come on
Just a little longer
Feet are getting stronger
Keep it open and dry

What do you say we get out of here
'Cause we can't stay
Load up a car and let your mind just slip away
Califor-ni-ay
Pointing west and shaking loose
'Cause all we got is there to lose
The sun is blessed and we are too

So take a breath and breathe in too
The afterglow of all you knew
Pointing west and shaking loose

What do you say we get out of here
'Cause we can't stay
Load up your car and let your mind just slip away
To Califor-ni-ay
Pointing west and shaking loose
'Cause all we got is there to lose
The sun is blessed and we are too
So take a breath and breathe in too
The afterglow of all you knew
Pointing west and shaking loose"

Delta Spirit

An Indie Pop break-up or maybe unrequited love song from 2012 from a band formed in San Diego that has been labeled Indie Rock, Americana, and Soul.

"I want you to move to California for yourself,
I want you to find whatever your heart needs,
I want you to move to California for yourself, but not for me

I want you to go out there and find somebody else,
I want him to treat you like I know he should,
I want you to find somebody new for yourself, if not for me.

all of the feelings that I know you never felt,
and all of the simple words you never said,
I want you to keep them like a secret to yourself, they’re not for me.

I want you to wander silent past my outstretched arms,
I want you to hide yourself from all I see,
and though my heart will fight until its dying breath, you’re not for me."

Reed Deming

California Coastline

Reed Deming is a singer and actor from San Antonio, Texas, who got his start on the TV show The X Factor Season 2 in 2012 when he was only 13. This upbeat pop song is a single he released in 2016, when he was still a teenager.
The phrase works well here in the chorus, but I'm wondering if anyone outside of a song ever mentioned going to the "California coastline" instead of the "California coast"?

"Sand in my Vans, sand in my Vans
Ain't coming to your party cause I got other plans
Tell Your friends I'ma be gone for awhile
Got some new shades, a wakeboard and a smile
I spent all day just looking for the sun
Came all this way just try'na have some fun
California coastline baby here we come
And we're gonna hit it like 3, 2, 1 go!

I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline
I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline
I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline
I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline

Uh
Girl, what's your name?
Girl, what's your name?
Are you playing hard to get, cause I'm down for a game
We can fall in love and just hang for the night
Either way we gon' keep it going till it's light
Chasing you like the moon chases the sun
Like a solar eclipse in the sky when we're done
California coastline, baby here we come
And we're gonna hit it like 3, 2, 1 go!

I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline
I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline
I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline
I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline

Hey oh oh oh oh oh oh I've been waiting all my life
Hey oh oh oh oh oh oh I've been waiting all my life
Hey oh oh oh oh oh oh I've been waiting all my life
Hey oh oh oh oh oh oh I've been waiting all my life

Oh Oh Oh Oh [x8]

I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline
I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline
I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline
I'ma take you there
I'ma take you there
To the California coastline

Hey oh oh oh oh oh oh I've been waiting all my life
Hey oh oh oh oh oh oh I've been waiting all my life
Ay oh oh oh oh oh oh I've been waiting all my life
Ay oh oh oh oh oh oh I've been waiting all my life"

The Demonics

California Nightmare

Luckymule.com describes the Demonics, formed in San Francisco in 1994, as "...a 3 piece California Drag punk band that mix 1 part Ramones, 1 part Beach Boys and a good dose of Motorhead." This song is from their album "Ritual On The Beach" released in 2002. I couldn't quite make out all the lyrics, but it's a nice to hear the flip side of all of the California Dreaming songs.

"The other night I had a vision in my dreams
A sunny beach on summer's day
I saw a beautiful rendition of the past
A city kissed by golden rays

Then a thief in the night
Stole my dream and now I'm so scared
Cold sweats and fever ? my sleep
Is this the dawning of despair
Or just a California nightmare
California nightmare
California nightmare
California
My little dream is running scared

Displays of long ago distorting in my head
Endless waves and surfer girls
Give way to modernize confusion and unrest
And ? brave new world

Now I find better times
Drifting slowly out to nowhere
Caught in the ever changing tide
Headed out to god knows where

This is a California nightmare
California nightmare
California nightmare
California
This is the dawning of despair

I had a dream a fallen angel spoke to me
Her trembling voice was clear as day
Amid the ruins of your California dream
The dream is all that's left to save

Now I find better times
Drifting slowly out to nowhere
Caught in the ever changing tide
Is this the dawning of despair
Or just a California nightmare
California nightmare
California nightmare
California
Your little dream is running scared"

Brett Dennen

Brett Dennen is a folk/pop singer-songwriter originally from Oakdale, CA, active since 2003. This song is from his third album "Hope for the Hopeless" released in 2008.

"Go if you want to go
But I won't follow
Just so you know
Leave if you want to leave
But I won't be here
When you come home

I'm gonna to move to San Francisco
Look up some old friends
I'm gonna get me a navy pea coat
And an old Mercedes Benz

This old town keeps shrinking
There's too many people in my junk
I'm gonna do a lot of drinking
Cause it don't hurt when I'm drunk

Go if you want to go
But I won't follow
Just so you know
Leave if you want to leave
But I won't be here
When you come home

I'm gonna rent me an old Victorian
Down in the Lower Haight
I'm gonna get me an old accordion
Play for the tourists on the Golden Gate
I'm gonna plant a little garden
Paint my bathroom blue
I'm gonna try real hard
To get over you

Here in The City life doesn't move so slow
There's plenty of good people I know
Up in North Beach they drink spicy Italian liqueur
Down on Market there's a lot of hobos and hustlers

Down in Hayes Valley, there's a lot of good restaurants
Deep in the Tenderloin you can have anything you want
Over in the Mission it's always a sunny day
It's a real good baseball town but my team is across the bay

Go if you want to go
But I won't follow
Just so you know
Leave if you want to leave
But I won't be here
When you come home
When you come home"

Jason Derulo

(feat. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign)

Swalla

Jason Derulo is a very successful American singer, songwriter, and dancer. This is a rap pop song from early 2017 that features two rappers - Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign who gives a shout out to a girl in Beverly Hills who wears red bottom heels. (Rappers like rapping about red bottom heels almost as much as they like rapping about Grey Poupon and Cristal.) The song starts with an ice cream truck jingle, but I'm pretty sure they're not rapping about sucking on popsicles....

“Love in a thousand different flavors
I wish that I could taste them all tonight
No, I ain't got no dinner plans
So you should bring all your friends
I swear that to all y'all my type

All you girls in here, if you're feeling thirsty
Come on take a sip 'cause you know what I'm servin', ooh

Shimmy shimmy yay, shimmy yay, shimmy ya (drank)
Swalla-la-la (drank)
Swalla-la-la (swalla-la-la)
Swalla-la-la
Shimmy shimmy yay, shimmy yay, shimmy ya (drank)
Swalla-la-la (drank)
Swalla-la-la (swalla-la-la)
Swalla-la-la
Freaky, freaky gyal
My freaky, freaky gyal

Shimmy shimmy shimmy yay, shimmy yah
Bad girls gon' swalla-la-la
Bust down on my wrist in this b**ch
My pinky-ring bigger than his
Met her out in Beverly Hills, ay
Dolla got too many girls, ay
Met her out in Beverly Hills
All she wear is red bottom heels
When she back it up, put it on the Snap
When she droppin' low, put it on the Gram
DJ poppin', she gon' swallow that
Champagne poppin', she gon' swallow that….”

The Descendents

Catalina

The Descendents are a punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach. They were a big part of the L.A. hardcore punk scene in the 1970s and 1980s. This song is from their first album "Milo Goes to College" released in 1982. The singer must have a pretty nice boat if he plans to take it all the way to Catalina Island. That's 26 miles across the sea, according to The Four Preps song.

"My room's a mess, I don't care
Tired of sitting at my desk
You can't bother me
Man, I'm far away from you
Got to get away
You can't ruin my day
You can't tell me what to do
You can't make me think I love you

Shoot it in your arm, you can't hurt me
I'm on my way to Catalina
I'm not going to read your books
My tank's full of squid
And it's getting light

Whores, you can't make me want
I got all the fish I need
On the deck of my boat
You can't take my heart when I'm here
('Cause it's a) long swim home
For your cute little arms

I'll steal some gas, fix my motor
Turn on my Beatles tape
And get you out of my head

Ah yes, here I am, far away from everyone
And the only fish I smell
Is on the deck of my boat
Yeah, I want to go (I really want to go)
but my motor's broken
There's no scotch tape, I'm out of gas,
Looks like I'm stuck here
Looks like I'm stuck here

I'll steal some gas, fix my motor
Turn on my Doors tape
And get you out of my head
Get you out of my head

Ah, head."

Jackie DeShannon

Laurel Canyon

Jackie DeShannon is a pop country singer-songwriter from Kentucky active since 1955. This song is from her album "Laurel Canyon" released in 1969.

"I love to greet the day
Love my hideaway
In Laurel Canyon

I don't keep track of time
Livin' on a dime
In Laurel Canyon

Standin' here tryin' to get a ride
I got my baby by my side
Some say that we're the pride
Of Laurel Canyon

Shades of Camelot
Givin' all I've got
To Laurel Canyon

John Paul Jones and Liz
Try to keep it hid
In Laurel Canyon

Uphill, downhill take your pick
Light another candlestick
I don't think I could ever kick
Laurel Canyon

Lookin' out my door
I can see that store
In Laurel Canyon

Stayin' just above
With the one I Iove
In Laurel Canyon

Our good friend Felicity
Well, she married old man Socrates
Standin' underneath the trees
Of Laurel Canyon
Strange companion

I got a dog name Gwen
Wanderin' somewhere in
Laurel Canyon

She goes out to play
Seems to know her way
Through Laurel Canyon

Saw Miss Kitty chase a mouse
Livin' in a wooden house
I'm sewin' flowers on my blouse
In Laurel Canyon
Strange companion

Look out
I'm a-gonna shout about
Good ol', good ol' Laurel Canyon

Stayin' just above
With the one I love
Laurel Canyon
It's my home

Ain't gonna move
From Laurel Canyon
Good ol', good ol' Laurel Canyon

Just above
With the one I love
Laurel Canyon

It's my home
Ain't gonna move
Laurel Canyon

Good ol', good ol', good ol' Laurel Canyon
Good ol', good ol', good ol' Laurel Canyon"

Jackie DeShannon

L.A.

This is another song from the album "Laurel Canyon" released in 1969.

"Blues and oranges, yellows and greens
Many fresh strawberry dreams
L.A., L.A.
Take a ride on a fountain street
You know that Sunset's lined with quaint boutiques
L.A., L.A.

I fell in love with a few
A few special places
Always, always
Those fantastic faces
Gonna keep me
Smilin', smilin'

I can feel a part of it
I gave my heart in L.A.
I'm gonna stay right here in L.A.
Don't take me away
I belong to L.A.
Can't go wrong in L.A.
I belong to L.A.
Gonna stay in L.A.

From the hills is a view of the city
Daytime, nighttime, always lookin' pretty
L.A., L.A.
101 runs along the beach
You know that there's an ocean within the reach of
L.A., L.A.

Seaways, seaways
Keepin' busy
Fun-lovin' people
In the Land of Disney
Gonna keep me
Smilin', smilin'

'Cause I can feel a part of it
I gave my heart in L.A.
I'm gonna stay right here in L.A.
Don't take me away
I belong to L.A.
Can't go wrong in L.A.
I belong to L.A.
Gonna stay in L.A.
Ain't nobody gonna take me away from L.A.
No, no, no, nobody, yeah

Ain't nobody gonna take me away from L.A.
Ain't nobody
Ain't nobody gonna take me away
Nobody, nobody, nobody
Ain't nobody
Ain't nobody
Nobody"

Marcella Detroit

It's Christmas Once Again in San Francisco

Marcella Levy, a singer and songwriter from Detroit, active since 1972, has also been known professionally as Marcy Levy and later as Marcella Detroit. This song is from her album "For the Holidays" released in 2013. It's full of good advice to all those other California Christmas songs that whine about the sunshine at Christmas - don't like the warm weather? Turn up the air conditioning then put a log on the fire. And it has a ukulele and a tuba. What's not to like about that?

"Now everywhere I look around
There ain't no snow on the ground
Well it's bright and 80 degrees
The palms are swaying in the breeze
I can't even bundle up
Don't need a sweater or a pair of gloves
I put away my winter coat
I got my swimsuit on, I'm lying on a float

And it's just another sunny day
It's a California Christmas
Another California Christmas
We'll be lucky if we get some rain
And it's just another sunny day
It's a California Christmas
Another California Christmas
I wouldn't have it any other way
It's just another sunny day

There's no frost nipping at my toes
And no sing of an Eskimo
But I'm gonna make the best of it
'Cause there's still a visit from old Saint Nick

Now who needs the freezing cold
Or the ice and the falling snow
Turn the air conditioning up
Put a log on the fire, turn the flame up higher

And it's just another sunny day
It's a California Christmas
Another California Christmas
We'll be lucky if we get some rain
And it's just another sunny day
It's a California Christmas
Another California Christmas
I wouldn't have it any other way
It's just another sunny day

Now there's a turkey in the oven
And everybody's hummin' those same sweet songs
The stockings are brimming and we got all the trimming
This won't be long

The north star is shining bright
On Santa's sleigh tonight
He'll be sliding down the old palm tree
In time to grab a tan with me

And it's just another sunny day
It's a California Christmas
Another California Christmas
We'll be lucky if we get some rain
And it's just another sunny day
It's a California Christmas
Another California Christmas
I wouldn't have it any other way
It's just another sunny day
And I got no right to complain
Because it's just another sunny day"

DevilDriver

Clouds Over California

DevilDriver is a heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, active since 2002. This catchy little Satanic anthem is from the band's third album "The Last Kind Words" released in 1995.

"Come forth for the cattle call
Confront the evil river you can't control
Wicked ways and venomous eyes
Just human nature in disguise
Lost in this world, out on the edge
With death by our sides
Today I sworn that I wouldn't mourn ya
Cloud over California

If that's the way it's gonna be then I'll f**kin' go it alone
I'm a saint in sinners eyes
Curse the clouds over California
This is the call to obey
Let the chaos reign!

Bloodshot and weary-eyed
We took you in full of sin and pride
It'll take you and break you away
It'll tear you apart
Today I sworn I wouldn't mourn ya
Clouds over California

If that's the way it's gonna be then I'll fu**in' go it alone
I'm a saint in sinners eyes
Curse the clouds over California
This is the call to obey
Let the chaos reign!

I'm a saint in sinners eyes
Curse the clouds over California
This is the call to obey
Let the chaos reign!...."

Quinn Devlin & The Bridge Street Kings

California Wine

Quinn Devlin & The Bridge Street Kings are a soul ensemble out of New York City whose sound has been compared to Van Morrison. This song is from the album "California Wine" released in 2020.

"Was a particular notion
Way back in time
You've got that real emotion
Step back in line

Don't you forget about me
Cause I'll be back in time
We'll drink that California wine

I was a reelin' backwards
I missed all the signs
Everything that I thought I knew
Was of another kind

Don't you forget about me
Cause I'll be back in time
We'll drink that California wine
California wi-i-i-i-ine

She said reach out child
You're not alone and despite
You've been living in too much darkness
Let me show you the light

Don't you forget about me
Cause I'll be back in time
We'll drink that California wine
California wi-i-i-i-ine
We're drivin' down Sunset
To the sea
Oh, just you and me"

Barry De Vorzon

This is a revised version of De Vorzon's song "It's Christmas Once Again in Santa Barbara" with a few of the lyrics changed to put it in San Francisco.

"It's Christmas once again in San Francisco
There is not a chance that it will snow
The 49ers playing in a cool breeze
Back east it's 10 degrees below

I can hear the mission bells a-ringin'
Union Square's all dressed in Christmas cheer
Kids are counting days 'til Christmas morning
It's my favorite time of year

It's Christmas once again in San Francisco
There is not a snowflake to be found
No sleigh rides, no snowmen like you see on the Christmas cards
Oh but we've got a lot of Christmas in our heart

Some folks say it doesn't feel like Christmas
If you can't look outside and see some snow
I don't recall that it was snowing
In Bethlehem 2000 years ago

The tree is hung with lights and decorations
Families gather by the fireside
This scene would make a perfect Christmas card
As long as you don't look outside

It's Christmas once again in San Francisco
And there is not a snowflake to be found
No sleigh rides, no snowmen like you see on the Christmas cards
Oh but we've got a lot of Christmas in our heart

It's Christmas once again in San Francisco
There is not a snowflake to be found
No sleigh rides, no snowmen like you see on the Christmas cards
Oh but we've got a lot of Christmas
We've got a lot of Christmas
We've got a lot of Christmas in our heart"

Barry De Vorzon

It's Christmas Once Again in San Diego

This is a revised version of De Vorzon's song "It's Christmas Once Again in Santa Barbara" with a few of the lyrics changed to put it in San Diego.

"It's Christmas once again in San Diego
There is not a chance that it will snow
Palm trees are swaying in the warm breeze
Back east it's 10 degrees below

I can hear the mission bells a-ringin'
Broadway's all dressed up in Christmas cheer
Kids are counting days 'til Christmas morning
It's my favorite time of year

It's Christmas once again in San Diego
There is not a snowflake to be found
No sleigh rides, no snowmen like you see on the Christmas cards
Oh but we've got a lot of Christmas in our heart

Some folks say it doesn't feel like Christmas
If you can't look outside and see some snow
I don't recall that it was snowing
In Bethlehem 2000 years ago

The tree is hung with lights and decorations
Families gather by the fireside
This scene would make a perfect Christmas card
As long as you don't look outside

It's Christmas once again in San Diego
And there is not a snowflake to be found
No sleigh rides, no snowmen like you see on the Christmas cards
Oh but we've got a lot of Christmas in our heart

It's Christmas once again in San Diego
There is not a snowflake to be found
No sleigh rides, no snowmen like you see on the Christmas cards
Oh but we've got a lot of Christmas
We've got a lot of Christmas
We've got a lot of Christmas in our heart"

Barry De Vorzon

It’s Christmas Once Again in Santa Barbara

Barry De Vorzon is an award-winning singer, songwriter and composer from New York City, known for his 1976 Grammy-winning hit "Nadia's Theme" and the "Theme from S.W.A.T." and other movie and television soundtracks. He wrote this song some time before 1996, when it was first played on the Unity Telethon, but I can't find out exactly what year. He doesn't even remember when he wrote it, as he says in his story behind the song. He also recorded versions of the song for San Francisco, San Diego with the city name and one or two other lines changed to reflect each specific location, which you can see above, but I think the Santa Barbara version was first. He even made a version for Honolulu.

The song was also recorded by Lois Mahalia, a singer-songwriter from Santa Barbara, on her album "Christmas Once Again" released in 2013.

"It's Christmas once again in Santa Barbara
There is not a chance that it will snow
Palm trees are swaying in the warm breeze
Back east it's 10 degrees below

I can hear the mission bells a-ringin'
State Street's all dressed up in Christmas cheer
Kids are counting days 'til Christmas morning
It's my favorite time of year

It's Christmas once again in Santa Barbara
There is not a snowflake to be found
No sleigh rides, no snowmen like you see on Christmas cards
Oh but we've got a lot of Christmas in our heart

Some folks say it doesn't feel like Christmas
You can't look outside and see some snow
I don't recall that it was snowing
In Bethlehem 2000 years ago

The tree is hung with lights and decorations
Families gather by the fireside
This scene would make a perfect Christmas card
As long as you don't look outside

It's Christmas once again in Santa Barbara
And there is not a snowflake to be found
No sleigh rides, no snowmen like you see on the Christmas cards
Oh but we've got a lot of Christmas in our heart

It's Christmas once again in Santa Barbara
There is not a snowflake to be found
No sleigh rides, no snowmen like you see on the Christmas cards
Oh but we've got a lot of Christmas
We've got a lot of Christmas
We've got a lot of Christmas in our heart"

DeWolff

California Burning

DeWolff is a psychedelic rock band from the Netherlands formed in 2007 by a couple of brothers. This is a single released in 2018. The band's YouTube page says the song is not about California wildfires, but they do use them as a metaphor, so it's a wildfire song as far as I'm concerned. "The song is actually not about forest fires in California. It’s about living in a loudmouth world where people who scream loudest always seem get what they want, be it money, power or… presidency."

"You got up this morning
Fanfare through your street a billboard saying
All you need children is a little apathy a lotta greed
Get on your knees
See you were brought up believing in salvation for a kindred friend
But kindness ain't getting you none of that
You're flat on your back
Got knocked on the head by a fast talker
Got your mouth shut by a street brawler
What am I to do except pray for you
Who's gonna care after I'm gone?

California Burning
What you gonna do?
You needed water but they gave you fuel

Sometimes you grow so weary your head needs a-restin
Why my people keep doing wrong all the time
It's dog eat dog rat eat rat
Loud mouth eat a good mind
What d'ya think about that
What am I to do except pray for you
Who's gonna care after I'm gone
So tell me what you got to live for
Is it worth the same as what I'm killing for
On this killing floor
There's gonna be a war
It's gonna last until after I'm gone

California Burning
What you gonna do?
You needed water but they gave you fuel

Can you feel the fire burning
It's licking off your face
To wash away that evil grin that's tearing down the human race
Can you feel the fire burning
Licking off your face
The masquerade is breaking down to lay your kind to waste"

Dhruv

California Winter

Dhruv Sharma is a singer-songwriter born in the UK and raised in Singapore, active since 2019. This pop song is from his album "Private Blizzard" released in August, 2024.

"Writing you this letter in the heat of late December
Sand inside my shoe, sun in my eyes
The coffee here is better
Days smooth around their edges
A dream but I confess it isn't mine

I'm not feeling like myself
I've been going through some hell
Out from underneath a spell
Yeah, I'm lost in California
No one loved me like you did
Deep in waters of regret
Left to get my life on track
But I'm lost in California

The sky's so blue and I am too
I'm counting down the days 'til I see you
I got lost in California

Picture you beside me when I get my morning jog in
I heard it's so much colder way out there
And memories wash over me as I lie under the palm trees
Sitting by your fireplace just this time last year, oh

I'm not feeling like myself
I've been going through some hell
Here my closest friends can't tell
That I'm lost in California
No one loved me like you did
Deep in waters of regret
Baby, it's an SOS
God, I'm lost in California

The sky's so blue and I am too
I'm counting down the days 'til I see you
I got lost in California

California
Tried falling for you
The more I know you
The less I want to
California
Tried falling for you
The more I know you
The less I want you

I'm not feeling like myself
I've been going through some hell
Here my closest friends can't tell
That I'm lost in California
No one loved me like you did
Deep in waters of regret
Baby, it's an SOS
God, I'm lost in California"

Neil Diamond

I Am... I Said

Neil Diamond is an American singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, active since the 60s, and one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, according to Wickipedia. This 1971 hit was written by Diamond after he spent time in therapy trying to figure himself out. The strangest line in this song is not the one about the chair not hearing him, it's the one that says the rents are low in L.A. (Maybe that was true in 1971, but a quick Google search in 2022 finds that rent in L.A. is the seventh most expensive in any U.S. city, averaging $2190 per month, which is behind San Francisco and San Jose, but San Diego and Oakland aren't much cheaper.)

"L.A.'s fine, the sun shines most the time
And the feeling is "lay back"
Palm trees grow and rents are low
But you know I keep thinkin' about
Making my way back

Well I'm New York City born and raised
But nowadays,
I'm lost between two shores
L.A.'s fine, but it ain't home
New York's home,
But it ain't mine no more

"I am"... I said
To no one there
And no one heard at all
Not even the chair

"I am"... I cried "I am"... said I
And I am lost and I can't
Even say why
Leavin' me lonely still

Did you ever read about a frog
Who dreamed of bein' a king
And then became one
Well except for the names
And a few other changes
If you talk about me
The story's the same one

But I got an emptiness deep inside
And I've tried
But it won't let me go
And I'm not a man who likes to swear
But I never cared
For the sound of being alone

"I am"... I said
To no one there
And no one heard at all
Not even the chair
"I am"... I cried
"I am"... said I
And I am lost and I can't
Even say why
"I am"... I said
"I am"... I cried
"I am"... I said" "

Deezy DiCaprio

This melodic rap song s from "To the Moon and Back" released in 2021.

"Dinner at Nobu for two
Tonight it's just me and you
Doing the things that you wanna' do
I can do it in back or in front of you Girl
I ain't gone sit here and front on you
You the one I been thinking bout' not a two
I adore you so girl I'll Dior you
Put you in Prada to show you I'm proud of you
Girl I want you I'll say that s**t louder too
All these feelings I'm pulling up out of You
Got me thinking bout' taking a trip
Girl you my bi**ch and I say that with Gratitude
Imma' put you in different positions Girl you the one I been missing
Yea Yea
I know you tired of these ni**as Wasting your time girl I get it

Let me take you out to Malibu
We'll go shopping down the avenue
I can show yo' ass a thing or two
I can take it out to Malibu
Once we make it out to Malibu
Let me take you out to Malibu
We'll go shopping down the avenue
I can show yo' ass a thing or two
I can take it out to Malibu
Once we make it out to Malibu

Said she wanna surf in the winter
Steak every night that's for dinner
Girl you know you fu**ing with a winner
Do it like a pro you ain't fu**king no beginner no
Put you in them first class seats
Girl you know I got it on me
Girl you know I got it all week
Girl you know I'm bout' that life If you bout' it let's leave let's go
To another time zone
When you a boss you ain't gotta go home
When you work hard then yo' money stays on
Imma' book yo' flight by the end of this song
Yea Yea
I been round' the world like twice
I be living life so nice
Yea Yea
And my neck and wrist on ice
Shorty froze up on sight
Yea Yea
You know the vibe when I'm pulling up
Imma' beep the horn twice then I'm out
Shorty show me what you bout
If you tryna' ride with me let's bounce
You know the vibe when I'm pulling up
Imma' beep the horn twice then I'm out
Shorty show me what you bout
If you tryna' ride with me let's bounce

Let me take you out to Malibu
We'll go shopping down the avenue
I can show yo' ass a thing or two
I can take it out to Malibu
Once we make it out to Malibu
Let me take you out to Malibu
We'll go shopping down the avenue
I can show yo' ass a thing or two
I can take it out to Malibu
Once we make it out to Malibu"

Russell Dickerson

Blue Tacoma

This a 2018 California road trip country song about a girl and a truck that makes you want to hit the road with your sweetheart in whatever vehicle you have. Russell Dickerson is an American country recording artist from Tennessee. In case you don't know, the Tacoma sung about here is a model of Toyota pickup truck, not the city in Washington State that's named after the original Native American name for the volcano Mt. Rainier. The historian in me needed to tell you that. The economist in me can't help but wonder if Dickerson was paid by Toyota to use their truck's name in the song, or if maybe Toyota made him pay to use the name. Everybody's dipping their beak these days.

"Blue Tacoma, California
Rays of gold are shining on ya

Wheels rolling on an old Toyota
Twist top on a Sunkist soda
Your brown hair in the west coast wind
If heaven is anywhere
The night is here it's at the top of our lungs
Shuffling in and gonna steal the one
Missing turns 'cause that's our song
If heaven is anywhere

It's in a blue Tacoma, California
White magnolia in your hair
Rays of gold are shining on ya
Ooh, if heaven is anywhere
It's never running out of golden road
Always having your hand to hold
It's in a blue Tacoma, California
Ooh, if heaven is anywhere
It's right through the door, California
Rays of gold are shining on ya

Red sun melting to the black top
Dollar shades from a nowhere truck stop
Your kiss and that coast line
If heaven is anywhere
Pull it over to the shoulder
To take it in
Mmh and pull you closer
Loving you longer than I ever did
Going places we never been
'Cause heaven's in

A blue Tacoma, California
White magnolia in your hair
Rays of gold are shining on ya
Ooh, if heaven is anywhere
It's never running out of golden road
Always having your hand to hold
In a blue Tacoma, California
Ooh, if heaven is anywhere
It's right here...."

The Dictators

The Dictators were a proto punk band from New York City. Some people consider them one of the very first punk bands, but they played their instruments too well to be punk in my opinion, though they had the attitude. This great version of the 1964 Rivieras classic described below is from their first studio album Go Girl Crazy! released in 1975, almost two years before the Ramones released their studio version.

Diesel

Sausalito Summer Night

Diesel is a rock group from the Netherlands active since 1978. This song was a single released in 1981 from their album "Watts in a Tank." It was a top 40 hit in the U.S. The lyrics were written by band member Mark Boon who had lived in Los Angeles as a boy and later spent time in Sausalito. This song sounds like Steve Miller or early Tom Petty or maybe even the Doobie Brothers - something as 1970s as all that. What on earth are they driving that needs 200 gallons of gas to get from L.A. to Sausalito? That only about 2 miles to the gallon!

"We left for Frisco in your Rambler
The radiator running dry
I've never been much of a gambler
And had a preference to fly

You said, 'Forget about the airline
Let's take the car and save the fare'
We blew a gasket on the Grapevine
And eighty dollars on repairs

All aboard (Sausalito summer night)
All aboard (Sausalito summer night)
All aboard (Sausalito summer night)
All aboard

Hot summer night in Sausalito
Can't stand the heat another mile
Let's drop a quarter in the meter
And hit the sidewalk for a while

I'll have a burger and a root beer
You feed the heap some of the grape
A shot of premium to boot, dear
We'll get across the Golden Gate

All aboard (Sausalito summer night)
All aboard (Sausalito summer night)
All aboard (Sausalito summer night)
All aboard

Another mile or two to Frisco
200 gallons from L.A.
The engine's stomping like a disco
We ought to dump her in the bay

All aboard (Sausalito summer night)
All aboard

Cashin' all my checks
Straightenin' out my bank
Spend it on a Rambler
With a whirlpool in the tank

Look out over here
Watch out over there
Can't afford a blowout
'Cause we haven't got a spare

All aboard (Sausalito summer night)
All aboard (Sausalito summer night)
All aboard (Sausalito summer night)
All aboard

Hot summer night in Sausalito
(Sausalito summer night)
Hot summer night in Sausalito
(Sausalito summer night) ...."

Daz Dillinger (featuring Val Young)

In California

Daz Dillinger is a rapper and producer from Long Beach, active since 1992 when he was working with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, and his own rap duo Tha Dogg Pound with Kurupt. Val Young, aka "Lady V" is a singer from Detroit active since 1977. This is from Dillinger's debut studio album "Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back" released in 1998.

"Comin' from the city where no pity is shown shown shown shown

In California
In Californ-i-a
Rollin' down Crenshaw Boulevard
Starin' at these suckers who claim to be hard
Daz Dillinger and Tha Gang
Who can blast and gangbang, hahaa
In California
In Californ-i-a

Who gives it up and who be rocking all that rough stuff
All in the cut it's young Daz with the pimp strut
Struck game on those who act lame
See, ain't a damn thang changed
You know I ride the neighborhood slow
Floss on you and let the wind blow
True indeed I'm havin' a ball
Pick up the phone and give my homies a call
What's up with y'all? (What's up y'all?)
Livin' in the city where we born to ball
Roll up a Philly, we pack it tight
What a pity, what a sight
Inhaling something all damn night
Got what I need, it got me kinda feelin' so live
Hennessy got a brother so feelin' so high
Peel out and skate, enjoy my day and I love to burn rubber
Pump up the jam for the summer
Gimme your Regal, Snoop got the Hummer
Kinda make you wanna sit back and wonder for the summer

(In California, in California)
The home of the city of the Crips and the Bloods
(In Californ-i-a, Californ-i-a)
Where you can get got for who they thought you was
(In California, California)
The home of the city of the Crips and the Bloods
(In Californ-i-a, Californ-i-a)
Where you can get shot over who they thought you was

Who there? back by a popular demand
Daz Dillinger back in effect, homie, once again
The question is why y'all got a problem with me gettin' live
Say the wrong thing, get fried
Prepare in effect, homie so prepare and beware
Causin' ruckus, all bein' fair
Daz Dillinger finally alone in my zone
Be by myself in a place that I call home
Check it out, peep out the scenery
Ya mean to mean nuthin' to me, ya keep frontin' to me
I hit you up Dogg Pound all come around
Lay 'em all down homies be frontin' for they town
Throw it up, East side, West side bumpin'
California's the state where we be causing ruckus and I love it

(In California, in California)
The home of the city of the Crips and the Bloods
(In Californ-i-a, Californ-i-a)
Where you can get got for who they thought you was
(In California, California)
The home of the city of the Crips and the Bloods
(In Californ-i-a, Californ-i-a)
Where you can get shot over who they thought you was
(The only ill scene to do somethin' for ya
It's a place where everybody wanna see
Once that you visit see all the places
You may never wanna leave)

Here I am stompin' down choppin' down yo compound
Knockin' all y'all out thirty seconds in the first round
Who come around get destroyed off contact
Realize and understand homie you don't want that
Peep me out, let's engage in military action
Women, dope and drama keep me active
Bump all that bullsh- you yappin'
Them beats and that bullsh- you yappin'
I'm about walkin', G walkin' and smackin'
Trippin', actin, you don't really want none of this action
Homie, you better watch out, cause nothin' can save ya
Tattooin' y'all with razors
Mashin' on it getting penetrated him but I grazed him
Now they callin' Daz the usual playa hater
Back on the spot, feelin' live
Watchin' as the cops pass by, feelin' live
Homie I ain't lyin'
Who the man from Long Beach, California to Japan
Rockin' like Run DMC, homie, without a band in hand I rock and control the whole scene
Watch it unfold, get scold, get blown away
Any other rapper pay dearly, severely, y'all come and hear me
Damn, you get bruised, battered and slammed
People tryin' to see who I am, Im Diggy Daz

(In California, in California)
The home of the city of the Crips and the Bloods
(In Californ-i-a, Californ-i-a)
Where you can get got for who they thought you was
(In California, California)
The home of the city of the Crips and the Bloods
(In Californ-i-a, Californ-i-a)
Where you can get shot over who they thought you was
(The only ill scene to do somethin' for ya
It's a place where everybody wanna see
Once that you visit, see all the places
You may never wanna leave)...."

Taylor Diaz & Alan Navarro

Taylor Diaz is a singer and songwriter from Poza Rica Veracruz, Mexico who mixes R&B with different Latin rhythms. Alan Navarro is a singer from Mexico City formerly with the band CD9. This is an urbano track that was released in May 2024.

There are no online lyrics or subtitles for the song and my Spanish isn't good enough to understand it all but it seems to be a love song about convincing a girl to run away to California. It starts off mentioning buying a ticket on a flight to California:
"Tengo compreado el vuelo al California."
The chorus appears to be about getting back with a former lover and then these English words are repeated several times: "Come with me and run away."

Dinosaur Pile-Up

Thrash Metal Cassette

Dinosaur Pile-Up is an alternative rock band from Leeds England, active since 2007. This song is from their fourth studio album "Celebrity Mansions" released in 2019. I'm not a thrash metal connoisseur, so I don't know if this song should be placed in that genre, but it definitely shreds. (I can't tell exactly what he's singing, but the lyrics sites show the line in the chorus as "A-okay, let's go El Rey..." This most likely refers to The El Rey Theater, a concert venue in L.A.)

"Thrash metal on the stereo
16 hours a day
Yeah, drivin' our s**t heap splitter
We got to get to L.A.
And all we got left is this 12 track tape

Oh, Thrash Metal Cassette!
Yeah, Thrash Metal Cassette!

I'll take a 'Ribbon' or Miller, man
I don't care either way!
Yeah, so you're the s**t? Big deal
Guess you think you got it made
Well, all we got left is this 12 track tape

Hey L.A., I'm back again and I
I think I found a song that I can play
I'm gonna shred 'till I'm dead anyway, and I'm
A-okay, let's go El Rey and I
I think that I finally found a way
To live forever, guess I'm here to stay, alright

Oh, Thrash Metal Cassette!
Yeah, Thrash Metal Cassette!

Hey Cruzer, what's up? I'm back in town
Yeah, tour was totally sick
Meet you at the Black Heart later
I'm broke so get me a drink
And tell 'em to turn it up, turn it the f**k up!

Hey L.A., I'm back again and I
I think I found a song that I can play
I'm gonna shred 'till I'm dead anyway, and I'm
A-okay, let's go El Rey and I
I think that I finally found a way
To live forever, yeah, one, two, three, four

Don't you dare forget about me
I'm a one in a million 'cause I wanted to be
And whatever you tell me I will never believe
'Cause you're just dyin' to fake it, but I'm dyin' for real
Don't you dare go flake out on me
I've been eating the dirt since I was back up in Leeds
And whatever, I don't care, I'm just livin' my dream
I started down in the basement, and s**t, now I'm here!

One, two, three, four!
Put it up, yeah, put it up for thrash metal!
Put it up, yeah, put it up for thrash metal!
Put it up, yeah, put it up for thrash metal!
Put it up, yeah, put it up for thrash metal! (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Put it up, yeah, put it up for thrash metal! (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Put it up, yeah, put it up for thrash metal! (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Put it up, yeah, put it up for thrash metal! (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Put it up, yeah, put it up for thrash, whoo!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Thrash metal!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Thrash metal!

Hey L.A., I'm back again and I
I think I found a song that I can play
I'm gonna shred 'till I'm dead anyway, and I'm
A-okay, let's go El Rey and I
I think that I finally found a way
To live forever, guess I'm here to stay, alright

Oh, Thrash Metal Cassette!
Yeah, Thrash Metal Cassette!"

Iann Dior (featuring Travis Barker)

Hopeless Romantic

Iann Dior is a rapper-singer-songwriter from Texas, active since 2019. Travis Barker is a musician-producer from southern California. This "emo rap" song was released in January of 2022.

"Wherever we go
Wherever the wind blows
I'll be here to walk you through the middle

I don't know what I'm doing
Driving drunk all alone
Liquor, I've been abusing
Helps me forget 'bout the truth
If you keep on running
I'll keep on running with you
I don't think this is healthy
Can't keep doing this with you

Wherever we go
Wherever the wind blows
I'll be here to walk you through the meadow
Whenever life gets, too much to handle
I'll be there to give you what you ask for

I could feel it eat me up, mind on a starship
Haven't gave it any thought, since I'd lost it
But I need you to listen up, my heart you damaged
I've been through like way too much, hopeless romantic

Wherever we go
Wherever the wind blows
I'll be here to walk you through the meadow
Whenever life gets, too much to handle
I'll be there to give you what you ask for

I'll be here, waiting 'till the day comes
I'm not as nice as I used to be
It don't rain in hills of California
But I feel it pouring over me...."

Dirty Heads

Rescue Me

Dirty Heads is an alternative/reggae rock band from Huntington Beach, active since 1996. This song is a single released in 2023. One of the band members said some of the melody sounds like the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Dani California" because they wanted to honor them as an iconic Southern California band and one of their main influences. There's also a quote from the Mamas and the Papas classic "California Dreamin."

"California rescue me
I've been so low
I've been weak
It's too long since I've had peace
Well California, California rescue me

In a meditative state
Feeling great in the south of it
Medicated weight
Think I need another ounce of it
Child of the sun and the son of the sea
Salt water when I bleed
See eras when I dream

What a day, what a day, what a day now
Living like a weekend in the middle of the wave out
What you say, what you say, what you say now
Never gonna leave her down

California rescue me
I've been so low
I've been weak
It's too long since I've had peace
Well California, California rescue me
Rescue me
Rescue me
California, California rescue me

I'm trippin'
California sun drippin'
Palm trees on the weekend
Suicides on the Lincoln
Got the Cali Cali all day
Smoke that Cali Cali Bombay
Close my eyes, I rest in the shade
Follow me and come feel the fade, yeah

What a day, what a day, what a day now
Living like a weekend in the middle of the wave out
What you say, what you say, what you say now
Never gonna leave her down

California rescue me
I've been so low
I've been weak
It's too long since I've had peace
Well California, California rescue me
Rescue me
Rescue me
California, California rescue me

This meditative state's got me feeling right
California dreamin' on a winter's night
Everywhere I look all the leaves are brown
All the skies are grey, try to bring me down

This meditative state's got me feeling high
All the clouds are partin' only blue skies
Always catching vibes from my hometown
As long as I'm alive, can't bring me down

California rescue me
I've been so low
I've been weak
It's too long since I've had peace
Well California, California rescue me
Rescue me
Rescue me
California, California rescue me"

Dirty Heads

West Coast

This alternative reggae rock song is from the album "Swim Team" released in 2017.

"I see the sunrise
I wake up in the morning feelin' so nice
I burn a couple bowls of the alright
I look out to the world and it's all mine
Yeah, it's all mine
I see palm trees and joints, kids
Smoke palm trees like ointment
My weed breath is fresh
Cause I keep my appointment
Now I can finally see
Like I smoke some D.M.T
What you think we should sound like?
What you think we do at night?
Cause we the best at this s**t
We made a mess of this s**t
We write the rest of all the west with the recklessness
If you's a b**ch, you might get snatched up like some necklaces
This where the rest of us live
You-you-you say...

You say we feel like the west coast
I say we sound like the best though
You say we feel like the west coast
I say we sound like the best though

Every single day, I'm just living for the thrill of it
Everywhere I go, people ask me what my deal is
I just tell 'em I ain't fu**in' 'round, this is real s**t
I'm just tryna keep my head up higher than the ceiling is
Every day's a new day when you wake up countin' blue jays
In my backyard painting fences with no shoes on smokin' bouquets and bouquets
Yeah, Bombay, Bazookas, the best is all that we're choosin'
Now I'm burning one down like I was Ben Harper on Tuesday
Yeah I'm getting on Roulay, rulin' out all the bad days
Oh yeah, it's yours truly, I'm living south of the valley
No I am not complaining, I love it out here in Cali
And I love it when you say...

You say we feel like the west coast
I say we sound like the best though
You say we feel like the west coast
I say we sound like the best though

We dealin', oh
They feel it, oh
They say

They say we feel like the west coast
I say we sound like the best though
You say we feel like the west coast
I say we sound like the best though"

Dirty Honey

Dirty Honey is a hard rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2017. This song is from the album "Dirty Honey" released in 2021.

"For forty days and forty nights
Her rain would fall on me
The tunnel's end that saw no light
Nothing was left to believe

But time rolled on like a river
Rolling faster everyday
I couldn't wait for the winter
To change my summer ways

It's so easy
It's so easy

I'm California dreamin'
And it's tearing us apart
It's paranoia season
It's in our mind and our hearts

Ain't no rest for the weary
Crossing the desert at night
Now that I could see clearly
I was just a slave to the grind

It's so easy
It's so easy
It's so easy
Lord, It's so easy

Now I'm California dreamin'
And it's tearing us apart
It's paranoia season
It's in our mind and our hearts

It's so easy
It's so easy
It's so damn easy
It's so easy

I'm California dreamin'
And it's tearing us apart
It's paranoia season
It's in our mind and our hearts

I'm California dreamin'
California dreamin'
California dreamin'
It's tearing us apart"

Dirty Gold

California Sunrise

Dirty Gold is an indie rock band from San Diego, founded by two brothers in 2010. This song is from their Ep "Roar" released in 2011.

"California sunrise
Take a sleep from under our California eyes
Tainted by the ocean siren
Waiting for the tide to take us home
To take us all home
She waits for the summer to find a lover
She looks for him running in the sand
But the air is getting colder, the summer's getting older
You need to make up your mind (hey!)

I've been sleepin' far too long, I've been hidden from your love
I need some summer sun to come and wake me up
Let me sink or help me swim, where our love ends my end begins
California sunrise, come on and wake me up

Trying to decide, are you really worth my time?
I've been playin' this game so long
But the cold is comin' through, there's nothing left to do
How am I gonna prove myself to you? (Hey!)

I've been sleepin' far too long, I've been hidden from your love
I need some summer sun to come and wake me up
Let me sink or help me swim, where our love ends my end begins
California sunrise, come on and wake me up

I've been sleepin' far too long, I've been hidden from your love
I need some summer sun to come and wake me up
Let me sink or help me swim, where our love ends my end begins
California sunrise, come on and wake me up
California sunrise, come on and wake me up"

Dirty Rice

Oxnard

Dirty Rice is a reggae band based in south Oxnard. This reggae rap ode to Boxnard, the strawberry capital, was released in 2013.

"If you're comin' from the north side stand up
All my families from the south side hold it down
From the east to the west rockin' side to side
We from Oxnard y'all rep the 8-0-5

Lively up yourselves
When you touch down in our town
Be ready to have a good time
The city lights here they shine so bright
Make you feel like a superstar
When you know everybody at the bar
Got to shine like a risin' sun
Oxnard city here we come

You can find me on the West Coast, So Cal, Oxnard, down south
The city where as kids we played to run amuck
While rockin' 5-0-1s white tees and black Chucks
My city, remember when back in the days
Cruisin' saviors on a hot sunny day
Chillin' on the southside soakin' up the sunshine
Gonna light it up so I can get my mind on cloud nine
Aw, damn, where'd the time go?
Steady rockin' crew ... solos
Brothers two-steppin' girls gettin' low
Even got the homies straight leanin' like a Cholo
You know the city where I'm from
Down on the south side next to the One
School of hard knocks s... city's where we ride
I'm always gonna rep hash tag 8-0-5, yay

Lively up yourselves
When you touch down in our town
Be ready to have a good time
The city lights here they shine so bright
Make you feel like a superstar
When you know everybody at the bar
Got to shine like a risin' sun
Oxnard city here we come

At night you can let your trouble go
Forget what you heard about our town
Gettin' in the vibe won't be hard
Show me how you like to get down
Take a little sip to start you off
Don't be alarmed ...
Feel that ... see right crew
You know it makes you want to move
Just let your body go
Don't rush it nice and slow
Rock steady all night long
There's a party goin' on

Lively up yourselves
When you touch down in our town
Be ready to have a good time
The city lights here they shine so bright
Make you feel like a superstar
When you know everybody at the bar
Got to shine like a risin' sun
Oxnard city here we come

Oxnard!
Ain't no doubt this is the place I was born and raised
Oxnard!
Right on the ghetto beach is where you catch the sun rays
Oxnard!
Dedicated to the ones who paved the way for you and me
Oxnard!
Everlasting love for our punk rock scene
Oxnard!
One big melting pot where you can get some culture
Oxnard!
It's out home town ... matter how it sounds now
Oxnard!
A place where I learned how to keep my feet to the ground
Oxnard!
Will always be a part of me

Lively up yourselves
When you touch down in our town
Be ready to have a good time
The city lights here they shine so bright
Make you feel like a superstar
When you know everybody at the bar
Got to shine like a risin' sun
Oxnard city here we come...."

Disclosure (featuring Lorde)

Magnets

Disclosure is a dance music duo from England active since 2010. Lorde is a singer-songwriter from New Zealand with some other California songs listed below under her name. This song is a single released in 2015 that mentions the infamous road on top of the Hollywood Hills.

"Never really felt bad about it
As we drank deep from a lie
'Cause I felt melting magnets, babe
The second I saw you through half-shut eyes

Smoke and sunset, off Mulholland
He was talking, I was wondering 'bout
You and that girl, she your girlfriend?
Face from heaven, bet the world she don't know

Pretty girls don't know the things that I know
Walk my way, I'll share the things that she won't
Uh-oh, dancin' past the point of no return
Let go, we can free ourselves of all we've learned
I love this secret language that we're speaking
Say it to me, let's embrace the point of no return
Let's embrace the point of no return
Let's embrace the point of no return

Never really thought we would make it
We be thinking about what could have been
But we've had a record summer, can't turn it down, oh
Now I don't wanna see the end begin

Smoke and sunset, off Mulholland
He was talking, I was wondering 'bout
You and that girl, she your girlfriend?
Face from heaven, bet the world she don't know...."

Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy

California Uber Alles

The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy was a hip hop group formed in the Bay Area and active from 1990-1993. This song is from their album "Hiphocrisy is the Greatest Luxury" released in 1992.

This is a hip hop version of the Dead Kennedys song that samples their version and adds new lyrics slamming Republican governor Pete Wilson.

"California uber alles
California above all others
...
I'm your Governor Pete Wilson, ya know
The baddest governor to ever grab the mic and go
BOOOM!
Gimme a budget and watch me hack it!
Gimme a beat and I'll show you how to jack it!
I give the rich a giant tax loophole
I leave the poor living in a poophole
At a time when Aids is in a crisis
I cut health care and I raise prices
Sales tax, snack tax, excise tax
Information attack with a newspaper tax
Hit the pocket books of working families
Increase tuition at the universities
Some day I'll command all o' you
Even your kids are gonna pray to me in school
Soon I'm gonna be the president
You might remember the last one this state sent

California uber alles...

I'm so proud to know the Great Communicator
Wanna be known as the Great Incarcerator
I'll blow environmentalists away
And I'll be the Fuhrer some day
I'll keep cuttin' Public Education
Even though we rank 54th in the nation
I've got a plan for all the minorities
Send'em to the California Youth Authorities
From San Francisco Urban Elementary
To Pelican Bay State Penitentiary
There they can work for the master race
And always wear a happy face
Close your eyes, it can't happen here
Big Brother in a squad car's comin' near
Come enjoy the surf and the sun
And keep California number one!

California uber alles...

Now it's 1992
Knock knock on your front door, yo guess who
It's the suede denim secret police
They've come to your house for your long haired niece
Gonna send her off to a camp
'Cause she's been accused of growing hemp
Don't you worry it's only a shower
And now for your clothes here's a pretty flower
Gonna die on malathion gas
The serpent's egg has already been hatched
People starvin' and livin' in the streets
Because they tried to mess with me, President Pete!...."

The Distillers

City of Angels

The Distillers are a punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1998. This song is from their album "Sing Sing Death House" released in 2002.

"It's going down tonight in this town
'Cause they stare and growl
They all stare and growl
I take a scar every time I cry

'Cause it ain't my style, no it ain't my style
Going down to the gravel head to the barrel
Take this life and end this struggle
Los Angeles come scam me please

Emptiness never sleeps at Clifton's 6 a.m.
With your bag lady friend and your mind descending
Stripped of the right to be a human in control
It's warmer in Hell so down we go

They say this is the city
The City of Angels
All I see is dead wings

They say this is the city
The City of Angels
All I see is dead wings

It's a ghost town rabid underworld
Dionysian night vitriolic twilight
A mirage comes up it never ends
Once you get born you're never the same

Left behind erased from time
Ain't no decency in being boxed up alive
Look around ain't no R.I.P. signs here
We don't rest in peace, we just disappear

So here we are Los Angeles
No angels singing in your valley of unease
I watch the sun roll down the Pacific
Over hooker Sunset Strip

They say this is the city
The City of Angels
All I see is dead wings

They say this is the city
The City of Angels
All I see is dead wings

There's a black moon tonight
It's shining down on the western neon lights
There's a black moon tonight
Shining down on the western neon lights

They say this is the city
The City of Angels
All I see is dead wings...."

DJ Fenix & Lisa Williams

California: I Love You California

This is an electronic dance track that was a dance club hit in 2017. DJ Fenix is a Russian EDM DJ and producer, and Lisa Williams is an English singer.

"Do you remember
Do you remember the summer
Making love with the California sun
In our eyes

And can you tell me
Can you tell me how we moved on
We never knew that we could be strong
We never knew that we could be strong

Take me back
Let me go back
In the California sun
Take me back
Let me go back
To the California
California sun
California sun
California sun
In the California sun...."

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

Yo Home To Bel-Air

These guys are a hip hop duo from Philadelphia - Jeff Townes and Will Smith. Yes, that Will Smith, the TV star and then blockbuster movie star. They had a few hits and Grammys, including one with the song Summertime, with Smith doing the rapping. Beginning in 1990, Smith starred for several years in a TV sitcom called The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, about a teenage kid from the streets of Philadelphia man who was forced to move into his uncle's Bel-Air mansion to keep him out of trouble. This was the show's theme song, and it is some really cheezy 90's hip hop, as you would excpect from a sit com theme. It probably has a lot of nostalgic value for kids who watched the show.

"Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute
Just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air

In west Philadelphia born and raised
On the playground was where I spent most of my days
Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool
And all shootin some b-ball outside of the school
When a couple of guys who were up to no good
Started making trouble in my neighborhood
I got in one little fight and my mom got scared
She said 'You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air'

I begged and pleaded with her day after day
But she packed my suit case and sent me on my way
She gave me a kiss and then she gave me my ticket.
I put my Walkman on and said, 'I might as well kick it'.

First class, yo this is bad
Drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass.
Is this what the people of Bel-Air living like?
Hmmmmm this might be alright.

But wait I hear they're prissy, bourgeois, all that
Is this the type of place that they just send this cool cat?
I don't think so
I'll see when I get there
I hope they're prepared for the prince of Bel-Air

Well, the plane landed and when I came out
There was a dude who looked like a cop standing there with my name out
I ain't trying to get arrested yet
I just got here
I sprang with the quickness like lightning, disappeared

I whistled for a cab and when it came near
The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror
If anything I could say that this cab was rare
But I thought 'Nah, forget it' - 'Yo, holmes to Bel-Air'

I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8
And I yelled to the cabbie 'Yo holmes smell ya later'
I looked at my kingdom
I was finally there
To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel-Air"

DJ Serg & Simon Blaze (featuring Rashon J)

Miss California

This is a very good 2020 cover of the 2001 Dante Thomas song.

Dodgeball

Dodgeball is a band from New Jersey. This song is from the "Coolidge 50" various artist compilation released in 1998. It starts as a fast punk version of the California State theme song "I Love You California" with a few of the verses left out then it switches to an old-fashioned version with church organ and singers and a man speak-singing in the old time megaphone style, then it goes back to fast punk again.

"When the snow crowned golden Sierras
Keep their watch o'er the valley's bloom
It is there I would be in our land by the sea
Every breeze bearing rich perfume

It is here nature gives of her rarest
It is home sweet home to me
And I know when I die I shall breathe my last sigh
For my sunny California

I love you California
You're the greatest state of all
I love you in the winter, summer, spring
And in the fall

I love your fertile valleys
Your dear mountains I adore
I love your grand old ocean
And I love her rugged shore

When the snow crowned golden Sierras
Keep their watch o'er the valley's bloom
It is there I would be in our land by the sea
Every breeze bearing rich perfume

It is here nature gives of her rarest
It is home sweet home to me
And I know when I die I shall breathe my last sigh
For my sunny California"

John Doe

Alone in Arizona

This is John Doe's cover of a song written by his former bandmate in X, Exene Cervenka, off his 2016 album "The Westerner." Doe calls the album his "psychedelic, soul record from the Arizona desert."

John Doe (featuring Kathleen Edwards)

The Golden State

John Doe is a singer-songwriter, actor from L.A., a member of the LA punk band X and The Knitters, and he has recorded many solo and collaborative albums. Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian singer-songwriter. "The Golden State" has been the official California State Nickname since 1968. This is one of my favorite California songs. It's an upbeat guitar rocker with nice hooks and harmonies and a great chorus. (Doe said in a 3/15 interview with Marc Maron on his WTF podcast that it was the closest thing to a hit song that he's recorded.)
There's another good 2008 version of the song featuring Eddie Vedder and Corin Tucker.

"You are the hole in my head
I am the pain in your neck
You are the lump in my throat
I am the aching in your heart

We are tangled
We are stolen
We are living where things are hidden You are something in my eye
And I am the shiver down your spine

You are on the lick of my lips
And I am on the tip of your tongue

We are tangled
We are stolen
We are buried up to our necks in sand We are luck
We are fate
We are the feeling you get in the golden state
We are love
We are hate
We are the feeling I get when you walk away….
Walk away..."

Dolly Shine

Sacramento Blues

Dolly Shine is a band from Texas. This country song is from their album "Room To Breathe" released in 2014.

"Well I drove all night to get here
I'm not sure why I came
On a California Sunday mornin'
Outside it looks like rain
Oh and up and down the boulevard
Lights change from green to red
As I shuffle on down that sidewalk
I'm just tryin' to ease my head

I've got these Sacramento blues
15 dollars to my name
I'm just a drifter from central Texas
With a pair of ramblin' shoes to blame
Oh, these ramblin' shoes to blame

Well I came here from Willow City
With one thing on my mind
It ain't something I've been runnin' from
Or tryin' to leave behind
I was born to keep movin'
So thats just what I do
But I fear I can't outrun
Sacramento blues
Lord I fear I can't outrun
These Sacramento blues

I've got these Sacramento blues
15 dollars to my name
I'm just a drifter from central Texas
With a pair of ramblin' shoes to blame
Ramblin' shoes to blame"

Dom Dolla

San Frandisco

Dom Dolla is an Australian house music producer. This is dance track from 2019. It's the only song I will not make fun of for rhyming "San Francisco" with "disco" because it's about the dance club scene in the city, with spoken-word descriptions, and, of course, the title says it all.

"San Francisco, where's your disco?
San Francisco, where's your disco?

I was supposed to go out there for like a semester of college and I ended up never leaving. It's that energy on the dance floor that I think has helped house music completely thrive from there. There is definitely the leftover hippie vibe from the '60s and '70s I think. It's just a great place to go out, there's something going on every night of the week, the people there are fun and just,
yeah, I love it.

San Francisco, where's your disco?

I first moved there in 1999. I was supposed to go out there for like a semester of college and I ended up never leaving. It's that energy on the dance floor that I think you know has helped house music completely thrive from there. There is definitely the leftover hippie vibe from the '60s and '70s I think. It's just a great place to go out, there's something going on every night of the week, the people there are fun and just, yeah, I love it.

San Francisco, where's your disco?
San Francisco, where's your disco?"

Donghae (featuring JENO of NCT)

California Love

Donghae is a South Korean singer-songwriter-actor, active since 2001. JENO is a South Korean rapper and member of the group NCT, active since 2013. This song was released in 2021. Much of it is sung or rapped in Korean. This is an English translation from colorcodedlyrics.com.

"It’s California Love Oh
Our Love Oh Oh
We gotta go Where we goin’
I just feel like I’m in paradise

Your pretty face is so small
Your cotton candy-like tone excites me
Your sexy tanned skin is Gree Gree
I think we look good together
Your body is like the California sunshine
Like debt that follows reckless betting
I’ll bet my everything on you
I picture you in my mind again today
I’m imagining a song with you

Woo I can hear your breath in my ears
Don’t leave me today All Night
You know it’s endless Baby
I hope this moment lasts forever Lady Yeah
Not Today Not Today Uh
But Today But Today I
It’s just begun, this Party Alright
On Fire Fire

It’s California Love Oh
Our Love Oh Oh
We gotta go Where we goin’
I just feel like I’m in dream Oh
Love Oh
It’s California Love Oh Oh
I can’t take my eyes off you Baby
Let’s go up further just the two of us Keep it on

It’s California Love Uh Yeah
Our endless night Uh Yeah
Real Light Savage Light
I just feel like I’m in paradise

I don’t lack wit
I see the future as if
My kiss that will be hung around your neck
It’s like a GUCCI
I’m good at making a deal
I’ll take another path from you
But without thinking
I want you now
There’s no other answer for me
You shined like the scorching sun
I think of you every day in my imagination
It’s becoming real now
Our Day Day

The time is getting closer
My eyes are more on your body
That’s right
I get awfully drunk more
I get drunk by your side Too Hot
Not Today Not Today Uh
But Today But Today I
It’s just begun, this Party Alright
On Fire Fire

It’s California Love Oh
Our Love Oh Oh
We gotta go Where we goin’
I just feel like I’m in dream Oh
Love Oh
It’s California Love Oh Oh
I can’t take my eyes off you Baby
Let’s go up further just the two of us Keep it on...."

The Dollyrots

Coolest Girl in California

The Dollyrots are a pop punk band from Florida that settled in LA in 2002. This song is from their 2010 release "A Little Messed Up."

"It's a place where the skies are blue
Not a cloud cloud in the sky to speak of
Everyone's swimming in the surf
And palm trees line the streets you walk on

Showing off your brand new fan says
Bleach blond hottie get their ditches
And walking down the Walk of Fame 'cause
Sunset Strip's where you do your business

Meet me in California
Where you can have it all, yeah
We'll be in California
The sun is shining bright
And well it starts tonight

Yeah, yeah, tonight
Can I give it a try

Going swimming in your pool, yeah
The view from the Hills is so so gorgeous
Everyone's got their brand new boards for
Day and night they walk the carpet

Meet me in California
Where you can have it all, yeah
We'll be in California
The sun is shining bright
And well it starts tonight.
... ... ... ...
Yeah, you've got California dreams
Coz the west is best, always forever"

The Dollyrots

California Beach Boy

Another song from 2010's "A Little Messed Up."

"Went down to Venice Beach
Dirty Converse walking down the street
Never thought I'd look his way
Oh no oh no oh no

Said baby whats your name
Now I'm falling for his cheesy game
But were totally not the same
Oh no oh no oh no

My friends tell me I've gone crazy
Oh, no, here I go
Fell in love with a California beach boy
Oh, no, here I go
What am I thinking it's so wrong
I'm in love with a California beach boy

He drives a Mercedes
Abercrombie head down to his feet
You must wonder what I see
Oh no oh no oh no
But he holds the door for me
Like he invented chivalry
To my heart he holds the key
Oh no oh no oh no

My friends tell me I've gone crazy
Oh, no, here I go
Fell in love with a California beach boy
Oh, no, here I go
What am I thinking it's so wrong
I'm in love with a California beach boy"

Dave Donatelli

California Country

Dave Donatelli is a singer-songwriter from Orange County. This is from the album "California Country" released in 2019.

"Pulled out of my driveway
On a cold Nebraska day
Gonna head out west
To the sunshine and the babes
Deserts and the pine trees
Is where I'm goin'
Yeah I'm gonna find me a country girl
Lay on the beach she'll rock my world, come on

My four wheel drive
Gonna blaze through the desert
Stars are shinin' bright
I can see the mountains
Gonna find my pot of gold

California Country
(California country that's where I'm going)
Where the girls all look so fine
Cowboy boots and dance all night
California Country
(California country
Is where I'm goin'
(Is where I'm goin')
Yeah I'm gonna find me a country girl
Lay in the sand she'll rock my world, come on

Those L.A. freeways are as crazy as they say
I don't care the scenery's worth the wait
Deserts and the pine trees
Is where I'm headed
Yeah I'm gonna find me a country girl
Lay in the sand she'll rock my world, break it down

My four wheel drive
Gonna blaze through the desert
Stars are shinin' bright
I can see the mountains
Gonna find my pot of gold

California Country
(California country that's where I'm going)
Where the girls all look so fine
Cowboy boots and dance all night
California Country
(California country)
Is where I'm headed
(Is where I'm headed)
Yeah I'm gonna find me a country girl
Lay in the sand she'll rock my world...."

Donovan

The Trip

Donovan is a singer-songwriter from Scotland, active since 1964. This is from his third and most successful album "Sunshine Superman" released in 1966. Even though the song starts with driving it's not a road trip he is singing about if he's talking to seagulls.

"We was a-d-d-d-drivin' d-downtown L.A.,
About a-midnight hour
And it almost b-b-blew my mind,
I got caught in a coloured shower.
All those lights were t-t-twinkling on Sunset,
I saw a sign in the sky
It said, "T-t-t-trip a t-trip, I trip, trip,"
I couldn't keep up up if I tried.
Ah, we stepped down to reality company
To get some instant sleep
And the driver turned, I said, "Welcome back"
He smiled and he said, "Beep beep".
What goes on? Chick-a-chick.
What goes on? I really wanna know.
What goes on all around me,
What goes on? I really wanna know.
When in should come-a my dream woman,
She got sequins in her hair,
Like she stepped out off of a Fellini film,
She sat in a white straw chair
But I thought I'd take a second look
Just to see what I could see
And my scene had popped out like a bubble does,
There was nobody there but me.
I said, "Girl, you drank a lot of drink-me,
But you ain't in a Wonderland
You know I might-a be there to greet you, child,
When your trippin' ship touches sand."
What goes on? Chick-a-chick.
What goes on? I really wanna know.
What goes on? Chick-a-chick.
What goes on? I really wanna know.
A silver goblet of wine is-a to be
Held in a bejeweled glove
And her knights they toast the tournament,
The falcons they fly above.
And the queen will a drink of the dew tonight
But the jester she cries alone,
Because Merlin he spoke of an instant spell
To make the devil's white knights moan
And-a all in all, the seagull said,
"As I look to where I've been,
The whole wide human race
Has a-taken far too much Methedrine".
What goes on? Chick-a-chick.
What goes on? I really wanna know.
What goes on? So near
What goes on? I really wanna know.
Yeah well, come on.
We sat in a velvet jewel case
With sparkles everywhere,
And Julian he sat on a diamond ring
And-a talked of the days gone by.
We spoke of a common kaleidoscope
And the pros and the cons of Zen
And he spoke and-a said for a piece of cake
He really did have a yen.
Bobby Dylan he sat "the Mad Hatter",
A broken hour glass in his hand,
And-a Joannie sat in a white lace
Looking cool with a black lace fan.
What goes on? Chick-a-chick.
What goes on? I really wanna know.
What goes on? Yes please tell me.
What goes on? I really wanna know."

The Doobie Brothers

Neal's Fandango

The Doobie Brothers are a rock band from San Jose, Calfornia. Most of their success was in the 1970s, including a couple of #1 hits, and they are still performing (as of 2019). This is from "Stampede" released in 1975, 14 years before the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that happened in the Bay Area during the 1989 World Series between two Bay Area teams and shook up millions of people. I wonder if this guy's home survived the disaster.

"Well, a travelin' man's affliction
Makes it hard to settle down
But I'm stuck here in the flatlands
While my heart is homeward bound

Goin' back, I'm too tired to roam
Loma Prieta my mountain home
On the hills above Santa Cruz
To the place where I spent my youth

Goin' back, I'm too tired to roam
Loma Prieta my mountain home
On the hills above Santa Cruz
To the place where I spent my youth

Well it was Neal Cassidy that started me to travelin'
All the stories that were told, I believed them every one
And it's a windin' road I'm on you understand
And no time to worry 'bout tomorrow when you're followin' the sun

Papa don't you worry now and mama don't you cry
Sweet woman don't forsake me, I'll be comin' by and by

Goin' back, I'm too tired to roam
Loma Prieta my mountain home
On the hills above Santa Cruz
To the place where I spent my youth...."

The Doobie Brothers

Ukiah

This song is from the band's 1973 album "The Captain and Me."

"People rushin' everywhere
If they'd only slow down once
They might find something there
Green trees and timber land
People workin' with their hands
For sure a different way to live
Gonna keep my cabin at hand
Retreat and live off the land
All around Ukiah, wo
The mountain streams that rush on by
Show the fish a jumpin'
And reflect the open sky
The fresh clean smell of the pines
Symbol of unchanging times
All around this sacred land
Strangely, though, I've found my way
Right here I'm gonna stay
In this land Ukiah, wo wo
Ooooh Ukiah,
Ooooh Ukiah...."

The Doors

L.A. Woman

The Doors were an experimental rock band formed in Los Angeles and fronted by Jim Morrison. They were one of the most controversial, influential, and successful bands of their era - 1965-1973. In this song from the album "L.A. Woman," released in 1971, L.A. is a lonely woman with freeways, midnight alleys and hair like a wildfire. "Mr. Mojo Risin'" is an anagram for Jim Morrison.

"Well, I just got into town about an hour ago
Took a look around, see which way the wind blow
Where the little girls in their Hollywood bungalows

Are you a lucky little lady in the City of Lights?
Or just another lost angel?
City of Night, City of Night,
City of Night, City of Night

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 blues Into your blues

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

Motel, money, murder, madness
Let's change the mood from glad to sadness

Mr. Mojo Risin', Mr. Mojo Risin'
Mr. Mojo Risin', Mr. Mojo Risin'
Got to keep on risin'
Mr. Mojo Risin', Mr. Mojo Risin'
Mojo Risin', gotta Mojo Risin'
Mr. Mojo Risin', gotta keep on risin'
Risin', risin'
Gone risin', risin'
I'm gone risin', risin'
I gotta risin', risin'
Well, risin', risin'
I gotta, wooo, yeah, risin'
Whoa, oh yeah

Well, I just got into town about an hour ago
Took a look around, see which way the wind blow
Where the little girls in their Hollywood bungalows

Are you a lucky little lady in the City of Light
Or just another lost angel?
City of Night, City of Night,
City of Night, City of Night, whoa, c'mon

L.A. Woman, L.A. Woman
L.A. Woman, you're my woman
Little L.A. Woman, Little L.A. Woman
L.A. L.A. Woman Woman
L.A. Woman c'mon"

The Doors

Love Street

This song is from the album "Waiting for the Sun" released in 1968.
According a sign put up by the City of Los Angeles, Love Street is a song about an area in Laurel Canyon. This is what is written on the sign:

' "Love Street" was written by the Doors about Rothdell Trail and the surrounding area in Laurel Canyon where lead singer Jim Morrison and his girlfriend Pamela Courson resided. The song appears on their third album "Waiting For The Sun." The Doors are one of the most influential Amerian groups in rock and roll history, and embodied the communal and psychedelic spirit of the 1960's that coalesced in Laurel Canyon.'

The "store where the creatures meet" refers to the Canyon Country store in Laurel Canyon where the sign is. Morrison and his girlfriend definitely had a house and garden there, but I don't know is she really had monkeys. I hope so.

"She lives on Love Street
Lingers long on Love Street
She has a house and garden
I would like to see what happens

She has robes and she has monkeys
Lazy diamond studded flunkies
She has wisdom and knows what to do
She has me and she has you

She has wisdom and knows what to do
She has me and she has you

I see you live on Love Street
There's this store where the creatures meet
I wonder what they do in there
Summer Sunday and a year
I guess I like it fine, so far

She lives on Love Street
Lingers long on Love Street
She has a house and garden
I would like to see what happens

La, la, la, la, la, la, la...."

The Doors

Peace Frog

This song is from the Doors' fifth studio album "Morrison Hotel," released in 1970. It consists of poetry written by Jim Morison that was added to music that was already recorded, which might explain why these gory lyrics accompany a fast upbeat song.

"There's blood in the streets, it's up to my ankles
She came
Blood in the streets, it's up to my knee
She came
Blood in the streets in the town of Chicago
She came
Blood on the rise, it's following me
Think about the break of day

She came and then she drove away
Sunlight in her hair

She came
Blood in the streets runs a river of sadness
She came
Blood in the streets it's up to my thigh
She came
Yeah the river runs red down the legs of a city
She came
The women are crying red rivers of weepin'

She came into town and then she drove away
Sunlight in her hair

Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding
Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind

Blood in the streets in the town of New Haven
Blood stains the roofs and the palm trees of Venice
Blood in my love in the terrible summer
Bloody red sun of Phantastic L.A.

Blood screams her brain as they chop off her fingers
Blood will be born in the birth of a nation
Blood is the rose of mysterious union

There's blood in the streets, it's up to my ankles
Blood in the streets, it's up to my knee
Blood in the streets in the town of Chicago
Blood on the rise, it's following me"

The Doors

Soul Kitchen

This is from the band's celebrated debut album "The Doors" recorded in 1966 and released in January 1967. According to Wickipedia, when he lived in the area singer Jim Morrison spent a lot of time at a soul food restaurant on Main Street in Venice Beach call Olivia's. Sometimes the staff had to kick him out at night, from which came the line "let me sleep all night, in your soul kitchen." That makes this a California song by my flimsy standards. The Doors was such a quintessential L.A. band, most of their songs should probably be on this list, anyway. Also check out the great faster-paced punk version of Soul Kitchen recorded by X for their 1980 album "Los Angeles."

"Well, the clock says it's time to close now
I guess I'd better go now
I'd really like to stay here all night
The cars crawl past all stuffed with eyes
Street lights shed their hollow glow
Your brain seems bruised with numb surprise
Still one place to go
Still one place to go

Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen
Warm my mind near your gentle stove
Turn me out and I'll wander baby
Stumblin' in the neon groves

Well, your fingers weave quick minarets
Speak in secret alphabets
I light another cigarette
Learn to forget, learn to forget
Learn to forget, learn to forget

Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen
Warm my mind near your gentle stove
Turn me out and I'll wander baby
Stumblin' in the neon groves

Well, the clock says it's time to close now
I know I have to go now
I really want to stay here
All night
All night
All night"

Dounia

Dounia is Dounia Tazi, a Moroccan-American singer, songwriter, and model from Morocco and Queens, NY, who has been releasing music since 2017. This soulful pop song was released in 2023.

"Clear skies
It’s a really good day today
Too warm to play it cool
Sunlight absorb and hit the pool with you
Follow my excitement
Hope it don’t get me into
Too much trouble, trouble
Too much, too much

Submerge in clear water
Stay in ‘till I’m clear-headed
Hope you getting me clear
Refresh you if you let it
Aware that I’m the baddest
Who’s heart beating the fastest?
Submerge in clear water
Stay in ‘till I’m clear-headed

Want it, manifest it
I touch room and I blessed it
I got high in the Uber here
Kitty ears, I’m ready to pounce on you
Getting snacks at Erewhon
To the gym in the range with Aly
From NYC to the Valley
I’m the coolest girl in California
Coolest girl in California
I’m the coolest girl in California

Submerge in clear water
Stay in ‘till I’m clear-headed
Hope you getting me clear
Refresh you if you let it
Aware that I’m the baddest
Who’s heart beating the fastest?
Submerge in clear water
Stay in ‘till I’m clear-headed

Keep your mind still
Feel, heal, face
Take you to my heart
Give you your own space
Met my gaze
On your mind for days
888
Look what we create

Submerge in clear water
Stay in ‘till I’m clear-headed
Hope you getting me clear
Refresh you if you let it
Aware that I’m the baddest
Who’s heart beating the fastest?
Submerge in clear water
Stay in ‘till I’m clear-headed

Want it, manifest it
I touch room and I blessed it
I got high in the Uber here
Kitty ears, I’m ready to pounce on you
I’m the coolest girl in California
Coolest girl in California
I’m the coolest girl in California"

The Dove Shack

Summertime in the LBC

The Dove Shack was a G-funk group from Long Beach, CA, active on and off from 1994 to 2018. This song was their debut single from their debut album "This is the Shack" released in 1995. (The LBC is Long Beach City.)

[C Knight]
Yeah, This is C Knight from the Dove Shack
Gettin' doja-ed out
Kickin' it at King's Park with all the homies
Heh, and you know what I'm sayin'
So why don't you uh, check out my homie Bo to the Roc

[Bo Roc]
I ride with the, I slide with the
Locs and doggs from the LBC
All of the hoes wanna kick it with me
Cause I run with Warren G
Blaze your weed, bustas and G's
Water balloon fighters
Low riders, and East Siders (East Siders)
All come around (Come around)
To hear the Dove Shack G-Funk sound
All come around (Come around)
To kick it in my town, yeah

[Bo Roc & Arnita Porter]
Let me hear you say ooh ahh
Summertime in the LBC
Ooh ahh
Summertime in the LBC

[Arnita Porter]
Now me and my girls are deep
In a '94 Wrangler Jeep
Flossin' all through Long Beach
Daisy Dukes gets props
Hair and nails fresh from the shop
And we are at the bombest spot
Called the shack

[2 Scoop]
Three months of pleasure
How can I measure the relaxation
All the fun I'm facing
My homies got green, that's them
For sho' though
Hit the sto' do' so I can get a 4-0
My lil' cousin rushin' to the park to munch
Standin' in line to get a free lunch
Why do we do what we do when we do what we do
Hanging out late with no curfew

[Bo Roc & Arnita Porter]
Let me hear you say ooh ahh
Summertime in the LBC
Ooh ahh
Summertime in the LBC

[C Knight]
Damn, it's hot than a mutha
I'm smothering ribs with barbecue sauce
Fools get tossed if they reach across my barbecue grill
So continue to chill
At King's Park in the LBC
That's where you'll find me
Hangin' with my homies and my friends
We got the Coke and Henn'
We got Da Five Footaz and the Twinz
We got Warren G and the D-O-G
All come around
To hear the Dove Shack G-Funk sound, yeah

[Bo Roc & Arnita Porter]
Let me hear you say ooh
Let me hear you say ahh
Let me hear you say ooh
Summertime in the LBC
Let me hear you say ooh
Let me hear you say ahh
Let me hear you say ooh
Summertime in the LBC"

Damhait Doyle

Another California Song

Damhait Doyle is a singer-songwriter from Canada, active since 1996. This song is from her album "Davnet" released in 2003.

"For a moment I believe
Once you came you'll never leave
Lay like that not long enough for me
You got the track marks of the trade
And every promise ever made
Swore that it would be the last for me

Does it give you a rush
To think that I want you so much?

Said you were back to stay
I should have known better
Now you're half the way to California
Now I'm curled up on your side of the bed
I'm thinkin' 'bout things you never said
I would have followed you to California

Smoked me like a cigarette
Said that this won't hurt a bit
But you lied because it burned and it burns
Thanks a lot for leaving town
I'm so high I can't come down
Makes me wonder if I'll ever learn

Don't it give you a rush
To think that I want you so much?

Said you were back to stay
Well I should have known better
Now you're half the way to California
Now I'm curled up on your side of the bed
And I'm thinkin' 'bout things you never said
I would have followed you to California

Do you come back 'cause you can?
Am I just waiting for a ghost of a man?

Does it give you a rush
To think that I want you so much?

Said you were back to stay
I should have known better
Now you're half the way to California
Now I'm curled up on your side of the bed
I think about things you never said
I would have followed you to California...."

Doyoung

Lost in California

Doyoung is the stage name of Kim Dong-young, a South Korean singer and actor and member of the band NCT and its offshoots, active since 2015. This song was released in April 2024.

Far away
mugeoun geol-eum-eul tte
dwidol-abomyeon
eolin naega seo iss-eul deushae
seog-yang-i jin haneul
igos-en naman gil-eul ilh-eun chae
I wait ttaega doemyeon, geulae

galosu palm tree alae saegin
olaen naui geu sowon-i
ama nal kkeut-eobs-i jamsigsikil deushae

Lost in California
Oh, ah, where am I?
I'm just fallin' behind
Oh, I'm not fine
meonji ssah-in naui gieogdeulgwa
chadichan bam
bich-eul ilh-eun deushan California
But I'm gon' try
Never gonna fade out

Oh, why
igos-eun yeojeonhae
buseojineun bich, eum-ag-ui soli
tteonaji moshae bulg-eunbich-ui haebyeon
i sog-e mud-eodugo sip-eunde
Again tteooleuji, geulae

galosu palm tree alae saegin
olaen naui geu sowon-i
ama nal kkeut-eobs-i jamsigsikil deushae

Lost in California
Oh, ah, where am I?
I'm just fallin' behind
Oh, I'm not fine
meonji ssah-in naui gieogdeulgwa
chadichan bam
bich-eul ilh-eun deushan California
But I'm gon' try

i bam-eun nae nolaega dwae
dasin ol su eobsge dwaedo
deul-eul su issge
byeonchi anhneun geon i nolae bakk-e
nan kkeut-eobs-i kkum-eul kkul geos gat-a

Lost in California
Oh, ah, where am I?
I'm just fallin' behind
Oh, I'll be fine
meonji ssah-in naui gieogdeulgwa
chadichan bam
bich-eul ilh-eun deushan California
But, I'm gon' try
Never gonna fade out

Dream in California
I won't leave here
'Cause I'm lovin' my
Dream in California
I won't leave here
'Cause I'm lovin' my
Dream in California
I won't leave here
'Cause I'm lovin' my
Dream in California
I won't

Never gonna fade out

Far away
Take heavy steps
When I look back
It seems like my younger self is standing there
Sunset sky
I'm the only one lost here
I wait, when the time comes, yes

Carved under a palm tree
My long-time wish
It will probably erode me endlessly

Lost in California
Oh, ah, where am I?
I'm just fallin' behind
Oh, I'm not fine
With my dusty memories
Cold night
California seems to have lost its shine
But I'm gon' try
Never gonna fade out

Oh, why
This place is still the same
Breaking light, sound of music
I can't leave, the red beach
I want to bury it in here
Again, it comes to mind, yes

Carved under a palm tree
My long-time wish
It will probably erode me endlessly

Lost in California
Oh, ah, where am I?
I'm just fallin' behind
Oh, I'm not fine
With my dusty memories
Cold night
California seems to have lost its shine
But I'm gon' try

This night becomes my song
Even if I can't come again
So that I can hear
The only thing that doesn't change is this song
I think I'll dream endlessly

Lost in California
Oh, ah, where am I?
I'm just fallin' behind
Oh, I'll be fine
With my dusty memories
Cold night
California seems to have lost its shine
But, I'm gon' try
Never gonna fade out

Dream in California
I won't leave here
'Cause I'm lovin' my
Dream in California
I won't leave here
'Cause I'm lovin' my
Dream in California
I won't leave here
'Cause I'm lovin' my
Dream in California
I won't

Never gonna fade out

Drain

California Cursed

Drain is a hardcore/metal/punk/thrash band from Santa Cruz. This song is from the album "California Cursed" released in 2018. It's kind of a twisted punk version of California Dreaming, and even quotes it some of the lyrics, but the singer feels as cursed to be in California as he does being away.

"Leaves are brown
Sky is grey
And I’m a thousand miles away

I’d be safe
I’d be warm
My head changes everyday

I’m not dreaming
This feels real to me
Take me back to sunken city

Take me back to the sunshine state
Leaving town was a mistake

I'm always sick of home
I'm always home sick
Working paycheck to paycheck
Just to pay the rent
My soul is parched
The coast soothes my thirst
I’m a slave to the curse and it’s getting worse

California
California cursed

I was born here
Then I’ll die here
Until that day, this is where I’ll be
This state has swallowed me whole
Suck me down and set me free

California
California cursed"

Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg

Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang

Dr. Dre is a rapper and producer from Compton, active since 1985 with the World Class Wreckin' Cru and then with N.W.A. Snoop Doggy Dogg, now known as Snoop Dogg, is a rapper and actor active since 1992. This duet from Dr. Dre's classic 1992 debut album "The Chronic" went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was named one of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"One, two, three and to the fo'
Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre is at the do'
Ready to make an entrance, so back on up
(Cause you know we 'bout had to rip s**t up)
Gimme the microphone first, so I can bust like a bubble
Compton and Long Beach together, now you know you in trouble
Ain't nothin' but a G thang, baby!
Two loc'ed out G's so we're crazy!
Death Row is the label that pays me!
Unfadable, so please don't try to fade this (Hell yeah)
But, uh, back to the lecture at hand
Perfection is perfected, so I'm 'a let 'em understand
From a young G's perspective
And before me dig out a b**ch I have ta' find a contraceptive
You never know she could be earnin' her man,
And learnin' her man, and at the same time burnin' her man
Now you know I ain't wit that s**t, Lieutenant
Ain't no pussy good enough to get burnt while I'm up in it
(yeah) And that's realer than real-deal Holyfield
And now you hookas and ho's know how I feel
Well if it's good enough to get broke off a proper chunk
I'll take a small piece of some of that funky stuff

It's like this and like that and like this and uh
It's like that and like this and like that and uh
It's like this and like that and like this and uh
Dre, creep to the mic like a phantom

Well, I'm peepin' and I'm creepin' and I'm creepin'
But I damn near got capped 'cause my beeper kept beepin'
Now it's time for me to make my impression felt
So sit back, relax, and strap on your seatbelt
You never been on a ride like this before
With a producer who can rap and control the maestro
At the same time with the dope rhyme that I kick
You know and I know, I flow some ol' funky s**t
To add to my collection, the selection
Symbolizes dope, take a toke, but don't choke
If you do, you'll have no clue
Of what me and my homie Snoop Dogg came to do
It's like this and like that and like this and uh
It's like that and like this and like that and uh
It's like this
And who gives a f**k about those?
So just chill 'til the next episode
Fallin' back on that ass with a hellified gangsta lean
Gettin' funky on the mic like a old batch of collard greens
It's the capital S, oh, yes, I'm fresh, N-double-O-P
D-O-double-G-Y, D-O-double-G, ya see
Showin' much flex when it's time to wreck a mic
Pimpin' hoes and clockin' a grip like my name was Dolomite
Yeah, and it don't quit
I think they in the mood for some motherf**kin' G s**t (hell yeah)
So, Dre (what up, Dog?)
Gotta give 'em what they want (what's that, G?)
We gotta break 'em off somethin' (hell yeah)
And it's gotta be bumpin' (city of Compton)

Is where it takes place, so when asked, yo' attention
Mobbin' like a motherf**ker, but I ain't lynchin'
Droppin' the funky s**t that's makin' the sucker ni**as mumble
When I'm on the mic, it's like a cookie, they all crumble
Try to get close and your ass'll get smacked
My motherf**kin' homie Doggy Dogg has got my back
Never let me slip, 'cause if I slip, then I'm slippin'
But if I got my Nina, then you know I'm straight trippin'
And I'ma continue to put the rap down, put the mack down
And if you b**ches talk s**t, I'll have to put the smack down
Yeah, and ya' don't stop
I told you I'm just like a clock when I tick and I tock
But I'm never off, always on, 'til the break dawn
C-O-M-P-T-O-N, and the city they call Long Beach
Puttin' the s**t together
Like my n***a D.O.C., no one can do it better...."

Dr. Dre (featuring Snoop Dogg)

Still D.R.E.

This is from the album "2001" released in 1999.

"Yeah, ni**a, we're still f**kin' wit' you
Still waters run deep
Still Snoop Dogg and D.R.E.
'99, ni**a, guess who's back
Still, still doin' that s**t, huh, Dre?
Oh for sho'
Yeah
Check me out

It's still Dre Day ni**a, AK ni**a
Though I've grown a lot, can't keep it home a lot
'Cause when I frequent the spots that I'm known to rock
You hear the bass from the truck when I'm on the block
Ladies they pay homage, but haters say Dre fell off
How? ni**a, my last album was The Chronic (ni**a)
They wanna know if he still got it
They say rap's changed, they wanna know how I feel about it
(If you ain't up on thangs)
Dr. Dre is the name, I'm ahead of my game
Still puffin' my leaves, still f**k with the beats
Still not lovin' police (Huh-uh)
Still rock my khakis with a cuff and a crease (For sho')
Still got love for the streets, reppin' 213 (For life)
Still the beats bang, still doin' my thang
Since I left ain't too much changed, still

I'm representin' for them gangstas all across the world
(Still) Hittin' them corners in them low-lows, girl
Still takin' my time to perfect the beat
And I still got love for the streets, it's the D.R.E.
I'm representin' for them gangstas all across the world
(Still) Hittin' them corners in them low-lows, girl
Still takin' my time to perfect the beat
And I still got love for the streets, it's the D.R.E.

Since the last time you heard from me I lost some friends
Well, hell, me and Snoop, we dippin' again
Kept my ear to the streets, signed Eminem
He's triple platinum, doin' fifty a week
Still, I stay close to the heat
And even when I was close to defeat, I rose to my feet
My life's like a soundtrack I wrote to the beat
Treat rap like Cali weed: I smoke 'til I'm 'sleep
Wake up in the A.M., compose a beat
I bring the fire 'til you're soakin' in your seat
It's not a fluke, it's been tried, I'm the truth
Since 'Turn Out the Lights' from the World Class Wreckin Cru
I'm still at it, after mathematics
In the home of drive-bys and ak-matics
Swap meets, sticky green, and bad traffic
I dip through, then I give you (Still) D.R.E

I'm representin' for them gangstas all across the world
(Still) Hittin' them corners in them low-lows, girl
Still takin' my time to perfect the beat
And I still got love for the streets, it's the D.R.E.
I'm representin' for them gangstas all across the world
(Still) Hittin' them corners in them low-lows, girl
Still takin' my time to perfect the beat
And I still got love for the streets, it's the D.R.E......"

The Dreadnoughts

The Dreadnoughts are a folk-punk band from Vancouver, Canada, active since 2006. This from their album "Into The North" released in 2019. It's a loud and rowd version of a 19th century folk song about the California Gold Rush that is often sung as a sea shanty. Gold was first discovered on the American River, a tributary of the Sacramento River, but steamboats used the Sacramento River to sail to the area.

According to Ballad of America, Jesse Hutchinson Jr. composed the song "Ho! For California!" in 1849, using some of the melody to "Boatman's Dance" a minstrel song by Dan Emmett, and it became an unofficial anthem of the gold rush. Many versions of the song with different lyrics and titles have also been recorded, some of which can be found on this list. "The Banks of the Sacramento," "The Banks of Sacramento," "Banks of the Sacramento," "Sacramento," and "Ho! For California!" are some of the other titles. You can see the original lyrics under Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band.

"O, around Cape Horn we are bound to go
Around Cape Horn through the sleet and snow

Blow boys blow for Cal-i-forn-i-o
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Oh, around Cape Horn in the month o' May
Oh, around Cape Horn is a very long way

Blow boys blow for Cal-i-forn-i-o
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Them Spanish gals ain't got no combs
They comb their locks with tunny-fish bones

Blow boys blow for Cal-i-forn-i-o
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

We're the bullies for to kick her through
Roll down the hill with a hullabaloo

Blow boys blow for Cal-i-forn-i-o
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

We'll crack it on, on a big skiyoot
Ol' Bully Jim is a bloody big brute

Blow boys blow for Cal-i-forn-i-o
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

When we gets up to Frisco town
I'll ... whiskeys all around

Blow boys blow for Cal-i-forn-i-o
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Blow boys blow for Cal-i-forn-i-o
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento"

The Dresden Dolls

Shores of California

The Dresden Dolls are a duo from Boston formed in 2000 including Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione. They describe their style as "Brechtian punk cabaret" and are part of the "Dark Cabaret" movement. This song is from their 2006 album "Yes Virginia."

"He's been trying with limited success
To get this girl to let him get into her dress
But every time he thinks he's getting close
She threatens death before he gets a chance

And that's the way it is in Minnesota
And that's the way it is in Oklahoma
That's the way it's been since protozoa
First climbed onto the shores of California

And she's been trying with limited success
To get him to turn out the lights and dance
Cause like any girl all she really wants
That fickle little b**ch romance
That fickle little b**ch romance

And that is why a girl is called a tease
And that is why a guy is called a sleaze
And that's why god made escort agencies
One life to live and mace and GHB

And that's the way it is in Minnesota
And that's the way it is in Oklahoma
That's the way since the animals and Noah
First climbed onto the shores of California"

Dressy Bessy

Dress Yrself in Gallantry

This is a one of those indie rock songs that sounds like everyone in the band is singing and playing their instruments for the first time and couldn't care less about the song. It's a skill that probably took them years to master. The band was formed in Denver in 1996 and has a female lead vocalist.

"Free ride, sea side
Tell me what they're doing in California
In the moonlight is so bright
Tell me what they're doing in California
Singing ah ah ah la la la

Where's that sunhat
Pack it for the weather in California
And the streelights run all night.
Tell me what they're doing in California

Can we go there this summer I'll wear a flower in my hair
If we go there this summer I'll walk right to that summer
Can we go there this summer?

Ah ah ah la la la

Where's my sunshine
All are free and friendly in California
In the moonlight, it don't feel right
Ah la la la
Tell me what they're doing in California..."

Drinkard Sisters

The Drinkard Sisters are an acoustic contry/folk group from Michigan. This song is from their 2018 album "Enough Already."

"She's [gone] I-84
Walking in the headlights
The only thing upon her skin now
That cold western night
And the police gonna stop her
But they ain't slowin' down to help no
They only come to carry her over
The state line of Idaho

She'll drive to San Francisco
Take the voyage out
She will not rest for weariness
And will not rest for doubt
And she will not talk to strangers
Strangers talk so loud
She'll dress herself in gallantry
Whether within or without

She's [gone] the evening dew
They're laughing at a picture
Discover of a [peak] soul
A wild-hearted sister
And the world don't take too kind
To a woman fond of ramblin'
They'll lock her up and tie her down
To keep her feet from travelin'

She'll drive to San Francisco
Take the voyage out
She will not rest for weariness
And will not rest for doubt
And she will not talk to strangers
Strangers talk so loud
She'll dress herself in gallantry
Whether within or without

It's always easier to stay
It's always easier to stay
Get all that out of your way
Just take off runnin'

It's always easier to stay
It's always easier to stay
Get all that out of your way
Just take off runnin'

I'll drive to San Francisco
Take the voyage out
I will not rest for weariness
I will not rest for doubt
And I will not talk to strangers
Strangers talk so loud
I'll dress myself in gallantry
Whether within or without"

The Drums

Heart Basel

The Drums is an indie pop band from New York City, active since 2008. This quirky tune is from their fourth studio album "Abysmal Thoughts" released in 2017. According to Genius.com, producer Jonny Pierce explained that "Heart Basel" refers to a boyfriend treating him kindly at Art Basel in Miami, (an annual art fair in Miami Beach) then treating him like garbage after he got what he needed.

"Oh, I feel the ocean in my head
Oh, the pressure's rising and my heart keeps speeding
(For you, for you, for you, for you, for you, for you)
And don't you feel the tension crawling up your chest?
Oh, it's do or die, kid
How it's always been
(For you, for you, for you, for you, for you, for you, for you)

Please call me and tell me that you want me
'Cause right now my life is getting pretty ugly
And I wanna share a cigarette and I wanna go dancing in the rain
So call me and tell me that you want me
And let's do it all again

Oh, the tropical weather
It must've softened your heart
(Beats for you, beats for you, beats for you, beats for you, beats for you, beats for you, beats for you)
But now we're back on the streets in California where the air is dry
And your heart is closing up in plain sight
(Beats for you, beats for you, beats for you, beats for you, beats for you, beats for you, beats for you)

Please call me and tell me that you want me
'Cause right now my life is getting pretty ugly
And I wanna share a cigarette and I wanna go dancing in the rain
So call me and tell me that you want me
And let's do it all again

And I question your love for me
You tell me to have confidence
I question your love for me
'Cause baby, you don't make no sense

Please call me and tell me that you want me
'Cause right now my life is getting pretty ugly
And I wanna share a cigarette and I wanna go dancing in the rain
So call me and tell me that you want me
And let's do it all again"

Ethan Dufault

Ethan Dufault is a singer-songwriter based in Seattle. This song is from his album "Signs" released in 2020.

"7:35 at night
Roadtrip down to the coast
Stereo on high, a vibe
In your bleached denim shorts

A couple days in San Mateo
Sunscreen and nowhere else to be
In that faded Winnebago
Making hella memories

Wish that we could go back
More than just a throwback
Baby only you and me
Chasing after sunsets

Back when we were young and
Living on a movie screen
We were so in love we never thought
About where we were going

Could we take a moment and relive
The days when we were back in
California, California

For just one night
Let's go back, in time

Had your hand in mine, the tide
Washed our names from the shore
Losing track of time, oh our style
Tie-dye shirts on the floor

A couple days in San Diego
Sunscreen and nowhere else to be
In that faded Winnebago
Making hella memories

Wish that we could go back
More than just a throwback
Baby only you and me
Chasing after sunsets

Back when we were young and
Living on a movie screen
We were so in love we never thought
About where we were going

Could we take a moment and relive
The days when we were back in
California, California

And I wish that it was more than just a memory
But the flashbacks appear so real to me
When I had you right here right next to me, whoa
I close my eyes and you’re here with me

‘Cause the flashbacks appear so real to me
The moment that I knew that we were meant
To be, whoa

For just one night, let’s go back
For just one night, let’s go back
In time"

Victoria Duffield

Paper Planes

Victoria Duffield is a singer-songwriter from Canada. This song is from her album "Accelerate" released in 2014. I want to encourage everybody out there not to ignore the singer's advice. Don't jump off the Hollywood Sign! You can't fly like a paper plane. If you can, then what are you doing here? You should be flying right up to the front of the classroom.

"Dare, dare you, I dare you to free fall
With open eyes, eyes open wide
Love, it’s a one, it’s a one in a million
So let’s catch this ride, bring this to life

‘Cause I got what you want, you got what I want
No point in moving slow
We’ll run through the fire
Keep climbing higher up

Baby, hold your hands out
Jump from the Hollywood Sign, now
I know that if paper planes can fly, so can you and I

We won’t crash down
Air underneath our wings, now
I know that if paper planes can fly, so can you and I

We can fly, you and I
Oh, if paper planes can fly
So can you and I

Would stay in your arms for tonight, til forever
When the night gets cold, I’ll keep you warm
Oh, we don’t need to know where we’re headed
We’re gonna’ take the turns, we’re gonna’ cut the curves

‘Cause I got what you want, you got what I want
No point in moving slow
We’ll run through the fire
Keep climbing higher up

Baby, hold your hands out
Jump from the Hollywood Sign, now
I know that if paper planes can fly, so can you and I...."

Gregory Dwayne

When You Say California

Gregory Dwayne is a singer/songwriter/engineer/producer from North Carolina and based in New York. He worked on stage and in the studio with a lot of bands for many years (as Greg Griffith) but in 2021 he released his debut Album "Gregory Dwayne" which includes this nice alt-country rock song.

"I don't have the heart
To listen to your good news
I don't have the strength
To listen to all your opportunities
Cause I don't hear my name
In any of the plans you've made
I don't understand what went wrong

When you say California
It means you're leaving me
When you say California
It means goodbye

I don't want to fear
The places that you're going
I don't want to be
The one that stands in your way
Cause I don't hear my name
In any of the plans you've made
I don't understand what went wrong

When you say California
It means you're leaving me
When you say California
It means that sunsets no regrets

That's what I get for
messing around too long

When you say California
It means you're leaving me
When you say California
It means goodbye

But I don't hear my name
In any of the plans you've made
I don't understand what I did wrong

When you say California
It means you're leaving me
When you say California
It means that sunsets no regrets

That's what I get for
messing around too long

When you say California
It means you're leaving me
When you say California
It means goodbye
Goodbye
When you say California
It means you're leaving me
When you say California
I cry"

Dylan

California Beach

I don't know anything about this singer. He's not the famous Bob and he's not the English woman who goes by Dylan either. He'll do better if he changes his name. This song was released on YouTube in October 2022. As far as I know there is no place that's named or even referred to as "California beach." I'm also not sure about the "south west east" line. Maybe it's "I can take a Southwest east in the morning" but it doesn't make much sense either that he would fly out in the morning.

"I should ask you 'bout the sunset on California beach tonight
We should grab an ice cream have a little treat by the sea tonight
I know you love the sunset
I know you love me darling
I can take it south west east in the morning
Some thing's don't change

I let a few days go right by
I was sitting down wondering why
Is this an ice cream high?
I don't want no goodbye

Talk to my friends in the morning confess these things I'm feeling
Talk to my realest people in my circle know that I'm not dreaming

I should ask you 'bout the sunset on California beach tonight
We should grab an ice cream have a little treat by the sea tonight
I know you love the sunset
I know you love me darling
I can take it south west east in the morning
Some thing's don't change

We could have summer sangria in the night time
Talk about deep things over all of my time
I will not back down
I will not stop this time
'Cause I know that it's worth it
If we can we'll make it work and
I trust us to do these things right all night

I should ask you 'bout the sunset on California beach tonight
We should grab an ice cream have a little treat by the sea tonight
I know you love the sunset
I know you love me darling
I can take it south west east in the morning
Some thing's don't change"

Bob Dylan

You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

Bob Dylan is a Nobel-Prize-winning singer-songwriter from Minnesota who has sung and written a lot of songs since 1961, including this one from 1972. It's a piano/harmonica blues tune that perpetuates the myth that California only has one season of weather, which is not true. California has three seasons - the wet season, the dry season, and fire season.

"I'm goin' down south,
'neath the borderline.
I'm goin' down south,
'neath the borderline.
Some fat momma
Kissed my mouth one time.

Well, I needed it this morning
Without a shadow of doubt.
My suitcase is packed,
My clothes are hangin' out.

San Francisco's fine,
You sure get lots of sun.
San Francisco is fine.
You sure get lots of sun.
But I'm used to four seasons,
California's got but one.

Well, I got my dark sunglasses,
I got for good luck my black tooth.
I got my dark sunglasses,
And for good luck I got my black tooth.
Don't ask me nothin' about nothin',
I just might tell you the truth."

Bob Dylan

San Francisco Bay Blues

This is Dylan's version of the 1954 Jessie Fuller song. It's from one the earliest recordings of Dylan - "The Minneapolis Party Tape" recorded in 1961 and released in 2012.
(The lyrics are shown under Jesse Fuller.)

Bob Dylan

This is from Dylan's album "Blood On The Tracks" released in 1975.
Shawn Colvin also recorded a good cover of the song in 1994.

"I’ve seen love go by my door
It’s never been this close before
Never been so easy or so slow
I've been shooting in the dark too long
When something’s not right, it’s wrong
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go

Dragon clouds so high above
I’ve only known careless love
It always just hit me from below
But this time 'round it’s more correct
Right on target, so direct
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go

Purple clover, Queen Anne's lace
Crimson hair across your face
You could make me cry, if you don’t know
Can’t remember what I was thinking of
You might be spoilin’ me too much love
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go

Flowers on the hillside blooming crazy
Crickets talking back and forth in rhyme
Blue river running slow and lazy
I could stay with you forever and never realize the time

Situations have ended sad
Relationships have all been bad
Mine’ve been like Verlaine’s and Rimbaud
But there’s no way I can compare
All them scenes to this affair
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go

You're gonna make me wonder what I’m doin’
Staying far behind without you
You're gonna make me wonder what I’m sayin’
You're gonna make me give myself a good talking-to

I’ll look for you in old Honolulu
San Francisco or Ashtabula
You're gonna have to leave me now, I know
But I’ll see you in the sky above
In the tall grass, in the ones I love
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go"

Dzeko (featuring Brynn Elliiott)

Dzeko is a DJ and producer from Canada. Brynn Eliott is a singer-songwriter from Atlanta, active since 2014. This is an electronic dance track released in 2017. I really like the unusual way she sings "Cal-i-forni-ya."

"Never say never
Well I never thought I'd find someone like you
What could be better than a friend to fall into?

I still remember
Cold nights and lights you walking me home
Hands in your sweater
You said you'd never let me go

But I got lost in California
Trying to find my way back to ya
I chased the sunset through the hills
Back to that spot we used to chill
My heart will always be here for ya
But I got lost in California

I chased the sunset through the hills
Back to that spot we used to chill
My heart will always be here for ya
But I got lost in California

Never say never
Well I never thought I'd wonder where you are
When you said forever
Never thought you meant to part

It's already September
And I spent all summer long missing you
Still wearing your sweater
The only piece that's left of you

But I got lost in California
Trying to find my way back to ya
I chase the sunset through the hills
Back to that spot we used to chill
My heart will always be here for ya
But I got lost in California
But I got lost in California

I chased the sunset through the hills
Back to that spot we used to chill
My heart will always be here for ya
But I got lost in California"

E-40 (featuring Dam-Funk & Ariel Pink)

E-40 is an American rapper from Vallejo who has been recording since 1986. This jazzy hip-hop song, featuring Dam-Funk & Ariel Pink, is from the compilation album "Welcome to Los Santos" released in 2015 by hip-hop producers The Alchemist and Oh No.

[E-40]
"Throwin’ up the upside down M (the upside down M)
E-40, the W, like the hotel
West Coast! Y’all picked the right person to bring this s**t to life
California
I’mma speak some real s**t
This how that s**t go down
I’m the soul narrator

It’s zany on these dumping grounds
Don’t be slippin’ with your pants down
They got some big s**t hundred rounds
That’ll knock you out your shoes and spin your neck around
Crooked cops, crooked dice, crooked streets
Dark guns, dark alleys, dark reefs
Don’t get fooled by the palm trees and the beach
They wake your ass up, put the pistol to your teeth
Where the safe at? Where the shoe box? Where your duffel, padna?
Lost souls, they don’t believe in karma
The fast lane, fast cars, fast cash
Bad b**ches, big t**ties, big ass (who out here?)
Celebrities and socialites
Pimps, gangstas, and hustlas under the streetlights
They’ll run up on ya, make sure you with some real ones
When you come in California

[Ariel Pink]
Even when it’s flying high
Watching the weather
Up above, the city skies
And gettin’ it together
California, California

[E-40]
Cali, the land of opportunity
San Quintin and Silicone Valley
Where they learn to play the corner
Where they play with drumsticks that’ll go through body armour
In the Pacific to be specific (what they like to do?)
Where they’ll follow you on the freeway
Catch you gettin’ off an exit when you least expect it
Unexpected, in the middle of the daylight where the traffic hectic
Bold, cold, these judges ain’t plannin’ on gettin’ old, old
Got hit now he layin’ up in the road, road
His mama outside up in her robe, robe (her robe?)
(Where you from?) West Coast!
You sick out this b**ch, as I squash like this
The fog and the mist (West Coast!)
I yell that s**t out, that’s all that I know, that’s how that s**t go

[Ariel Pink]
Even when it’s flying high
Watching the weather
Up above and try hard to
Get it together
California, California

Up above the sunny skies in California
And soon they'll be flying high in California
In California"

E-40 (featuring Keak da Sneak)

Tell Me When to Go

E-40 is a rapper from Vallejo, Keak Da Sneak is a rapper from Oakland, active since 1992 who is credited with coining the term "hyphy." This song is from the album "My Ghetto Report Card" released in 2006.

"Tell me when to go ... [4 times]
dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb
Tell me when to go ... [4 times]
dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb

Jesus Christ had dreads, o shake 'em
I ain't got none, but I'm planning on growing some
Imagine all the Hebrews going dumb
Dancing on top of chariots and turning tight ones
Ooh, tell me when to go
Talking on my ghettro on the way to the sto'
My 2nd or 3rd trip
Some Henny, some Swishers, and some Listerine Strips
Dr. Greenthumb lift, just to ease my thoughts

Not just the cops, but the homies you got to watch
The moon is full, look at the dark clouds
Sitting in my scraper
Watching Oakland gone wild, Ta-dow!
I don't bump mainstream, I knock underground
All that other s**t, sugar-coated and watered down
I'm from the Bay where we hyphy and go dumb
From the soil where them rappers be getting they lingo from

Tell me when to go ... [4 times]
dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb
Tell me when to go ... [4 times]
dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb

I'm off that 18 purple juice
Like a man
Labeled the Black Zeus

King of the super dooper hyphy (hyphy, hyphy, hyphy, hyphy)
And your wife, she don't like me (like me, like me, like me, like me)
From the Bay to the A
Put me in the back wood, Swisher sweet bud, orange lace (Let's go, it's dope)
B***hes wish I wrote, I said they couldn't be saved by John the Pope (John the Pope)
I slid past on the gas, b***hes looking at me
It's good, it's good like the granddaddy
Cross game, you get flipped like a burger patty
Or zig-zagged... pass me a big old fatty
I drink white, with a snow bunny
Talking big s**t in the scraper, going hella dummy
1800, Jose Cuervo
Yadada mean, yadada I'm saying though...."

The Eagles

Hollywood Waltz

The Eagles are a rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971 by four musicians from other states. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1970s. This is from the band's first big hit album "One of These Nights" released in 1975.

"Springtime, and the acacias are blooming
Southern California will see one more day
Dreamland, and business is booming
The birds are a singing as I drift away

She looks another year older
From too many lovers who used her and ran
But some nights, oh, she looks like an angel
And she's always willing to hold you again

So give her this dance
She can't be forsaken
Learn how to love her with all of her faults

She gave more than she's taken
And I'll go down doing the Hollywood Waltz

Springtime and the lady is grieving
The lovers just stand there with nothing to say
They got what they wanted
They're packing and leaving
To look for another to love the same way

So give her this dance
She can't be forsaken
Learn how to love her
With all of her faults
She gave more than she's taken
And I'll go down doing the Hollywood Waltz
The Hollywood Waltz
The Hollywood Waltz
The Hollywood Waltz
The Hollywood Waltz"

The Eagles

Hotel California

This song is from the album of the same name, released in 1976. It's the third best selling album of all time after Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and the Eagles greatest hit album. People don't buy many albums anymore so these records will probably never be beaten. The song also won the Grammy award for record of the year.

The Hotel California could be anywhere in the world, but the album cover shows the Beverly Hills Hotel on the front with the lobby of the Lido Hotel in Hollywood on the back, so I think it's fair to claim that it's in southern California.

A lot has been written about what this song means and why its popularity has persisted for nearly 50 years. Like a work of literature, it was written to encourage multiple interpretations by being intentionally vague, open-ended, and full of literary devices such as symbolism and metaphors, including lots of Christian references. I recommend watching this YouTube video by the Polyphonic channel which discusses some of the various interpretations, including: it was influenced by the book The Magus; it's a cautionary tale about excess in the Hollywood entertainment industry and problems escaping the world of drugs and fast money; it's about a loss of innocence; it chronicles a romantic relationship from beginning to end; it's all about drugs; it's a religious allegory about the temptations of sin with the hotel being a metaphor for hell, and even more.

(There's also a long list of cover verions of the song below.)

"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor
I thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys 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 place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis

Mirrors on the ceiling
The pink champagne on ice
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
And in the master's chambers
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can't kill the beast

Last thing I remember
I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
'Relax' said the night man
We are programmed to receive
You can check-out any time you like
But you can never leave!' "

Various Artists

Selected Covers Versions of Hotel California
(originally by The Eagles)

A list at secondhandsongs.com (last viewd in 11/24) includes more than 283 cover versions of the Eagles' "Hotel California" and it seems like more versions are made every month. Below is a list of only a few covers of the song, many in unusual styles or using unusual instruments for a rock song such as solo piano, ukulele, harp, accordion, marching band, panpipes, and more. The links are to YouTube videos that worked when I added them, but YouTube videos can disappear overnight, and Eagles songs are often pulled for copyright reasons, so apologies if a link no longer works. Try searching for the artist and title again.

A3 (Alabama 3) - a 2000 dark Electro-Country-Dance version.

The AB Brothers - a 2018 Dance Remix described as an Eagles and Oum Koulthoum mashup.

Robyn Adele Anderson (featuring Brielle Von Hugel) - a 2024 Surf Rock cover with horns and acoustic bass.

Avocuddle - a slow sad lofi Chill Hop version from 2020.

ApologetiX - "Hotel Can't Afford Ya" - a 2013 no-room-at-the-inn-in-Bethlehem Christmas Parody.

Bardcore - a fake Medieval instrumental version played on fake Medieval flutes and stringed instruments.

Bernadette Teaches Music - teaches how to play the song on a Ukulele.

Big Mountain - a great live Reggae version from the Sugarshack in 2023.

Farhad Besharati - an Arabic instrumental version with a few English vocals from 2016.

Whitney Bjerken & Andres Colin - a 2023 live looping cover.

BnB Project - a 2021 instrumental version on Bandura and Accordion, with an accordion shredding the guitar solo.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - a 2001 Reggae version.

Laszlo Buring - Hotel California - like Johnny Cash would perform it

Laszlo Buring - an amazing 2024 Guitar Instrumental version of the song in the style of Steve Ray Vaughn.

Juan Carlos Cano - a 2020 Acoustic Version by a hard rock singer from Mexico who lives in Poland.

Cascade - a 2022 live on a street in Vietnam instrumental version played on two Chapman Sticks.

Edgar Aguilar Castillo - a 2021 flamenco-ish instrumental version of the song played on a Harp.

The Cat and Owl - a Children's Lullaby version that might just put you to sleep.

The Cat Empire - a 2012 French Accordion Jazz version called L'Hotel de Californie.

Chiptune Punks - a 2020 instrumental 8-Bit Computer Game Electronics version.

CutiePie - A 2024 instrumental cover of the song with the melody and the guitar solo played on a Tin Whistle. Afterwards there is a long tutorial on how to play it.

DJ Dingdong - a Dance Remix.

DJ Saimon - a 2020 Dance Remix.

Exilio - a 2009 Accordion Tango version with female vocals.

Farewell Angelina - a 2020 Country Music version by a female trio.

Don Felder and Sammy Hagar - a great live version from the former Eagle and one of the songwriters on Hagar's Rock and Roll Road Trip show.

Florida State University Marching Chiefs - a 2003 instrumental version played by a College Marching Band.

Gipsy Kings - a 1988 Flamenco version with Spanish lyrics.

The Grassmasters - a 2006 instrumental Bluegrass version.

HarpistKT - a 2024 instrumental version played on a Harp.

Harp Twins (Camille and Kennerly) - a 2015 instrumental version played on two Harps by women who are twins.

Jared Halley - a 2024 Acapella cover with a video showing him perform every part vocally, including the guitar solo.

Hi I'm Neil - a weird 2020 Vocorder Electronic version.

Jam on the Mutha (aka The Orb) - a 1990 Dance Mix.

Jazz Mafia - a 2022 instrumental Jazz Band version.

Cledus T. Judd - a Country Music Parody called "Motel Californie."

Lahiri Dikkumbura - a 2016 version played by several men in a boat on a swamp - with more than 10 million views.

Marins Lemes - a Deep House Dance Remix.

Ryan Lendt - a Guitar Tutorial uploaded in 2024 that teaches how to play the song with a capo and cowboy chords.

LGJP Leo Giannetto's Jazz Project - a 2011 Smooth Jazz version.

Cynthia Lin - a solo version sung and played on a Ukulele.

Lydia Lunch & Cypress Grove - a 2015 version that sounds like it's from a Horror Movie.

The Main Squeeze - a live in studio Reggae version.

Domingo Mendoza - a 2017 easy listening version played on a Panpipe.

Minus 8 (featuring Billie) - a 2015 Afro Tropical mix.

MonaLisa - a 2009 Duet by Austrian twin sisters.

The Moog Cookbook - a very bizarre 1997 instrumental version played on Synthesizers.

Moyun - a 2023 instrumental version played on a traditional Chinese Guzheng, a plucked stringed instrument.

The Munros - a 2015 instrumental version of the song played with Bagpipes, but unfortunately, not the guitar solo.

Sanil Nambiar - a 2018 live instrumental arrangement played on Rav Drums.

Frank Ocean - a 2011 interpolation using the music with different lyrics called "American Wedding."

Alexander Pachabezian - a 2021 instrumental Solo Piano arrangement.

Francesco Parrino - a 2023 instrumental Solo Piano version.

Philharmonic Wind Orchestra - a 2009 instrumental version for Concert Band (for people who hate rock music.)

Phone Zombies - a 2021 "Hotel California Parody Song" - the "Hotel California" melody with lyrics that make fun of smart phone addiction and adds new meaning to the lyric "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device." It also uses the melody of "Zombie" by the Cranberries at the end.

Pickin' On Series - a very upbreat 2008 Bluegrass instrumental with lots of banjo.

Pink Turtle - a 2008 Swing version with the guitar solo played on a flute and horns.

Michael Piranha - a 2012 Parody version about Hawaii called Hotel Honolulu.

Elisa Relano - a 2023 instrumental version played on the Ocarina, including the guitar solo.

Roma Symphony Orchestra - a 2021 Orchestral instrumental that sounds like something you might hear in an elevator in the Hotel California.

Royal Harmonic Orchestra - a 2009 Orchestral instrumental version with electric guitars.

Rhythms Del Mundo with The Killers - a 2009 version in the Cuban Style.

Scaredketchup - Hotel Magadonia - a 2023 parody made with AI using Donald Trump's voice.

Nancy Sinatra - a 2002 long slow moody Pop Vocal version.

Ska Daddyz - a 1998 Ska version.

Steel Drum Island - a 2020 instrumental version with the guitar solo played on Steel Drums.

Super Guitar Duo (Featuring Hiroki Miyano) - a 1983 Classical Guitar Duo instrumental.

Tangerine Dream - a 2012 dreamy Electronic version.

TQ - a very good 2012 R&B version.

Tupac Shakur - a Rap version that samples the original and adds new lyrics.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - an instrumental Lullaby released in 2016.

Ukulele Solos - an arrangement for Solo Ukulele

Univibes Quartet - a 2023 Lounge cover from a quartet based in Bali, Indonesia, with a female singer and the guitar solo played on a saxophone.

Uriel and His Instrumental Piano - a 2018 Solo Piano instrumental version.

Vama Veche - a 2013 Romanian version called Hotel Cismigiu.

Vitamin String Quartet - a 2003 String Quartet version from a whole album of Eagles songs.

Tongjuan Wang - a 2023 cover of the song played on a Harp.

Wayra - a 2012 instrumental cover played on panflutes.

West Coast All Stars - a 1997 A Capella version with the guitar solo played by human mouths.

Scott Williams - a 2010 version played on Hammer Dulcimer, from his album "HAMMERock" (because nothing screams ROCK! like the hammer dulcimer.)

Yao Si Ting - an Acoustic Version by a singer from China.

The Eagles

King of Hollywood

This is a California song in the title only, but the lyrics describe a man who works in the entertainment industry that is synonymous with the California city and its "casting couch" and sexual harassment of aspiring actors. The song is from the album "The Long Run" released in 1979.

"Well, he sits up there on his leatherette
Looks through pictures of the ones that he hasn't had yet
When he thinks he wants a closer look,
he gets out his little black telephone book
(He's calling, calling, calling
He's calling, calling, calling
He's calling ,calling, calling
He's calling)

"Come sit down here beside me, honey.
Let's have a little heart to heart.
Now look at me and tell me, darlin',
how badly do you want this part?
Are you willing to sacrifice?
And are you willing to be real nice?
All your talent and my good taste,
I'd hate to see it go to waste."

"We gon' get you an apartment, honey.
We gon' get you a car.
(spoken) Yeah, we're gonna take care of you, darlin'.
We gon' make you a movie star.
For years I've seen 'em come and go."
He says, "I've had 'em all, 'ya know.
I handled everything in my own way.
I made 'em what they are today."

After 'while nothin' was pretty.
After 'while everything got lost.
Still, his Jacuzzi runneth over.
Still he just couldn't get off.
He's just another power junky.
Just another silk scarf monkey.
You'd know it if you saw his stuff.
The man just isn't big enough."

The Eagles

The Last Resort

This is from the album "Hotel California" released in 1976. It was written by Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Henley talked about the song in a 1978 interview with Rolling Stone: "The gist of the song was that when we find something good, we destroy it by our presence - by the very fact that man is the only animal on earth that is capable of destroying his environment."

"She came from Providence
One in Rhode Island
Where the old world shadows hang
Heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams
Like a refugee
Just as her father came
Across the sea

She heard about a place
People were smilin'
They spoke about the red man's way
How they loved the land
They came from everywhere
To the Great Divide
Seeking a place to stand
Or a place to hide

Down in the crowded bars
Out for a good time
Can't wait to tell you all
What it's like up there
They called it paradise
I don't know why
Somebody laid the mountains low
While the town got high

Then the chilly winds blew down
Across the desert
Through the canyons of the coast
To the Malibu
Where the pretty people play
Hungry for power
To light their neon way
Give them things to do

Some rich men came and raped the land
Nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes
And Jesus people bought 'em
They called it paradise
The place to be
They watched the hazy sun
Sinking in the sea

We can leave it all behind and sail to Lahaina
Just like the missionaries did so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign said, "Jesus is coming."
Brought the white man's burden down
Brought the white man's reign

Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
'Cause there is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here

We satisfy our endless needs
And justify our bloody deeds
In the name of destiny
And in the name of God

And you can see them there
On Sunday morning
They stand up and sing about
What it's like up there
They call it paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace paradise
Kiss it goodbye"

Eagles of Death Metal

San Berdoo Sunburn

Eagles of Death Metal is not a death metal band (that's a joke), it's an eclectic rock band from Palm Desert, California, active since 1998. This song from the band's debut studio album "Peace, Love, Death Metal" released in 2004. The lead singer Jesse Hughes spent the first few years of his life in South Carolina before moving to the southern California desert, so maybe that explains why the singer makes the long drive from Carolina to San Bernardino.

"Tapping time with one good finger
I got this girlfriend and she's a swinger
We make plans and then we head out
To San Bernardino

We get gas at the local P & M
Buy a Coke in a can made of tin
We drink fast because we're headed out west
To San Bernardino

And we shall miss Carolina
And the east coast as opposed to the west
We won't shed any tears though
Nor even be sad because we know
The western desert is the best

I filled a bag with cigarettes and apple wine
We'll hit the road again at ten minutes to nine
Me and this girl, I think she's pregnant
And we're headed to San Bernardino

And then when we hit Texas
We'll stop in Amarillo for a bite to eat
We'll stop on over in Dallas
And visit my friend, but we can't stay for more than a week

I've got the south in my veins but California in my mouth
And that's the simple reason why I'm leaving the south
Me and this girl and she's so foxy
And we're heading to San Bernardino

Well, that was close we crossed the Tennessee state border
They would've locked us up by the sheriff's order
Yes, we're freaks, but they can't touch us out west
In San Bernardino

And we shall miss Carolina
And the east coast as opposed to the west
But we won't shed any tears though
Nor even be sad because we know the western desert is the best

I filled a bag with cigarettes and apple wine
We'll hit the road again at ten minutes to nine
Me and this girl, and she's so foxy
And we're headed to San Bernardino"

Eagles of Death Metal

Silverlake

This rocker is from the album "Zipper Down" released in 2015. A comment on Genius.com says "Jesse Hughes lives in Silver Lake, a neighbourhood in Los Angeles. It is home to a lot of clubs, with a heavy dose of hipster." Jesse Hughes is the singer of the song who's having trouble getting recognized by a bouncer in Silverlake.

"So when ya dance all night and you ain't around for sleepin'
There's few establishments for hidin' and a-peepin'
(That's no good)
It's no good, but baby, it's all right
(It's all right)
I'm gonna pick you up
And we're gonna freakin' dance tonight

All the real cool kids out in Silverlake tonight
It's so tight, it's so tight
And all the real cool kids out in Silverlake tonight
It's so tight, it's so tight

So, if you date this guy, he's gonna let us in
Don't be uncool, man, 'cause the owner's like my best friend
Make sure you tell him, though, just how important that I am
I am from Silverlake and therefore I don't give a damn

Don't you know who I am?
Don't you know who I am?

And so we danced all night and ain't nobody sleepin'
I know a place (Is it cool?) It's aight (aight)
And the place I know
Well, it's right there where you never been

And all the real cool kids out in Silverlake tonight
It's so tight, it's so tight
And all the real cool kids out in Silverlake, all right
It's so tight, it's so tight

So if you date this guy, he's gonna let us in
Don't be uncool, baby, you know you are my everything
Make sure you tell him, though, just how important that I am
I am from Silverlake and I am in a 'cool band'

Don't you know who I am?
Don't you know who I am?

And all the real cool kids out in Silverlake tonight
It's so tight, it's so tight
And all the real cool kids out in Silverlake tonight
It's so tight, it's so tight

Okay, I'm not the guy I might have said I am
Its almost closing time
Come on, man, please just let me in
Can you not the see the style of hipster I most surely am?
I'm trying twice as hard as anyone you just let in

Don't you know who I am?
(What the hell, you've seen me before)
Don't you know who I am?
(What the hell, you've seen me before)
Don't you know (who I am?)
(What the hell, you've seen me before)
Don't you know (who I am?)
Don't you know (What the hell, you've seen me before)
Don't you know (who I am?)
Don't you know (What the hell, you've seen me before)

I don't know who I am"

Eagles of Death Metal

WannaBe In L.A.

This song is a single from the band's third album "Heart On" released in 2008, that has been used in movies, ads, and video games. (11AD was a recording studio in Hollywood owned by Alain Johannes, who is also mentioned in the lyrics.)

"I came to L.A. to make rock and roll
Along the way I had to sell my soul
I made some good friends that make me say
I really wannabe in L.A.

I took the time to get to Beverly
Laid some rockin' tape roll at 11AD
Alain and Natasha always make me say
I really wannabe in L.A.

(I really wannabe in L.A. wahahoo)
(I really wannabe in L.A. wahahoo)
(I really wannabe in L.A. wahahoo)

I dig the city in the dead of night
I'm burning gas until I feel alright
My Sunset honeys always make me say
I really wannabe in L.A.

I came to L.A. to make rock and roll
Along the way I had to sell my soul
I made some good friends that make me say
I really wannabe in L.A.
I really wannabe in L.A.
I really wannabe, really wannabe, really wannabe in L.A."

Eastside Connection

Frisco Disco

Eastside Connection is a funk/soul group from San Francisco, best known for their disco hits, including this one, from their album "Brand Spanking New", released in 1979, apparently back when Los Angelinos had to drive 400 miles to San Francisco in order to go to a disco. How exactly could the disco DJ play this song while they're still singing it in the recording studio? That's Twilight Zone material. Also strange - there's a violin solo in the middle of the song and a very long flight attendant message at the end, because that's what you want to dance to...

"I left my heart (bahoop bahooo)
In San Francisco. (San Francisco's where I want to be)
Right from the start (bahoop bahooo)
In San Francisco (San Francisco is the palace for me)
(Whistling)

(San Francisco)

At least for today, I'm burned out in L.A. (And I'm looking for a place to have some fun)
On a day like today, there's one place I can lay (where the ocean breeze is married to the sun)
Four hundred miles on highway five
My AM radio keeps me alive

And they're playin' Frisco Disco
They're playin' my sweet song
I said they're playin' Frisco Disco
With disco you can't go wrong

And now that I'm here, just sippin' on my beer (I like the way the ocean fills the air)
The sky is so clear
I'm seein' the far and near (that I never saw down where I do my hair)
Four hundred miles on highway five
My AM radio keeps me alive

And they're playin' Frisco Disco
They're playin' my sweet song
I said they're playin' Frisco Disco
With disco you can't go wrong

(bahooo bahooo, ba ba oo ba)
(bahooo bahooo, ba ba oo ba)
(San Francisco, Frisco disco)
(San Francisco, Frisco disco)

Now I've had my day, in Frisco by the bay. (And I've found this is a great big disco land)
I think I'll take a jet, I've not been dancing yet. (Disco Airlines has a flight that suits my plan)
Eight thousand miles of disco high
I've got to take this trip before I die

Here I come big city discos
Seems I've waited much too long
Here I come big city discos
With disco you can't go wrong

Flight Attendant Announcement:
'Ladies and gentlemen
Welcome aboard Disco Airlines flight 78
Our captain tells us we'll flying very high but oxygen masks will not be necessary'
Role call: (Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis Saint Paul, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Montreal, Boston, Hartford, New York City, Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego)

Ladies and gentlemen
We are approaching Los Angeles International Airport
Calmly remain dancing until the plane comes to a complete stop
We hope you've enjoyed your trip'

(Frisco Disco)..."

Eastwood (featuring The Game)

All the Good Girls Go to Hell

Eastwood is a rapper from Los Angeles active since 1996. The Game is a rapper from Compton. This song is from the soundtrack "Married to the Game" released in 2009.

"...California, California

[Chorus:]
California Dreams, we ballin on the Westside,
Muthaf**kers know how we ride,
California swag throw ya rags out
It stunt like this 'till we die
California Dreams on the Westside,
Muthf**kers know how we ride,
California swag throw ya rags out
Throw ya rags out

If it ain't got a black rag tied to it, I'm too gutter for it,
SooWoo crip be the one s**t I'm all for it,
I got love for the streets, they love a n***a back,
Posted in the hood at the weed spot gettin tatts,
Hoopty's on they Chris Brown s**t,
Like East gimme that,
I don't need no ice in my cup they make the Remy flat,
Haha, you ballers trickin on the wrong s**t,
The same broads you tryna wife up she be on my d**k,
Time is money so I got me a watch,
I call it tricks cause it got different colour stones through the rocks,
So look the Mr underrated slash everybody's favourite
Suckers MC's hate it, I spit it like the greatest,
This California with fly women and bomb smoke
Land of the palm trees, gang banging and liquor stores,
You frontin on this new West s**t let it go,
We jus tryna ride and give the streets what they rep for,

[Chorus]

If it ain't got a red rag tied to it, I ain't f**kin with it,
SooWoo to the death I just grab my dutch and lit it,
If I talk it I live it, the flow so exquisite,
It's like Machievelli paid the young Homie a visit,
Who is it trumped up on them thirties, black Escalades truck,
And I'm still riding dirrty ayyy,
That's the sound of a mad man,
Old English bottle brown paper bag, damnnn,
N***a it's 09, I'm gon grind,
Holla at my PO I'm blowing haze and he don't mind,
Got Cali on lock n***a,
You better go dig up Pac n***a,
The whole World know I took 5 shots
And got walked into county jail by 25 cops yeah,
Better close your mouth before I close your eyes,
It's California n***a I'm supposed to ride

California, California,
California Dreams, we ballin on the Westside,
Muthaf**kers know how we ride,
California swag throw ya rags out
It stunt like this 'till we die
California Dreams on the Westside,
Muthf**kers know how we ride,
California swag throw ya rags out
Throw ya rags out"

Eazy-E & Ron-de-vu

L.A. is the Place

Eazy-E was a hip hop musician from Compton, active 1987-1995, best known for leading N.W.A. and sometimes referred to as the "Godfather of Gangsta Rap." Ron-de-vu is a west coast hip hop musician. This song is from the compilation album "N.W.A. and The Posse" released in 1987.

"L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A.
L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A.
L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A.
L.A. is the place!

I'm not a renegade but you wish I would
Just because I like to hang with boys in the hood

Live in L.A. always chill on the west coast
A Tilly Mogul got it close just I mean to boast

I said what's up, we'll be who riding on you
Nick name Eazy-E, and I'm down with the crew
You come talking that trash, we'll pull your card
It's not the Bronx, it's L.A. but just as hard
Don't get me wrong I like to brag on the city I own
The Subway R-T-D, don't ride it alone
You might have silly thoughts, that were insane
But the city I'm from, let me explain

In L.A. there things you do not do
First of all, homeboy, don't mess with the crew
You might have silly thoughts that were too soft
But don't play it sweet, or get took off

Y'all know the time, it's time to get L
We moved back to L.A. - Cali-for-ni-a
We moved back to L.A. - Cali-for-ni-a
We moved back to L.A. - Cali-for-ni-a
The city of angels.. Hollywood.. we love it

I turned you on to the best females in the world
I wish they all could be California girls
Like the east where your girls wear too many coats
Bring your clothesie, runny noiseie, with a sore throat
That the girls in the south I cannot bust
Because the girls are fly and down with us
In the valley not the alley, misdemeanor not ball-ey
Eazy-E that's me, always chill in Cali
Hollywood's a bit of beef, where the scene is raw
Ohh yeah, the strip is a trip on South Crenshaw
Don't get me wrong I like to brag on the city I own
(Boy you walk do what?) don't walk alone

Because in L.A. there things you do not do
First of all, homeboy, don't mess with the crew
You might have silly thoughts that were too soft
But don't play it sweet, or get took off

L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A.
L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A. L.A.
L.A. is the place!

Build with the brothers who build the old school
Get a.. get a.. get a little some of that.. BEAT BOX
Get get get a little some of that beat box

West coast style from L.A.
Yes I gets mine, it's got to be that way
It's sunny California that's where I be
If you forgot homeboy I chill with E
In the west I stand that's where you fall
Fila wearin' punk goes snatching it all
Rhyme by rhyme record by E
In the city of angels, with a devil like me
She's contaminated where the boys are hard
And people like me don't perpetrate the fraud
You want to mess around, you better get wise
We'll find your butt, and cut you down to size

Because in L.A. there things you do not do
First of all, homeboy, don't mess with the crew
You might have silly thoughts that were too soft
But don't play it sweet, or get took off

Y'all know the time, it's time to get L
We moved back to L.A. - Cali-for-ni-a
We moved back to L.A. - Cali-for-ni-a
We moved back to L.A. - Cali-for-ni-a
City of angels.. Hollywood.. we love it

Because in L.A. there things you do not do
First of all, homeboy, don't mess with the crew
You might have silly thoughts that were too soft
But don't play it sweet, or get took off"

Eddie Island

California Cosmo

Eddie Island is the stage name of Eddie Liggitt, a singer and musician who was a contestant on season 17 of American Idol in 2019. He's based in Nashville and calls himself the unofficial mayor of Nashville. This song was released in 2016.

What is a California Cosmo, you ask? Dictionary.com defines "cosmo" as "a combining form meaning 'world,' 'universe' " (coming from the Greek word 'kosmos') and it's also an abbreviation for someone who is cosmopolitan or a citizen of the world. Cosmo is also an abbreviation of the Cosmopolitan, an alcoholic drink, and the women's magazine Cosmopolitan. Kramer from Seinfeld's first name is also Cosmo, but I prefer the citizen of the world definition.

"I remember when time moved slow
Caution was thrown, caution was thrown out the window
We had more than just the weekend
And our parents’ money to blow

It was you and I wide-eyed
Nothing, but open road
Terrified of a future we didn’t know
And I promised we’d get back to the Golden State
But we’re both broke and you’re far away
So I’ll say

I’m trying get back to California
Trying to get back to when I'd call ya
You’d answer every time
You’d answer every time
Trying to get back to when we were younger
Trying to get back to when we were young
Still young and we got time
Still young and we got time

Growing up is getting old
Forcing myself forcing myself to be a little bold
I thought forever meant forever
But eventually it all goes up in smoke

It was you and I, wide eyed
Nothing, but open road
Terrified of a future we didn’t know
And I promised we’d get back to the Golden State
But we’re both broke and you’re far away
So I’ll say

I’m trying to get back to California
Trying to get back to when I'd call ya
You’d answer every time
You’d answer every time
Trying to get back to when we were younger
Trying to get back to when we were young
Still young and we got time
Still young and we got time

Gone are the days when I could walk to your door
Gone in a haze of nostalgic grandeur
You don’t know what you got until it no longer keeps you warm

And I miss everything and everything and everything

[These lines are spoken underneath the next four lines]

(California spring break and that look on your face when you caught me joking
? ... and the way you wish we spoke.
Now late nights, Taco Bell runs ? ...
We all thought that we were the exception
Growing old)

I miss everything and everything and everything
I miss everything and everything and everything
I miss everything and everything and everything
I miss everything and everything and everything

I miss everything and everything and everything
I miss everything and everything and everything
I miss everything and everything and everything and everything

I’m just trying to get back to California
Trying to get back to when I'd call ya
You’d answer every time
You’d answer every time

Trying to get back to when we were younger
Trying to get back to when we were young
Still young and we got time
Still young and we got time
Still young and we got time
Still young"

J. D. Edwards

West Coast Blues

I can't find out much information about J. D. Edwards. Someone on YouTube says he was "more than likely a musician on the 1950's Houston, TX. blues scene." Edwards shouts out this mid-tempo blues along with electric guitar, drums, and a stand up bass that never stops.

"On my way to California
I guess I'll be on my way
On my way to California
I guess I'll be on my way
I'm tellin' everybody
This time I'm goin' to stay

Got a woman in California
That's as sweet as she can be
Woman in California
That's as sweet as she can be
Yes, she'll be waiting there for me"

Kathleen Edwards

Goodnight California

Kathleen Edwards is a singer-songwriter from Canada, active since 1999. This long, moody song that is mostly instrumental is from her album "Asking for Flowers" released in 2008.

"You know what I wish?
It was just you and me
Sitting in this corner bar
You could tell me how you are

But I'm not going to lie
Or anything
You don't even have to speak
If you keep looking at me

And I could go all night
But they're turning up the lights
It would be so easy
To do or say anything

And I'm not going to lie
I'm not looking for love
I won't let you in my heart
But you are always on my mind"

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish is a singer-songwriter from L.A. This song is from her first album "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" which was released in 2019 when she was 17 years old and debuted at number one on the Billboard albums chart. ['m back here in February, 2020 to add that this album has deservedly won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Eilish won the other top three Grammy Awards, too.]

This song will fit nicely on a playlist of songs about California wildfires. It's probably no coincidence that six months before this song was released large parts of California were burning in the worst fire season ever recorded in the state. [I'm back here in October, 2020 to say that 2020's fire season was even worse!]

"My Lucifer is lonely

Standing there, killing time
Can't commit to anything but a crime
Peter's on vacation, an open invitation
Animals, evidence
Pearly gates look more like a picket fence
Once you get inside 'em
Got friends but can't invite them

Hills burn in California
My turn to ignore ya
Don't say I didn't warn ya

All the good girls go to Hell
'Cause even God herself has enemies
And once the water starts to rise
And Heaven's out of sight
She'll want the Devil on her team

My Lucifer is lonely

Look at you needing me
You know I'm not your friend without some greenery
Walk in wearing fetters
Peter should know better
Your cover up is caving in
Man is such a fool
Why are we saving him?
Poisoning themselves now
Begging for our help, wow!

Hills burn in California
My turn to ignore ya
Don't say I didn't warn ya...."

Billie Eilish

The 30th

This is a great acoustic ballad about a friend's car accident on November 30th, from the EP "Guitar Songs" released in 2022.

"Sometimes, you look the same
Just like you did before the accident
When you're staring into space
It's hard to believe you don't remember it
Woke up in the ambulance
You pieced it all together on the drive

I know you don't remember calling me
But I told you, even then you looked so pretty
In a hospital bed
I remember you said you were scared
And so was I

In a stand-still on the 5, thought it was unusually early traffic
Usually, I don't panic, I just wanted to be on time
When I saw the ambulances on the shoulder, I didn't even think of pulling over
I pieced it all together late that night

And I know you don't remember calling me
But I told you, even then you looked so pretty
In a hospital bed
I remember you said you were scared
And so was I

What if it happened to you on a different day?
On a bridge, where there wasn't a rail in the way?
Or a neighborhood street where the little kids play?
Or the Angeles Crest in the snow or the rain?
What if you weren't alone? There were kids in the car
What if you were remote? No one knows where you are
If you changed anything, would you not have survived?
You're alive, you're alive, you're alive

And I know you don't remember calling me
But I told you, even then you looked so pretty
In your hospital bed
I remember you said you were scared
And so am I"

Elai

Does It Get Cold In California

Elai is an Albanian rapper, producer and songwriter, active since 2019. This song was released in June 2023. Below are the YouTube subtitle translated lyrics. I'm not sure exactly what "roll like California" means, but it must be something good. This is the translation of the lyrics given by YouTubes closed captions:

"There is no games
Here the scooters roll like California
Top 10 but I haven't done s**t yet
What? Tell me, are all rappers involved with drugs?
Aren't you tired yet?
I chill with icons, that's why I focus so much
Don't talk s**t, the whole world know about us
I don't know, if you selling snow or if you selling bulls**t

Who are you anyway?
It's not my fault that your girl mentions my name
While she taking yours, she's thinking about mine
I give it to her, she knows her place, now she's bragging
You wanted old Elai back?
NOW YOU HAVE HIM
Don't compete, specially with music
if you want beef, CCTV gon get a scene
Platina plaques, I have 23
I succeeded with some beats
What did you do?
Eenie meenie miney mo
The mini went in with a bally on
You hear it on the radio
Glizzy on a sicario
I don't forgive, if you swear to me
I don't know if you're ready
Hold your money tight
They say all songs sound the same
But I don't care as long as I still get paid
And these others, I swear they're copy/paste
If I stole, I did it with a plan, everybody knows
This year is ours
I don't have kids, but I have toys
This year is ours
100k I sent down

There is no games
Here the scooters roll like California
Top 10 but I haven't done s**t yet
What? Tell me, are all rappers involved with drugs?
Aren't you tired yet?
I chill with icons, that's why I focus so much
Don't talk s**t, the whole world know about us
I don't know, if you selling snow or if you selling bulls**t

If you talk you're gonna disappear (hup/hoop)
I'm not talking about basketball
Even though in the industry I'm maestro
I still chill with some that work with packages
I beg you don't try, I know you're filled with testosterone
It's not my fault DARK NIGHTS have changed me
I could never be a HERO
Don't play a BADMAN (Batman)
A JOKER gonna catch you and make it go
'Na-na-na-na-na-na' [Batman theme song]
They cruising with bandanas, full clip on the banana
The pills won't let me stop them
I'm very smart, but I chill with some idiots
Why buy a Benz, when we're cruising on Yamaha
250cc KTM, or a Gilera, F**K your Benz
From the streets now we spend time in hotels
What you mean 3 rooms? Give me 3 pents
GBG to Stuttgart

[In German]
Guys are cold like the weather in Russia
Very quick an accident can happen

I don't speak German but they know what a toka is
Coke
They play G's but they're drug addicts
What cars? I buy land
Anyhow, the scooters are still riding aroundThere is no games
Here the scooters roll like California

Top 10 but I haven't done s**t yet
What? Tell me, are all rappers involved with drugs?
Aren't you tired yet?
I chill with icons, that's why I focus so much
Don't talk s**t, the whole world know about us
I don't know, if you selling snow or if you selling bulls**t

There is no games
Here the scooters roll like California
There is no games
Here the scooters roll like California"

Ansel Elgort

Supernova

Ansel Elgort is an actor and singer from New York, active since 2012. This is a sort of alternative hip-hop single that was released in 2018, though I've seen it labeled as Dance/Electronic also.

"I feel like Atlas, I got my back stressed
You wanna grab this, you don't understand this
I keep it oppressed, work on my realness
Reading my manifest, I'll address your request

I've been waking up drenched in sweat
All my dreams, full of my regret (my regret)
I keep hearing what my mother said
Eyes are open, all I see is red

I met you in California
You told me you loved him in Georgia
Your heart's in the ground, frozen over
My heart's in the sky, supernova
I met you in California
You told me you loved him in Georgia
Your heart's in the ground, frozen over
My heart's in the sky, supernova

Look overhead at the stars and the ocean
Foggy emotion, moments, erosion
This supernova could cause a commotion
My minds of the notion, you'll still be my motive
I've been, I've been so f**ked in my head
I've been going through phases, I'm just going through phases
Don't know what this craze is
When's the last time someone said s**t? (ohhh)
Walking through your mazes
When's the last time someone meant it? (ohhh)

I've been waking up drenched in sweat
All my dreams, full of my regret (my regret)
I keep hearing what my mother said
Eyes are open all I see is red

I met you in California
You told me you loved him in Georgia
Your heart's in the ground, frozen over
My heart's in the sky, supernova
I met you in California
You told me you loved him in Georgia
Your heart's in the ground, frozen over
My heart's in the sky, supernova
I met you in California
You told me you loved him in Georgia
Your heart's in the ground, frozen over
My heart's in the sky, supernova

I met you in California
You told me you loved him in Georgia
Your heart's in the ground, frozen over
My heart's in the sky, supernova"

Cass Elliot

California Earthquake

Cass Elliot, also known as Mama Cass, was a pop/rock singer, best known for being a member of the Mamas & the Papas. This song is from her 1968 solo album "Dream a little dream." It was written by John Hartford but Cass Elliot released her version of the song first.

"I heard they exploded the underground blast
What they say's gonna happen's gonna happen at last
That's the way it appears

They tell me the fault line runs right through here
So that may be, that may be
What's gonna happen's gonna happen to me
That's the the way it appears

They tell me the fault line runs right through here

Atlantis will rise, Sunset Boulevard will fall
Where the beach use to be won't be nothin' at all
That's the way it appears

They tell me the fault line runs right through here
So that may be, that may be
What's gonna happen's gonna happen to me
That's the way it appears

They tell me the fault line runs right through here
They tell me the fault line runs right through here"

Anita Ellis (voice)
Rita Hayworth - on-screen performer

Put the Blame on Mame

From the classic 1946 film "Gilda," this song must have been written by some of the top seismologists in the state because it gives the most realistic version of the origin of the great San Francisco earthquake I've heard. In her nightclub act, Gilda (Rita Hayworth) ignites the screen with her dancing and singing in a strapless black dress and long black gloves which she slowly peels off like a stripper and tosses into the crowd. Beware: you might need to make a dash for a doorway when you watch her perfomance because it could easily set off a dangerous seismic event of at least 8.0.

"When they had the earthquake in San Francisco
Back in 1906
They said that old mother nature
Was up to her old tricks
That's the story that went around
But here's the real low down

Put the blame on Mame boys
Put the blame on Mame

One night she started to shimi and shake
That brought on the Frisco quake

So you can put the blame on Mame boys
Put the blame on Mame...."

Ben Ellis

Ben Ellis' Instagram describes him (with a bunch of emojis I don't know how to show here) as: "Musical human based in London UK * FOH Engineer for Wet Leg * Mount Kimbie * Bass player * Love playing with music and sound * Nerd" This pop song is from his EP "BE2" released in 2024. To answer the singer's question - yes it does get cold in California, especially if all you're wearing is an old threadbare t-shirt from 2003 that you never change.

"(One, two, three, four)

I'm still in a T-shirt made in 2003
The words are kinda faded, but I got it for free
I haven't taken it off for a couple of weeks
(I wanna know, I wanna know)
Always feeling tired and forgot how to sleep
Just add it to the list of reasons I wanna leave
I know that, if I left, you'd take me seriously
(I wanna know, I wanna know)

What's it gonna take
For me to get myself in the frame?

Does it get cold in California?
I need to feel the sunlight on my face
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)
Does it get cold in California?
I need a hit to help me stay awake
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh) Oh, yeah
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)

I'm not the kind of person to go just with the flow
But now I've gone too far to ever find my way home
And if you try to call me back, I don't wanna know
(I wanna know, I wanna know)

What's it gonna take
For me to get myself in the frame? (Hey)

Does it get cold in California?
I need to feel the sunlight on my face
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)
Does it get cold in California?
I need a hit to help me stay awake
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh) Oh, yeah
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)
Woah
Woah
...
What's it gonna take
For me to get myself in the frame?

Does it get cold in California?
I need to feel the sunlight on my face
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh)
Does it get cold in California?
I need a hit to help me stay awake
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh) Oh, yeah
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh) Oh, oh

(Woah) Ba-di-da-ba-ba-ba-da-ba-ba
(Woah) Ba-di-da-ba-ba-ba-da-ba-ba-ba
(Woah)
(Woah) Da-da-da, da-da-da-da"

Ben Ellis

No One Sleeps in Hollywood

This is another song from Ben Ellis' EP "BE2" released in 2024.
Except for cats and students in a classroom, does anyone really get any sleep anywhere?

"I'm in a conflict with the irony
I've tried to do it by myself, but there's no 'I' in 'team'
And all my problems feel like a lousy apology
And every person's standing several steps in front of me

I try to catch it, but the journey doesn't feel like it's worth it
And there's another road in my mind that just looks like it's perfect
But I'm too reckless, and I barely sleep
I guess that's irony

I've been told no one sleeps in Hollywood
Everything doesn't feel like it should

I've got so much left to sacrifice
Is all the pain a way to make me find some paradise?
If I didn't want this in my life, it would be easy
Get a little comfy, close my eyes, and then I'm fifty

But I've been told no one sleeps in Hollywood
Everything doesn't feel like it should

And I've been drinking dreams as if it's whiskey, but it's bitter now
They just chew you up for something sweet, and then they spit you out
I've been told no one sleeps in Hollywood
And I tell myself they'll miss me, but I can't seem to remember how
Taking double meanings like I'm looking for a little doubt
I've been told no one sleeps in Hollywood

Who is the person I'll live up to?
Says he's gonna do all of these things, but then they fall through
Either I'm a sellout or a burnout, but that's up to you
In a couple years, am I still playing shows in my bedroom?

'Cause I've been told no one sleeps in Hollywood
Everything doesn't feel like it should

And I've been drinking dreams as if it's whiskey, but it's bitter now
They just chew you up for something sweet, and then they spit you out
I've been told no one sleeps in Hollywood
And I tell myself they'll miss me, but I can't seem to remember how
Taking double meanings like I'm looking for a little doubt
I've been told no one sleeps in Hollywood
I've been told no one sleeps in Hollywood
I've been told no one sleeps in Hollywood
No one sleeps in Hollywood"

Robert Ellis

Robert Ellis is an American singer-songwriter from Texas whose music is a mix of genres as many songs are these days. This song is off of his 2016 album "Robert Ellis" It's another song about escaping to California as promised land where you can start a new life.

"It was a long way to go
From Louisiana to Laredo
With everything that they own
Boxed up in the back of a van

She would've gone to the moon
If that's what it took to follow him
It's funny what love makes you do

Standing alone
There in the kitchen she's packing up plates again
Standing alone
She is remembering every fight with him
Thinking alone
"What am I doing here in this ghost town?"
Now that he's gone
There isn't a reason for me to stick around

And she says,
Maybe I'll move to California
With the unbroken part of my heart
I still have left
Maybe I'll fall in love again some day
I'm not gonna hold my breath
I'm not gonna hold my breath

Which way to go
When every road leads away from the things you wanted
Which way you go
When every memory is built like a home that's haunted
Closing your eyes
Dream of a place where things turn out the way you planned it
Everything dies
Dream of a place where the living resides again

And she says,
Maybe I'll move to California
With the unbroken part of my heart
I still have left
Maybe I'll fall in love again some day
I'm not gonna hold my breath
I'm not gonna hold my breath..."

Joe Ely

Letter to L.A.

Joe Ely is a singer-songwriter from Texas, active since 1970 and a major part of the progressive country scene in Austin in the '70s and '80s. This long roots rock song with saxophone is from his album "Lord of the Highway" released in 1987. There are no lyrics mentioning it specifically, just references to Hoollywood legends, but the title tells us that the city he sings about is L.A.

"You're afraid to lose your cover
Afraid to bare your soul
Like an Alfred Hitchcock lover
Who slowly goes out of control

Your love is like the city
Only shines at night
Your love has no pity
But baby, baby, that's all right

Your vanity is your castle
You're like a neon sign
And the poor lost souls in your shadows
You forget, they are friends of mine

Your love is like the city
Only shines at night
Your love has no pity
But baby, baby, that's all right
Yeah, that's all right

Johnny Vain lost his head
When you broke a young girl's heart
And Cecil B. DeMille once gave to you
The 'Cast of Millions' part

Your love is like the city
Only shines at night
Your love has no pity
Baby, baby, that's all right
Baby, baby, baby, yeah, that's all right
Baby, that's all right"

EMA

EMA is Erika Michelle Anderson, a rock singer-songwriter from South Dakota. This is from her 2011 album "Past Life Martyred Saints." The song's narrator appears to be another hater of the Golden State.

"F**k 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 "

Gareth Emery (featuring Gid Sedgwick)

"Gareth Emery is an electronic dance music producer and DJ from the UK, active since 2002. Gid Sedgwick is a singer and songwriter from the UK. This song is a single released in 2022.

"Taking the night train, trying to explain just what I feel
City at sunset, a mind full of regret, nothing is real

Then I feel your touch, you're right next to me
What do I do now?
Who do I need to be?

Watching the north star, acoustic guitar, nothing to say
Waiting for your sign, a melody or rhyme, to guide my way

Then I feel your touch, you're right next to me
What do I do now?
Who do I need to be?

California can you show me who I need to be?
From your mountains to the black sea you still believe in me
Behind all the pain I know you're not to blame
California can you show me who I need to be?

Back on the beach path, your future and my past, the sun and rain
Remember why I came, watching the sky change, you call my name
And I heard your words, you were right behind me
You said you know who you are, now be who you need to be

California can you show me who I need to be?
From your mountains to the black sea you still believe in me
Behind all the pain I know you're not to blame
California can you show me who I need to be?

California can you show me
California can you show me"

Emily's Army (SWMRS)

West Coast

Emily's Army was a punk rock band formed in Piedmont California in 2004 by Cole Becker and Joey Armstrong (who Wickipedia tells us is the son of Billy Joe Armstrong of the band Green Day.) The band changed its name to SWMRS in 2014. This song is from the album "Don't Be A Dick" released in 2011 under the name Emily's Army.

"Well, the West Coast said to the East Coast
'I’m just wondering, why do we have these names?'
Standing in to the light isn’t always right
We are looking at the stars but we’re not the same

Well, the West Coast said to the East Coast
'I’m just wondering, why do we have these names?'
Standing in to the light isn’t always right
We are looking at the stars but we’re not the same
Type of thought going through your mind

Pinky Friday is the boot-kicking from behind
Is there anybody out there who’s gonna be mine?
I had a meeting with the miser man
'Get off the street you little kid and stick it in the sand!'
Where I’ll never be again

Everybody knows
Where it's going to go

This is our world
And all they gotta do is kick you out
One for the world
So start all over, find your lover

Well the East Coast said to the West Coast
'I’m just wondering, why do we have these names?'
Standing in to the light isn’t always right
We are looking at the stars but we’re not the same
Type of thought going through your mind

Everybody knows
Where it's going to go

This is our world
And all they gotta do is kick you out
One for the world
So start all over, find your lover

Pinky Friday is the boot-kicking from behind
Is there anybody out there who’s gonna be mine?
I had a meeting with the miser man
'Get off the street you little kid and stick it in the sand!'
Where I’ll never be again

Everybody knows
Where it's going to go

This is the West Coast"

Eminem

Say Goodbye to Hollywood

Eminem is rapper/songwriter/actor Marshall Bruce Mathers III from Missouri and Detroit, active since 1988. One of the best-selling music artists of all time, some call him one of the greatest rappers of all time. This song is from his 2002 album "The Eminem Show."

"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 ****
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..."

Encore

California Nights

Encore is a group of three young men but I can't figure out where they're from or how long they've been together because there are other groups with the same name. I do know that this song is a single that was released in 2022. You can check out their web site and social media accounts for yourself and maybe you'll learn more than I did.

"Not your typical romantic love story
A passion burning so bright, lit up the L.A. sky
With just a kiss we started a fire
Meaning everything
Try to keep it alive, stay together
But we were living a lie, it seems I lost my way
And now that fire has lost its flame
Taking everything

My sweet little bird has flown
Down to the west I'm coming home
Gotta bring you back to me tonight

On my way, to find the love that's gone away
Oh I miss those California, California Nights
Freaking out, 'cause you I just can't live without
Oh I miss those California, California Nights

Looking at the stars in the skyline
I wonder where you are, how long will this go on
Oh darling where did we go wrong
Losing everything and now

Can we pull together, holding on forever
I guess love is really just a test of time
Gotta bring you back to me tonight

On my way, to find the love that's gone away
Oh I miss those California, California Nights
Freaking out, 'cause you I just can't live without
Oh I miss those California, California Nights

Where the love would all shine bright, meaning everything

Oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh

On my way, to find the love that's gone away
Oh I miss those California, California

On my way, to find the love that's gone away
Oh I miss those California, California Nights
Freaking out, 'cause you I just can't live without
Oh I miss those California, California Nights

Where the love would all shine bright, meaning everything
Where the love would all shine bright, meaning everything
Where the love would all shine bright, meaning everything"

Logan English

Logan English was a folk singer, poet, and playwright from kentucky, active from 1956 to the 1970s. This song is from "The Days of '49: Songs of the Gold Rush" a Folkways recording released in 1957 that has several more California songs on it. This one is another version of a 19th century folk song about the California Gold Rush that is often sung as a sea shanty. Gold was first discovered on the American River, a tributary of the Sacramento River, but steamboats used the Sacramento River to sail to the area.

According to Ballad of America, Jesse Hutchinson Jr. composed the song "Ho! For California!" in 1849, using some of the melody to "Boatman's Dance" a minstrel song by Dan Emmett, and it became an unofficial anthem of the gold rush. Many versions of the song with different lyrics and titles have also been recorded, some of which can be found on this list. "The Banks of the Sacramento," "The Banks of Sacramento," "Banks of the Sacramento," "Sacramento," and "Ho! For California!" are some of the other titles. You can see the original lyrics under Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band.

"When formed our band, we are all well manned
To journey afar to the promised land
The golden ore is rich in store
On the banks of the Sacramento shore

Then, ho! Boys ho!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of gold so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

As off we roam o'er the dark sea foam
We'll never forget kind friends at home
But memory kind still brings to mind
The love of friends we left behind

Then, ho! Boys ho!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of gold so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

We expect our share of the coarsest fare
And sometimes sleep in the open air
On the cold damp ground we'll all sleep sound
Except when the wolves go howlin' around

Then, ho! Boys ho!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of gold so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

As we explore to the distant shore
Filling our pockets full of shining ore
How it will sound as the shout goes round
Filling our pockets with a dozen pounds

Then, ho! Boys ho!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of gold so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

The gold is there most anywhere
We dig it out rich with an iron bar
But where it is thick, with spade or pick
We take out chunks as big as a brick

Then, ho! Boys ho!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of gold so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Then, ho! Boys ho!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of gold so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento"

Mikel Erentxun

California Belongs to You

Mikel Erentxun is a Spanish musician of Basque heritage, born in Venezuela, active since 1978. This pop rock song is a single that was released in 2011.

"Despiértame en California
Despídeme de las sombras que hubo en ti
Tu alma gemela la encontrarás
Siempre a tu lado

Déjame entrar
De puntillas por ti
Hazme vivir
Cada verso que te di

Hay poco que perder, pero mucho que ganar
Nos queda tanto por vivir
Hay poco que perder, pero mucho que ganar
Nos queda tanto que decir
Vamos a hacer borrón y cuenta nueva

Recuérdame que no vuelva a recordar
Hazme olvidar si no puedo olvidar
Quiero que sepas que no lloverá
Sobre mojado nunca más

Hay poco que perder, pero mucho que ganar
Nos queda tanto por vivir
Hay poco que perder, pero mucho que ganar
Nos queda tanto que decir
Borrón y cuenta nueva, oh, ya verás

Hay poco que perder, pero mucho que ganar
Nos queda tanto por vivir
Hay poco que perder, pero mucho que ganar
Nos queda tanto que decir
Nos queda tanto por vivir
Despiértame en California junto a ti"

"Wake me up in California
Say goodbye to the shadows that were in you
You will find your soul mate
Always by your side

Let me in
Tiptoe for you
Make me live
Every verse that I gave you

There is little to lose, but much to gain
We have so much left to live
There is little to lose, but much to gain
We have so much left to say
Let's make a clean slate

Remind me not to remember again
Make me forget if I can't forget
I want you to know that it won't rain
On wet never again

There is little to lose, but much to gain
We have so much left to live
There is little to lose, but much to gain
We have so much left to say
Clean slate, oh, you'll see

There is little to lose, but much to gain
We have so much left to live
There is little to lose, but much to gain
We have so much left to say
We have so much left to live
Wake me up in California next to you"

Erin Rae

Erin Rae is the name of an indie folk band from Nashville, formerly known as Erin Rae & the Meanwhiles, led by singer Erin Rae McKaskle. It's a bit confusing. I'm filing them under "Erin" though I would file the former band name under Rae. This song is from their album "Lighten Up" released in 2022.

"Any mention of the coast
I think of you the most
Before shell or sea or sand
Before salty air or suntan

It was a year ago today
You were showing me the way
So I would not miss a thing
Where to eat or drink
Or play

But because I would not be true
Gotta find other things to do
California belongs to you
It belongs to you

Guess I did ask for a sign
But I did not expect to find
It in the shape of a long tall man
With that mirror
In his hand

What I saw I could not unsee
That the evil one is me
One bite or two or three
And then I run away again

And because I could not be true
Gotta find other things to do
California belongs to you
It belongs to you
No I never could be true
Gotta find other things to do
California belongs to you
It belongs to you"

Alejandro Escovedo

California Blues

Alejandro Escovedo is a musician, singer, and songwriter from Texas active since the late 1970s who has worked in a lot of genres including punk rock, chicano rock, and cowpunk. This is a rock blues cover of the 1928 Jimmy Rodgers song from Escovedo's album "Bourbonitis Blues", released in 1999.

Estelle (featuring Kanye West)

American Boy

Estelle is a British singer/songwriter/rapper and Kanye West is a rapper from Chicago. This was a hit disco-funk song from Estelle's 2008 album "Shine" that won a Grammy Award and charted at #1 in the UK and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

".....Take me on a trip, I'd like to go some day.
Take me to New York, I'd love to see L.A.
I really want to come kick it with you.
You'll be my American boy.

He said "Hey, Sister.
It's really, really nice to meet you."
I just met this 5 foot 7 guy who's just my type.
I like the way he's speaking, his confidence is peaking.
Don't like his baggy jeans but I'mma like what's underneath them.
And no I ain't been to MIA
I heard that Cali never rains and New York's heart awaits.
First let's see the west end.
I'll show you to my brethren.
I'm liking this American boy, American boy

Take me on a trip, I'd like to go some day
Take me to New York, I'd love to see L.A.
I really want to come kick it with you.
You'll be my American boy, American boy

Can we get away this weekend?
Take me to Broadway.
Let's go shopping, baby, then we'll go to a café.
Let's go on the subway.
Take me to your hood.
I never been to Brooklyn and I'd like to see what's good.
Dress in all your fancy clothes.
Sneakers looking fresh to death, I'm loving those Shell Toes.
Walking that walk.
Talk that slick talk.
I'm liking this American boy, American boy.

Take me on a trip, I'd like to go some day
Take me to New York, I'd love to see L.A.
I really want to come kick it with you.
You'll be my American boy
... ... ... ...
Take me on a trip, I'd like to go some day
Take me to Chicago, San Francisco Bay.
I really want to come kick it with you.
You'll be my American boy, American boy
You'll be my American boy.
Be my American boy!
American boy...."

Estrada & Holladay

California Blues

Estrada & Holladay are a mystery but since the video was filmed outside the Valley Indoor Swap Meet in Panorama City, I suspect they're from California. Estrada's page just calls him a "foo who makes music." Holladay's shows even less biographical information. This single released in December 2023 is drenched in so much reverb that the lyrics dissolve into a ghostly fog that will delight fans of shoegaze but leave others wondering if they should get their hearing checked. Fortunately the words are transcribed on Estrada's YouTube page, which calls the song "a song for the foogazers. by foos for foos."

"foo's like me
just wanna smoke their weed
hit the streets
feel free of all those strings, no
'where you from?'
you look familiar
got my lover by my side
in the deadliest winters
eye's behind
gripping tight

california blues
california blues

I never feel like I belong here
broken glass on the floor is near
I think about you every time I'm scared
when I'm with you nothing else matters

I only know what's right to me
trailing thoughts that never go away
I only know what's right to me
I''ll die for you
I'll never go away

foo's like me
just wanna smoke their weed
hit the streets
feel free of all those strings, no
'where you from?'
you look familiar
got my lover by my side
in the deadliest winters
eye's behind
gripping it tight

california blues

(I got those cali blues baby)

california blues

for a second
just to breathe
we’ll take it to the end off the road
into the other side

I ask for your protection

Mis ojos solo abren en tus sueños
En esta vida dicen que no hay estrellas luminosas y lunas blancas
Pero Nunca te dejara sin la guía de amor

california blues
california blues

If I don't make it home
I'll swallow all those tears
It'll always be us against the world"

Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Etheridge is a singer-songwriter from Kansas active since 1985. This is from her 2007 album "The Awakening."

"Raised up on mid-western dreams
Only a few shall get
What everyone shall need
I took my family's burden
Strapped it to my chest
A few hundred bucks,
And a kiss for luck
And I pointed my dreams west

To California
Come rescue me
California
I am almost free

I kept on driving to the setting sun
Galaxies of angels
Welcome everyone
I took my heart out of its box
Attached it to my sleeve
Well, I will be here every night
Because that's what I believe

In California
Come rescue me
California
I am almost free

I will find my love
I will know my peace
I will seek my truth
I am almost free
I am almost free..."

Melissa Etheridge

Miss California

This is from her 2010 album, "Fearless Love." Since Etheridge has been openly gay since the early 1990's, I'd guess that one of the propositions that makes the singer feel so cold is proposition 8, the 2008 ballot proposition that outlawed same sex marriage. It was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013, so maybe she's made up with Miss California now.

"Miss California what did I do wrong ?
It seems I've loved you
For just a little too long
You've gone and left me
For some preacher's way
Now you act like you never knew me
And you can't hear a word I say

Miss California did I get in your way?
Did the neighbors warn you
What would happen some day?
Like a love like mine
Was never good anyway
They said think about your reputation now
Before you get carried away

Don't you know what's good for me can be good for you?
Don't you know what's good for me can be good for you ?
Don't you know what is good for you
Can be good for me too?
Don't you know what's good for me can be good for you?

Miss California was I a little too proud?
I'm standing in the street now
And I'm screaming out loud
You try to shove me in your closet
With your skulls and your bones
I can be who I am you see
If I want to do it all alone

Yeah yeah yeah

Don't you know what's good for me can be good for you ?
Don't you know what is good for you
Can be good for me too ?
Don't you know what's good for me can be good for you ?

Your sweet seduction led me far from home
Your self-destruction gives me sticks and stones
Your propositions make me feel so cold
When the hand that's trying to hold me down
Is the one I'm trying to hold
I know the hand that's trying to hold me down
Is the one I'm trying to hold
I said the hand that's trying to force me back
Is the one that won't let me go

Miss California
Yeah yeah yeah
Miss California
Yeah yeah yeah ... "

Eric Ethridge

The Last Days of Oakland (Intro)

Eric Ethridge is a country pop singer-songwriter from Canada, active since 2014. This song from his album "Eric Ethridge" released in 2018, is a cover of the hit pop song by the band Wave. He put a banjo on it, added some country guitar solos, and made it a better song to my ears.

Evangelia

California Lullaby

Evangelia is a Greek-American singer-songwriter from Crete and New Jersey, active since 2020. This upbeat pop song was released in 2024. You don't need to clean out your ears, the parts we can't understand are a couple of phrases she sings in Greek, for which I have added translations below because I'm fluent in Google Translate.

"(California lullaby)

You're not from where I'm from
And you don't speak my language
se latrevo [I adore you] my love
Don't need words to feel magic

Some might say we're too young
I say sometimes it happens
Star-crossed lovers are wrong
It don't have to be tragic

Would you follow, follow me wherever
I go, maybe for forever
s' agapo [I love you], I love you for life

Let's run away to California
Can't get lost, I got your eyes
I know there's something better for us
Underneath the desert skies

Let's run away to California
I know a place where we can hide
Somewhere no one's gonna find us
California lullaby, California lullaby

Meet me under the stars
We can draw constellations
Drive the coast in our car
Talking manifestation

Would you follow, follow me wherever
I go, maybe for forever
s' agapo [I love you], I love you for life

Let's run away to California
Can't get lost, I got your eyes
I know there's something better for us
Underneath the desert skies

Let's run away to California
I know a place where we can hide
Somewhere no one's gonna find us
California lullaby, California lullaby

Let's run away to California
Can't get lost, I got your eyes
I know there's something better for us
California lullaby, California lullaby"

Nathan Evans

The Banks of Sacramento

Nathan Evans is a Scottish singer active since 2020 when he started posting videos of himself singing sea shanties, leading to his #1 UK and worldwide hit "Wellerman." This is from the album "Wellerman - The Album " relelased in 2022. This is a version of a 19th century folk song about the California Gold Rush that is often sung as a sea shanty. Gold was first discovered on the American River, a tributary of the Sacramento River, but steamboats used the Sacramento River to sail to the area.

According to Ballad of America, Jesse Hutchinson Jr. composed the song "Ho! For California!" in 1849, using some of the melody to "Boatman's Dance" a minstrel song by Dan Emmett, and it became an unofficial anthem of the gold rush. Many versions of the song with different lyrics and titles have also been recorded, some of which can be found on this list. "The Banks of the Sacramento," "The Banks of Sacramento," "Banks of the Sacramento," "Sacramento," and "Ho! For California!" are some of the other titles. You can see the original lyrics under Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band.

This version changes the words from "the banks of the Sacramento" to "the banks of Sacramento," which changes the entire meaning of the song for me. The banks of the Sacramento are where prospectors went to find gold. The banks of Sacramento are where prospectors went to rob other people's gold when they couldn't find any for themselves.

"Sing and heave and heave and sing
To my hoodah, to my hoodah
Heave and make the hand-spikes spring
To my hoodah, hoodah-ho

It's blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
For there's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of Sacramento

Limehouse Docks to Sydney Heads
To my hoodah, to my hoodah
Was never more than seventy days
To my hoodah, hoodah-ho

It's blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
For there's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of Sacramento

Around Cape Horn in the month of May
To my hoodah, to my hoodah
Around Cape Horn is a very long way
To my hoodah, hoodah-ho

It's blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
For there's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of Sacramento

We're the bullies for to kick her through
To my hoodah, to my hoodah
Roll down the hill with a hullabaloo
To my hoodah, hoodah-ho

It's blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
For there's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of Sacramento

Round the Horn an' up the Line
To my hoodah, to my hoodah
We're the bullies for to make her shine
To my hoodah, hoodah-ho

It's blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
For there's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of Sacramento"

Gene Evaro Jr

California Is Burning

Gene Evaro Jr is a musician/producer from Joshua Tree, CA. According to Soundcloud his music "...is a mixture of soul, folk, electronic and funk. ... Watching Gene Evaro Jr and his band feels like you are experiencing some grand force of nature spiritually, like making love in a hurricane or testifying to the heavens in a meteor shower." I can't confirm that since I haven't checked either of those things off my bucket list yet, but it is a pretty good song. It's from the album "Too Good to Believe" released in 2016. It's sad but true that California's fires have been so large lately that they are visible from space.

I can't find the lyrics online so beware that I can't understand all the words and there might even be some good mondegreens here. There's a bathroom on the right ...

"Where we ... we do not move
But trouble in your heart it leads to trouble in your soul
Fix a broken string on that guitar
Oh let it take you far

I been losin' my mind for days
I couldn't tell if you were the one that I was ... enough ... just the day
I let it go, I let it go and then I knew that California is burning down

So let it burn
You can see it from space
Let it burn
This is not their place

Wonder where you got that funky coat
Let your sun shine down on those troubled souls
Love is playin' that drum until the people roll
And ah you make 'em lose control

We been waitin' for the night to come, see
See we take our clothes off
We're waitin' for our lovers to lay us down but
But then we hear it
We're troubled love but then we hear that California is burning down

So let it burn
You can see it from space
Let it burn
This is not their place
Loving soul should be on their way
Continue all the way down that hall

La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la

Light it up for this moment in time
I didn't know what they were talkin' about
I just stood ... down and I ...
I could hear you laughin' in the ground
I wanted you here
I didn't learn but then I hear that
California is burning down

Let it burn
You can see it from space
Let it burn
This is not their place
Loving soul should be on their way
Continue all the way
Down that hall"

Eve 6

Inside Out

Eve 6 is a pop punk band formed in Southern California in 1995. The singer mentions So Cal in the lyrics to this song that was a big hit song for the band and has become a '90s pop punk classic. It's from the band's debut album "Eve 6" released in 1998.

"I would swallow my pride, I would choke on the rinds
But the lack thereof would leave me empty inside
Swallow my doubt turn it inside out
Find nothin' but faith in nothin'
Want to put my tender, heart in a blender
Watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion
Rendezvous then I'm through with you

I burn, burn like a wicker cabinet, chalk white and oh so frail
I see our time has gotten stale
The tick tock of the clock is painful
All sane and logical, I want to tear it off the wall
I hear words and clips and phrases
I think sick like ginger ale
My stomach turns and I exhale

I would swallow my pride, I would choke on the rinds
But the lack thereof would leave me empty inside
I would swallow my doubt turn it inside out
Find nothin' but faith in nothin'
Want to put my tender, heart in a blender
Watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion
Rendezvous then I'm through with you

So Cal is where my mind states
But it's not my state of mind
I'm not as ugly, sad as you
Or am I origami, folded up and just pretend
Demented as the motives in your head

I would swallow my pride, I would choke on the rinds
But the lack thereof would leave me empty inside
I would swallow my doubt turn it inside out
Find nothin' but faith in nothin'
Want to put my tender, heart in a blender
Watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion
Rendezvous then I'm through with you
(Rendezvous)

I alone am the one you don't know
You need take heed, feed your ego
Make me blind when your eyes close
Sink when you get close, tie me to the bedpost
I alone am the one you don't know
You need, you don't know you need me
Make me blind when your eyes close
Tie me to the bed post...."

Everclear

Like a California King

Everclear is a rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1991. Lead singer Art Alexakis grew up in L.A. This song's from the album "So Much for the Afterglow" released in 1997. It's not about a California King bed or a California Kingsnake, it's just more of the same intense brooding rock that made this album the band's most commercially successful.

"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"

Everclear

Santa Ana Wind

This is from the album "Invisible Stars" released in 2012.

"I feel safe inside the violence
Like I feel safe inside a rollercoaster car
I feel safe in the hills up above it all
Sometimes in the middle of the night
I can almost see the stars

Living in L.A. makes me think of you
I think about the good times doing
All the bad things that we used to do

I walk the streets at night
To remember why I feel so bad
I walk the streets at night
It helps sometimes to remember why

Living in L.A.
Feels like home in a brand new way
I am like everyone I meet
I have a ghost in my eyes
That will never go away

I walk the streets at night
To understand why I feel so bad
I walk the streets at night
To understand why I am the way I am

We come from the sun
We're lost out in the cold
We run from the light
It's the only way we know
I wanna find a better sun
I wanna find a better world
I wanna find a better heart
So I can find me a better girl
I wanna find a place to live inside
All the violence and the rage
Of the Santa Ana wind
On a sunny day

Living in L.A.
Is the west coast without your head in the sand
Can't explain this place
If you're not from here you will never understand...."

Everclear

Santa Monica

This is from Everclear's 1995 album "Sparkle and Fade."
Technically the song doesn't mention a specific place in California except in the title, but when you consider that as a teenager Art Alexakis the writer/singer of this song, filled his pockets with heavy stuff then jumped off the Santa Monica Pier to kill himself, it's a pretty good guess that imagery of death and the ocean refer to the beach at Santa Monica.

"I am still living with your ghost
Lonely and dreaming of the west coast
I don't want to be your downtime
I don't want to be your stupid game

With my big black boots and an old suitcase
I do believe I'll find myself a new place
I don't want to be the bad guy
I don't want do your sleepwalk dance anymore
I just want to see some palm trees
I will try and shake away this disease

We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
Watch the world die

We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
Watch the world die

I am still dreaming of your face
Hungry and hollow for all the things you took away
I don't want to be your good time
I don't want to be your fall-back crutch anymore

I'll walk right out into a brand new day
Insane and rising in my own weird way
I don't want to be the bad guy
I don't want to do your sleepwalk dance anymore

I just want to feel some sunshine
I just want to find some place to be alone

We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
Watch the world die

We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
Watch the world die...."

Skip Ewing

Road To California

Skip Ewing is a country music singer-songwriter from Redlands, California, active since 1988. This song was released in 2024. I didn't know where Driggs was, so I looked it up. It's in Idaho, which is a long way to hitchhike, and sure enough there is a Phillips 66 station there. I like a road song that is geographically accurate.

"What a way to start a conversation
Raise my thumb and trust the universe
We shared 600 miles of transformation
On the road to California

She had an edge to her like medication
Could have been a blessing for the curse
I brought the subject up with hesitation
On the road to California

What do you want, what do you need?
All our mistakes are on repeat
What don’t you need, what don’t you want?
She left me at the restaurant

I bummed a ride as far as Driggs
Stopped at a Phillips 66
What are the odds, but there we were
Stood by the car and looked at her

What an awkward pause in conversation
But she unlocked her doors and let me in
We blossomed into subtle inspiration
On the road to California

To break the chains, we break the rules
We break our own hearts, loving fools
We start anew to leave the past
We choose the the ones we know won’t last

We made it 97 nights. I counted
98 she drove away again
I spent the whole trip kicking me about it
On the road to
Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma"

The Explorers Club

California's Callin' Ya

The Explorers Club is a pop band originally from South Carolina, active since 2005. This song is from their album "Together" released in 2016, and if it feels like a Beach Boys song, that's because it features members of Brian Wilson's band.

"How's your day been?
Are you driving?
Wish we could ride together
Called you up cause you're hiding
There's no reason you should be

Cause the sun don't care
He'll be watching you anywhere
Yeah, it's dumb to compare
California's calling for ya
(Calling, calling, calling ya)

Come to me when you're ready
When it's so cold outside
Catch a ride on La Brea
Find me in a paradise

Cause the sun don't care
He'll be watching you anywhere
Yeah, it's dumb to compare
California's calling for ya

The night, it gets so quiet
Why don't you try it?

Cause the sun don't care
He'll be watching you anywhere
Yeah, it's dumb to compare
California's calling for ya

Cause the sun don't care
He'll be watching you anywhere
Yeah, it's dumb to compare
California's calling for ya
(Calling, calling, calling ya)"

The Explosion

Hollywood Sign

The Explosion is a punk band from Boston. This song is from their album "Black Tape" released in 2004.

"Sell the Hollywood Sign
All the things that we'll get
We'll still sing out favorite songs
Sink right into the cement

Sell the Hollywood Sign
Fifty feet from the ground
We'll still steal the souvenirs
Throw away get bored of them

What are we getting out of this?
What are we getting out of this?
What are we getting out of this?

Watch yourself die on film
Couldn't come up with an end
The actor's head is in his hands
The one that couln't get a grasp

Sell the Hollywood Sign
Sell the whole f**king world
We won't forget what it's worth
Stare out on an empty hill

What are we getting out of this?...."

Eyedress

Occasional Stoner

Eyedress is Idris Ennolandy Vicuña, a musician from the Phillippines where he began his music career in 2008 before moving to California. This song was released in November, 2024 and will be on an album to be released in 2025.

"She's an occasional stoner
There's still a lot I don't know about her
She only smokes when she's having a tough time
She's an occasional stoner
There's still a lot I don't know about her
She only smokes when she's having a tough time

We can talk about your feelings
Say what's on your mind
It's okay to cry
'Cuz I'm here by your side
Why you staring at the ceiling
I can't read your mind
Just tell me what's goin' on
'Cuz I hate when I see you cry

She's an occasional stoner (Occasional stoner)
There's still a lot I don't know about her (I don't know about her)
She only smokes when she's having a tough time
She's an occasional stoner (Occasional stoner)
There's still a lot I don't know about her (I don't know about her)
She only smokes when she's having a tough time

Let's start a family and build a home for three
We'll live in California smokin' legal weed
Soak up the sun, forget about your worries
Don't need a prenup, baby, let's just get married

She's an occasional stoner (Occasional stoner)
There's still a lot I don't know about her (I don't know about her)
She only smokes when she's having a tough time
She's an occasional stoner (Occasional stoner)
There's still a lot I don't know about her (I don't know about her)
She only smokes when she's having a tough time"

EZI

Dear California

EZI and Esther Zynn, are stage names of Esther Zyskind, a singer-songwriter and actress born in New York state. This song was released in late 2024. If I had to give it a genre, it would be Indie Pop. I hope they didn't have to do too many takes of the video, because she looks awfully cold in the water without much clothing. She has another video wearing the same outfit but instead of water, she's curled up in a large trunk or suitcase.

"Always collecting stories and saving notes
You close my eyes and I feel everything I want to know
Sometimes you're so supportive, you hold me close
Sometimes you break your promises, when I need you the most
But I love oceans, models, giving up self control
Tripping on broken bottles, gunning to sell my soul

Dear California
Its been hard I’ve been alone
But now and then you feel like home
Oh California
I’ve already come so far
I beg you please don’t break my heart
Dear California

Somebody called the cops, on my way back home
You're burning up, but tonight feels cold
So pour me up, honey just fill my cup
Never been so sure, I'm sincerely yours

'Cause I love oceans, models, summer and rock and roll
Tripping on broken bottles, gunning to sell my soul

Dear California
Its been hard I’ve been alone
But now and then you feel like home
Oh California
I’ve already come so far
I beg you please don’t break my heart
Dear California

You make me feel some type of way
But I don't take you for granted
And I promised when I came
I would be the last one standing

Up above the ground, I'm looking down, I always stick the landing
I don't care how long it takes
When I'm with you it's like magic

Dear California
Its been hard I’ve been alone
But now and then you feel like home
Oh California
I’ve already come so far
I beg you please don’t break my heart
Dear California
Dear California"

Percy Faith

Fight For California

Percy Faith was a very successful Canadian-American bandleader, composer and conductor who helped to popularize the easy listening format, releasing 90 albums, with 21 reaching the Billboard best-selling albums charts. His "Theme from A Summer Place" won the record of the year Grammy in 1961.

This song is from the album "Touchdown!" a collection of college fight songs (team anthems) released in 1958. It's the official fight song of the California Golden Bears of the University of California, Berkeley, referred to in athletic competition as California or Cal, and using the colors blue and gold.

According to Wickipedia the melody is from the "Lights Out March" written by Earl Elleson McCoy in 1906 and the lyrics were written by Robert N. Fitch of the class of 1909. There's an extra verse of lyrics that they don't sing in this version. The march is typically played by the Cal marching band at sporting events, especially after the team scores.

You can also listen to a more typical marching band version of the song, without lyrics, performed by the
University of California Marching Band

"Our sturdy Golden Bear is watching from the sky
Looks down upon our colors fair
And guards us from his lair
Our banner Gold and Blue
The symbol on it too
Means Fight! for California
For California through and through.

Stalwart girded for the fray
Will strive for victory
Their all at Mater's feet
That brain and brawn will win the day
Our mighty sons and true
Will strive for us anew
And Fight! for California
For California through and through"

Serena Faith

California Again

Serena Faith is a singer-songwriter based in Chico, California, where it doesn't get that cold in the winter so I'd guess that she wrote this folky acoustic guitar song when she was somewhere else. It's from "House of Cards" released in 2023.

"Can you make the sun shine
Or take me to California again
It could all be mine
But I've still got winter in my head
No the storm hasn't ceased yet
But I wanted the season
Carry me out to sea
'Cause the sound of your voice is like summer to me

Oh oh, ooo, ooo...

Oh I finally feel like I'm aging
Forgetting who I used to be
But what's the point of moving on
If I don't learn a thing
We could sit up on the windshield
But I'm always takin' the train
Oh it's been so long since I wrote a song
I just felt stuck in the rain

Oh oh, ooo, ooo...

Can you make the sun shine
Or ake me to California again
It could all be mine
But I've still got winter in my head
No the storm hasn't ceased yet
But I wanted the season
Carry me out to sea
'Cause the sound of your voice is like summer to me

Oh oh, ooo, ooo...

Longing to feel the sand on my fingers again
Longing to climb a mountain look out at the ocean
I want to sit with you by the fire 'till 3 AM
It won't be long 'till we're back where we were back then

Can you make the sun shine
Or take me to California again
It could all be mine
But I've still got winter in my head
No the storm hasn't ceased yet
But I wanted the season
Carry me out to sea
'Cause the sound of your voice is like summer to me

Can you make the sun shine
Or take me to California again
It could all be mine
But I've still got winter in my head
No the storm hasn't ceased yet
But I wanted the season
Carry me out to sea
'Cause the sound of your voice is like summer to me

Oh oh oh oh
Summer to me
Oh oh oh oh
Take me to California again
Take me to California again
Take me to California again
Take me to California again"

The Fall

L.A.

The Fall were a post-punk band from England formed in 1976. This great, hard driving, minimal song is from the album "This Nation's Saving Grace" released in 1985.

"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"

Fall Out Boy

We Didn't Start the Fire

Fall Out Boy is a rock band formed in a suburb of Chicago in 2001. This song is a single released in 2023. It's a cover of the 1989 Billie Joel song but with new lyrics that update the historical references a few decades that of course mention the Cubs, but they also include some California people and events: the 1992 Rodney King Riots, the catching of the Golden State serial killer, Joseph James DeAngelo who was finally arrested in 2018, and Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback.

"Captain Planet, Arab Spring, L.A. riots, Rodney King
Deep fakes, earthquakes, Iceland volcano
Oklahoma City bomb, Kurt Cobain, Pokémon
Tiger Woods, MySpace, Monsanto, GMOs

Harry Potter, Twilight, Michael Jackson dies
Nuclear accident, Fukushima, Japan
Crimean Peninsula, Cambridge Analytica
Kim Jong Un, Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we're trying to fight it

More war in Afghanistan, Cubs go all the way again
Obama, Spielberg, explosion, Lebanon
Unabomber, Bobbitt, John, bombing Boston Marathon
Balloon Boy, War on Terror, QAnon

Trump gets impeached twice, Polar bears got no ice
Fyre Fest, Black Parade, Michael Phelps, Y2K
Boris Johnson, Brexit, Kanye West and Taylor Swift
Stranger Things, Tiger King, Ever Given, Suez
We didn't start the fire

It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we're trying to fight it

Sandy Hook, Columbine, Sandra Bland and Tamir Rice
ISIS, LeBron James, Shinzo Abe blown away
Meghan Markle, George Floyd, Burj Khalifa, Metroid
Fermi paradox, Venus and Serena

Oh-oh-oh, Michael Jordan, 23, YouTube killed MTV
SpongeBob, Golden State Killer got caught
Michael Jordan, 45, Woodstock '99
Keaton, Batman, Bush v. Gore, I can't take it anymore

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we're trying to fight it

Elon Musk, Kaepernick, Texas failed electric grid
Jeff Bezos, climate change, white rhino goes extinct
Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Tom DeLonge and aliens
Mars rover, Avatar, self-driving electric cars
SSRI's, Prince and The Queen die
World trade, second plane, what else do I have to say?

We didn't start the fire (we didn't start it)
It was always burning since the world's been turning (oh)
We didn't start the fire (we didn't start it)
But when we are gone, it will still go on (oh-yeah)

And on, and on, and on, an on
And on, and on, and on
We didn't start the fire (fire)
It was always burning since the world's been turning"

Family Jools

California Sunshine

Family Jools is a rock band from Bristol, England. This song feels like it was made in the '70s but it was released in 2021.

"You're my California sunshine
Looking for that good time
Where did I go wrong?

You gotta let it go
Open the door
You gotta let it go
I don't take it wrong
I don't take it wrong
We gotta let it go
Open it up
In time we'll give it up
If I've had enough
You gotta let me know
Am I getting it wrong?

'Cause everybody knows
We're going to touch the sky
I keep working on today
And we've got to make it

You're my California sunshine
Looking for that good time
Where did I go wrong?

You gotta let it go
Gotta open the show
We're looking for a sign
And we're ready to go
You've gotta let me know
Am I doing it wrong?
We gotta get it on
We've been waiting to long
We can jump to find a risk
Any time that we want
We gotta get it on
Am I saying it wrong?

'Cause everybody knows
We're going to touch the sky
I keep working on today
And we've got to make it

You're my California sunshine
Looking for that good time
Where did I go wrong?
You're my California sunshine
Got to have a good time
Where did I go wrong?

You know I
Support you
You'll never be alone
And I know you're
Good for me
I'm feeling like a ghost
All the time

You're my California sunshine
Looking for that good time
Where did I go wrong?
Yeah, you're my California sunshine
Looking for that good time
Where did I go wrong?"

Fantastic Negrito

Fantastic Negrito is Xavier Dphrepaulezz, an R&B, blues, and roots singer-songwriter out of Oakland active since 1996. This is only a short intro piece from the album of the same name which was released in 2016 but the whole album is worth a listen. It was even awarded a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

“The Last Days of Oakland
(The Black Panthers)
It's the end of something
(Crack cocaine)
And the beginning of something
(Hells Angels)
The Last Days of Oakland
(East Bay Dragons)
Ah, there's good in the old Oakland
(Free speech)
there's good in the new Oakland
(I love the new Oakland. New nice places.)
Let's make a sandwich
(It’s so expensive)
Let's make a new baby
(Just to survive?)
The seeds were planted long ago
Let's watch the tree grow.”

Fantastic Negrito (featuring Miko Marks)

Rolling Through California

Fantastic Negrito is Xavier Dphrepaulezz, an R&B, blues, and roots singer-songwriter out of Oakland active since 1996. Miko Marks is a country singer from Michigan based in San Francisco, active since 2005. This song was released in 2021 after being inspired by the blood red sun, orange sky and terrible air quality all caused by smoke from wildfires that seemed to be burning the entire west coast.

"California Dreams
(California Dreams)
Ain't what it used to be

I be rolling through California
Every time I'm rolling through California
I've got so much on my mind

Oh, Better pack your bags
Better get out fast
Running from the California smoke and ash
Everything is gone in a wink of an eye
Blood shot sun on an orange sky

Oh, can you hear the sound?
It's burning to the ground
I can hear the sound

If I be rolling through California
I've got so much on my mind, on my mind
When I be rolling through California
I've got so much on my mind

Oh, everything is charred property and cars
They tried to get away but they didn't get far
The air quality is looking bad
And everybody outside is wearing a mask

Listen
Can you hear the sound?
It's burning to the ground?
But I can hear the sound

When I be rolling through California
I've got so much on my mind
(So much on my mind)
When I be rolling through California
I've got so much on my mind
(Every time I'm rolling)

Five years ago today
It never was this way
We used to laugh and point at Arizona
While they played with their guns
We laid out in the sun
Oh, how heavenly our paradise was

Oh, Can you hear the sound?
It's burning to the ground
I can hear the sound
When I be rolling

California
The Golden State

Oh, can you hear the sound?
It's burning to the ground
I can hear the sounds

When I be rolling through California
I've got so much on my mind
Every time that I be rolling through California
I've got so much (so much) on my mind
When I be rolling through California"

Myléne Farmer

Mylene Farmer is the professional name of Mylene Gautier, a Canadian-born French singer-songwriter-actress, etc., active since 1984. She's one of the most successful French recording artists, with the most number one hit singles on the French charts. This song, considered one of her signature songs, is from her album "Anamorphosé," recorded in Los Angeles and released in 1995. There's a good Wickipedia page about the song and its expensive video that was filmed in Hollywood in which she plays both a prostitute and a rich woman who sees herself hustling on the boulevard.

"Aéroport, aérogare
Mais pour tout l'or m'en aller
C'est le blues, le coup de cafard
Le check-out assuré
Vienne la nuit et sonne l'heure
Et moi je meurs
Entre apathie et pesanteur
Où je demeure

Changer d'optique, prendre l'exit
Et m'envoyer en Amérique
Sex appeal, c'est Sunset
C'est Marlboro qui me sourit
Mon amour, mon moi
Je sais qu'il existe
La chaleur de l'abandon
C'est comme une symphonie

C'est sexy le ciel de Californie
Sous ma peau j'ai L.A. en overdose
So sexy le spleen d'un road movie
Dans le rétro ma vie qui s'anamorphose

J'ai plus d'I.D, mais bien l'idée de me payer
le freeway
C'est l'osmose, on the road
De l'asphalte sous les pieds
Vienne la nuit, c'est le jet lag
Qui me décale
L.A.P.D me donne un blame
C'est pas le drame

Se faire un trip, s'offrir un strip
Sous le soleil en plein midi
Six a.m, je suis offset
Je suis l'ice dans l'eau, je suis mélo, dis
Mon amour, mon Wesson, mon artifice
La chaleur du canon
C'est comme une symphonie

C'est sexy le ciel de Californie
Sous ma peau j'ai L.A. en overdose
So sexy le spleen d'un road movie
Dans le rétro ma vie qui s'anamorphose

C'est sexy le ciel de Californie
Sous ma peau j'ai L.A. en overdose
So sexy le spleen d'un road movie
Dans le rétro ma vie qui s'anamorphose

C'est sexy le ciel de Californie
Sous ma peau j'ai L.A. en overdose
So sexy le spleen d'un road movie
Dans le rétro ma vie qui s'anamorphose

C'est sex'
So sex'

C'est sexy le ciel de Californie
Sous ma peau j'ai L.A. en overdose
So sexy le spleen d'un road movie
Dans le rétro ma vie qui s'anamorphose"

"Airport, air terminal
But for all the gold I go away
It's the blues, the blues
Guaranteed check-out
Come the night and strike the hour
And I am dying
Between apathy and heaviness
Where i stay

Change perspective, take the exit
And send me to America
Sex appeal is Sunset
It's Marlboro smiling at me
My love, my me
I know there is
The heat of abandonment
It's like a symphony

California skies are sexy
Under my skin I have L.A. in overdose
So sexy the spleen of a road movie
In the retro my life which anamorphoses

I have no more I.D, but the idea of paying me
the freeway
It's osmosis, on the road
Asphalt underfoot
Come at night, it's jet lag
Who distracts me
L.A.P.D give me a reprimand
It's not the drama

Go on a trip, treat yourself to a strip
Under the midday sun
Six a.m., I'm offset
I'm ice in the water, I'm melodic, say
My love, my Wesson, my artifice
The heat of the barrel
It's like a symphony

California skies are sexy
Under my skin I have L.A. in overdose
So sexy the spleen of a road movie
In the retro my life which anamorphoses

California skies are sexy
Under my skin I have L.A. in overdose
So sexy the spleen of a road movie
In the retro my life which anamorphoses

California skies are sexy
Under my skin I have L.A. in overdose
So sexy the spleen of a road movie
In the retro my life which anamorphoses

It's hot
So hot

California skies are sexy
Under my skin I have L.A. in overdose
So sexy the spleen of a road movie
In the retro my life which anamorphoses"

Jay Farrar

Jay Farrar is a singer-songwriter from Illinois, active since 1984 and a former member of two acclaimed Alt-Country groups - Uncle Tupelo and Sun Volt. He went solo in 2001. This is from his album "Terroir Blues" released in 2003.

"Walked the sidewalks of San Francisco
Spent the night in a town called Weed
Soaked up the sun on Mission Street
Filled up the day in Chinatown

It's been said before, but it's worth saying
No one could dream a place like California.
It's written before but it's worth repeating
No one could dream a place like California

Walking along downtown L.A. streets
Sidewalk homes of makeshift shanties
Recall the sight of the old growth standing
Thinking of a dark Encinitas morning

It's been said before but it's worth saying
No one could dream a place like California
It's been written before but it's worth repeating
No one could dream a place like California

Conjunto station, stranded on the freeway
The road sign, schoolbus, cultural landscape
Making way through mountains and desert
Eastbound daybreak carrying it all back home

It's been said before but it's worth saying
No one could dream a place like California
It's been written before but it's worth repeating
No one could dream a place like California"

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"

Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard

California Zephyr

This is another song from the 2009 album "One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Keroac's Big Sur" with lyrics based on Keroac's 1962 novel "Big Sur." According to Amtrak's web site, the California Zephyr is a train that runs between Chicago and Emeryville that started the route in 1949. Amtrack says it runs from Chicago to San Francisco, so I'll bet some passengers are probably surprised to find out that Emeryville is way over on the other side of the bay from S.F. and the last leg of the trip is on a bus. I don't know why these lyrics say that it starts in New York. I don't think it ever did.

Jay Farrar also released another version of the song with his band Son Volt on their album "From the Vaults, Vol. 1: Demo Recordings" released in 2021. I don't know which one came first.

Hank Williams also wrote a song about the train in 1951, but it has no connection with this one.

"Up the Hudson Valley across New York State
To Chicago, then the Plains
All so easy and dreamlike
Crashing the Salt Flat daybreak
I hear 'I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen'
Sad and fog winds out there that blow
Across the rooftops of eerie old hangover San Francisco

Now I'm transcontinental, 3000 miles from my home
I'm on the California Zephyr watching America roll by
Now I'm transcontinental, 3000 miles from my home
I'm on the California Zephyr watching America roll by

I've hit the end of the trail, can't even drag my body
I've been driven mad for three years
Too much fame keeps a body busy
And the mind full of white port tears
Terrified by that sad song across rooftops
Mingled with the lachrymose cries
Of the Salvation Army meeting on the corner
Saying, 'Satan is the cause of it all'

Now I'm transcontinental, 3000 miles from my home
I'm on the California Zephyr watching America roll by
Now I'm transcontinental, 3000 miles from my home
I'm on the California Zephyr watching America roll by"

Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard

And another song from the 2009 album "One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Keroac's Big Sur" with lyrics based on Keroac's 1962 novel "Big Sur."

"The church is blowing a sad windblown “Kathleen”
On the bells of the skid row slums
I wake up goopy and woebegone
At the Mars Hotel on 4th and Howard
Do you remember dancing girls in St. Louis

Stan Getz on the hi-fi under midnight kitchen bulbs
We all agree it’s too big to keep up with
That we’re surrounded by life – that we’ll
Never understand it
The great magical city of the Gandharvas
Of San Francisco"

Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Jim James

Do Re Mi

This is from the album "New Multitudes" a Woody Guthrie tribute album released in 2012.
See Woody Guthri e below for the lyrics.

Jared Farrell

California Smile

Jared Farrell is a singer-songwriter from Virginia Beach, VA. This electronic-based pop song was released in 2022.

"I met you on a Sunday
Fell in love on the Monday
Called you up on a Tuesday
Saying 'Hey you, what you wanna do babe?'
We can both go get a little wine
Get drunk, go up see the Hollywood sign
Take a walk on the boulevard late at night
Wake up with the sun shining in our eyes, well

I don’t know what to say
I don’t know what to do
Somethings coming over me
And it’s all because of you

Love that California smile
Every time that I see it
Girl you know it drives me wild
You got me feeling like there’s nothing here but good vibes, ocean views and sunshine
Girl you know it’s drives me wild
That California smile

How you make it look so easy
With your crop top Lulu’s and Yeezy’s
Walk by and they all start freezing
In a Hot Girl Summer you a Phoenix

I don’t even mind this traffic, boo
Cause I feel I could spend my life with you
Take a vacay down in Malibu
With an umbrella in your blue lagoon yeah

Now I know what to say
Now I know what to do
On my knee would you take this ring cause you know there’s only you

Love that California smile
Every time that I see it
Girl you know it drives me wild
You got me feeling like there’s nothing here but good vibes, ocean views and sunshine
Girl you know it’s drives me wild
That California smile

Well I gotta let you know
That the storms may come
It’s ain’t always green hills
And these golden glows
And I gotta let you know
That the curtains may close
But I’ll be here still holding you close

Love that California smile
Every time that I see it
Girl you know it drives me wild
You got me feeling like there’s nothing here but good vibes, ocean views and sunshine
Girl you know it’s drives me wild
That California smile
Love that California smile
Love that California smile
That California smile
Love that California smile
That California smile
Love that California smile"

Fashawn

Hollywood Forever Cemetary Sings

Fashawn is Santiago Leyva, a hip-hop artist from Fresno, active since 2006. This song is a single released in 2016.

"Now I've been in New York, Texas, Midwest
And it all reminds me of California
'cause there's no place like California
California ay
ATL, MIA, DMV all reminds me of California
'cause there's no place like California
California ay
(I've been in New York, Texas, Midwest)
(And it all reminds me of California)
('cause there's no place like California )
(California ay ay)
Uh uh uh

I got some weed out in Dallas
Now I'm smelling like L.A.
Met a b**ch from Miami
F***ed her the Makaveli
Left the kids on her belly
Left the vid on my celly
She ate the d**k like spaghetti
I'm hittin' gas like Andretti
Met some killers in Memphis
Smoke like they from Oakland
Give me my flowers while I can smell em'
Ain't talkin' 'bout roses
Lit and really I'm lean
Mix it like a Mimosa
Bought it in Nashville
Then I woke up in Tulsa
Oklahoma, It's sunny as California
But nothin' like Compton
It's more like Calistoga
And it's hot as Arizona
I pop me a Corona
Fresno n***a heart cold as Minnesota in October
Don't interrupt, darling I'm in the zone
Why does everywhere I go just remind me of home
Uh, you know that state of gold, with the bear
The other place come close, but they don't compare

Now I've been in New York, Texas, Midwest
And it all reminds me of California
'cause there's no place like California
California ay
ATL, MIA, DMV all reminds me of California
'cause there's no place like California
California ay
(California, 'cause there's no place like California)
Phew

Fresh off a flight to Boston
Got a bizi in Maryland that I pipe too often
Headin' right to Austin, most likely flossin'
Tired, exhausted
High as a forklift
Uh, hand full of goons out in Colorado
Any given afternoon you can catch a hollow
Uh, honestly it's the same out in Richmond
Virginia or California
Either state you can get it
My n***a, I done seen er'where
From Russia to Delaware
Trust me I'm well aware
Barcelona to Bel Aire
Paris to the De-Twah
I don't tell him, he saw
How heavily, heat balls
Uh, every project at the sea shore
And I ain't content, tryna see more
Nomadic, I'll probably wind up alone
All it takes is a melody to remind me of home
(My n***a) (come on)

Now I've been in New York, Texas, (yeah) Midwest
And it all reminds me of California
'cause there's no place like California (C-A)
California ay
ATL, MIA, DMV all reminds me of California
'cause there's no place like California
California ay
(California, 'cause there's no place like California)

C-A, All day, C-A
D-M-V-M-I-A all remind me of C-A...."

Fashawn

Golden State of Mind

Dom Kennedy is Dominic Hunn, a rapper from Los Angeles, active since 2008. This is a track from Fashawn's album "The Ecology" released in 2015.

"I still hit the swap meet to get some socks cheap
Kids playing hopscotch where they cock heat
Do a figure eight, let the tire screech
In the 559 tryna find a beach
Young efé, young jefé
Half black, half esé
To the norteno's, to the trece's
Blue rag, red rag, all sets, hey
Can't be no punk
In the back yard boogie with the double dutch jump
To a old time freak playing humpty hump
In Pomona, Suga Free, LBC, G-Funk
In the F grizzly's where they throw them G's up
Hair all permed looking like Jesus
Not yet what I'm destined to become
Know exactly where to go if I'm ever on the run

Golden state of mind
The only state that I can call mine
C-A keep makin' it
And they keep takin' this
Golden state of mind
(Golden state of mind)
Everybody loves the sunshine
But it ain't all palm trees and women
Indeed we livin' in the
Golden state of mind

[Dom Kennedy]
We meet up at the cemetery just to stay in touch
Visiting loved ones cause we miss 'em so much
And how you love that, the progress is obvious
That's why girls see the Huarache's and wanna body us
Never heard Uptown Anthem, but she the naughtiest
It's like God gave us our own land to grow
Marijuana plants and sweet potatoes you know
Some corn for tortillas and blank campus Adidas
And a little bit of time to enjoy what's left
A train on Crenshaw huh, what's next?
Been weighing in the plants though
So I'mma spend 750 on a house in View Park, f**k a Lambo
This guns and there's butter get yo' ammo
Bandanna's like Rambo
Cause Cali's gon' stand strong
From Bobby Seale and Eldridge Cleaver
To Dom Kennedy and Fashawn
Golden state of mind
The only state that I can call mine

C-A keep makin' it
And they keep takin' this
Golden state of mind
(Golden state of mind)
Everybody loves the sunshine
But it ain't all palm trees and women
Indeed we livin' in the
Golden state of mind

Yeah, no place like home
A OG say these California streets ain't paved with gold
Dayton's and Vouges only way you can roll
Say a prayer young ni**a, try and save your soul
Soldiers die everyday, swear nobody is safe
When killers migrate just to live and die in L.A.
(Big city of dreams)
L.A. learn how to hold your weight living in the Golden State
Get 25 or the L for unloading the 8
Come and pay us a visit, Coast of the Pacific
Just to be specific, loads of pretty bi**hes
In addition to the CHP
Roll a eighth, hit the bay, bump some E-A-Ski
And send a R.I.P to Mac D-R-E
Real recognize real, we don't need I.D.
And if it wasn't for the west you wouldn't need a vest
For your Jimmy in the city of sex, once again it's the F

Golden state of mind
The only state that I can call mine
C-A keep makin' it
And they keep takin' this
Golden state of mind
(Golden state of mind)
Everybody loves the sunshine
But it ain't all palm trees and women
Indeed we livin' in the
Golden state of mind...."

Fashawn

Out The Trunk

Busta Rhymes is a rapper-producer-actor from New York City. This is another song from the album "The Ecology" released in 2015.

"....Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now
Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now

Say, who got a problem with the volume
If you tryna sleep, go get a valium
We night owls, young, livin' our life wild
Tomorrow ain't promised, we living for right now
Pop the pussy for a real ni**a right now
I ain't tryna politic and bail with you right now
Chicks looking at me like a meal ticket
Mass Appeal keep the wheels spinnin'
Deal with it, Fashawn, complements of the don
Louis Vuitton, Louboutin, fabrics I been on
Never mind that
Get your mind right before I recline that
It's beyond rap and that's the reason I'm on your block right now
Not in a physical, I invaded through sound
Yes I'm internationally known
But C-A's the state that I call home
I'm about to turn it up now

Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now
Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now
Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now
Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now
Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now
Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now
Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now
Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now

This one is for the trunk
Wake up the neighborhood when the dump
Rather it's Rob Base or EZ Rock he pump
Like my old Reeboks, if he pop, I pump
Meaning I rock nothing and no one can stop me, none
What I do stop or stump, why not, I'm young
Prolly seen more Versace than Pac and Pun
Word to Migos, I move words by the kilos
I used to move birds with my amigos
High supply my wealth
No iPhone app, I apply it myself
Your album got shelved, I couldn't keep mines on the shelf
You getting signed by God, wouldn't help
That's the reason I'm on your block right now
Not in a physical, I invaded through sound
Yes I'm internationally known
But Fresno's the city I call home
I'm about to turn it up now

Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now
Turn the volume up and bang it out the trunk now...."

Fashawn

Sunny CA

This is from Fashawn's debut album "Boy Meets World" released in 2009.

""I wake up in the mornin' with a appetite
For money, gotta make sure that he right
Best weed keep me higher then a satellite
Where I'm from, life's a gamble, grab the dice
'Fore I leave, pray to God, then I grab my Nikes
Remember those times I knew I had to fight
N***a might run up on you at the traffic light
Wind up in some heavy s**t if you packin' light
Nowadays strap up, they ain't packin' nice
Streets made of ice, slip, that's your life
To live and die in C-A, from the home of P-A
Guaranteed to make it pop like a f**kin' briefcase
Come where I stay, not too far from the Bay
About two-hundred-twenty miles from L.A.
You'll find F-C in the middle of the state
Valley of the kings where it all takes place

And they say that it never rains in central California, California
And they say that if you don't watch your back, they'll run up on ya, run up on ya
And they say that it never rains in central California, California
And they say that if you don't watch your back, they'll run up on ya, run up on ya
Take your life, take your soul
So I think twice, the streets is cold
And that's how it goes
Down in sunny California, California

I'm from the home of the three strikes
And before you trust a n***a, better think twice
'Cause they be all in your house while you at church
Come home and s**t gone, I know that hurts
Come back the next day, sell you a bag of percs
I know it sound bad, but I've seen worse
A pimp told me "a ho is just an open purse"
A ho told me a pimp don't see what she worth
Think that a shame, that's the game and we all in it
Hollywood, don't take it personal, it's all business
Understood, candy painted cars dippin' throughout the hood
E&J, Optimo's and Backwood's
All the little homies wanna be like Suge
Attitude like "I wish a n***a would"
But it's all good where I stay
Sunny Californ-I-A....""

Fatboy Slim (featuring Lateef)

Wonderful Night

Fatboy Slim is the stage name of Norman Cook, an English music producer who has used many other aliases (including my favorite - Margaret Scratcher.) This is a Big Beat electronica dance track, featuring Lateef (from Oakland) on vocals, from his 2004 album "Palookaville." It only has a brief mention California but it's such a great track I couldn't leave it off the list.

"...It's a wonderful night
Go ahead and release
It's a wonderful night

Come on and break it on down

You know the music search engine need a tuneup
Soon as they out the gate they all a wanna hear da corner, uh-huh
Well that was cool but now but then I heard a rumor, uh-huh
Your crew was ridin' for the White Cliffs of Dover

Uh let me tell ya how we do it in California
We'll have you on the run just like a puma
If it don't move us
Ain't paid ya dues and it ain't gonna get our roosers
We gonna lose ya to the consumer solution c'mon

It's a wonderful night
You've gotta take it from me
It's a wonderful night...."

Fatboy Slim

Kalifornia

This is from Fatboy's 1998 big beat electronica album "You've Come a Long Way Baby." It consists of a robotic computerized voice droning the same words over and over again inside some heavy beats for about six minutes.

California is druggy, druggy, druggy, druggy
(repeat)

Down by law, right from the core
(repeat)

California is druggy, druggy, druggy, druggy
(repeat)

Down by law, right from the core
(repeat)

Father John Misty

Father John Misty is the pseudonym of singer/songwriter Josh Tillman, originally from Maryland. This is a slow dirge about sex, drugs, and folk rock at the cemetary, I guess, from his 2012 album "Fear Fun."

"Jesus Christ, girl
What are people gonna think?
When I show up to one of several funerals
I've attended for Grandpa this week

With you
With me
But someone's gotta help me dig
Someone's gotta help me dig

Jesus Christ, girl
It hasn't been long so it seems
Since I was picking out an island and a tomb for you
At the Hollywood Cemetery

You kiss
On me
But we should let this dead guy sleep
We should let this dead guy sleep

Jesus Christ, girl
I laid up for hours in a daze
Retracing the expanse of your American back
With Adderall and weed in my veins

You came
I think?
'Cause the marble made my cheeks look pink
But I'm unsure of so many things

But someone's gotta help me dig
Someone's gotta help me dig
Someone's gotta help me dig"

Father John Misty

Leaving L.A.

This long, slow, probably autobiographical, acoustic folk rock story song, from Tillman's 2017 album "Pure Comedy," is sung by a man who moves out of a post-apocalyptic L.A. to New Orleans. Tillman and his wife did move from L.A. to New Orleans, but they eventually moved back to L.A. where the phonies, bullsh*t bands, and billboard queens, which must not have been so objectionable after all.

"I was living on the hill
By the water tower and hiking trails
And when the big one hit I’d have a seat
To watch masters abandon their dogs and dogs run free
Oh baby, it’s time to leave
Take the van and the hearse down to New Orleans
Leave under the gaze of the billboard queens
Five-foot cheeks with parted lips selling sweatshop jeans

These L.A. phonies and their bullsh*t bands
That sound like dollar signs and Amy Grant
So reads the pulled quote from my last cover piece
Entitled "The Oldest Man in Folk Rock Speaks”
You can hear it all over the airwaves
The manufactured gasp of the final days
Someone should tell them ‘bout the time that they don’t have
To praise the glorious future and the hopeless past

A few things the songwriter needs
Arrows of Love, a mask of Tragedy
But if you want ecstasy or birth control
Just run the tap until the water’s cold
Anything else you can get online
A creation myth or a .45
You're going to need one or the other to survive
Where only the armed or the funny make it out alive

... ... ... ...

My first memory of music's from
The time at JC Penney's with my mom
The watermelon candy I was choking on
Barbara screaming, "Someone help my son!"
I relive it most times the radio's on
That "tell me lies, sweet little white lies" song
That's when I first saw the comedy won't stop for
Even little boys dying in the department store

So we leave town in total silence
New Year's Day, it's 6 o'clock AM
I've never seen Sunset this abandoned
Reminds me predictably of the world's end
It'll be good to get more space
God knows what all these suckers paid
I can stop drinking and you can write your script
But what we both think now is"

Fear

Camarillo

Fear is a hardcore punk rock band from Los Angeles, active since 1977. This song is from their debut studio album "The Record" released in 1982 which is regarded as a classic L.A. hardcore punk album. (It also includes the song "I Love Livin' in the City" "where junk is king and the air smells s**tty" which is obviously about L.A.)

Camarillo is a city in Ventura County once known for the Camarillo State Mental Hospital (where the singer is apparently a patient) that operated from 1936 to 1997 and was appropriately converted into a California State University in 2002. The university I went to was basically a mental hospital, also.

"First, I fell down and then I got shot up again!
First, I fell down, then I got shot up again!
First, I fell down and then I got shot up and...
First, I fell down and then I got shot up again!

Sanitarium!
Electro-shockin' 'em!
Disciplinary correctional surgery
We're not thera—
We're not thera—
We're not therapeutic

First, I fell down, then I got shot up again!
First I fell down, then I got shot up again!
First I fell down, then I got shot up again!
We just love it here, 'cause it's all really therapeutic!"

Fear Zero

California Calls

Fear Zero is a rock band from Vancouver, Canada, releasing their first album in 2004. This song is from "Whole Damn Nation" released in 2009.

Born on the outskirts of town
Dirty as the ground
Poor as anyone around
I joined a band after school
Played cover songs acted cool
But it's time I find something new

California Calls
I will miss you all
Here I come L.A.
But I'll be back someday
Saved what I could hitched a ride
With my guitar by my side
It was on that day my mother died

California Calls
I will miss you all
Here I come L.A.
But I'll be back someday
Call me if you come down my way
I'll be singing my soul away

Safe in the arms of the sun
Land of the stars and the guns
Now my new life has begun
Call me if you come down my way
I'll be singing my soul away
Ooo in California
Ooo in California
Ooo in California
Ooo in California

California Calls
California Calls
California Calls
California Calls"

Feid

Feid is the stage name of Salomon Hoyos, an Urbano singer-songwriter from Colombia, active since 2013. This song was released in December 2022.

"Bebé, me siento en California
Porque fumo y no me dicen nada (-ow)
Bebo y no me dicen na', yeah, yeah, uy
Tú y yo vamos a hacer historia

Llego, prendo y no es pa' pelear
Llego y prendo y es pa' ch**gar

Shorty, tiene clase, es de case
Me mira lindo pa' que la abrace (-ce-ce)
Una cadena pa' que la engrase
Si hay bonche, hacemo' las pace'

No te puedo reemplazar, tú te haces extrañar
Esa foto que me mandas yo te la quiero tomar
En mi casa hay open bar, te vo'a coger esquineá'

Cuando te tenga encima de mí yo no le vo'a bajar

Estoy borracho y no importa (-ta-ta, -ta)
No te suelto más como la corta
Yo te cuido, yo soy tu escolta
No te pongas tacos, mejor ponte las Jordan

Bebé, me siento en California (Mmm)
Porque fumo y no me dicen nada (-ow)
Bebo y no me dicen na', yeah, yeah (Dicen na'), uy

Tú y yo vamos a hacer historia
Llego, prendo y no es pa' pelear
Llego y prendo y es pa' ch**gar

Shorty, tiene clase, es de case
Me mira lindo pa' que la abrace
Una cadena pa' que la engrase
Si hay bonche, hacemo' las pace'

No te puedo reemplazar, tú te haces extrañar
Esa foto que me mandas yo te la quiero tomar
En mi casa hay open bar, te vo'a coger esquineá'
Cuando te tenga encima 'e mí yo no le vo'a bajar"

"Baby I feel in California
Because I smoke and they don't tell me anything (-ow)
I drink and they don't tell me anything, yeah, yeah, oops
You and I are going to make history
I arrive, I turn on and it's not for fighting
I arrive and turn on and it's to f**k

Shorty, he has class, he's from home
She looks at me cute so I can hug her (-ce-ce)
A chain to grease it
If there is a bonche, we make peace

I can't replace you, you make yourself missed
I want to take that photo that you send me
In my house there is an open bar, I'm going to take you corner
When I have you on top of me I will not lower you

I'm drunk and it doesn't matter (-ta-ta, -ta)
I don't let you go anymore like the short one
I take care of you, I am your escort
Don't wear heels, better put on Jordans

Baby, I feel in California (Mmm)
Because I smoke and they don't tell me anything (-ow)
I drink and they don't say anything to me, yeah, yeah (They say na'), oops
You and I are going to make history
I arrive, I turn on and it's not for fighting
I arrive and turn on and it's to f**k

Shorty, he has class, he's from home
She looks at me cute so I can hug her
A chain to grease it
If there is a bonche, we make peace

I can't replace you, you make yourself missed
I want to take that photo that you send me
In my house there is an open bar, I'm going to take you corner
When I have you on top of me, I'm not going to lower you"

Leah Felder

A very nice tropical style Christmas song with Hawaiian steel guitar and ukelele from her 2012 album "California Christmas." Make sure to leave a mai tai out for Santa. Here's a list of other songs that mention The Hollywood Sign.

"Have you ever been down on Santa Monica Boulevard
When the Christmas lights are swingin' over the cars?
You forget about the sunset calling on the way to stars
Yuletide cash from cheap motels
tattoo parlors and jingle bells
Ain't it swell

Well it's another hot December in the western state
From the San Diego Beaches to the Golden Gate
It's Christmas time in Calfornia
It's Christmas time again

All the little children try to stay awake
To see Santa come callin' in that open sleigh
It's Christmas time in California
It's Christmas time again.

Have you ever been kissed right there
under the Hollywood Sign?
And tinsel town is lit up in glitter tonight.
You forget about the sand still rubbin in between your toes
Oh Feliz Navidad Happy Holidays
Deck the palm trees and jingle all the way"

José Feliciano

L.A. Love (La La) (Remix)

This is a great cover of the Mamas and the Papas classic 1966 song, with classical guitar accompaniment from his 1968 album "Feliciano!"

Fergie (featuring YG)

Fergie is a singer/songwriter/actress originally from southern California who is known for her solo work and her work with the Black Eyed Peas. This song was originally released in 2014 and ended up on her second solo album Double Dutchess (2017.)

"La la la la...
Uh, tell 'em where I'm from
Finger on the pump make the sixth straight jump from SoCal
Hollywood to the slums
Chronic smoke get burnt by the California sun
On the west side east coast where you at
Just got to New York like a net on a jet
To London, to Brazil, to Quebec
Like the whole damn world took effect to Ferg
Tell 'em

Laid back, slow down
Better represent when we come to your town
So lay back, slow down
What you represent when we come to your town
Say

Get in with the business
I'ma be there in a minute
I just booked a Paris ticket
Thinking Russia need a visit
I'ma run it to the limit
And be on my way to Venice

L.A. got the people saying la la la la la
Brooklyn saying la la la la la
Hacienda saying la la la la la
Vegas saying la la la la la
Rio saying la la la la la
Tokyo saying la la la la la
Down under saying la la la la la
Miami saying la la la la la
Jamaica

Every city, every state, every country you know
All around the globe
Every city, every state, every country you know
This is how it goes

Uh tell em where I'm at
From the plaques to the uh uh
Everything phat
Got Mustard on a track
My girls all stack
When I roll down the window, let me know where you're
Atlanta, North South Cac-ill-ac
Texas grill, Cadillacs through Miami then back
To London, Jamaica then France
The whole damn world took effect to Ferg, tell 'em

Laid back, slow down
Better represent when we come to your town
Laid back, slow down
What you represent when we come to your town
Say

Get em with the business
When I come from Kansas City
Hit Manila 'til it's Christmas
Out to India I’ll visit
Puerto Rico it's exquisite
Then my people back to Venice

L.A. got the people sayin' la la la
Moscow sayin', la la la la la
España, la la la la la
Kingston sayin' la la la la la
San Diego sayin' la la la la la
Chi-Town sayin' la la la la la
Germany sayin' la la la la la
La Puente sayin' la la la la la
Ibiza

W-E-S-T S-I-D-E
Where you from? I'm from west side California baby
Brought her and f****d in our back yard, the minute it ain't hard
My mama be like "YG you so brazy"
Have you ever seen a gangsta n***a make a billion dollars?
Dre did it, he from L.A. so pop yo collar
The LAPD be all over me
Tryin' to ban me from my own bity
But for no reason the cops just killed that
Home of the Rodney King riots this s**t been wild
I hit the club and party like I scored a touchdown
I pop a bottle and all the models wanna f**k now
We jammin' on Pico, bustin' hoes on Sunset
I could take you to Venice Beach and watch the sun set
Or I could take you to the Blippers game, court seat, floor side
Eatin' on Roscoe's chicken wings

L.A. got the people sayin' la la la la la
Amsterdam, sayin', la la la la la
Frisco sayin', la la la la la
Switzerland sayin', la la la la la
Sao Paulo sayin', la la la la la
Joburg sayin', la la la la la
Mexico sayin', la la la la la
Stockholm sayin', la la la la la
Jamaica

You on that Cali s**t
Puff it, feel whatever
You like to like it
We legalizing it
Yes you can join us now
We like to love it
We like to love it
We like to love it"

Bryan Ferry

San Simeon

Bryan Ferry is a singer-songwriter from England who sings like a vampire. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't show up in a mirror. This song is from his 2002 album "Frantic." Careful - don't let Ferry's crooning vampire vocals mesmerize you or you'll have a sore neck in the morning. Maybe he wrote these lyrics after a visit to Hearst Castle which is in the hills above San Simeon. That place would make a great vampire lair. It probably has a big dark basement. And lots of fresh blood visiting on tour busses every day. OK, I'll knock it off. But who else would make an album of 1920s jazz-styled covers of his own songs like he did, except a vampire?

"Walk up the driveway endlessly curving
Go through the front door, it's so inviting
Baronial great hall once so exciting
Haunted by shadows faces in hiding
Chair by the fire, I feel a tremor
Silent reminder you used to be there
You are the princess, my wand doth wake you
Fantasy playmate candlelight lover

San Simeon
San Simeon

Teasing in French lace, exotic promise
So undemanding, yet understanding
Each wall a picture some of his best work
Delicate touches, they're simply charming
Coffee table culture full color pages
Props archetypal floral arrangement
Stereogram cabinet, walnut veneer
True reproduction no one can hear

San Simeon
San Simeon

Tiger skin rug love I stroke you bite me
Executive leather upholstered tightly
Bar in the next room, cocktails at seven
Soft lights, sweet music lounge through eleven
Let's walk in the garden, French windows open
Patio paving concrete and crazy
Roses in blossom, they're doing well this year
Geranium pattern shrub topiary
Lie on your lush lawns, waterfall bubbles
Drink at my fountain, forget all your troubles.
Forget all your troubles, forget all your troubles.

San Simeon
San Simeon..."

Fever Tree

San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native)

Fever Tree was a psychedelic rock band formed in Houston Texas in 1966. This is their most well-known song from their debut album "Fever Tree" released in 1968.

"Out there it's summertime
Milk and honey days
Oh, San Francisco girls with
San Francisco ways

Don't try to stop me, girl, you can't have your way
Don't try to stop me, girl, nothin' you can say
Live like you wanna live and stay where you wanna stay
I just gotta go and get back
To the Bay

So you love me, girl, you're just in my way
Don't try to stop me, girl, I'm movin' out today
Do what you wanna do and play what you wanna play
I just gotta go and get back
To the Bay
Yeah

'Cause out there it's summertime
Milk and honey days
Oh, San Francisco girls with
San Francisco ways"

Fidlar

Cheap Beer

Fidlar is a punk band from Los Angeles. The name is an acronym for "f*** it dog, life's a risk." This song was released as a cassette in 2011. (People were still listening to cassettes in 2011? Long live physical media!)

"Me and my friends in a hundred dollar Volvo
Busting down the street while cruising cruisin' Alvarado
Getting f***ed up on the 101
Shootin' our guns and having fun

Forty beers later and a line of speed
Eightball of blow and a half pound of weed
Heading down the track to Mexico
F***ked on beer and staying gold.

I drink cheap beer. So what? F**k you!
I drink cheap beer. So what? F**k you!

And I'll kill that s**t like that Vietnam s**t
Beer's always better with a bag around it
Dan's in the back puking on my seat
But he was drinking cheap beer, so it's ok by me

Supposed to be in Santa Monica at 8 a.m
F*** the clock, drink red again
Twenty three years I've been drinking cheap beer
Sixty-one more from a liquor store

I drink cheap beer. So what? F**k you!
I drink cheap beer. So what? F**k you!...."

The Fifth Dimension

California My Way

The Fifth Dimension is a pop group from L.A. formed in 1965. This song is from the album "Up, Up And Away" released in 1967. It was covered in a funkier version by The Main Ingredient.

"California my way, any day ooh.
Gonna hit the highway right away, ooh.
I've got my bags packed and I'm well on my way.
I should be there in the run of the day.
Yes I do, I really really wanna go there.
'Cause they say 'til you've been there, you haven't been nowhere.

California my way, any day ooh.
Gonna hit the highway right away, ooh.
California sun, look out 'cause here I come.
'Cause my soul is restless.
And my heart could stand some fun.
Yes I do, I really really wanna go there.
'Cause they say 'til you've been there, you haven't been nowhere.

California, California, ooh.
California, here I come.
California my way, anyday ooh.
Gonna hit the highway right away, ooh.
California my way.
California my way.

We gotta go, we gotta go.
We gotta go.
We gotta go, we gotta go.
We gotta go.
We gotta go, we gotta go."

Fight Fair

California Kicks

Fight Fair is a pop punk band from San Diego, based in San Francisco. This song is off their album "California Kicks" which released in 2010 back when people were watching Entourage.

"Hit the beach because I can California Kicks,
Grab the boards cuz the plan is to score some chicks!

Cram the buds in the van cuz we need our fix of Del Taco,
Or maybe some In-n-out,
Double Double Whole Grill, Animal Fries, YEAH!

From S.B. to S.D. at the clubs all night,
Hollywood,
VIP,
Paparazzi lights,
Watch Entourage on TV,
But its out real life at Teddy's inside of the Roosevelts,
Bottle service at the club all night, UHH!
... ... ... ...
I hit the beach because I can California Kicks,
Grab the boards cuz the plan is to score some chicks!
Cram the buds in the van cuz we need our fix,
We need our fix,
I hit the beach because I can California Kicks,
Grab the boards cuz the plan is to score some chicks!
Cram the buds in the van cuz we need our fix,
We need our fix,
Yeah we need our fix! (Del Taco)"

Felix Figuero and His Orchestra (Freddy Martin)

Pico & Sepulveda

This novelty song was released in 1947 by Freddy Martin, who called himself Felix Figueroa. It's just a list of some roads in Los Angeles plus the La Brea tar pits, all sung to a Latin beat. It became well-known when it was the theme song to "Dr. Demento" a nationally-syndicated radio show that started in Pasadena in 1970. Pico Blvd. and Sepulveda Blvd. do intersect in West Los Angeles near the Santa Monica freeway, but there's nothing special there and probably never was. They're just words that fit the song. I doubt that anybody who has ever heard the song can hear or see the name of either boulevard without also hearing the song in their head. It's a dangerous ear worm. There's also a punk rock cover version of the song by Osaka Popstar on a Dr. Demento album, but nothing can ever beat the original.

"Pico and Sepulveda
Pico and Sepulveda
Pico and Sepulveda
Pico and Sepulveda (continues in the background)
Doheny, Cahuenga, La Brea Tar Pits
(Tar Pits!)
Pico and Sepulveda (continues in the background)
La Jolla, Sequoia, La Brea Tar Pits
(Tar Pits!)

You can keep Alvarado, Santa Monica, even Beverly Drive
Vine may be fine, but for mine I want to feel a-live
And settle down in my
La Brea, Tar Pits
Where nobody’s dreams come true
Pico and Sepulveda
Pico and Sepulveda
Pico and Sepulveda
Pico and Sepulveda
Pico and Sepulveda
Pico and Sepulveda...."

Finished Business

I can't find out anything about this band. They seem to be brand new, with only this song available so far. I'm going to call it a indie pop Christmas song that was released in 2022. For a change, the singer is not dreaming of a white Christmas. She's happy to have a green and sunny Christmas. That's the best attitude to have in So Cal. Up north, keep your umbrella handy.

"Here in California
When we wake up Christmas morning
Not a flurry or a flake can be seen
But you can keep your blizzards
No I never really missed them
All the Christmases I dream of are green

We'll be sleddin' in our sweaters
In the mild and temperate weather
But baby won't we look nice
We won't need a fire
To sit down and conspire
We can drink our apple cider with ice

Baby it's cool outside
Come on let's go for a hay ride
I don't need a lot of snow
To know I love you so
Let the sunshine glow
Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow
We're gonna have a very sunny
Very California Christmas

Yeah what I like the most
About December on the coast
Is how I feel around ...
'Cause Californians understand
A real winter wonderland
Is all about a state of mind

Baby it's cool outside
Come on let's go for a hay ride
I don't need a lot of snow
To know I love you so
Let the sunshine glow
Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow
We're gonna have a very sunny
Very California Christmas
We're gonna have a very sunny
Very California Christmas
Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow
We're gonna have a very sunny
Very California Christmas"

Michael Finn

Christmas in California

MIchael Finn is a singer-songwriter-dancer. This song was released in 2022.

"I wish you could spend Christmas in California
The palm trees are wrapped in lights
Sunny days and magical nights
And there's snow in the distance
We could get there in an hour or two
Yeah the mountains are beautiful
And so are you

I wish you could spend Christmas in California
The ocean can heal your soul
Next time you're here we'll go
And wash all our blues away
In waves of California gold
Stay for the holidays
Don't ever go

It's just not the same
Wish you were here with me
I decorate the tree
With the ornaments you gave me
It's a tricky time of year
Wish you were here
But your spirit is with me
I keep the fire burning

And the angels say
Hallelu, Hallelu, hallelujah....

I wish you could spend Christmas in California"

Finneas

Hollywood Forever

Finneas O'Connell is a singer, songwriter, actor, and producer from Los Angeles who won a truckfull of Grammy Awards for his work on his sister Billie Eilish's debut album in 2019. This song was released in 2018. A lot of prominent entertainment people are buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetary which is next to the Paramount lot in Hollywood. They have live music and movies there, so maybe he could even get married there if he really wanted to.

"Bury me in Hollywood, forever
Underneath the starry sky
Marry me in Hollywood, forever
Don't pretend you'll never die

Like movie stars
In flashy cars
We talk like we know all the answers
Leatherette
Candy cigarettes
There's nothing sexy about cancer

In your lungs
You make dying sound less fun

I don't want an education from anybody else tonight
And I don't wanna change the station
Because you're the only one I like
At 2AM
Kiss me again
I don't ever wanna find out how it ends

Kiss me harder than I thought you'd ever
On the Fourth of July
Missed you harder than I thought I'd get to
We just never had the time

Like movie stars in flashy cars
We drive too fast right past each other
Leatherette
And dads in debt
We both have very pretty mothers

They look so young
And you make dying sound less fun

I don't want an education
From anybody else tonight
And I don't wanna change the station
You're the only one I like
At 2AM, kiss me again
I don't ever wanna find out how it ends

Ask me if it's alright
If you stay a little longer
Ask me if I'm alright
I might just tell you I'm a goner
If I say anything at all
Before I fall
Asleep"

Finneas

the kids are all dying

This song is from his first solo studio album "Optimist" released in 2021.

"Bang Bang
Knocking on my door
"Do you have a dollar? Would you like to fund a war?
What's your carbon footprint and could you be doing more?"
I tried saving the world but then I got bored

Ka-ching-ching
What you wanna do?
Make a lotta money
Buy a house in Malibu
Show me if it's funny
If it's not, you don't need to
I tried picking a cause
But I got confused

How can you sing about love when the kids are all dying?
How can you sing about drugs? Politicians are lying
How can you sing about sex when the school is on lockdown, lockdown?
Now, baby, maybe we're next
Maybe we're next

So shut up, the internet is mad
They say you're problematic and you'd better take it back
There's nothing you can do that people won't misunderstand
They won't feel any better 'til you feel bad

And good God, we never catch a break
Whatever's on the news, the other side'll call it fake
I wish I was the Queen, I'd tell 'em all to eat their cake
Maybe humankind was just God's mistake...."

Peru

Fireboy DML is a singer from Nigeria. This is a 2021 remix of the original song that adds vocals by Ed Sheeran, a singer-songwriter actor from England active since 2004. It's a great blend of Nigerian Afrobeats plus Sheeran's UK pop sound. Translations of the Yoruba and Spanish lyrics are found in brackets in italics to the right.

(Fireboy DML:)

"...Tonight in jozi, [Johannasburg] I'm in jozi
Mo n korin funwon won jo si     [ I am singing to them]
I'm not playing with you, I'm not joking
My third album is loading
Mi o kin fagbo but I'm on molly     [ I don't care but I'm on molly]
I'm on duty, but I'm on lowkey
They wan do me, they wan do mi     [They hit me, they hit me]
They wan do me gan, they wan do mi     [They really hurt me, they hit me]
Won ni won wa mi, woni won wa mi        [They are looking for me, they are looking for me]
I'm in San Francisco jamming
Won ni won wa mi woni won wa mi     [They are looking for me, they are looking for me]
I just flew in from Miami

Peru para     [To Peru]
Peru Peru para     [Peru, to Peru]
I'm loo
Even
Peru donde para     [Peru where to stop]

(Ed Sheeran:)

Pour out the bottle I wanna level up
When I'm with you, I never get enough
Slow whine I'm not in a rush
I can hear music when you're here
Tonight, we're rolling, party 'til closing
Since I put the ring on her finger it's still frozen
Love in slow motion
I wanna feel you over me, yeah
Somethin' magic in your eyes (yeah)
Girl, I love the way you ride it
And it happens every time you arrive, that's right
Girl, I want you in my life (yeah)
If there's a heaven then it's right here
I will never leave your side, stay tonight, tonight
When you wan' see me, when you wan' see me
I'm in West London this evening
Givin' me the feelings, no I'm not leavin'
Until I fly to L.A. next weekend
Peru, nah, girl, I'd rather go find somewhere quiet
You'll glow, and I get lost here in your eyes
Omoge no be so     [Omoge said that]
Girl, you just capture my soul
Omoge no be so     [Omoge said that]
Make me wanna just take you home...."

First Aid Kit

29 Palms Highway

First Aid Kit is a folk pop duo of two sisters from Sweden, active since 2007. This song is from the album "Palomino" released in 2022. For me, the song is about a seance - trying to get in touch with the spirit of deceased musician Gram Parsons who overdosed in 1973 at the age of 26 at the Joshua Tree Inn which is located on 29 Palms Highway in the Mojave Desert. They don't mention his name in the song, but First Aid Kit has shown love for Parsons before in their 2012 song "Emmylou," which discusses the musical relationship between Emmylou Harris' and Parsons, and again on another song from the same album "Palomino" titled "Wild Horses II" where the singer prefers Parsons' version of the classic Rolling Stones' song.

(According to Wickipedia in 3/22, Parsons said that when he died he wanted to have his ashes scattered at Joshua Tree National Monument not far 29 Palms Highway, but his stepfather planned to have him buried in Louisiana, so Parson's friends stole the coffin with his body in it, drove it to Joshua Tree, poured gasoline on it, and set his body on fire. They hadn't planned it out too well and had to run from the police which forced them to leave his charred remains in the park, which were later sent to Louisiana for burial. I don't know if they had time to scatter any of his ashes.)

"29 Palms Highway
Stretches out in the desert sand
We pulled over
I swear I felt you holding my hand

Staring up at the starry skies
Heart open wide and tired eyes
I whispered to the wind
Darling can you hear me now

I hold my arms out to you
I hold my arms out to you
I’m ready to listen
Are you coming through
I hold my arms out to you

When I was younger
Oh the path it seemed so clear
I followed the music
And the path it appeared

Blinding bright lights everywhere
Heart open wide and a broken prayer
I whispered to the wind
Little darling can you hear me now

I hold my arms out to you
I hold my arms out to you
I’m ready to listen
Are you coming through
I hold my arms out to you

29 Palms Highway
Stretches out in the desert sand"

The First Class

Beach Baby

The First Class were a group from England, best known for this 1974 power pop song that's reminiscent of the Beach Boys Sunshine Pop sound of the '60s, which probably helped it become a top ten hit in America.

"....Do you remember back in old L.A.?
(Oh, oh, oh)
When everybody drove a Chevrolet?
(Oh, oh, oh)
Whatever happened to the boy next door?
The suntanned, crew cut, all American male?

Remember dancin' at the high school hop?
(Oh, oh, oh)
The dress I ruined with the soda pop?
(Oh, oh, oh)
I didn't recognize the girl next door
With beat up sneakers and a ponytail

Beach baby, beach baby,
Give me your hand
Give me somethin' that I can remember
Just like before
We could walk by the shore
In the moonlight
Beach baby, beach baby
There on the sand
From July to the end of September
Surfin' was fun,
We'd be out in the sun everyday

Umm,
I never thought that it would end
(Ooh, Ooh)
And I was everybody's friend
(Ooh, Ooh)
Long hot days
Cool sea haze
Jukebox plays
But now it's fading away
... ... ...
We couldn't wait for graduation day
(Oh, oh, oh)
We took the car and drove to San Jose
(Oh, oh, oh)
That's where you told me that you'd wear my ring
I guess you don't remember anything

Beach baby, beach baby,
Give me your hand,
Give me somethin' that I can remember
Just like before
We could walk by the shore
In the moonlight

Beach baby, beach baby
There on the sand
From July to the end of September
Surfin' is fun
We'd be out in the sun everyday...."

The Fitness

Chauffeur

The Fitness is a dance-punk band formed in Seattle in 2002. This song is from the band's debut and only album "Call Me For Together" released in 2003. Bandcamp describes the album much better than I can: "The Fitness mingled sweat-soaked synths, brash, lip-curled vocals, and riot-for-nothing guitar into a sonic approximation of brazen indulgence. In tongue-cheeked irony, the music of the Fitness distilled in its purist form the allure of excess’ most attractive avenue—blunt, unapologetic hedonism—in music that facilitated decadence as much as it celebrated it.

Call Me For Together is a succinct nine tracks of lust, greed, envy, vanity and glut—a voyeuristic glimpse onto the dimming radiance of the Gucci draped and ornately manicured. From phone sex to projected obsession to the private lives of the powerful, the Fitness’ debut upset the contrast between glitz and grime, dancing the s**t out of the fine line that separates the two."

"I don't give an ish about this week's success
It's the scandal and perversion
What you do with your excess
Same sex lovers or maybe with your brother
The map of the stars is my guide
I take them to their houses but I never go inside
And it's probably my name on her bottle of pills
And I'll take the fall for his twelve year old girls

Chauffeur

Started the ... with a wash and a wax
Bel-Air and Malibu
Back and forth on the 101, yeah
I'll go to East L.A. for you
And on our way to the Hollywood squares
You might kill your lover in a game of truth or dare
But you cant be late to your award ceremony
So I'll drop you off first and then I'll dump the body

Chauffeur
Can you take me where I need to go?
Chauffeur
Do you know where I can score some blow?
Chauffeur
I'll take you where you need to go
Chauffeur
And I know where you can score some blow
Chauffeur
'Cause I'm the one who's in the know
Yeah I'm the one who's in the know

Yeah I forgot about your appointment with Joan
Hold on a second and I'll get her on the phone
We're busy then I guess we'll have to postpone
Fying in to the LAX
You're passing out scripts
'Cause they're shooting with your ex
My tinted profile is rolling sunset
While you're in the back giving as good as you get

Chauffeur
Can you take me where I need to go?
Chauffeur
Do you know where I can score some blow?
Chauffeur
I'll take you where you need to go
Chauffeur
And I know where you can score some blow
Chauffeur
'Cause I'm the one who's in the know
Yeah I'm the one who's in the know
Yeah I'm the one who's in the know
Chauffeur...."

Fitz and The Tantrums

The Walker

Fitz and the Tantrums is a soul-influenced indie pop band formed in Los Angeles in 2008. This song is from their second studio album "More Than Just a Dream" relased in 2013. I admire a song that takes a break for a whistling solo.

"Ooh, crazy's what they think about me
Ain't gonna stop 'cause they tell me so
'Cause 99 miles per hour baby
Is how fast that I'd like to go

Can't keep up with my rhythm though they keep trying
Too quick for the lines they throw
I walk to the sound of my own drum
It goes, they go, we go, hey yeah yeah yeah

Oh, here we go
Feel it in my soul
Really need it, need it, so go
Gotta feed it, harder to control
Really need it, need it

[Whistling solo]

I wake up to the City of Angels
To see my name headline the coast
They say I'm a walking dreamer, baby
If I stopped it would make the show

Can't keep up with my rhythm though they keep trying
Too quick for the lines they throw
I walk to the sound of my own drum
It goes, they go, we go, hey yeah yeah yeah

Oh, here we go
Feel it in my soul
Really need it, need it, so go
Gotta feed it, harder to control
Really need it, need it
Hey, here we go
Feel it in my soul
Really need it, need it, so go
Gotta feed it, harder to control
Really need it, need it

Oh, here we go
Feel it in my soul
Really need it, need it, so go
Gotta feed it, harder to control
Really need it, need it
Hey, here we go
Feel it in my soul
Really need it, need it, so go
Gotta feed it, harder to control
Really need it, need it

Everybody walk
Everybody walk
Everybody walk, walk, walk, walk, walk...."

Five for Fighting

California Justice

Five for Fighting (an ice hockey expression that means a five-minute penalty for fighting) is the stage name of fan Vladimir Ondrasik III, a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, active since 1988, known for his piano-based soft rock ballads including one of my favorites "Chances." This song is from his album "Two Lights" released in 2006. So California justice dictates that you have to kill the boyfriend of a woman who steals your wave? Surfers sure have some crazy territorial rules. I like that the song drives all over the state, from Malibu to Lone Pine and over the mountains to Tahoe. FYI, Neptune's Net is a long-established seafood restaurant in Malibu, and Pepperdine is a university in L.A. County.

"" Early one morning at county line
The swell's 4-6 approaching 9
The barrel of my life hit the Malibu sky
A Golden State pipe - Conchita was mine

Suddenly a local on a boogie in a thong
Cut in on my line, my barrel was gone
Her Pepperdine stud screamed "Val that's what you get"
I shot him with a gun behind Neptune's Net.

Killed a man I don't know what the fuss is
I'm just looking for some California Justice
Killed a man I don't know what the fuss is
I'm just looking for some California Justice

Took off in the Mustang for the 395
Double double in Mohave - Took a left at Lone Pine
I Powered up the top of Mt. Whitney
They may not have a Jamba Juice but here they'll never get me

While working my tan looked down the cliff to see
A line of black-and-whites dropped by a yellow jersey
Called Uncle Arnie said, "What's going on
He said, "New Sheriff in town...name's Lance Armstrong"

Killed a man I don't know what the fuss is
I'm just looking for some California justice
Killed a man I don't know what the fuss is
I'm just looking for some California justice

Hired a fixer to keep things blurry
Sent the shuttle to space for the perfect jury
The judge dropped the bar and to the court decreed
You can lay down all you like
Tell me what you see

California justice
California justice

I'm free
Heading up the Truckee River
To catch me a brown though the water makes me shiver
Mistake I made was crossing the border
Casinos for me are cooked and made to order

I didn't intend to kill the dealer last night
But I doubled down to 20 - His 16 pulled a 5
Now I'm heading back to Cali bound for Tahoe City

Killed a man I don't know what the fuss is
I'm just looking for some California justice
Killed a man I don't know what the fuss is
I'm just looking for some California justice

Moral of the story, keep the straight and narrow
Your eyes on the ball
Your hands off the sparrow
Every country needs one broken arrow
At least we gave you Ronnie Reagan, Sonny & Cher-o

I'll meet you down behind Neptune's Net
Catch my honey in the thong
Do you get it yet?
We'll catch barrels every day
I'm just surfing U.S.A.

California justice
California justice....""

Five for Fighting

Disneyland

This song is from his 2004 album "The Battle for Everything." He had a hit song named "Superman (It's Not Easy)" in 2001, that must be the song the crocs in his Disneyland dream are singing.

"I Woke up got my lazy ass out of bed
I Watered all the rocks growing in my head
I Had a thought...and fell asleep on you...

There I was somewhere West of Tomorrowland
Flying through the stars just like Peter Pan
I said...Damn this looks too good to be true...

There she goes... my heart again (would you mind rolling over)
I can feel it in the air (something's coming down)
I don't know and I don't care that it's a small world

It's a nice day if you wake up in Disneyland...
It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland...

In my dream everybody's got a little house
A dog, a bank account managed by Mickey Mouse
And the only thing we fight about is the Lakers...

In my dream all the pirates down in Neverland
Never get the Hook... they just get a hand
While the crocs sing Superman till we just can't take it...

There she goes... my heart again (do you mind rolling over)
I can feel it in the air (something's coming down)
I don't know and I don't care if it's a small world

It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland...
It's a nice day if you wake up in Disneyland...

We can fly away...."

Flash and the Pan

The Ballad of Jed Clampett

Flash and the Pan was an Australian band formed in 1976, probably best known for their great moody college radio classic "Walking in the Rain" which comes from the same album as this song, "Flash and the Pan," released in 1979. You can tell the singer of this song about obliterating the state with a missle is not from California, because nobody there says "South California." It's SoCal or Southern California, mate.

"Up above the sunny skies in South California
There's a wounded rocket flying high, heading homeward
It came from a hollow, under a hill
And soon there'll be nobody left to kill
In California

Last night captain Black went dancing at the Whiskey A-Go-Go
When a well-known groupie knocked him back, busted his ego
Stoned out of his head, he crawled off to bed
The following morning he went to the pad
The missile was standing pointing to the skies of California

The red balloon was flying high, watching the weather
Captain Black was trying hard to get it together
Immediate names came into his brain
A rocket from China, a Russian plane
He pushed the wrong button and soon there'll be no place called
California"

Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys

Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys was a bluegrass band formed in 1948. This song is their version of the theme to "The Beverly Hillbillies" a television show that aired from 1962-1971. Here's the original Beverly Hillbillies TV theme song. There's another version with a commercial for Winston cigarettes at the end, because that's what they did in the '60s.

"Come and listen to my story about a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed
And then one day he was shootin' at some food
And up through the ground come a bubblin' crude.

Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.

Well the first thing you know ol Jed’s a millionaire,
Kinfolk said 'Jed move away from there'
Said 'California is the place you ought to be'
So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly.

Hills that is. Swimmin pools, movie stars.

Well now it’s time to say good bye to Jed and all his kin.
And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin' in.
You’re all invited back next week to this locality
To have a heapin' helpin' of their hospitality.

Beverly hillbillies.
That's what they call 'em now.
Nice folks.
Y’all come back hear?"

K.Flay

Bye Bye Illinois

This live recording was made in 2010. From the crowd's response it seems to be somewhere in San Francisco, but it names a lot of other places in the state. There's even a shout out to Kettleman City, which is on the interstate half way between L.A. and San Francisco.

"Spend my pesos, in San Diego
Smiling manatees, in Los Angeles
I've danced a disco, in San Francisco
Lost all I had to lose, out in Santa Cruz
Traveled all across this crazy state
Where dreams are born
Stars, they fade, and all that I can say is
I don't ever wanna leave
Been up and down, highway 1
Soaking up that Cali sun
Did a lot, but I'm not done
This is the life for me
So bye, bye Illinois
I've exchanged my 2% for milk that's made with soy
Bye, bye Lake Michigan
Now the deep blue sea
Is what this little girl is fishing in
Please expect a post card
Wish you wouldn't take it so hard
You'll always have a spot in my heart

I smoked a mendo, in Sacramento
Planned this plan of mine, out in Anaheim
Wrote a little ditty, in Kettleman City
Wasted my nights away, in San Jose
I've been up and down, the interstate
Seen a couple rainy days
But all that I can say is
I don't ever wanna leave
Had my share of west coast fun
Drinking in that Cali sun
Did a lot, but I'm not done
This is the life for me

So bye, bye Illinois
I've exchanged my 2% for milk that's made with soy
Bye, bye lake Michigan
Now the deep blue sea
Is what this little girl is fishing in
Please expect a post card
Wish you wouldn't take it so hard
You'll always have a spot in my heart"

K.Flay

Not in California

K.Flay is Kristine Flaherty, a singer-songwriter-rapper from Illinois. This is from her album "Solutions" released in 2019. In this one California has seen better days. (It's buried under piles of plastic and garbage in her video.)

"the birds all died and the trees caught fire
and the government it called us crazy
we built a big world, then we watched it all burn
cause the television made us lazy
it didn’t seem true when the power lines blew
yeah the heroin it made us hazy
i looked up at the clouds as i was freaking out
god save me

we’re not in california anymore
we’re not in california anymore
traded all our sunshine in for a storm
don’t say i didn’t warn you
we’re not in california
anymore

the babies all cry as the scientists try
but the politicians keep on screaming
i’d like a road map, like to turn the clock back
but the internet it keeps on freezing
drank up every bottle and i smoked some marijuana
i was hoping i could find some peace
i looked up at the clouds the light was peeking out
i can’t believe it

we’re not in california anymore
we’re not in california anymore
traded all our sunshine in for a storm
don’t say i didn’t warn you
we’re not in california
anymore

visions of the dissonance
i’m searching for the synonyms
but all that i can say is that i think i lost my innocence
and i bet if i asked everybody that i know
they’d wanna be a kid again
visions of the dissonance
i’m searching for the synonyms
but all that i can say is that i think i lost my innocence
and i bet if i asked everybody that i know
they’d wanna be a kid again
so they could do it different

we’re not in california anymore
we’re not in california anymore
traded all our sunshine in for a storm
don’t say i didn’t warn you
we’re not in california
anymore"

Chris Floats

California Dreams

Chris Floats is a musician from San Diego and he also makes yoga videos on YouTube. This rock song was released in February, 2023. I don't know if "Floats" is his real name or a stage name, but I'm filing him under "F" anyway.

"It started as a joke
I guess I misspoke
Oh you know how it goes
I bet you think I'm one of those
Now you've got it in for me
Why don't we just wait and see

Lyin' low in California
I got no hard feelings towards ya
Now you wanna lose this town
You say this place has let you down

As the years go by
I miss the good old days
The beach, no strain
Without a care in the world

I've lost my California dreams
California dreams
California dreams
They're never what they seem

Honestly I think I love you
It's just [?] there's nothing for you
Oh my friend you're way too much
And just a little out of touch

Just let it burn
Burn it down
Burn the whole thing down
I don't care at all

I've lost my California dreams
California dreams
California dreams
They're never what they seem

Oh, to fall in love
A blessing from above
But I ended on the street
California's got me beat
I said I'll do it all again
But now I'm thinking oh, s**t no

California dreams
California dreams
California dreams
They're never what they seem"

Florence and the Machine

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

Florence and the Machine are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2007, fronted by Florence Welch. This song is from their third studio album "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful" released in 2015. Florence said that she was inspired to write the song when she was flying into LAX.

"Between a crucifix and the Hollywood sign, we decided to get hurt
Now there's a few things we have to burn
Set our hearts ablaze, and every city was a gift
And every skyline was like a kiss upon the lips
And I was making you a wish
And every skyline

How big, how blue, how beautiful
How big, how blue, how beautiful

And meanwhile a man was falling from space
And every day I wore your face
Like an atmosphere around me
A satellite beside me
And meanwhile a man was falling from space
As he hit the earth I left this place
Let the atmosphere surround me
A satellite beside me

What are we gonna do?
We've opened the door, now it's all coming through
Tell me you see it too
We've opened our eyes and its changing the view
Oh, what are we gonna do?
We've opened the door, now its all coming through

How big, how blue, how beautiful
How big, how blue, how beautiful...."

Eddie Floyd

Eddie Floyd is a soul singer-songwriter fro Alabama and Detroit, active since 1956, best known for his work with Stax Records in the '60s and '70s and his #1 hit "Knock on Wood." This song is from his album "California Girl" released in 1970.

"As I stand here these evening
Looking out over the metropolis of Los Angeles, California
I can't help but think about the young lady that I met here
So I wrote a song tonight and I call it my California girl

California girl, you're living in a different world
Let the sun shine in, right here where my love begins
No, I won't ever hurt you, no, I won't make you cry, no
California girl, I'm gonna love, love you till the day I die, yeah
Everybody help me sing this song one more time, yeah

California girl, you're living by the sand and sea
And it means every little thing now, now that you belong to me
Oh, I'm gonna make you happy, oh, I'm gonna see you smile, yeah
My California, California, California
I'm gonna love you baby, till the day I die, yeah

California girl, oh, you live in a different world, yes you are
And it means every little thing darling, now that you are my girl, yeah
No, I won't never hurt you, baby, I won't see you cry, no
My California, California, California
I'm gonna love you baby, till the day I die, yeah

Everybody help me sing these song one more time
California girl, California girl
Oh, I'm gonna love you baby, yes I am
Till the day, the day, the day, the day I die, yeah

You see I'm not ashamed tonight
To say these words to the young lady
That I met at the metropolis of Los Angeles, California, huh
And as I look out over the sky tonight
Through the fog and through the smog
I can't help but think about that young girl, oh, oh, oh baby
Everybody, help me, help me sing one more time, yeah"

The Flying Burrito Brothers

Sin City

The Flying Burrito Brothers are a country rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 that included two former members of the Byrds - Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman. The band is best known for their first studio album "The Gilded Palace of Sin" released in 1969, which includes this song. The song doesn't name the city but with the earthquake references and the band being based there, Sin City is clearly meant to be Los Angeles, probably Hollywood.

"This old town is filled with sin
It will swallow you in
If you've got some money to burn
Take it home right away
You've got three years to pay
But Satan is waiting his turn

This old earthquake's gonna leave me in the poor house
It seems like this whole town's insane
On the thirty-first floor a gold plated door
Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain

The scientists say
It'll all wash away
But we don't believe any more
'Cause we've got our recruits
And our green mohair suits
So please show your I.D. at the door

This old earthquake's gonna leave me in the poor house
It seems like this whole town's insane
On the thirty-first floor a gold plated door
Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain

A friend came around
Tried to clean up this town
His ideas made some people mad
But he trusted his crowd
So he spoke right out loud
And they lost the best friend they had

This old earthquake's gonna leave me in the poor house
It seems like this whole town's insane
On the thirty-first floor a gold plated door
Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain
On the thirty-first floor a gold plated door
Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain
On the thirty-first floor a gold plated door
Won't keep out the Lord's burning rain"

The Foals

London Thunder

The Foals are an English indie rock band formed in 2005. This song is from their 2015 release What Went Down. There's only one mention of San Francisco, and they rhyme it with "disco" which should immediately disqualify any song from inclusion on this list, but it's not the first time I've heard that rhyme in a song, and it's a song I like a lot, so here it is.

"I'm on the red eye flight to nowhere good,
How about you?
I've been in the air for hours,
Meteor showers by the pool
So one last drink for summer
Always leaving, never you
Come back to London thunder,
The sound of sorrows in my room,
Yeah

And now the table's turned, it's over
And with my fingers burned I start anew
And now I've come back down, I'm older
I look for something else to hold on to

There is no way to realign,
Upholster skin I take back every line
Lost my mind in San Fransisco,
In a worn out disco when tempers cooled
There is no water, there is no sound
Will you come around? Will you come around?
There is no space, there is no time
Where'd you draw the line?...."

The Foc'sle Singers

Banks of the Sacramento

The Foc'sle Singers was a folk group consisting of Paul Clayton, Dave Van Ronk, Bob Brill, Roger Abrahams, and Bob Yellin. Singer Paul Clayton was active from 1950 to his death in 1967. He was good enough that Bob Dylan has acknowledged that he borrowed from Clayton. New Yorker Dave Van Ronk was also an important figure in the American folk music revival, active from 1959 to 2002. His arrangement of the song "House of the Rising Sun" became famous after Bob Dylan recorded it.

The song is from "Foc'sle Songs and Shanties: Sung By Paul Clayton and The Foc'sle Singers" released in 1959 on a Folkways Records. It's one of the earliest renditions of the song and it might be the most well-known version, but it's lyrics vary quite a bit from the originals, which you can see under Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band.

It's a version of a 19th century folk song about the California Gold Rush that is often sung as a sea shanty. Gold was first discovered on the American River, a tributary of the Sacramento River, but steamboats used the Sacramento River to sail to the area. According to Ballad of America, Jesse Hutchinson Jr. composed the song "Ho! For California!" in 1849, using some of the melody to "Boatman's Dance" a minstrel song by Dan Emmett, and it became an unofficial anthem of the gold rush. Many versions of the song with different lyrics and titles have also been recorded, some of which can be found on this list. "The Banks of the Sacramento," "The Banks of Sacramento," "Banks of the Sacramento," "Sacramento," and "Ho! For California!" are some of the other titles.

"In the Black Ball Line I served my time
With a hoodah, hoodah
With a full-rigged ship in her prime
With a hoodah, hoodah day

So blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Oh we were the boys to make her go
With a hoodah, with a hoodah
Around Cape Horn in frost and snow
With a hoodah hoodah day.

Blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Around Cape Stiff in 70 days
With a hoodah, with a hoodah
Around Cape Stiff is a mighty long way
With a hoodah hoodah day

So blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

When we was tackin' 'round Cape Horn
With a hoodah, with a hoodah
I often wished I'd a never been born
With a hoodah hoodah day

Then blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Oh the matey waxed me around and 'round
With a hoodah, with a hoodah
I wish I was home all safe and sound
With a hoodah hoodah day

And it's blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Oh when we got to the Frisco docks
With a hoodah, with a hoodah
The girls were all in their Sunday frocks
With a hoodah hoodah day

Then blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Blow, boys, blow!
For Cal-i-for-ni-o!
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento"

Miya Folick

Malibu Barbie

Miya Folick is a singer-songwriter from southern California, active since 2014. This song was released in 2022.

Malibu Barbie was a version of Mattel's "Barbie" doll sold in the 1970s made to represent the "California Girl" look - suntanned, blue-eyed, with long blond hair, looking like she just came off the beach at Malibu. "Barbie" has also become a derisive term for an attractive but empty and unintelligent woman obsessed with her appearance, so a Malibu Barbie would be the California girl version of that.

"(My vehicle, my credit card, my Vogue
My ice cream, my coconut, my water, my Vogue
My lipstick, my pencil, my car, my gold
My credit card, my vehicle, my icicle, my Vogue)

Let's go and get our nails done
I want to, oh, I really want to
Informal education
Teach me how to be a woman

I never learned to pretend to be
Malibu Barbie
I think I'd really rather be
Malibu Barbie

I give into the obsession
Nip and tuck me till I'm nothing
I bleach my hair out in the sun
All you need's to squeeze a lemon

I never learned to pretend to be
Malibu Barbie
I think I'd really rather be
Malibu Barbie

A Malibu Barbie
Everyone wants to be like me
A Malibu Barbie

My life is easy now
I'm sitting on the beach
My hair is shiny
I'm smiling with my teeth
So breezy, easy now
Don't take it seriously
Oh no, I'm still a human being"

Miya Folick

Oh God

This song was released in 2022.

"Oh God
Do I need God?
Who is God?
I've never had God
Oh God

I don't ever want to be alone
Maybe I should call my mom and say I'm moving home
I'm tired of saying bless this mess, but I'm too in love with Los Angeles
If I give up, I'll regret it when I'm old

F***ing off and watching trashy TV
Spending all my twenties not believing anything

Oh God
Do I need God?
Who is God?
I've never had God
Oh God

I used to walk around downtown at night
Start conversations with strangers when they’d ask me for a light
I was smiling in the face of time
I was a touch naïve, but it really felt sublime, sublime

F***ing off at Starbucks cold brew coffee
Spending all my twenties not believing anything

Oh God
Do I need God?
Who is God?
I've never had God
Oh God
Do I need God?
Who is God?
I've never had God
Oh God"

The Folk Implosion

E.Z. L.A.

Heavy beats and spacy guitars under dreamy vocals, typical of this Boston band, give us a litany of complaints about the usual California natural disasters on this song from their 1999 album "One Part Lullaby."

"Here I am, never thought I'd be
Among the drifters and directors, a place for me
It's nothing like I thought it was after all

Feel the ground it's always moving
Down a mountain through a valley watch it all collide

Hear the other ocean churning
Helicopters up above
While another canyon's burning
Rain could wash the hill away

Easy L.A. it's another beautiful day
L.A., alright, cold like the desert at night
Cold like the desert at night

Without the seasons will I know how to change
Are we helpless to the wind?
Give me something to blame
For broken promises, smile like the ruthless sun

Did the money cut the city in pieces
Take the water from wherever it flows
Feel the ground, it's always moving
Down a mountain through a valley
Watch it all collide

Hear the other ocean churning
Helicopters up above
While another canyons burning
Rain could wash the hill away

Easy L.A., it's another beautiful day
L.A., alright, cold like the desert at night
Cold like the desert at night"

Formatia Marinica Namol

26 Miles (Santa Catalina)

This song was put on YouTube in September, 2023. I can't find much information about the band. The words on their YouTube page are in Romanian, so I'm going to assume they are singing in Romanian on the song, and that they are from Romania or Moldova. I don't understand Romanian, but the word "California" is repeated several times in the chorus and that's good enough for this list. I can't figure out what their name means either. My web software won't let me use the unusual characters in their name, but there's a comma under the "t" and a smile over the last two "a" characters. Google Translator translates their name in their YouTube channel description three different ways: the Marinica Namol Formation, the Navy Namol Formation, and he Marinica Namol Band.

Fountains of Wayne

California Sex Lawyer

Fountains of Wayne was a rock band from New York City with either one of the best band names ever or one of the worst. This is from the band's 2005 album "Out-of-State Plates," a compilation of old and new songs. It was originally on the International Pop Overthrow Vol 3 compilation released in 2000. I have no idea what a sex lawyer is, but it sounds like an interesting career path.

"I'm going coast to coast
I'm going nationwide
I got my hand on the trigger
Got my girl by my side
I got the looks that kill
I got a license to love
I got a German shepherd
And his name is Doug

I'm heading for the sun
I'm gonna become

A California sex lawyer
Oh yeah
A California sex lawyer
Oh yeah
A California sex lawyer
Oh yeah
Well, it's not fair, but baby, I don't care

I got big ideas
I got backup plans
I got the cha-cha-charisma
Got the sleight of hand
I'm gonna do some damage
Gonna bust some heads
I'm gonna go the distance
Then I'm going to bed

I'm heading for the sun
I'm gonna become

A California sex lawyer
Oh yeah
A California sex lawyer
Oh yeah
A California sex lawyer
Oh yeah
Well, it's not fair, but baby, I don't care...."

The Four Dandies

Frisco Kate

This is a campy barbershop quartet song that I haven't found online except in the movie it comes from - Outlaw Women (1952). At about 31 minutes in, we see four men singing the song in a saloon.

"Where I first met Katie
At the golden gatie
Out on San Francisco Bay
And she stole my heart away
On an everlovin' summer's day
Then we went canooin'
And we did some wooin'
As we watched the seals at play
On that golden strand
I won her hand
Out on San Francisco Bay

That's where I first met Katie
At that golden gatie
Out on San Francisco Bay
And she stole my little heart away
On that everlovin' summer's day
And we went canooin'
And we did a lot of wooin'
As we watched the seals at play
Out on that golden strand
I won her hand
Out on San Francisco
Oh you frisky Frisco
San Francisco Bay"

The Four Preps

The Four Preps were four wholesome clean-cut former Hollywood High School students who backed up Ricky Nelson on Ozzie and Harriet and Sandra Dee in the Gidget movies. The kind of guys parents loved. This is their big hit from 1958 with 4-part harmony and a bouncy accompaniment and a lot of romance, romance, romance, romance.

"Twenty- six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me
Santa Catalina, the island of romance, romance, romance, romance

Water all around it everywhere
Tropical trees and the salty air
But for me the thing that's a-waitin' there-romance

It seems so distant, twenty-six miles away
Restin' in the water serene
I'd work for anyone, even the Navy
Who would float me to my island dream

Twenty- six miles, so near yet far
I'd swim with just some water-wings and my guitar
I could leave the wings but I'll need the guitar for romance, romance, romance,
romance

Twenty- six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me
Santa Catalina, the island of romance…"

Four Tops

L.A. (My Town)

Four Tops are a hall of fame vocal quartet from Detroit, active since 1953 and performing until 1997 with the original members. They are best known for their Motown hits of the '60s and '70s. This song is from "Still Waters Run Deep" released in 1970.

"L.A. my town
I love you
L.A. my town
I love you
Ran through Santa Monica
Those sandy shores and sandy streets
Window shop in Hollywood
With movie stars beneath my feet

Oh, I love Angel City
You are really so pretty
In L.A (La-lala-lala)
In L.A (La-lala-lala)
La-lala-lala
La-lala-lala

L.A
My town
I love you
L.A. (my town)
My town
Oh, I love you
(Even in the wintertime
She wears a smile
Of bright sunshine)
Olvera Street and Chinatown
(Angels Flight, let's take a ride)

Oh, I love Angel City
Blue skies above us, so pretty
In L.A (La-lala-lala)
In L.A (La-lala-lala)
La-lala-lala
La-lala-lala

Bababa bababa
Bababa bababa
Bababa bababa
L.A.
L.A.
L.A.
L.A.
The sun is shining now
And you can see it
Feet on the ground
Don't they see it
The sun is shining, baby
In b city
Oh, get on down
Where the mini-skirt girls are pretty
In L.A. City"

Foxboro Hot Tubs

27th Ave. Shuffle

Foxboro Hot Tubs is a side project of the band Green Day, formed in 2007. The band is named after hot tubs in a housing development the band members snuck into late at night. This song, with an almost 30-second-long fade-out, is from the album "Stop Drop and Roll!!!" released in 2008. According to GreenDayAuthority.com the song was "...named after this street, probably because it was recorded at Studio 880 which is on 27th Avenue."

"Things are so much harder now
No matter how I try
Junkyard days and toxic waste
Still love is on my mind

I can see the ledge now
Golden Gate is falling from behind (Falling from behind)
Well, if you call this living
Well, I just wanna hang my head and cry, ooh

Voices in my head
Telling me that I am lost
Pills and alcohol
Are making me a lost cause

I can see the ledge now
Golden Gate is falling from behind (Falling from behind)
Well, if you call this living
Well, I just wanna hang my head and cry, ooh

Well, I can see the ledge now
Golden Gate is falling from behind (Falling from behind)
Well, if you call this living
Well, I just wanna hang my head and cry

Cry"

Foxboro Hot Tubs

Highway 1

This song about the Pacific Coast Highway is from the "Stop Drop and Roll!!!" EP released in 2007, but it was not included on the album of the same name released the following year.

"I'm on a midnight death trip
I'm on a mission from God
A stolen car and a death wish
To hell on Highway 1

Four on the floor, at hundred miles per hour
I'm gonna fly 'till the tires can't fly no more
C'mon
I got my blues, gonna make a racket
Nothin' to lose but a straitjacket on too tight
I'm alive

As the wind comes off the ocean
And my hair is combed just right
I'm in a stolen locomotion
Straight out of 1965

So pass the bottle at a hundred miles per hour
I'm gonna fly 'till the tires can't fly no more
C'mon
I got my blues and a sharkskin jacket
Nothin' to lose, gonna live it up 'till I die
I'm alive (Woo)

Well I'm alive before the supper
And I'm gonna smash this car just right
So gimme one good dose of thunder
Before I fall on my ass tonight

Four on the floor, at a hundred miles per hour
I'm gonna fly 'till the tires can't fly no more
C'mon
I got my blues, gonna make a racket
Nothin' to lose but this straitjacket on too tight
I'm alive

C'mon! Ha ha ha"

Foxboro Hot Tubs

Ruby Room

This song, from the album "Stop Drop and Roll!!!" released in 2008, celebrates a little dive bar on fourteenth street near Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland. It was still there last I checked in 2023.

"Fourteenth street, booze and swallow
I'm gonna drown my sorrow
Dirty floors and sticky tables
For the willing and the able
All the zombies on a hot Friday night

Going down to the Ruby Room
I'm gonna meet my doom
By the name of Rosie May
She's the night pick of the day, yeah

Lucky Strike and I will travel
As the Pabst Blue Ribbon unravels
Gonna drink my hard earned pay
Cause it doesn't matter anyway, yeah
Seeing double on a one last one night stand

Going down to the Ruby Room
I'm gonna meet my doom
By the name of Rosie May
She's the midnight pick of the day, yeah

Going down to the Ruby Room
I'm gonna meet my doom
By the name of Rosie May
She's the midnight pick of the day, yeah, yeah!

Going down to the Ruby Room
Going down to the Ruby Room"

Foxygen

Foxygen is an neopsychedelic indie pop folk rock etc. duo formed in 2005 in southern California when they were 15. This is the second single from their second album "We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic" released in 2013. There's an obvious comparison between the chorus of this song and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

"Up in San Francisco where the forest meets the bridge
I thought I saw you standing there and then you fell into the well
But that was many years ago and I am so much older now
My brother is a soldier now
I can't see them anyhow, I moved up in the wind
And you swimming up tide or just tuning in radio stations

I left my love in San Francisco
That's okay, I was bored anyway
I left my love in the room
That's okay, I was born in L.A.

I left my love in San Francisco
That's okay, I was bored anyway
I left my love in a field
That's okay, I was born in L.A.

And we're restating on this hill
That Jesus came from Israel
Isaac followed the sacred cow
So not to wake a sparrow splashing mud

But that was many years from now
And I hope from here on now
That I always seem to want to shout
Your eyes are like a cup of tea
You're sending to the sun with me

You swimming upstream or just tuning into the new sensations
I was broken, you were broken..."

Dallas Frazier

California Cotton Fields

Dallas Frazier was a country singer-songwriter from Oklahoma active from 1954-1988. This song is from his album "Singing My Songs" released in 1969. He wrote it with Earl Montgomery. The songs has also been recorded by Merle Haggard, Gram Parsons, and Emmylou Harris, and probably others.

"My driftin' memory goes back to the spring of '43
When I was just a child in mama's arms
My daddy plowed the ground and promised someday we could leave
His run-down mortgaged Oklahoma farm
Then one night I heard my daddy sayin' to my mama
That he'd finally saved enough for us to go
California was his dream, a paradise, for he had seen
Pictures in magazines that told him so

California cotton fields
Where labor camps were full of weary men with broken dreams
California cotton fields
Was as close to wealth as daddy ever came

Almost everything we had was sold or left behind
From daddy's plow to the fruit that mama canned
Some folks came to say farewell and see what all we had to sell
But some just came to shake my daddy's hand
The model A was loaded down and California bound
And a change of luck was just four days away
But the only change that I remember seeing for my daddy
Was when his dark hair turned to silver grey

California cotton fields
Where labor camps were full with weary men with broken dreams
California cotton fields
Was as close to wealth as daddy ever came

California cotton fields
Where labor camps were full with weary men with broken dreams
California cotton fields
Was as close to wealth as daddy ever came"

Freak Power, Da Lukas, & Walterino

Hey California

Da Lukas is an Italian nu disco DJ. Walterino is an Italian dance music DJ.
Freak Power was a band formed in England by Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) in 1993, but I don't know if this is the same band. or if the track is based on something Freak Power recorded in the past, or what. Whatever it's origin, this is an upbeat party disco song about beaches and sunshine.

"Hey California
Missing your sweet sweet love in a hot way
Hey hey California
Lovin' those memories comin' back to me

Feel the Pacific wind blow away my heartache
The state of Mary Jane on a ...
'Cause there's love outside in the sunshine
Put your hands up and feel the heat

Yeah that's me, feelin' the love, showin' the love
For my California
I been workin' hard all week
And I wanna get my freak
On
In California

Yeah it's finally Saturday
And I'm goin' out to play
I feel the sunlight, the sunlight, the sunlight
Yeah it's finally Saturday
And I'm doin' this my way
'Cause it's Saturday night, Saturday night, Saturday night, all right
Yeah it's finally Saturday
And I'm headin' out to play
I feel the sunlight, the sunlight, the sunlight
Yeah it's finally Saturday
And I'm makin' it my day
'Cause it's Saturday night, Saturday night, Saturday night, all right

Come on baby
Let's go play in the sunshine
Lay on the beach
My people, let us come together to celebrate the beauty that is life, life, that's right

Hey California
Think about all the things you mean to me
Hey California
Where I can be whoever I wanna be

Now my work is done it's time to party
I've done my 40 hours and now I'm free
'Cause it's all good time in the sunshine
'Cause I got you and baby you got me

Yeah it's finally Saturday
And I'm goin' out to play
I feel the sunlight, the sunlight, the sunlight
Yeah it's finally Saturday
And I'm makin' this the day
'Cause it's Saturday night, Saturday night, Saturday night, all right
Yeah it's finally Saturday
And I'm headin' out to play
I feel the sunlight, the sunlight, the sunlight
Yeah it's finally Saturday
And I'm makin' it my day
'Cause it's Saturday night, Saturday night, Saturday night, all right

Feel that breeze from the Pacific, mm, mm"

Freischwimmer

You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma

This is a cover of the Mamas & the Papas 1965 classic. Freischwimmer is a German DJ/Remixer. This dance track was released in 2015. Do you like the original song but wish it had a low-energy tropical house beat with a laid back singer who flattens out the melody? Then this one's for you.

A note on Wickipedia explains why this version is especially interesting:
"A tropical house version by German DJ/remixer Freischwimmer was released in 2015. This version reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in its February 13, 2016 issue. "Dreamin" had never before hit No. 1 on any ranking, making this version the first in its nearly 50-year history to reach the top spot on a Billboard chart."

Freshman 15

Our California Song

Freshman 15 was formed in Georgia in 2002 with the name Xzamen. They became Freshman 15 in 2007 and released this pop punk song from their album "Throw up Your Hands for One Night Stands" in 2009.

So let me get this stright - the singer sings this California song hoping that the girl who left him behind in Georgia to go to California for five months will hear the song and his voice and that will make her realize she should have spent the summer with him. And then what, come back to him or bring him to the beach with her? That makes my head spin like a Christopher Nolan movie, but, you know, in the home-recording streaming era you could put a song out fast enought to make it possible.

"She's packing her clothes I'm trying hard not to to speak
'Cause it would only upset her, she knows I don't agree
With this vacation she says is all that she needs
Then she left me in Georgia for five months across the country

If she stays there just a little bit longer
And she hears the right song her mind will remember me
When she hears my voice
She'll forget all the boys
And realize that the summer at the beach
Should've been with me out there in Cali

I hope the beaches are closed 'cause its thirty-seven degrees
I hope it rains everyday and the sun's nowhere to be seen
At home the weather's so gorgeous, come back see what I mean
And who needs California, when I'm home waiting patiently

If she stays there just a little bit longer
And she hears the right song her mind will remember me
When she hears my voice
She'll forget all the boys
And realize that the summer at the beach
Should've been with me out there in Cali
Summer at the beach
Should've been with me out there in Cali

I'm awaiting her arrival, but I already know
I've never said I had regrets, I'm confessing my heart is broke
It's broke from you, but still it beats for you
And all I ever wanted was you to tell your friends that you were part of me
And that you might marry me eventually

If she stays there just a little bit longer
And she hears the right song her mind will remember me
When she hears my voice
She'll forget all the boys
And realize that the summer at the beach
Should've been with me out there in Cali

If she stays there just a little bit longer
And she hears the right song her mind will remember me
When she hears my voice
She'll forget all the boys
And realize that the summer at the beach
Should've been with me out there in Cali...."

David Frizzell and Shelly West

David Frizzell is a country music singer from Arkansas, active since 1959, and not to be confused with his country music brother Lefty Frizell. (He also recorded a version of L.A. County Airport, shown below under Susan Raye.) Shelly West is a country music singer from Cleveland, active since 1981. This song is from the album "Carryin' On The Family Names" released in 1981. It's an odd title for a song about California, but she's in Los Angeles and he's in Tulsa.

(David Frizzell)

"There's a full moon over Tulsa
I hope that it's shinin' on you
The nights are getting cold
In Cherokee County
There's a Blue Northern passin' through

I remember green eyes and a ranchers daughter
But remember is all that I do
Losing you left a pretty good cowboy
With nothing to hold on to

Sundown came and I drove to town
And drank a drink or two
You're the reason God made Oklahoma
You're the reason God made Oklahoma
And I'm sure missing you
I'm sure missing you

(Shelly West)

Here the city lights out shine the moon
I was just now thinking of you
Sometimes when the wind blows you can see the mountains
And all the way to Malibu

Everyone's a star here In L.A. County
You ought to see that the things they do
All the cowboys down on the Sunset Strip
With that they could be like you

The Santa Monica freeway
Sometimes makes a country girl blue
You're the reason God made Oklahoma
You're the reason God made Oklahoma
And I'm sure missing you

(David Frizzell)

I work ten hours on a John Deere tractor
Just thinking of you all day

(Shelly West)

I've got a calico cat and a two room flat
On a street in West L.A

(Both)

You're the reason God made Oklahoma
You're the reason God made Oklahoma
I'm sure missing you
I'm sure missing you"

Ray Frushay

Ray Frushay was a country music singer active from 1960 to 1980
This is a 1970 single that is a cover of the song written and recorded by Christopher and also released in 1970. You can see the lyrics under Christopher.

Jordan Frye