Songs That Mention California

Gianna Nannini is a singer-songwriter from Italy, active since 1976, who holds the record for the most "n"s in a name. (Or at least it seems like that should be true.) Her pregnancy at the age of 56 was newsworthy enough to put her on the cover of Vanity Fair in 2010. This long '70s rocker with almost 5 minutes of guitar solo at the end is from her album "California" released in 1979.

In una strada forse in una stanza
Dietro mille finestre
Noi guardavamo nella stessa direzione
E la storia si ferma
Quando i padri sono stanchi
L'odio ci passava sopra
Ma non ci separava
Era California era via di là
Quanto fiato nella gola
Per rifare la realtà
Era California era via di là
Verso cosa non sapevo ma lo respiravo sembrava cielo
Guardami ora e dimmi cosa vedi
Non è tutto passato
Ma il sogno che interrompi non sarà più uguale
Quasi senza le stelle
Forse è più bello navigare
Non c'è niente di perso e che non possa continuare
Siamo noi la california
Siamo noi la libertà
Pugni chiusi nelle tasche
Sangue fragole realtà
Siamo noi la california
Siamo noi la libertà
Siamo noi che lo guardiamo e ci sembra ancora
Ancora cielo

On a street perhaps in a room
Behind a thousand windows
We were looking in the same direction
And the story stops
When fathers are tired
The hatred passed over us
But it didn't separate us
It was California it was away from there
So much breath in my throat
To remake reality
It was California it was away from there
I didn't know what I was going towards but I breathed it, it felt like heaven
Look at me now and tell me what you see
It's not all over
But the dream you interrupt will never be the same again
Almost without the stars
Maybe it's nicer to sail
There is nothing lost and that cannot continue
We are California
We are freedom
Fists closed in pockets
Blood strawberries reality
We are California
We are freedom
We are the ones who look at it and it still seems like it
More sky

Nantucket

Nantucket is a rock band formed in North Carolina in 1969. This song is from their album "Your Face or Mine" released in 1979.

"I've been waiting
Right by the phone
All night long, for you to call
I've been praying
For just one ring
To ease the pain, nothing at all
Telegrams of sadness
Say you're out having a ball
Tootin' grams don't ease the pain at all

California
Out in Hollywood
California
Hollywood
Leave me alone
Leave me alone

I've been thinking
What would I do without you, nothing at all
And I've been packing
All of my clothes 'cause heaven knows, this is a haul

Telegrams of sadness
Still found it, hard on my mind
Once I get to see you, I'll be fine

California
Out in Hollywood
California
Let me warn ya
Tickets only good one way
I'm coming to stay

Mr. Ticket man punch me a hole
Carolina to L.A.
Want you so bad it put me on the road today

California
Hollywood
Comin' on back
California
Hollywood
Why am I goin' back?
California
Hollywood
California
Hollywood"

Nappy Roots (featuring Slick & Rose)

Kalifornia Dreamin'

Nappy Roots is a hip-hop group from Kentucky, active since 1995. Slick & Rose was a Pop/R&B duo based in Atlanta starting in 2000. This song is not a cover but a re-imagining of the Mamas and Papas classic (which is probably why they spell it "Kalifornia.") It's from the group's album "The Humdinger" released in 2008. It adds new lyrics and melody, but keeps a fewof the original song lyrics and melody, much like a sample-based song, or even a jazz interpretation, but instead of sampling the original song, they sing and rap it. So fast that I can't understand some of the words, which are marked with ??? instead.

"When all the chips are down
What we gon' do now, now, now

Kalifornia dreamin'

When all the leaves are brown
Winter's coming round
What we gon' do now

Kalifornia dreamin'

I'm Kalifornia dreamin'
Ride through the streets of Eden
18's beating out ??? pleadin'
As we welcome a new season
When a steady easin'
Round the corner Georgia's on my mind
But headed out to California
I'm going going back back
I gotta full tank of gas plus some fat stack
I'm doin' 90 on this country road
God sent a rainy day
Still I would be so much warmer if I was in L.A.
I feel it comin' like a million miles away
They tryna take my shine away
Like thunder clouds and rain man
And all I'm tryna say
Life is what you make it
Take a picture with a frame
Plain as day remain
Comin' soon they called it change
90 in the slow lane drivin'
Wish it was aranged
Wish a lot of things would happen
But I'm livin' can't complain
Another day above the ground
??? around
I try to down a couple lines
We're grindin' till it's quittin' time

When all the chips are down
What we gon' do now

Kalifornia dreamin'

When all the leaves are brown
Winter's coming round
What we gon' do now, now, now

Kalifornia dreamin'
I hate the holidays
In a lotta ways
They remind me
Of all of the money
I gotta raise
Seasons change
From calm winds to freezin' rain
N***a needs ??? changes
To ease the pain
Burn it down 'till no trees remain
Like Cali forest fires go as high as a plane
To keep me sane
Understand there's nothin' you can teach me man
I was a fan first
Set back in ??? game
...
When all the chips are down
What we gon' do now

Kalifornia dreamin'

When all the leaves are brown
Winter's coming round
What we gon' do now, now, now

Kalifornia dreamin'
...
When the leaves brown
Winter's coming around
When the leaves are brown
No one and no one and no one around
No one and no one and no one around
Leaves brown
Snow on the ground
Whatcha gonna whatcha gonna do do now
Whatcha gonna whatcha gonna do do now
Whatcha gonna whatcha gonna do do now
Whatcha gonna whatcha gonna do do now
Round, round, round
Round, round, round
I dream a little dream of Cali
I said I dream of California
I said I dream of California"

The Narrative

The Narrative is an indie pop rock band formed in Long Island in 2008. This song is from their 2016 album "Golden Silence." The singer of this song is upset that his friend took a trip to California and isn't coming back. He thinks that everybody in California spends all day shootin' off their guns, drugged up, passed out in the sun by a pool full of women at a big house in the hills with a fancy car in the driveway. Oh come on!
Sure, that's an amazingly accurate description of my life, but not everybody in California lives that way!

"California sun
I wish I was relaxing there with you
California sun
We're just swimmin' in women and shootin' off our guns

And I wish I could be someone else
I wish I could be anyone else but me sometimes I do
And I wish I could be like you
I wish I could be drugged up passed out by the pool
Just like you

Ahh

I bet a twenty dollar bill
I bet a twenty dollar bill you don't come home
No, I bet a hundred dollar bill
I bet a hundred dollar bill you don't come home
'cause you won't

And I could use a fancy car
I could use a big old house up on the hills
And sugar let me tell you I could definitely sell you on this
If you will listen to me still
And you will

Ahh

But I won't waste my energy
'cause these words won't buy me anything
And even if I close my eyes
The California sun will rise

Ahh

It feels good with the sun in your life
The good vibes and the golden silence
It feels good to be good to your vice
Burn it into the back of your eyelids"

Naser

California Dream

According to his Facebook page, Naser is a "Birmingham-based Persian singer, songwriter and musician. Born and raised in Tehran, Iran." This song was released in August, 2024.

"It is like the summer
The California dream
The sun is in the air
I'm walking by the sea

You've been like the summer
And I just love the heat
Love is in the air
And that's what I believe
And that's what I believe
And that's what I believe

Let's go and let the party start now
Can't stop but we can do it all now
I know we're gonna have a good time
This is what we aim for
Live a better life now

Let the party start now
(Let the party start now)

Come with me I'll be driving
Let's enjoy the scene
We can go anywhere
As long as you're with me

Your skin shines like a diamond
Your touch is all I need
You got that pretty face
I wanna see that seven days every week

I wanna go, we gotta let it go
It's a miracle, nothing hypothetical
You're putting on a show now
Everybody knows I've never ever seen
Anything like you this beautiful

And that's what I believe
Seven days every week

Let's go and let the party start now
Can't stop but we can do it all now
I know we're gonna have a good time
This is what we aim for
Live a better life now...."

Matt Nathanson

Kinks Shirt

Matt Nathanson is a singer-songwriter from Massachusetts who has been recording since the early 1990's. This song was released in 2013. I assume he lives or lived in San Francisco based on the oddly specific intersection he mentions which is in the Sunset district a block south of Golden Gate Park and includes a Starbucks, a gas station, a Bank, a deli, a flower shop, a Pizza joint, a Vietnamese noodle house, and a nail salon. I'm guessing he wants to meet at the nail salon to fix those chipped red fingernails.

"Rent love, run in circles.
Sweet fiction silhouette.
Meet me at 9th and irving,
Let’s do things we can both regret.

It’s all there in your chipped red fingernails.
It’s all there in the twist of your pigtails.

It’s the way she walks,
The way she talks,
Can’t stop thinking
About the girl in the kinks shirt.
Take me home, San Francisco.
Can’t stop thinking about the girl in the kinks shirt.
You and my imagination,
You and my imagination,
You and my imagination,
Can’t stop thinking about the girl in the kinks shirt.

Sidewalk mariachis,
I see you in your party dress.
Played out sid and nancy,
Bring on the apocalypse.

Don’t need no songs playing on the radio,
Get my truth from your thrift store halo.

Getting what you want can break your heart.

It’s the way she walks,
The way she talks,
Can’t stop thinking
About the girl in the kinks shirt.
Take me home, San Francisco.
Can’t stop thinking about the girl in the kinks shirt...."

The National

Pink Rabbits

The National is a critically acclaimed indie rock band from Cincinnati formed in 1999 that found their way to Brooklyn like so many bands. This song is from their sixth studio album "Trouble Will Find Me" released in 2013. It doesn't seem to be about California but it does name check Los Angeles.

"I couldn't find quiet
I went out in the rain
I was just soakin' my head to unrattle my brain
Somebody said you disappeared in a crowd
I didn't understand then
I don't understand now

Am I the one you think about when you're sitting in your faintin' chair drinking pink rabbits?
Am I the one you think about when you're sitting in your faintin' chair drinking pink rabbits?
... ... ... ...

You didn't see me I was falling apart
I was a white girl in a crowd of white girls in the park
You didn't see me I was falling apart
I was a television version of a person with a broken heart
You didn't see me I was falling apart
I was a white girl in a crowd of white girls in a park
You didn't see me I was falling apart
I was a television version of a person with a broken heart

And everybody was gone
You were standin' in the street 'cause you were trying not to crack up
And bona drag was still on
Now I only think about Los Angeles when the sun kicks out
Now I only think about Los Angeles when the sun kicks out..."

Nazareth

Alcatraz

Nazareth is a hard rock band formed in Scotland 1968. This song is from their third studio album "Razamanaz" released in 1973. It really ramps up the cheesy faux "Indian" western movie phrases used in the original. It's a cover of the 1971 Leon Russell song about the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz Island and its prison complex in the San Francisco Bay by Native Americans and their supporters who believed that because it was abandoned Federal land, Indians could rightfully reclaim the island under an old treaty.

"Now lay me down on Market Street
I'm looking for some spare change
A Coast Guard ship is been lookin' for me
I might have to change my name

Here comes Uncle Sam again with the same old bag of beads
The local chief's on the radio
We got some hungry mouths to feed
Goin’ back to Alcatraz

Lay me back down on the highway
One hundred and one ways to go
Solitary is so confining
To the legend of Geronimo

I know how to bring the rain
'Cause I danced for ABC
All the braves down on death row
Are pretending to be free
Back home in Alcatraz

In the land of the great white father
My American blood runs cold
I left my home in Oklahoma
To the Everglades I go
It's just the wings on the silver cars
And I'm allowed to plow a field
It's not the life for a nineteen seventy
Indian boy to do
I'm goin' back to Alcatraz

Lay me down on Market Street
I'm looking for some spare change
The Coast Guard ship is lookin' for me
I might have to change the name

Here comes Uncle Sam again with the same old bag of beads
Local chief's on the radio
He's got some hungry mouths to feed
Goin' back to Alcatraz

Here comes Uncle Sam again with the same old bag of beads
Local chief's on the radio
He's got some hungry mouths to feed
Goin' back to Alcatraz
Goin' back to Alcatraz
Goin' back to Alcatraz
Goin' back to Alcatraz..."

Neggy Gemmy

Neggy Gemmy (formerly known as Negative Gemini) is a project of Lindsey French, a singer-songwriter from Richmond, Virginia. This slow electronica song was released in 2021. worldinferno

"It's all over now
Let's pack all our stuff and get out
Everything is f**ked
I just wanna go and never come back

You're saying slow down
But I just wanna go fast
You know that I won't lie
I've been thinking that maybe we should go to California

It won't ever rain
Maybe all our problems will just fade away
I can't stay here anymore
I wanna set this place on fire

You're saying slow down
But I just wanna go fast
You know that I won't lie
I've been thinking that maybe we should go to California"

The Neighbourhood

Sweater Weather

They use the British spelling of "neighborhood" but this alternative rock band was formed in Newbury Park, CA in 2011. This song, from their 2013 album "I Love You," was a #1 hit on the Billboard Alternative chart.

"All I am is a man
I want the world in my hands
I hate the beach
But I stand
In California with my toes in the sand
Use the sleeves of my sweater
Let's have an adventure
Head in the clouds but my gravity's centered
Touch my neck and I'll touch yours
You in those little high-waisted shorts, oh

She knows what I think about
And what I think about
One love, two mouths
One love, one house
No shirt, no blouse
Just us, you find out
Nothing that I wouldn't wanna tell you about, no

'Cause it's too cold
For you here and now
So let me hold
Both your hands in the holes of my sweater...."

Rick Nelson

(I Don't Have a Reason) To Go To California Anymore

Rick (Ricky) Nelson was a musician and actor from New Jersey active 1949-1985. He was the original "teen idol" starring in a hit TV show with his parents and a very popular recording artist. This song is from the album "Rick Sings Nelson" released in 1970.

"I'm goin' home to California
And I'll be there in about a week
And I've been gone too long to worry
Can't you see I'm in a hurry
California, here I come

I've got some people in California
I hope they'll be there when I get home
But I've been gone too long to worry
Can't you see I'm in a hurry
California, here I come

Gonna live in a canyon made of gold
And there the sunshine shines every day I'm told
And I've been gone too long to worry
Can't you see I'm in a hurry
California, here I come

I'm goin' home to California
And I'll be there in about a week
And I've been gone too long to worry
Can't you see I'm in a hurry
California, here I come"

Rick Nelson

California Free

This is an originally-unissued song recorded in 1974 that was put on the 2004 album "Rick's Rarities 1964-1974."

"She's an earth shakin' love makin' San Fransisco lady
She's a high rider and a good all nighter
And California free
She's a high rider and a good all nighter
And California free

I met a lot of women before
You know what I mean
But I never had a girl before
Who could do those kind of things

She can outshine the sunrise
Raise the dead at midnight
Love your bones, bring you to your knees

She's an earth shakin' love makin' San Fransisco lady
She's a high rider and a good all nighter
And California free
She's a high rider and a good all nighter
And California free

Oh San Fransisco lady
California free

She's an earth shakin' love makin' San Fransisco lady
She's a high rider and a good all nighter
And California free
She's a high rider and a good all nighter
And California free
She's a high rider and a good all nighter
And California free"

Tracy Lee Nelson

Hello San Diego

Tracy Lee Nelson is a Native American musical artist from California who has played punk music and classic rock. This blues dance song was released in 2021.

"Hello San Diego, are you ready for a good time
Hello San Diego, are you ready to let it shine
Tonight the music comes alive
We're gonnna party 'till the morning light

Hello San Diego, where the sun shines all year long
Hello San Diego, I'm proud to live in call my home
Everybody is friendly and know how to have a good time

Dance dance
Come on San Diego
Dance dance
Come on San Diego
Dance dance
Come on San Diego
Dance dance
Come on San Diego
It's the party of the year
Come on and dance enjoy some good old blues

Come on San Diego, let me hear you scream and shout
All right San Diego, we're ready for the blues tonight
We got the hottest band in town, burning up the screen tonight

Dance dance
Come on San Diego
Dance dance
Come on San Diego
Dance dance
Come on San Diego
Dance dance
Come on San Diego
It's the party of the year
Come on and dance enjoy some good old blues

We got the hottest bands in town
Tearin' up the street tonight
We got the California sun
And the ladies that'll drive you wild"

Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson is a singer-songwriter from Texas, active since 1965, and one of the most well-known country music artists in the world. He has made more than 70 solo studio albums. This is from the album "Born for Trouble" released in 1990. If California fell into the ocean from a giant earthquake every time a woman in a song refused to leave, Reno would be an international seaport by now.

"I met her by the ocean lyin' in the California sun
And she was something special like I never found in anyone
But living here in Texas sure kept this ole boy on the moon
She said when I wasn't with her someone else would be pulling off her shoes

That gal she hypnotized me and had me buying air love tickets every week
But every time I mention Texas she moves a little further up the beach
Then today she finally told me long distance love ain't working like before
And you don’t have a reason to come to California any more

I don’t have a reason to go to California anymore
And when she closed her heart she closed the California door
It might as well fall in the ocean
Like I've heard it said a hundred times before
'Cause I don’t have a reason to go to California anymore

It might as well fall in the ocean
Like I've heard it said a hundred times before
'Cause I don’t have a reason to go to California anymore
I don’t have a reason to go to California anymore"

Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack

Mendocino County Line

Lee Ann Womack is a country music singer-songwriter from Texas active since 1996. This is a sweet country duet from the album "The Great Divide" released in 2002.

"Counted the stars on the 4th of July
wishing we were rockets bursting into the sky.
Talking about redemption and leaving things behind
as the sun sank west of the Mendocino County Line.

Scarce as as Monday morning feeling washed away
I orchestrated paradise, couldn't make you stay
You dance with the horses through the sands of time
As the sun sinks west of the Mendocino County Line.

I have these pictures and I keep these photographs
to remind me of a time...

These pictures and these photographs
let me know I'm doing fine

I use to make you happy once upon a time
But the sun sank west of the Mendocino County Line."

NemRaps

California Dreaming

According to a YouTube bio: "Nem is a pop rap artist hailing from Charlotte, NC. He is an avid gamer, comic reader, movie go-er, and toy collector, and those influences are reflected heavily in his music. Mainly known as a “NerdCore Artist, Nem raps about video games, movies, TV shows and anything dealing with popular culture. He is also known for his sampling and remixing ability, as he likes to mix different musical genres into a cohesive melodic blend."

This song is from the video game Dead Island 2, released in 2023. I don't know when it is heard in the game. I don't play video games, so I don't know how common it is, but using a weed whacker to kill zombies sounds like a lot of fun.

"Heads are gonna roll
We gon let 'em roll on the cement
Zombie bodies are piling up to the ceiling
You feeling how we feeling then you
California dreaming
California dreaming
California dreaming
Zombies all around me
California is bleeding
How do we survive through all the trouble that we're in
Just keep your head high
We'll be California dreaming

I don't wanna play
I just wanna stay alive
Running through the flames
Yeah you know it's do or die
Zombies ate my neighbors
But it's time to say goodbye
Yeah they got me wit a bite
But you see I'm still alright

Swinging wood and it's batter up
I don't think that they've had enough
They want more 'cause they standing up
All these zombies they outta luck
All these kills that I'm racking up
They should really be backing up
I don't even need to grab a gun
Slash 'em up, yeah I'm having fun

California dreaming but it's not a good time
You can see the blood on the Hollywood sign
If you don't run they you're outta your mind
If a zombie smells blood that is not a good sign
Yeah, welcome to the Westside
Out here we don't live and let die
If you got a lead pipe then you gotta let it fly
If you wanna stay alive, you need more than 'just vibes'
Grab a wrench, grab a bat, grab a weed whacker
If your wife turns, don't hesitate, attack her
In the kitchen there's a knife, go ahead and stab her
No you're not hallucinating, watch the blood splatter
Don't be a dumb bastard
You need to run faster
Until your lungs burn
Keep jumping over cadavers
You're a survivor now
Yeah you are a fighter now
Chewing on your flesh, mmm mmm
That is not allowed

Oh yeah we coming out swinging
Heads are gonna roll
We gon let 'em roll on the cement
Zombie bodies are piling up to the ceiling
You feeling how we feeling then you
California dreaming
California dreaming
California dreaming
Zombies all around me
California is bleedingHow do we survive through all the trouble that we're in
Just keep your head high
We'll be California dreaming"

Gen Neo (featuring DeVita)

Like California

en Neo is a Singaporean singer-songwriter-producer based in South Korea, active since 2016. DeVita is the stage name of Cho Yoonkyoung, a South Korean singer-songwriter raised in Chicago. This song was released in January, 2023 and described as "...a Contemporary R&B dance track with an upbeat rhythm blended with chill vibes."

[Gen Neo]
"Drowning inside her
Moving in silence
We'll leave on the weekend
Don't need a reason
I'll satisfy her
She wanna ride all night
U and I can make it right
I'll be your pilot
Takin' off right here
Ignited
Where you wanna go
Higher
Feedin' the fire
Desire
When I'm with ya

It feels like California
It feels like California
It feels like California
It feels like California
Feels like California

[DeVita]
I see the signs like
There's something in your eyes
We could pretend like
We're all alone
Don't you know
Don't you know
We can get reckless with it
Like that
You and I can't make this right

Cuz I like your vibe, are you down to go
Come on over I wanna know
Late at night ridin' down the coast
Feelin' like I can lose control
Overdrive never feeling low
Never cruising alone when I'm with you

[Gen Neo]
It feels like California
It feels like California
It feels like California
It feels like California
Feels like California...."

Neon Trees

Hooray For Hollywood

Neon Trees are a rock band formed in Utah in 2005 by a couple of guys who grew up in California. The title is a sarcastic play on the campy Hollywood anthem, evidenced by the list of dead stars who died tragically by 2012. Unfortunately, there have been a lot more names to add in the following six years.

"Take me on
What ever went wrong
My tongue on your tongue
Makes me feel better
Our first kiss
A slap on the wrist
My heart is a fist
And you're left of center

Gimme gimme gimme your attention
Strange ways babe
I only wanna move like you move
I'm watching you

Ohhh
Hooray for Hollywood

Read my lips
I'll get my kicks
You get your fix and we'll go out dancing
You're so low
I'm watching you glow
The last picture show

I only wanna move like you move
I'm watching you

Ohhh
Hooray for Hollywood

River Phoenix, James Dean, Corey Haim, Brandon Lee, Michael Jackson, George Reeves, Sharon Tate, Britney Murphy, Heath Ledger, Freddie Prinze, Marilyn, The Lizard King, Natty Wood, John Belushi, Janis, Jimi, Amy, Whitney...

Ohhh
Hooray for Hollywood"

The Network

Spike

The Network is a band formed in 2003 as a secret side project of the band Green Day. They were together until 2005, then formed again in 2020 before disbanding in 2021. This song is from their debut album "Money Money 2020" released in 2004. Danville, Concord, and Blackhawk are communites in the outer East Bay. The Med is or was a coffee house on Telegraph avenue in Berkeley, aka "the avenue", which is always full of street people asking for spare change.

"Hello?
Hey, this is Brandon, but my friends call me Spike now
I just moved out of my parents' house in Danville to this wicked warehouse in Oakland
Uh, anyway, I spent most of the day spare-changing on the Avenue
I started out in front of the Med, but everyone kept saying I "look too young and healthy"
So I went up the street to the Gap where all the yuppie college kids shop
I was there until about 5:30 or 6, I scored about 10 bucks
So... me and my girlfriend, uh...you met her, she's from uh... La Jolla?
Uh, anyway, we got some money from her parents, so we're gonna stop by because...]

I need a fix!
I need a fix!
I need a fix!
I need a fix!
I need a...

What's that?
Now's not a good time?
What do you mean there's none left?
Well, what the f**k, dude?
If I would've known that, I would have gone to Concord
What do you mean, go back to Concord then?
Dude, you don't even know who you're talking to
Don't make me get all Blackhawk on your ass!
Wait, man, I didn't mean that!
Come on, dude, please?
All right then...
Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!
Do you know anyone that's got any?
Do... do you got a number?
What do you mean you won't give it to me?
I didn't call for a shitty conversation, I called because...

I need a fix!
I need a fix!
I need a fix!
I need a fix!
I need a...

Man, I got it rough
When drinking cough syrup just ain't enough, man
Oh, Lord
I'm a teenage rebel and I'm fu**ing bored
(I'm a teenage rebel)
(And I'm fu**ing bored)

Hello?
Uh, Mom?
Uh, this is Spi— I mean Brandon
Umm, I got kicked out of my place in Oakland
Uh, I don't really have a place to go, so I was just wondering if I could stay with you or Grandma or something?
I don't know...
Uh, my girlfriend dumped me, she moved back to La Jolla
Yeah, that's kind of a drag
I guess she's gonna go back to school or something
Anyway, call me back
Wait, wait, wait, one more thing, uh, mom?
I was wondering if I can borrow 200 dollars, because...

I need a fix!
I need a fix!
I need a fix!
I need a fix!
I need a...

I'm a teenage rebel"

Never Shout Never

Never Shout Never is Christofer Drew Ingle. This upbeat pos song was released in 2010.

"...I had the most amazing time last night
I dreamt I saw you again
That's when the flashback started to begin

They started slow
But they picked up fast
So I got off my ass
And I ran away
To Californ-I-A

[La La La La]

Oh my god I
Should've never let you leave my side
Should've never left you alone
It probably seems like I'm never coming home

But I'm so lost
Living life fast
Please get off your ass
So I won't waste away
In Californ-I-A

[La La La La]

Just so you know
I'm never comin' home
I'm having a great day [Great Day]
In Californ-I-A

[La La La La]"

David Nevory

His YouTube page says that David Nevory is a folk/rock singer and songwriter from Cologne, Germany, but he sounds like he's orignally from the U.S.A. This is from his debut album "Seagazing" released in 2022.

"I keep running like I never needed sleeping
All because you said you needed me to keep up
Is it worth it
Is it worth it
My friends said come and watch, the sundown is on fire
Wish I could go but I'm still dancing on this wire
Is it worth it
To do this for you
I'm counting on one, two, three, one, two
It could be one, two, three and you're gone

I've been running so far
Now it don't feel right
Anymore
I miss California
The way it was
Before us
I miss California, oh yeah, oh yeah
I miss California, oh yeah, oh yeah

I keep thinking 'bout our trips out on the weekend
And the way you let your body do the speaking
Was it worth it
To play these games
I'm counting on one, two, three, one, two
It could be one, two, three and you're gone

I've been running so far
Now it don't feel right
Anymore
I miss California
The way it was
Before us
I miss California, oh yeah, oh yeah
I miss California, oh yeah, oh yeah"

New Amsterdams

From California

A 2003 release by the Lawrence Kansas indie pop band started by Matthew Pryor of The Get Up Kids.

"I hope that you know this is killing me
It's all in the name of the family
We only can play the cards the dealer dealt us
The end of the cycle is closing in
With you I see new hope begin again
There suddenly seems to be promise in California

La da la da da da da da da da da da da (repeat)

As heavy as all this is weighing me
Believe in the words I am promising
I'm still here for her
The distance is only an obstacle
Hardly a match for a miracle
I'm finally ready to go to California"

Randy Newman

I Love L.A.

Randy Newman is an award-winning singer-songwriter who was born in New Orleans and has been in the music business since 1961. This song is from his album "Trouble in Paradise" released in 1983. I'm not sure if it's satire or if it was commissioned to promote tourism. Many of Newman's other songs are satirical, and there's some of that here - New York is too cold and the people dress like monkeys and Chicago is for Eskimos - but mostly it seems that he just loves driving in the city. He might not feel so amorous if he was on foot.

"Hate New York City
It's cold and it's damp
And all the people dress like monkeys
Let's leave Chicago to the Eskimos
That town's a little too rugged
For you and me, you bad girl

Rollin' down the Imperial Highway
With a big nasty redhead at my side
Santa Ana winds blowin' hot from the north
And we was born to ride

Roll down the window, put down the top
Crank up the Beach Boys, baby
Don't let the music stop
We're gonna ride it 'till we just can't ride it no more

From the South Bay to the Valley
From the West Side to the East Side
Everybody's very happy
'Cause the sun is shining all the time
Looks like another perfect day

I love L.A. (We love it!)
I love L.A. (We love it!)

Look at that mountain
Look at those trees
Look at that bum over there, man
He's down on his knees
Look at these women
There ain't nothin' like 'em nowhere

Century Boulevard (We love it!)
Victory Boulevard (We love it!)
Santa Monica Boulevard (We love it!)
Sixth Street (We love it! We love it!)
We love L.A.

I love L.A. (We love it!)
I love L.A. (We love it!)
I love L.A. (We love it!)"

New Riders of the Purple Sage

Lonesome L.A. Cowboy

New Riders of the Purple Sage is a country rock band formed in San Francisco in 1969 and still kickin'.
This song is from their fourth studio album "The Adventures of Panama Red" released in 1973.

"I'm just a lonesome L.A. cowboy
Hangin' out, hangin' on
To your window ledge, callin' your name
From midnight until dawn
I been smokin' dope, snortin' coke
Tryin' to write a song
Forgettin' everything I know
'Til the next line comes along
Forgettin' everything I know
'Til the next line comes along

Well there's so many pretty people in the city
I swear some of them are girls
I meet'em down at Barney's Beanery
With their platform heels and spit curls
I buy'em drinks, we smoke our hopes
Try to make it one more night
But when I'm left all alone at last
I feel like I'll die from fright

I'm just a lonesome L.A. cowboy
Hangin' out, hangin' on
To your window ledge, callin' your name
From midnight until dawn
I been smokin' dope, snortin' coke
Tryin' to write a song
Forgettin' everything I know
'Til the next line comes along
Forgettin' everything I know
'Til the next line comes along

Well, I know Kris and Rita and Marty Mull
Are meeting at The Troubadour
We'll get it on with the joy of cooking
While the crowd cries out for more
'Round six o'clock this morning
I'll be gettin' kind of slow
When all the shows are over, honey
Tell me, where do you think I go?

I'm just a lonesome L.A. cowboy
Hangin' out, hangin' on
To your window ledge, callin' your name
From midnight until dawn
I been smokin' dope, snortin' coke
Tryin' to write a song
Forgettin' everything I know
'Til the next line comes along
Forgettin' everything I know
'Til the next line comes along"

New Riders of the Purple Sage

L. A. Lady

This is another song from "The Adventures of Panama Red" released in 1973.

"Someone said she came here from L.A.
Well I know she rides the one-way fare
Looks like she's had more than her share
I don't believe the L.A. lady really cares

If she lives or dies
I don't wonder why
'Cause I can see the sadness in her eyes
Oh the love she had
You know it's all turned bad
But you know the L.A. lady's not one to cry

If you want to understand her story
You've got to read between the lines
You see how love can bring you down, Lord it's so unfair
And that's why the L.A. lady she don't care

If she lives or dies
Well I don't wonder why
'Cause I can see the sadness in her eyes
For the love she had
Well it's all turned bad
But you know the L.A. lady's not one to cry
But you know the L.A. lady's not one to cry
You know the L.A. lady's not one to cry"

Joanna Newsom

In California

Newsom is an amazing singer-songwriter from Nevada City with a harp, an unusual voice, and weird and often incomprehensible lyrics that I'm not going to try to deciper. Here are some of them from this song released in 2010:

"My heart became a drunken (?)
on the day I sunk in this shunt
to tap me clean
of all the wonder
and the sorrow i have seen
since I left my home
my home on the old milk lake
where the darkness does fall so fast
it feels like some kind of mistake
just like they told you it would
just like they told you it would
... ... ... ...
and if you come and see me
you'll upset the order
you cannot come and see me
for I set myself apart
but when you come and see me
in California
you cross the border of my heart...."

NHale & Bishop Snow

NHale is a musical artist from Long Beach and the son of Long Beach musician Nate Dogg, whose government name was Nathanial Hale. Bishop Snow is a musical artist from southern California. This G-funk song was put on YouTube in January, 2024.

"California, California
Raised in California, California
California, California
Raised in California, California
Where n***as will run upon ya, run upon ya
California, I been honest
Why'd you call quits
She just bulls**t, you the full clip
I'm a use it, she just foolish, never fool with
Well, I guess we all just need someone
To top down and feel the breeze in the sun
It's just a little beef to me man it's up
If I don't got heat with me I'm going

California, California
Raised in California, California
California, California
Raised in California, California
Where n***as will run upon ya, run upon ya
California

The state is like paradise but don't be blind
To ni**as in the alleyways living on borrowed time
And I'm a product of the east side, G
Where the gun shots are normal so this s**t don't faze me
The women on the West Coast might be bad
But they run game on n***gas
This s**t in my past Hollywood could make to a movie
Don't get it twisted
I lived that life so my heart was in it
The politics will make a n***a stay in school 'cuz the streets are education
I use my tools to get around
Some n***as might be down but when s**t gets thick and you used to the sound
All the ghetto birds, gunshots, mom crying, sons drop
Due to the lifestyle the block is dumb hot
You might see we still wear hoodies during the summer
To stay low key while I'm ducking the undercovers
S**t still craking even during the daytime
I love this life but they trying to take mine
A young n***a living his days in California
You'll see the palm trees before I run up on ya

California, California
Raised in California, California
California, California
Raised in California, California
Where n***as will run upon ya, run upon ya
California"

Nickleback

Rockstar

This was a top 10 hit in 2007 for Canadian band Nickleback, the most successful rock band of the 2000s. It refers to Hollywood Boulevard but everything else it describes screams L.A. and the search for entertainment business fame part of the California Dream.

“I’m through with standin' in lines to clubs I'll never get in
It's like the bottom of the ninth and I'm never gonna win
This life hasn't turned out
Quite the way I want it to be
(Tell me what you want)

I want a brand new house on an episode of Cribs
And a bathroom I can play baseball in
And a king size tub
Big enough for ten plus me
(Yeah, so what you need?)

I need a a credit card that's got no limit
And a big black jet with a bedroom in it
Gonna join the mile high club
At thirty-seven thousand feet
(Been there, done that)

I want a new tour bus full of old guitars
My own star on Hollywood Boulevard
Somewhere between Cher
And James Dean is fine for me
(So how you gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade this life
For fortune and fame
I'd even cut my hair
And change my name

'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in hilltop houses, drivin' fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat

And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blond hair

And well, hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar
Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar….”

Nico Vega

Hollywood Sign

Nico Vega was a rock band from L.A. formed in 2005, fronted by vocalist Aja Volkman. This song, from their first release - 2006 EP “chooseyourwordspoorly,” appears to be another reference to committing suicide by jumping from the top of the Hollywood sign as Peg Entwistle did in 1933.

“Yesterday's post was a nightmare
I'm still afraid of the man that I was
'cuz I'm drinking with Dr.Jekyll
Never hold on to the state of a buzz

I'm sloppy
It ain't pretty
Do a golf clap
Take a man bow
Until the next time that we meet
At the top of the Hollywood sign
Of the Hollywood sign

Don't leave me next to the pool bar
Where I'm all alone with the conscience of fate
'cuz I'll choose my favorite beverage
And vomit it up on the chest of my date

I'm sloppy
It ain't pretty
Do a golf clap
Take a man bow
Until the next time that we meet
At the top of the Hollywood sign

The name's Baby, and in the spot light I'm a real lady
But when the camera's off I die slowly
I've got Entourage but they don't know me
'cuz I'm the ghost of the Hollywood Sign
Of the Hollywood sign

I won't remember your first name
No matter how many drinks that you buy
'cuz I scared myself in the first life
Now I'm the ghost of the Hollywood sign
Of the Hollywood sign
Of the Hollywood sign
Of the Hollywood sign”

Jerrod Niemann

Bakersfield

Jerrod Niemann is a country music singer-songwriter from Kansas, active since 1999. This song about a California country girl is from his album "Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury" released in 2010.

"She was born in central California
Just as sweet as the fruit on her daddy's farm
And my best friend, said man
'I gotta warn ya she's a city girl
With a little country charm'

We all met up out in San Jose
With the top down, we headed for the bay
And with her hair, blowing in the breeze
She leaned and whispered my name is Tiffany

But I called her Bakersfield
And it would always make her smile
Don't know where she is today
But she was mine for awhile
Every time I drive through the California hills
I find my mind is on Bakersfield

A couple sunsets and mimosa mornings
I got more than my share of kisses on the beach
And Sunday found us too early with out warning
She was once in my arms and now she's outta reach

Oh I called her Bakersfield and it would always make her smile
Don't know where she is today but she was mine for awhile
Every time I drive through the California hills
I find my mind is on Bakersfield

Yeah every time I drive through the California hills
I find my mind is on Bakersfield
Mmm Bakersfield"

Nieve (featuring Tunji)

Nieve is a hip-hop artist from Los Angeles active since 2007. Tunji is Olatunji Ige, a rapper from Philadelphia. This song is from "Playback" released in 2010.

"Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from
Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from
Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from
Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from

It's the city of the do what you got to do
Whatever's going to get you through, well that ought to do
Well we just here to help you move when you want to move
Play the music in your ride, call it auto tune
Play the music real high like its smoked out, doing its thing
We party like its '99 every night of the week
Summer time, all the time, winter fall or spring
My city, so silly when you stop to think
There really ain't no other place to go
Peace to the West Coast, stay stapled like the Laker's show
Maybe go on a vacation sure, but when it's time to return
We let it burn, leave the rest in smoke
Let it simmer and soak through, my city keep it so true
It's no lie, thats the really s**t I wrote you
We don't die we just fade away
So fly Cali-for-ni-a, and it got me like

Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from
Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from
Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from
Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from

Uh, yeah, riding down the boulevard
Trying to shine bright in the city full of stars
Trying to drive safe in the city full of cars
Big dreams, big breasts, tattoos, and bullet scars
The West Coast where I rest my dome
Earthquakes and forest fires, but I'm blessed it's home
It's best if the left coast just be left alone
And I'm a California king, I don't stress the throne, yo
Rolling up some fire from the medical dispensary
Thinking bout some s**t thats sort of getting to me mentally
Just a couple years ago they never would've mentioned me
But I always knew that I would get 'em too eventually
See I'm Cali 'till my very last breath
And I'm so very blessed, cuz I never ever stress
Every single time I rep, I represent for the west
I do it till my motherf**kin death, yes

Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from
Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from
Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from
Cali-for-ni-a whoop whoop Cali-for-ni-a
Let me represent where I'm from

Yeah, no stress, no seeds, no stems, no sticks"

Night Lovell

Night Lovell is Shermar Paul, a rapper from Canada active since 2013. This song was released in 2019.

""I don't wanna go to California, go to Califor-ni-a, tonight
I don't wanna go to California, go to Califor-ni-a, tonight
I don't wanna go to California, go to Califor-ni-a, tonight, ya, ay
I don't wanna go to California, go to Califor-ni-a, tonight, tonight, ya, ay

I wake up, I see the sun is shining, but I don't like the f***ing light
You know, you know, you know
Can't you see my mind is lost and blinded, b**ch you run my f***ing life
You know, you know, you know
I said: "F**k that b**ch ass 9 to 5 and do my s**t the way I like"
You know, you know, you know
Can't you tell me what you done decided, was I wrong or was I right?
I know, I know, ay, I know, ay, ay, ay

I done wasted all my money on this palmy
Dirty b**ches always claiming that they want me
I could read your mind lil b**ch, I ain't no dummy
I'm the realest n***a and these n***as know that
I don't like pics, put down your Kodak
My b**ch ass fat, watch how she throw that
Can't you tell that I'm a motherf**king maniac
That's what my lady said

I don't wanna go to California, go to Califor-ni-a, tonight
I don't wanna go to California, go to Califor-ni-a, tonight
I don't wanna go to California, go to Califor-ni-a, tonight
I don't wanna go to California, go to Califor-ni-a, tonight""

Night Ranger

Growin' Up In California

Night Ranger is a rock band from San Francisco that formed in 1979. This California rock anthem is from the album "Somewhere in California" released in 2011. Thanks to Adolfo Morales for recommending this and many other California songs.

"I was born in southern California sand
To a gypsy mother and a guitar-playing man
Oh yeah

Raised inside the American dream
Desert parties, had it all so it seemed
Hell yeah

Yet there was something driving me wild, driving me crazy
Deep inside like a knife cuttin' on me
So I said to myself you got one life sittin' on the shelf
Get out
Oh yeah

Growing up in California
Growing up in California
Got the sun got the beach
And it's always calling me
Oh yeah

So I headed north San Francisco Bay
There was music all night
It was a party every day
Oh yeah

I found myself in a funky band
Led by a family stone horn-playin' man
Hey hey yeah
Yet there was something pulling me hard
Driving me crazy

I needed more too much music inside of me
So with my friends we had a plan
Start our own rockin' band that's right
Oh wow yeah
Growing up in California
Growing up in California
Pretty women you gotta see
And they're always callin' me
Oh yeah

Hollywood Boulevard, Rainbow Bar & Grill
Lots of gold records I still love it here
Pacific coast highway, Fillmore where the music lives
Wine country the most beautiful place I know
Sierra mountains southern beaches
Inland cities rock'n'roll

In California
In California

Check out the sun check out the beach
And it's always callin' me
Oh yeah oh yeah
Growing up in California
Growing up in California"

Fjaere Nilssen

California Dream Girl

Fjaere Nilssen is an American singer-songwriter who moved to Edinburgh. This folk-rock song is from the album "Cleo September" released in 2022. An annotation on the Lyrics Genius page quotes her dedicating the song to the actress Anne Heche who died in 2022: "I wanted to write about the actress Anne Heche. She was a California Dream Girl. came to Los Angeles, worked in soap operas, and quickly advanced as a film star… that is, until she fell in love with Ellen DeGeneres. Her life became a series of stops and starts. She never got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She ended her life much as it had begun, battling for her sanity and her soul. It’s a tragedy."

"Wearing many mood rings
Swaying on the mood swings
Blue-eyed blonde on the red carpet
California Dream Girl
California Dream Girl

Playing good and evil twin
Hollywood said, “Welcome in”
You loved Ellen, made them spin
California Dream Girl
California Dream Girl

Something crazy took you down
What you fought came back around
Was it bad thought or a sad background
You danced with the stars, in a whirling world
California Dream Girl
What happened to you?
California Dream Girl
What happened to you?
California Dream Girl

Trouble beyond the Emmy runway
'A past returns to haunt her' some say
She can’t keep it uncomplicated
California Dream Girl
California Dream Girl

No star on the Walk Of Fame
From acting cred to hall of shame
Somehow I wonder if you’re at blame
California Dream Girl
California Dream Girl

What flipped your fortune upside down
Why drive yourself into the ground
Bring destruction all around
You danced with the stars, in a swirling world
California Dream Girl
What happened to you?
California Dream Girl
What happened to you?
California Dream Girl

You wrote a book about your crazy life
Two times you were somebody’s wife
You couldn’t get beyond where you come from
Your children set you free to circle the sun
California Dream Girl"

Nine Mile Station

Santa Ana Winds

Nine Mile Station is a band from California. I think that only because their merch is a CA flag with their name on it and because they know about the Santa Ana winds.. According to their website bio they "...discovered their collective sound in the studio during 2020's pandemic shutdown while making Santa Ana Winds..." which will be on their album "Open Highways" due out in 2022.

"Yeah I'm walkin' down the beach
The smoke's fillin' the air there
Can't even see the sky now
Just followin' the footsteps in the sand
I see the ferris wheel ahead
And you reach out ...

Those Santa Ana winds are draggin' me down
Takin' me down where I was found
The fire goes in, the fire goes out
Burnin' all that you see
And everytime I think your love isn't down
I fall down on my knees

Those Santa Ana winds are bringin' me down
Pushin' those dust clouds all over town
Cloggin' my tears and robbin' my years
Of all we could be
And every time I think our love wasn't down
I'd get the ...

Those Santa Ana winds are spinnin' me 'round
Breakin' my knees and kickin' me down
Takin' me out and bringin' me in
Was it all just a game
And every time I wanna tell you goodbye
You give me just a little taste

Those Santa Ana winds are draggin' me down
Takin' me down where I was found
The fire goes in, the fire goes out
It burns all that you see
And when I though the wind gave me what I need
It took the devil out of me
And when I though the wind gave me what I need
It took the devil out of me
And when I though the wind gave me what I need
It took the devil out of me"

Nipsey Hussle (featuring Kendrick Lamar)

Dedication

Nipsey Hussle is the professional name of Airmiess Asghedom a rapper, entrepreneur, and activist from the Crenshaw district of south Los Angeles, active from 2005 until he was murdered in 2019. Kendrick Lamar is a rapper from Compton. This is from the album "Victory Lap" released in 2018. The address in the song "59th and 5th Ave." refers to his grandmother's house near his elementary school. You can even buy an imitation street sign with a quotation attributed to him: "59th & 5th at my granny's house, uncle Reggie spilling Schultz on my granny's couch, the lesson was never go the addict route."

[Nipsey Hussle:]
"Look, my ni**a this is dedication, this is anti-hesitation
This a real ni**a celebration, this a Dime Blocc declaration
59th and 5th Ave., granny's house with vanilla wafers
This the remedy, the separation, 2Pac of my generation
Blue pill in the fu**kin' Matrix, red rose in the gray pavement
Young black ni**ga trapped and he can't change it
Know he a genius, he just can't claim it
'Cause they left him no platforms to explain it
He frustrated so he get faded
But deep down inside he know you can't fade him
How long should I stay dedicated?
How long 'til opportunity meet preparation?
I need some real ni**a reparations
'Fore I run up in your bank just for recreation

Dedication, hard work plus patience
The sum of all my sacrifice, I'm done waitin'
I'm done waitin', told you that I wasn't playin'
Now you hear what I been sayin', dedication
It's dedication, look

[Kendrick Lamar:]
I spent my whole life thinkin' out the box
Boxin' homies three on one, got DP'ed but I ain't drop
Chirp on me, here I come, brrt, spin around the block
They blurped on me, said I ran a stop sign but that's a lie
I spent my whole life starin' at the stage
Playin' Sega, daddy smokin' sherm, mama playin' spades
Catchin' vapors, grandma said I'd get some Jordans for my grades
That's my baby, when she died my heart broke a hundred ways
I spent my whole life tryna make it, tryna chase it
The cycle of a black man divided, tryna break it
You take a loss, s**t don't cry about it, just embrace it
Minor setback for major comeback, that's my favorite
My ni**a L said you do a song with Nip, K. Dot he a better crip
I said he a man first, you hear the words out his lips?
About flourishing from the streets to black businesses?
Level four, yard livin' and give in to false imprisonment
Listen close my ni**a, it's bigger than deuces and fours my ni**a
Since elementary we close my ni**a, yeah, straight like that
I give you the game, go back to the turf and give it right back
For generations we been dealt bad hands with bad plans
Prove your dedication by hoppin' out Grand Am's
I'm at the premiere politickin' with Top, Nip, and Snoop
Damn, Pac watchin' the way we grew, from dedication

If it ain't congratulate then it look like hate
If it ain't congratulate then it look like what, Nipsey?
Hol' up!...."

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Santa Rosa

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is a country rock band founded in Long Beach in 1966 and still kickin' more than 50 years later. This song is from their album Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy, released in 1970. It was written by Kenny Loggins, who went on to fame and fortune with the duo Loggins & Messina. The lyrics "...standing by the bay at Santa Rosa" are confusing because Santa Rosa is landlocked and more than 20 miles from the San Francisco Bay.

"Seems like ten years ago
Though today my mind is slow
Me and Mickey Craig
Were running west from Idaho

Robbed a bank to get some bread
Seems like fifteen men lay dead
In a path that led us straight
To Santa Rosa

Now and then ol' Mick'd say
Boy, at home you should of stayed
Than to follow me and learn the life
Of looking back

But he'd spit and slap his side
Just to see if he's alive
Then he'd sing his banjo song
Of Santa Rosa

He said, whoa
Singing, oh, Santa Rosa
Whoa, high and low

Then one day, sang ol' Craig
I'll be free to go my way
And be standing by the bay
At Santa Rosa

Now one time late at night
Mickey lit no fire light
'Cause he feared the posse close behind
Might flush us out

But he picked a bit 'fore sleep
To the tune of Cripple Creek
He was murdered by a man
From Santa Rosa, they shot him

He said, whoa
Singing, oh, Santa Rosa
Whoa, high and low

'Til I come once again
With my banjo pickin' friend
We'll be, oh, high and low
In Santa Rosa"

Maximo Nivel (featuring Los Atrevidos De California)

California Es Mi Tierra

As far as I can figure out, Maximo Nivel is a musician from Salinas and Los Atrevidos De California must also be from California given their name and the title of the song. This song, with some crazy tuba playing, was put on Youtube in March, 2024. These are a few of the lyrics, based on the YouTube transcript, which was a mess, and a Goolge translation, so it's probably not too accurate.
"California es mi tierra no me ando con chingaderas trabajando de masito Por poder sobre salir ya me viene el sol rayando el tiempo se me está escapando Puro pedo que me rajo para esto yo nací recuerdo los 15 años andaba de arriba abajo y me lo dio mi viejito mi hijo la vida está así el que no busca no come que Diosito me perdone pero no nacimo rico de al trabo me meti ..."	"California is my land I'm not messing around working as a masito to be able to leave The sun is already shining on me Time is slipping away Pure fart, this is what I was born for I remember being 15 years old Walking up and down And my old man gave it to me My son, life is like this] He who does not seek does not eat May God forgive me But we weren't born rich, I got into work..."

nok nok (featuring Clara Jo)

Cold In California

This downtempo electronic dance track was released in 2022. There are several remixes online, also.
Nok nok posted this in his Threads 2/26/2024:
"Hello Threads! My name is nok nok, and I play flute and piano. I like to make weird electronic music about camping and videogames, and my song ‘Cold In California went kinda mini-viral last year. I also own a cafe jazz venue in SLO, CA. Cafe things have kept me pretty busy for the past year, but I hope to release a lot of new music in 2024. See you at a show sometime!" Clara Jo has some songs on Spotify in French, so maybe she's from France.

"You make it cold, cold in California
All of my friends they should've warned ya
That I'm not gonna play this game twice
I see right through those lies
You make it cold, so cold in California

You make it cold in California
All of my friends they should've warned ya
That I'm not gonna play this game twice
See right through those lies
You make it cold in California

You make it cold in California
All of my friends they should've warned ya
That I'm not gonna play this game twice
See right through those lies
You make it cold in California

You make it cold in California
All of my friends they should've warned ya
That I'm not gonna play this game twice
See right through those lies
You make it cold in California

You make it cold in California
All of my friends they should've warned ya
That I'm not gonna play this game twice
See right through those lies
You make it cold in California

Cold
Cold
You make it cold
Cold in California

You make it cold

You make it cold in California
All of my friends they should've warned ya
That I'm not gonna play this game twice
See right through those lies
You make it cold in California

You make it cold
You make it cold
You make it cold

You make it cold in California
All of my friends they should've warned ya
That I'm not gonna play this game twice
See right through those lies
You make it cold in California

Cold
Cold
You make it cold
Cold in California"

Nomad

California Love

Nomad is a 5- member K-Pop boy group under Nomad Entertainment. This song is from their first EP "Nomad" released in early 2024.

"Apdwiro da wonlae neoui momeji
Nan nollaetji
Nune ttwiji neon imi haihil aen syeocheu-e ppalgan lujeu
Kareul daeji anh-eun nun ko ip
Siloheohaneun namjahan ten silh-eoyo, waeyo
Neon maltubuteo dallaji go
Gyaenedeul jekkigo nan balo dwieoseo dagaga nan
Gami jom dalla
Jumoghago iss-eossji neol
A donina mwo bissan chaneun eobsjiman
Jom ttoggohan nom-iya
Jigeum neol nohchindamyeon nan cham meongcheonghan nom
Chingudeul gass-euni wilo hae jwo
Yeppeoseo bodaga kkeumbagh-aessneunde
Neon Where are you from?

Oneul saeng-il-in geoscheoleom
Nal mandeulgo issjanh-a, now
Jogeum wiheomhaejin uli dul
Neoui heolil jab-a salmyeosi
California i neukkim
Modeun ge aleumdawun girl like you

Neukkim-i wassji
Ulin California love, yeah
Cheoeum bwassneunde do
Balo dwilo dol-assji
Na jeojeollo ne son-eul jabne
Ne gyeot-eseo swillae
Geuge nae lu-lya
Jamkkan nun gamgo kkwag jab-a
Geoui da wassji
Ulin California love, yeah, ah
Amjig an gabwassjiman
Neoman iss-eumyeon yeogiseo nal-ag-a
California love, yeah, ah
Ama ga bwass-eodo
Neoga yeogi issjanh-a
Ulin California love, yeah

Yuchihan uisim-eun jeob-eo (jeob-eo)
Chum-eun mos chundago haneundedo
Jakkuman seksihae jyeo ga
Neon deo
Beosji anhado
Ttak ti nan neoui silhouette
Jeoldae eodil gado ne momman kkulliji anh-eul geol
Heolag tteoleojyeossji
Il-iwa cheoncheonhi
I bang-e iss-eul ttaen geobnaeji malgo
Nan neoman balabol teni
Baby, please
Dwae jullaehal haman California queen
Dowum jom bad-assji this party
Hae tteun jeog eobsneun bam-i
Oneul-eun tto naeil-i doegessji

Nuga bomyeon jaesu eobsneun aegessji
Baebuleun soliji man New York Cityneun ga bwassja
Gal iyuneobsjanh-a
Mwo Parislado an gallae
Nae son jabgo yeogil ppalli tteonaja (Woo)

Neukkim-i wassji
Ulin California love, yeah
Cheoeum bwassneunde do
Balo dwilo dol-assji
Na jeojeollo ne son-eul jabne
Ne gyeot-eseo swillae
Geuge nae lu-lya
Jamkkan nun gamgo kkwag jab-a
Geoui da wassji
Ulin California love, yeah, ah
Amjig an gabwassjiman
Neoman iss-eumyeon yeogiseo nal-ag-a
California love, yeah, ah
Ama ga bwass-eodo neoga yeogi issjanh-a
Ulin California love, yeah

Oh
Yeah, baby, oh
California love, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (Woo)

Neukkim-i wassji (Oh)
Ulin California love, yeah
Cheoeum bwassneunde do
Balo dwilo dol-assji (I'll get you right back)
Na jeojeollo ne son-eul jabne
Ne gyeot-eseo swillae (Oh)
Geuge nae lu-lya
Jamkkan nun gamgo kkwag jab-a
Geoui da wassji
Ulin California love, yeah (That California love, yeah)
Ah (Ah)

Amjig an gabwassjiman
Neoman iss-eumyeon yeogiseo nal-ag-a
California love, yeah (It's that California love)
Ah (California love, babe)
Ama ga bwass-eodo (Alright)
Neoga yeogi issjanh-a
Ulin California love, yeah
California love, yeah, ah"

"Front and back, it's all originally your figure
I was surprised
You stand out, you're already in high heels and a red blouse
Eyes, nose, lips without makeup
To the guys you dislike, you say you dislike them, why?
Even your way of speaking changes
I ignore them and approach you from behind
It feels a bit different
I've been paying attention to you
Ah, I don't have money or expensive cars, but
I'm a bit smart
If I lose you now, I'm really stupid
My friends have left, so comfort me
I was mesmerized by your beauty
Where are you from?

Today feels like my birthday
You're making me feel special, now
The two of us have become a bit dangerous
I softly hold your waist
This feeling is like California
Everything is beautiful, girl like you

The feeling came
We're California love, yeah
Even though it's our first time meeting
I turned around immediately
I naturally hold your hand
I want to rest by your side
That's my rule
Close your eyes for a moment and hold tight
We're almost there
We're California love, yeah, ah
Even though we haven't gone yet
As long as I have you, let's fly from here
California love, yeah, ah
Even if we've gone before
You're here with me
We're California love, yeah

Let's put away childish doubts (Put them away)
Even though I can't dance
I keep feeling sexy
You
Even without undressing
I can tell by your silhouette
No matter where we go, your body won't go unnoticed
Permission has been granted
Come here slowly
Don't be afraid when you're in this room
Because I'll only look at you
Baby, please
Will you be my California queen for just one day?
I've received some help, this party
On this sunless night
Today will become tomorrow again

People might think I'm hopeless
It's a boastful thing, but even if we go to New York City
There's no reason to go
I don't even want to go to Paris
Hold my hand and let's leave here quickly (Woo)

The feeling came
We're California love, yeah
Even though it's our first time meeting
I turned around immediately
I naturally hold your hand
I want to rest by your side
That's my rule
Close your eyes for a moment and hold tight
We're almost there
We're California love, yeah, ah
Even though we haven't gone yet
As long as I have you, let's fly from here
California love, yeah, ah
Even if we've gone before, you're here with me
We're California love, yeah

Oh
Yeah, baby, oh
California love, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (Woo)

The feeling came (Oh)
We're California love, yeah
Even though it's our first time meeting
I turned around immediately (I'll get you right back)
I naturally hold your hand
I want to rest by your side (Oh)
That's my rule
Close your eyes for a moment and hold tight
We're almost there
We're California love, yeah (That California love, yeah)
Ah (Ah)
Even though we haven't gone yet
As long as I have you, let's fly from here
California love, yeah (It's that California love)
Ah (California love, babe)
Even if we've gone before (Alright)
You're here with me
We're California love, yeah
California love, yeah, ah"

NoMbe

NoMBe is the stage name of Noah McBeth, a German-American recording artist and producer active since 2012. He refers to his music as "Electric Soul." This song was released in 2015, and followed up with another version you can see below.

"She loves the sunlight
How it paints on her soft skin
Takes care of those tan lines
Scar tissue from the morphine

Baby, don't you know you are stardust
And you're a long, long way from home, way from home
Baby, brush it off like it's sawdust
Or you'll spend the California days alone, days alone

Because those California girls do me outside all night

This is the last straw
Take it off
This is the last straw
Why don't you take it all

She ain't never seen the zoo
With the monkey on her back
They'd arrest her at the booth
And then sell her to the lab
Put a label on the box that says
Treat it like it's glass
If she gets one scratch her parents
Never take her back
To be honest, she's a liar full of promise
She thinks her Rolex makes her timeless
Her famous friends think she's harmless
I'd burn the bridge with her on it

Those California girls do me outside all night

Pinned down, pinnacle
She looks like a centerfold
Sinner, cynical
(Baby)
Oh my, make her moan
Amateur, baritone
Sex drive, like animals

Ooh, how I like the smell of West Coast pheromones
Ooh, how I like the smell of West Coast pheromones
Ooh, how I like the smell of West Coast pheromones
Ooh, how I like the smell of West Coast pheromones
Ooh, how I like the smell of West Coast pheromones"

NoMbe x Sonny Alven

California Shoeshine Boys

NoMBe is the stage name of Noah McBeth, a German-American recording artist and producer active since 2012. Sonny Alven is a musical artist from Norway. This song was released in 2016. It's a remix of the original (above) with a faster tempo, a brighter mix, and slightly different lyrics.

"She loves the sunlight
How it paints on her soft skin
Takes care of those tan lines
Scar tissue from the morphine

Baby, don't you know you are stardust
And you're a long, long way from home, way from home
Baby, brush it off like it's sawdust
Or you'll spend the California days alone, days alone

This is the last straw
Take it off
This is the last straw
Why don't you take it all

Baby, don't you know you are stardust
And you're a long, long way from home, way from home
Baby, brush it off like it's sawdust
Or you'll spend the California days alone, days alone

She ain't never seen the zoo
With the monkey on her back
They'd arrest her at the booth
And then sell her to the lab
Put a label on the box that says
Treat it like it's glass
If she gets one scratch her parents
Never take her back
To be honest, she's a liar full of promise
She thinks her Rolex makes her timeless
Her famous friends think she's harmless
I'd burn the bridge with her on it

Pinned down, pinnacle
She looks like a centerfold
Sinner, cynical (baby)
Oh my, make her moan
Amateur, baritone
Sex drive, like animals

Ooh, how I like the smell of West Coast pheromones

Baby, don't you know you are stardust
And you're a long, long way from home, way from home
Baby, brush it off like it's sawdust
Or you'll spend the California days alone, days alone

Ooh, how I like the smell of West Coast pheromones
Ooh, how I like the smell of West Coast pheromones
Ooh, how I like the smell of West Coast pheromones
Ooh, how I like the smell of West Coast pheromones "

Noname

Don't Forget About Me

Noname is a neo soul rapper-poet-producer from Chicago, active since 2010. This song is from her debut album "Room 25" released in 2018. (She released a mixtape called "Telefone" in 2016, which is mentioned in the song.) Englewood (not Inglewood) is a neighborhood in Chicago.

"Your family looking like a prayer song
Your momma at the table cryin'
All her hair gone
Feeling fishy Finding Chemo
Smoking seaweed for calm
These Disney movies too close
He title email 'Noname thank you for your sweet Telefone
It saves lives'
The secret is I'm actually broken
I tried to raise a healer kneeling at the edge of the ocean
Somebody, somebody said it saves lives
Who holds my hand at night? I think the glass half full
Who brought me back to Englewood, I shouldn't bleed this good
Holy conundrum
I'ma pray to hope the bank account wishin' both of my loved ones
Tell ‘em Noname still don’t got no money
Tell 'em Noname almost passed out drinking
Secret is, she really think it saves lives
Somebody hit D'Angelo, I think I need him on this one
Brothers and sisters, mommas, cousins, uncles, everyone
Missing somebody
Dancing daylight

I know everyone goes some day
I know my body's fragile, know it's made from clay
But if I have to go, I pray my soul is still eternal
And my momma don't forget about me
I pray my momma don't forget about me
I pray my granny don't forget about me
I know everyone goes some day
I know my body's fragile, know it's made from clay
But if I have to go, I pray my soul is still eternal
And my momma don't forget about me
I pray my momma don't forget about me
I pray my daddy won't forget about me

Let's get down to the nitty gritty, changed my city
Ti**ies 13k, the pretty costs these days
Doctor really love me, I'm only half awake
I just came from the funeral, my ugly passed away
Welcome to Beverly Hills
Welcome to Vicodin, I took the pills
I think they save lives
I just hope that they right
All I am is everything and nothing at all
All I am is shoulder for your heart to lean on
All I am is love, all I am is love...."

NoNameTillBeFamous

California Dreamer

NoNameTillBeFamous is a Japanese pop singer. There's not much info about him (In English) on the internet. If we want to know more about him, I guess we'll have to wait until he's famous. This song was released in 2024.

"Nani mo kawan'nai asa guttari densha yura renagara omou kattari i' hitogomi no naka no machi de battari gikochinai kaiwa
ga hazumu 2-ri furikaeru kako ni awai hokago nani mo shiranakatta jinsei, kyokasho atama n naka
'issho ni ikitai Cali'-kai
tte subun kangaeru ore tte baka ka na?

Sakibashiru kimochi osaerude m o auyakusoku tate teru shumatsu mada norikire-soda
yo kono shu wa motteru dakede
wa nyu in'nai shuto wa

No way machiboke doro-darake
no ashi, machi o boken suru
shonen no yna kokoro de mita kotonai
mono o mitai dake o

Pretty mama kioku no naka mieta senaka oikakeru life
California mada to iya saki made yume o kanaeru tabi

Pretty Mama kioku no naka mieta senaka oikakeru life
California mada to iya saki
made yume o kanaeru tabi-jin

sorezore kyaria wa chigaedo
mokuhyo made no michi o
isogi-gachidashi supido
notte mo mawari ga mienai
tsukiru nenryo ni kokoro
wa mitanai kidzukanai
kamo ne jibun ja ano
hito to sugoshita shunkan ano toki ni ita ano kukan sasainakoto wasurezu ni

City to City
mukau kuni to kuni sono sunaona kanjo ni makasu hibi tamani ikitsugi,
sore mo aridashi jibun ga jibun
no mama de oreru yo ni
shuyaku wasurezu ni sono sutori kono-goe
ga kimi ni todoku yo ni kyo mo
maiku mae utau
You know me

Pretty mama kioku no naka mieta senaka oikakeru life
California mada to iya saki made yume o kanaeru tabi

Pretty Mama kioku no naka mieta senaka oikakeru life
California mada to iya saki made yume o kanaeru tabi"

"I'm tired in the morning and nothing has changed
'Katarii' I think while the train is rocking
I bump into you on the street in a crowd
Two people having an awkward conversation
After school, looking back on the past
A life I knew nothing about, a textbook
In the middle of my head, 'Cali, I want to go with you'
Am I an idiot who thinks for a few minutes after meeting me?

Suppress the feeling of running ahead
But we've made a promise to meet this weekend
I feel like I can still get through this week.
You can't get into the shot just by holding it.

No way wait
Adventure through the city with muddy feet
With the heart of a young boy who
I just want to see something I've never seen before

Pretty mama in my memory
The life of chasing after what I see
California is still far away
A journey that makes dreams come true

Pretty mama in my memory
The life of chasing after what I see
California is still far away
A journey that makes dreams come true

Everyone's career is different
I tend to rush the path to my goal.
I can't see my surroundings even when I'm driving fast
My heart is not satisfied with the running out of fuel

I might not notice it myself
The moment I spent with that person
That space I was in at that time
Don't forget the little things

City to City
Country and country to which we are heading
The days I leave it to those honest feelings
Sometimes I take a breather, but that's okay too.
Just be yourself
So that I can stay
Don't forget the main character in the story
May this voice reach you
You know me, singing in front of the microphone today too

Pretty mama in my memory
The life of chasing after what I see
California is still far away
A journey that makes dreams come true

Pretty mama in my memory
The life of chasing after what I see
California is still far away
A journey that makes dreams come true"

The Notorious B.I.G.

Going Back to Cali

The Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls was a celebrated rapper from New York City, active from 1992-1997. This song is one of the hits from his second album "Life After Death" released in 1997 only sixteen days after he was killed in a drive-by homicide in Los Angeles. I doubt I'm the only one of his fans who wished he had not gone back to Cali, at least not in February of 1997.

"When the lala hits ya lyrics just splits ya
Head so hard, that ya hat can't fit ya
Either I'm witcha or against ya
Format venture, back through that maze I sent ya
Talkin to the rap inventor
N***a wit the game tight, Bic that flame right
Spell my name right, B-I, Double-G, I-E
Iced out lights out, me and Ceasar Leo
Gettin head from some chick he know
See it's all about the cheddar, nobody do it better
Going back to Cali, strictly for the weather
Women, and the weed -- sticky green
No seeds b***h please, Poppa ain't soft
Dead up in the Hood, ain't no love lost
Got me mixed up, you drunk them licks up
Mad cause I got my d**k sucked
and my b***s licked, forfeit, the game is mine
I'ma spell my name one more time, check it
Its the, N-O, T-O, R-I, O
U-S, you just, lay down, slow
Recognize a real Don when you see Juan/one
Sippin on booze in the House of Blues

I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali
I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali
I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali
I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali

If I got to choose a coast I got to choose the East
I live out there, so don't go there
But that don't mean a n***a can't rest in the West
See some nice breasts in the West
Smoke some nice sess in the West, y'all n***az is a mess
Thinkin I'm gon stop, givin L.A. props
All I got is beef with those that violate me
I shall annihilate thee
Case closed, suitcase filled with clothes
Linens and things, I begin things
People start to flash, 818's, 213's
313's, B.I.G.
Frequently floss hoes at Roscoe's
If I wanna squirt her, take her to Fatburger
Spend about a week on Venice Beach
Sippin Crist-o, with some freaks from Frisco

I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali
I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali
I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali
I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali

Cali got gunplay, models on the runway
Scream Biggie Biggie Gimme One More Chance
I be whippin on the freeway, the NYC way
On the celly-celly with my homeboy Lance
Pass hash from left to right
Only got five blunts left to light, I'm set tonight
Paid a visit to Versace stores
Bet she suck until I ain't got no more, only in L.A.
Bust on b****es belly, rub it in they tummy
Lick it, say it's yummy, then f**k yo' man
F**k your plan, is it to rock the Tri-State?
Almost gold, 5 G's at show gate
Or do you wanna see about seven digits
F**k hoes exquisite, Cali, great place to visit

I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali
I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali
I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali
I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali"

Nova Doll

California Sunshine

Nova Doll is the solo project of Casey, from Barrie, Ontario, Canada, also with two other Barrie bands - Heavy Petter and Angry Spells. This heavy, grinding, doom rock dirge was released in June, 2023. It might be a song from their upcoming album "Denaturing" to be released Fall 2023. There are lyrics to it, bit they're buried somewhere in the grunge where I can't make them out. Maybe I need to brush up on my Canadian, ay.

Now We're Even

All For California

Now We're Even is the duo of Violette Lani and Iris Andie from Jacksonville, Florida. This sort of folk pop song was released in late 2024. I can't make out a lot of the lyrics. Let me know if you know what they are.

"Are we ...
It's no surprise I guess I'm just yours

I know those neon lights ... escape
... like you're LL Cool J

And I feel burning like this bridge up in flames
Guess you never knew it was the Golden Gate

I think you're making me homesick
You think I'm out of my mind
Now you're falling for the old trick
That stupid Hollywood Sign
Can't you see where this is going?
You can't just run that red light
You can't turn back once it's broken
So hurry up and realize

Are we ...
It's no surprise I guess I'm just yours
You left it all for California
Got nothing good enough to show ya
It's no surprise I ...

I still get your mail, I go and throw it out
But what if we're just having up and downs
But then I close my eyes and let you ...
Guess I need a new ... not for this small talk

Now you're chasing the sundown
While I have a meltdown
My heart was too rundown
For someone so Hell bound
Got your ... pass for a new town
You have nothing to lose now
What do I have to prove now
Oh if only you knew how

Are we ...
It's no surprise I guess I'm just yours
You left it all for California
Got nothing good enough to show ya
Are we ...
It's no surprise I ...

Keeping my phone by the window
Trying to get service
Two hours behind
I'll give it some time
But do you deserve it

Are we ...
It's no surprise ...
You left it all for California
Got nothing good enough to show ya...."

Maty Noyes

California Palms

Maty Noyes is a singer-songwriter from Mississippi. This song is from her album "The Feeling's Mutual" released in 2021. I like her use of the homonym "palm" here, which makes me wonder if you can identify the trees by their fingerprints.

"...A million dollar sunset,
Burning through my darkest shades
Maybe I was blinded,
Swimming underneath your waves

Yeah
Going way way back
As far as the sky
With the seat leaned back
The sun in your eyes
Almost re-relapse
Every time
I drive by all those

California palms
In California sands
The California palms
Of your California hands
I - I - I wish I could belong
Where summer never ends
In the California palms
Of your California hands

(Ohh Whoa Oh
Ohh Whoa Oh Oh Oh
Ohh Whoa Oh)

The Polaroid is faded,
But I know what we could have been
Still I can't explain it babe
I just knew it had to end

Yeah
Going way way back
As far as the sky
With the seat leaned back
The sun in your eyes
Almost re-relapse
Every time
I drive by all those

California palms
In California sands
The California palms
Of your California hands
I - I - I wish I could belong
Where summer never ends
In the California palms
Of your California hands

Would've been so easy
If we never slowed down
In your soft white sheets
We, we could never fall out

I'm going way way back
As far as the sky
With the seat leaned back
The sun in your eyes
Almost re-relapse
Every time I drive by
All those

California palms
In California sands
The California palms
Of your California hands
I - I - I wish I could belong
Where summer never ends
In the California palms
Of your California hands...."

Nullset

This Ain't California

Nullset is a rapcore band from Boston, MA, formed in 1997. They used the name "Gangsta Bitch Barbie" until 2000 when Mattel sued them and forced the name change. This screaming punk/metal song with inscrutable lyrics is from the album "Nullset" released in 2008.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, you got your health, I'll call the wealth
So what you fell, scraped your knee
I can't believe you got the nerve to deserve me
Well I'm busy can't you see, take a peek
Now please leave me alone when I'm on the phone of god
The caller ID alerts they bring the bomb squad
Bad kids have the licks, when it fits, the time flies
Mystical your hits open eyes, don't look surprised (playa)

We're in disguise

Living it a lot when you're done go screw your head on
Did you get your cross
I look, one taste is all it took
Put back that piece you took

Reaping the benefits, sold the seats you label this
Hope be keep on your feet come back in like a nemesis
Look he's on your back attack stepping daily
And suckers walk away everyday, they're born lazy
Save me from the songs of remorse while you're brainless
Reality is challenging for you, spit out the weakness
Well I guess I could've warned ya this ain't California
There's more than met your eye, your disguise
Is so poetic but pathetic

Self
Self pathetic
Self pathetic
[?]

Living it a lot when you're done go screw your head on
Did you get your cross
I look, one taste is all it took

Living it a lot when you're done go screw your head on
Can't afford the ride, how come you wanna get on
It's not free, it's not free
Put back that piece you took

Take it cause you look in their bag of tricks
At the one they call co-real
Little did you know that you are playin' in my ball field, sugar
Well I guess I could've warned ya this ain't California
But I guess I let a [?] if you let it

Your pathetic self
Pathetic self
[?]

Living it a lot when you're done go screw your head on
Did you get your cross
I look, one taste is all it took

Living it a lot when you're done, go screw your head on
Can't afford the ride ,how come you wanna get on
It's not free, it's not free
Put back that piece you took

Well I guess I should of warned ya this ain't California
So I guess I could've warned ya this ain't California

Flat pay attention co-real
Little did you know that you are playin' in my ball field, sugar
Well I guess I could've warned ya this ain't California
But I guess I let a [?] if you let it
Pathetic"

Jasiel Nuñez & Peso Pluma

California Sunset

Jasiel Nuñez is a musician born in Guadalajara, Mexico. Peso Pluma is the stage name of Hassan Emiio Kabande Laija, a singer and rapper from Zapopan, Mexico. ("Hassan pura doble p.") This laid back regional Mexican song is from Nuñez's album "La Odisea" released in 2024. Why is the title in English, and what do the strange lyrics mean? No sé. Maybe there are some slang terms that aren't understood by the translators or maybe it's just poetic license.

"California calles donde me han de ver
Y unas donas son las que me forjé ayer

California calles donde me han de ver
Unas donas son las que me forjé ayer
Apestosa, Silvero de martille
Y unos Sambas, bipolares los porté

Con Caviar me las desayuno
Y eso que yo siempre ando en uno
El veneno que fumo es puro pues
Yo controlo mi propio consumo

Con Caviar me las desayuno
Y eso que yo siempre ando en uno
El veneno que fumo es puro pues
Yo controlo mi propio consumo

Lo sé siempre lo supe y siempre lo seré
Que siempre fuimos la punta del pre
Y para abrir los mares varias claves
Fue por mi madre que yo me le animé

Apestosa Silvero de martille
Doble vaso que sabe a piñita express

Con Caviar me las desayuno
Y eso que yo siempre ando en uno
El veneno que fumo es puro pues
Yo controlo mi propio consumo

Con Caviar me las desayuno
Y eso que yo siempre ando en uno
El veneno que fumo es puro pues
Yo controlo mi propio consumo

Y andamos en una compa Hassan
Pura doble P"

“California streets where I'll be seen
And some doughnuts that I made yesterday

California streets where I'll be seen
And some doughnuts that I made yesterday
Stinky hammered Silvero
And some Sambas, bipolar I wore them

I eat caviar for breakfast
And I always ride in one
The poison I smoke is pure because
I control my own consumption

I eat caviar for breakfast
And I always ride in one
The poison I smoke is pure because
I control my own consumption

I know I always knew and I always will be
That we were always the tip of the pre
And to open the seas several keys
It was because of my mother that I encouraged him

Stinky hammered Silvero
Double glass that tastes like a pineapple express

I eat caviar for breakfast
And I always ride in one
The poison I smoke is pure because
I control my own consumption

I eat caviar for breakfast
And I always ride in one
The poison I smoke is pure because
I control my own consumption

And we're in a Hassan company
Pure double P”.

N.W.A.

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A. was a hip hop group formed in Los Angeles in 1987. This is from the album "Straight Outta Compton" released in 1988. A movie about the band with the same title was released in 2015.

"Ain't no tellin' when I'm down for a jack move
Here's a murder rap to keep ya dancin'
With a crime record like Charles Manson
AK-47 is the tool
Don't make me act the m……….. fool
Me you can go toe to toe, no maybe
I'm knockin' n***az out tha box, daily
Yo weekly, monthly and yearly
Until them dumb m……….. see clearly
That I'm down with the capital C-P-T
Boy you can't f... with me
So when I'm in your neighborhood, you better duck
Coz Ice Cube is crazy as f...
As I leave, believe I'm stompin'
But when I come back, boy, I'm comin straight outta Compton"

Laura Nyro

Laura Nyro was a singer/songwriter from New York, now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who also wrote hit songs for and influenced many other artists. This is an upbeat folk rock song with a banjo from her first album "The First Songs" released in 1967.

"California shoeshine boys, counting up their dimes,
Counting up the girls they've known and counting up the times.
I got heartache but I got news,
California shoeshine boys, you can shine my shoes.

California shoeshine boys never really care,
only for that California shoeshine in their hair.
I've got heartache but I got news,
California shoeshine boys, you can shine my shoes.

California shoeshine boys, rapping ten feet tall.
John can make sweet Cindy cry but Joe can make her crawl.
I've got heartache, I've got heartache, I got miles of heartache,
and I've got heartache, got loads of heartache
... ... ...
I got heartache but I got news,
California shoeshine boys

California shoeshine boys, counting up their dimes,
Counting up the girls they've known and counting up the times.
I got heartache but I got news,
California shoeshine boys, you can shine my shoes.

California shoeshine boys
California shoeshine boys
California shoeshine boys
California shoeshine boys"

Winona Oak

Baby Blue

Winona Oak is the stage name of Johanaa Ekmark, a singer-songwriter from Sweden, active since 2018. This electronic pop/dance single is from March 2022.

"you smelled like palm trees and cigarettes
you were the tangerine sky after a wildfire
you were a lost thing inside my chest
loosening my screws and crossing all my wires
how many ways did i say love you
did i say i love you
but you just couldn’t give it back
how many days til the sky was falling
cause i kept on stalling
i knew i’d have to give you back

you were a Hollywood day dream
a beautiful sad thing
oh so blue baby blue, yeah

you were torn like your ripped jeans
a bird with a bad wing
oh so blue baby blue baby

baby blue
baby blue
you were the stranger I knew the best
with those angel eyes, you were a wild liar
i was the savior you never asked for but I tried
and i would until i died oh
how many ways did i say love you
did i say i love you
but you just couldn’t give it back

you were a Hollywood daydream
a beautiful sad thing
oh so blue baby blue, yeah

you were torn like your ripped jeans
a bird with a bad wing
oh so blue baby blue

you were cold like a winter sky
yeah you’re so blue baby blue yeah
you were rare like the northern lights
I wonder was it true, was it true yeah

you were a Hollywood daydream
a beautiful sad thing
oh so blue baby blue, yeah

you were torn like your ripped jeans
a bird with a bad wing
oh so blue baby blue
baby blue
baby blue"

O.A.R.

Cruising California (Bumpin' In My Trunk)

O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is a rock band formed in 1996 in Maryland. This song is from their ninth studio album "The Mighty" released in 2019. It's a great upbeat danceable song that will make you want to go straight to California! Unless you're already there, in which case you're probably planning on moving to Texas....

"Early in the morning you'll remember all the words just right
If you never wanna be a silhouette you've got to find your light
For forty days and forty nights
You lie awake
I know you cry
But dreaming in your room isn't ever gonna get it done
Yeah, you got to walk before you run

Hey, son, go to California
Dance with angels, dress how you wanna
Anyway, just like the river starts with a raindrop
You'll make it better
Papa said, son, fight like the great ones
Keep your chin tucked just like I taught ya
Anyway, who said you can't go
Where you wanna?
California

So call me when you're close and you feel them city lights
Don't let the voices in your head talk too, you know they tell you lies
Yeah, for a hundred days, a hundred years
Yeah, there'll be demons, yeah there'll be fears
One day you're gonna look back how far you've gone
But you better walk before you run

Hey, son, go to California
Dance with angels, dress how you wanna
Anyway, just like the river starts with a raindrop
You'll make it better
Papa said, son, fight like the great ones
Keep your chin tucked just like I taught ya
Anyway, who said you can't go
Where you wanna?
California
California
California
(Oh, oh, oh, California)
(Oh, oh, oh, California)

Hey, son, go to California
Live with the angels, love who you wanna
Anyway, you know I'll miss you
Just like your mama call if you want to
Any time you need a hand now
I'll be there now just like I taught ya
Anyway, who says you can't go
Where you wanna?
California

Hey, son, go to California
Dance with the angels, dress how you wanna
Anyway, just like the river starts with a raindrop
You'll make it better
Papa said, son, fight like the great ones
Keep your chin tucked just like I taught ya
Anyway, who says you can't go
Where you wanna? California

(Oh, oh, oh, California)
(Oh, oh, oh, California)
(Oh, oh, oh, California)
(Oh, oh, oh, California)"

Connor Oberst

Sausalito

Bright Eyes considers moving west and living on a houseboat in Susalito in this 2008 indie song. I hope he brings plenty of cash - it's in Marin County after all. And he should get a kayak .It's a good place to paddle.

"We should move to Sausalito,
Living's easy on a house boat.
Let the motion rock us back and forth to sleep.
And in the morning when the sun rise
Look in the water, see the blue sky.
As if heaven has been laid there at our feet.
So we remain between these waves,
sheltered for all our years.
While bikers glide by highway shrines,
Where pilgrims disappear.
Where time takes icebergs,
Where fields burn westward,
Where pilgrims disappear."

Frank Ocean

Sweet Life

Frank Ocean is a singer/songwriter/rapper born in Long Beach and raised in New Orleans. This song is from his 2012 Grammy-Award-winning debut album "Channel Orange."

"The best song wasn't the single, but you weren't either
Living in Ladera Heights, the black Beverly Hills
Domesticated paradise, palm trees and pools
The water's blue, swallow the pill
Keeping it surreal, whatever you like
Whatever feels good, whatever takes your mountain high
Keeping it surreal, not sugar-free
My TV ain't HD, that's too real
Grapevine, mango, peaches, and limes, the sweet life

The sweet life, sweet life
Sweet life, sweet life
The sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet life
Sweet life, the sweet life
Sweetie pie

You've had a landscaper and a house keeper since you were born
The star shine always kept you warm
So why see the world, when you got the beach?
Don't know why see the world, when you got the beach
The sweet life

The best song wasn't the single
But you couldn't turn your radio down
Satellite need a receiver, can't seem to turn the signal fully off
Transmitting the waves
You're catching that breeze 'til you're dead in the grave
But you're keeping it surreal, whatever you like
Whatever feels good, whatever takes you mountain high
Keeping it surreal, not sugar-free
My TV ain't HD, that's too real
Grapevines, mango, peaches, and lime, a sweet life...."

Frank Ocean

Thinkin Bout You

This is another song from "Channel Orange" released in 2012. It nicely uses the presumption that it never rains in Southern California to apologize for his emotional distress which is likened to a bad storm.

"A tornado flew around my room before you came
Excuse the mess it made, it usually doesn't rain
In Southern California, much like Arizona
My eyes don't shed tears, but, boy, they pour

When I'm thinkin' 'bout you (ooh, no, no, no)
I been thinkin' 'bout you (you know, know, know)
I been thinkin' 'bout you
Do you think about me still?
Do you, do you?

Or do you not think so far ahead, ahead?
'Cause I've been thinkin' 'bout forever (Oooh, oooh)...."

Phil Ochs

Bound for Glory

Phil Ochs was a folk rock protest singer-songwriter in the 1960s and 1970s. This song, about one of his major musical infuences, Woody Guthrie, is from Ochs' first albm "All the News That's Fit to Sing" released in 1964. The title of the song comes from Guthrie's partly fictionalized autobiography of the same name published in 1943.

"He walked all over his own growin' land
From the New York island to the California sand
He saw all the people that needed to be seen
Planted all the grass where it needed to be green
And now he's bound for a glory all his own
And now he is bound for glory

He wrote and he sang and he rode upon the rails
And he got on board when the sailors had to sail
He said all the words that needed to be said
He fed all the hungry souls that needed to be fed
And now he's bound for a glory all his own
And now he is bound for glory

He sang in our streets and he sang in our halls
And he was always there when the unions gave a call
He did all the jobs that needed to be done
He always stood his ground when a smaller man would run
And now he's bound for a glory all his own
And now he is bound for glory

And its Pastures of Plenty wrote the dustbowl balladeer
And This Land is Your Land, he wanted us to hear
And the risin' of the unions will be sung about again
And the deportees live on through the power of his pen
And now he's bound for a glory all his own
And now he is bound for glory

Now they sing out his praises on every distant shore
But so few remember what he was fightin' for
Oh why sing the songs and forget about the aim?
He wrote them for a reason, why not sing them for the same
And now he's bound for a glory all his own
And now he is bound for glory"

Phil Ochs

Tape From California

This is a long story song, from the 1968 album "Tape from California," but we never really find out what will be on that tape. Maybe it's this song...

"Who's that coming down the road
A sailor from the sea
He looks a lot like me
I'd know him anywhere, had to stare

Feathers at his fingertips
A halo 'round his spine
He must have lost his mind
He should be put away, right away

In the corner of the night
He handed me his water pipe
His eyes were searching
Deep inside my head, here's what he said

Sorry, I can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But I'll send you a tape from California

New York City has exploded
And it's crashed upon my head
I dove beneath the bed
Fighting, biting nails, turning pale

The landlord's at my window
And the burglar's at my door
I can't take it anymore
I guess I'll have to fly, it's worth a try

Someone's banging on the wall
But there's no party to recall
The singer of the shadows of his soul
So he's been told

Sorry, I can't stop and talk now
I'm in kind of a hurry anyhow
But I'll send you a tape from California…"

Odetta

Pastures of Plenty

Odetta was a singer, actress, songwriter, and activist called "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement" in America from the 1950s on. She inspired many musicians including Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Joen Baez and Janis Joplin. This is a cover of the Woody Guthrie song discussed above. She recorded it in 1960 on her "Ballad for Americans and Other American Ballads" album.

The Offspring

The Offspring is a band formed in Huntington Beach in 1984 that became one of the best-selling punk bands of all time. This song is from their 2012 album, Days Go By. It's sort of a punk/pop hybrid summer-song anthem about girls wearing g-strings made of dental floss and all that.

"Boom, boom, boom
Turn up the beat, yeah
Ooh, ooh, ooh,
I wanna feel it
California – don’t cha wish that you could come
Cause we’re never going home
Till the summer’s all gone

Ahh, summertime and the living’s easy
Cruisin’, bumpin’ my Huntington Beach
Cause the sun will shine
We have a good time
They all line up for a bump and grind

And the girl that you want
Is directly out in front
And she’s waving her caboose at you
You sneeze
Achoo
She calls you out woo hoo!

‘I know you heard that bass
Bumpin’ in my trunk
B-bumpin’ in my trunk
B-bumpin’ in my trunk’ – Oh yeah!

‘I know you heard that bass
Bumpin’ in my trunk –uh huh
B-bumpin’ in my trunk – uh huh
B-bumpin’ in my trunk’ – Let’s go!

Boom, boom, boom
Turn up the beat, yeah
Ooh, ooh, ooh,
I wanna feel it
California – don’t cha wish that you could come
Cause we’re never going home
Till the summer’s all gone

The sun goes down
The fire pits leap
It’s another summer night here in the OC

Well I’m not no baller
Though I do have an Impala
And I might say hey
But I’d never say holla

And the girl with the gloss
And a G-string just like floss
Well she’s waving her caboose at you
I bet you do!
She calls you out woo hoo!

‘I know you heard that bass
Bumpin’ in my trunk – Uh huh
B-bumpin’ in my trunk – Uh huh
B-bumpin’ in my trunk’ – Bump that trunk!
‘I know you heard that bass
Bumpin’ in my trunk –Uh huh
B-bumpin’ in my trunk – Uh huh
B-bumpin’ in my trunk’ – Let’s go!

Boom, boom, boom
Turn up the beat, yeah
Ooh, ooh, ooh,
I wanna feel it
California – don’t cha wish that you could come
With the radio on
Blazin’ all summer long

Boom, boom, boom
You’re all up freakin’
Ooh, ooh, ooh,
My friends are drinkin’
California – don’t cha wish that you could come
Cause we’re never going home
Till the summer’s all gone"

The Offspring

L.A.P.D.

This is from the album "Ignition" released in 1992 the year of L.A. uprising caused by the Rodney King beating verdict.

"When cops are taking care of business I can understand
But the L.A. story's gone way out of hand
Their acts of aggression, they say they're justified
But it seems an obsession has started from the inside

They're shooting anyone who even tries to run
They're shooting little kids with toy guns
Take it to a jury but they don't give a damn
Because the one who tells the truth is always the policeman

Beat all the n***rs
Beat whoever you see
Don't need a reason
(We're) L.A.P.D.

The city of L.A. feels like a prison
With helicopters overhead and bullets whizzing by
Martial law ain't no solution
Police brutality's just social pollution now

Beat all the white trash
Beat whoever you see
Don't need a reason
(We're) L.A.P.D.

They say they're keeping the peace
But I'm not buying it because a billy club ain't much of a pacifier
'Protecting your freedom'
Man that's just a lie

It's an excuse for power that's more like an alibi
Law and order doesn't really matter
When you're the one getting bruised and battered
You take it to a jury, they'll throw it in your face
Because justice in L.A. comes in a can of mace

Beat all the n***rs
Beat whoever you see
Don't need a reason
(We're) L.A.P.D.
L.A.P.D
L.A.P.D"

Oh, Hush!

Oh, Hush! is Chris Sernel, a recording artist and producer from Los Angeles, active since 2007. This upbeat pop rock song was released in 2010. Frosty the Sandman and Santa's elves in bikinis - those are worth staying home for.

"So sick of snow fallin'
And nasty wind blowin'
Another Christmas in ...
Do you ever wonder
What happened to summer
It's time to move to Cal-i-for-ni-ay
Palm trees and Disneyland
And Frosty the Snowman made out of sand
And sun-kissed California girls
Are sure to bring joy to my world

It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
Sandy beaches instead of snow, oh, oh
It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
Is that Santa surfin' ho, ho, ho
It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
Palm trees line the road, oh, oh
It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
We're having Christmas at the West Coast

I can't remember
A warm December
Seein' the sun this time of year
Need suntan lotion
Lay by the ocean
I can't get used to this Christmas cheer
Hot girls with mistletoe
Santa's elves in bikinis, yeah
What a show
Presents layin' poolside
Yeah, everything's merry and bright

It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
Sandy beaches instead of snow, oh, oh
It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
Is that Santa surfin' ho, ho, ho
It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
Palm trees line the road, oh, oh
It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
We're having Christmas at the West Coast

Back home my mother says
There's a blizzard on the way
She asks if I'll be home for Christmas
But I think I'll stay
In Cal-i-for-ni-ay

It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas

It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
Sandy beaches instead of snow, oh, oh
It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
Is that Santa surfin' ho, ho, ho
It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
Palm trees line the road, oh, oh
It's a Cal, C-C-California Christmas
We're having Christmas at the West Coast

California Christmas time
California Christmas time
California Christmas time
California Christmas time"

Oh Laura

Oh Laura is an indie pop band from Sweden, active since 2004. This song is from their album "The Mess We Left Behind" released in 2012.

"It loves to rain on Mondays lined up in a row
Then judging by my luck it's bound to snow

Sitting by the window watching the cars go by
And the airplanes they're heading west across the sky

I guess by now I could be halfway to California
Heading for the good life and the sun
We could start all over in California
We could be two lovers on the run
Kicking back and laying in the sun

I woke up from a bad dream
There was running from business suits
And I reached out a hand for you
Something to hold on to

Now I'm waiting for the sunrise
I've got the Pacific blues
Valley of San Fernando
I'll dream of you

I guess by now I could be halfway to California
Heading for the good life and the sun
We could start all over in California
We could be two lovers on the run
Kicking back and laying in the sun

I guess by now I could be halfway to California
Heading for the good life and the sun
We could start all over in California
We could be two lovers on the run
Kicking back and laying in the sun"

Oingo Boingo

Oingo Boingo, besides being one of the most memorable band names ever, was a new wave band formed in Los Angeles in 1979 by Danny Elfman, and disbanded in 1995. Elfman went on to write more than a hundred film scores. This bizarre inter-planetary version of the Beach Boy's song is an unreleased demo from 1981. There is also a demo of the song that was recorded in 1979 when the band was called The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo.

"Now Pluto girls are neat but you know they'll
Eat you up alive
Although they're nice to know when it's a thousand below
It isn't easy to survive
(To survive)
And Neptune girls are great for dancing
With a dozen arms and legs
They really hold you tight and they can boogie all night
But it's so hard to kiss three heads
(Kiss three heads)

I wish they all could be California girls
(Wish they all could be California girls)
I wish they all could be California girls

Now Martian girls are really pretty
With complexions bright and green
But nothing can surpass an Andromeda lass
I think their pointed heads are keen
And Saturn girls are really funny they can
Make you laugh to death
With methane clouds alas combined with hydrogen gas
Why it's a chore to take a breath

I wish they all could be California girls
(Wish they all could be California girls)
I wish they all could be California girls

I wish they all could be California girls
(Wish they all could be California girls)
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California girls
(Wish they all could be California girls)
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California girls
(Wish they all could be California girls)
I wish they all could be California girls

I wish they all could be California girls
(Girls- girls- girls- girls - I need girls -girls- girls- girls - yeah I need
I wish they all could be California girls
(Girls- girls- girls- girls - I need girls -girls- girls- girls - yeah I need
... ... ...
Calif-(ornia) Calif-(ornia) Calif-(ornia) Calif-(ornia) Calif-(ornia) ...."

Okkervil River

Don't Move Back to L.A.

Okkervil River is rock band formed in Austin, Texas in 1998 led by Will Sheff who is originally from New Hampshire. This song is from the album "In The Rainbow Rain" due to be released in April, 2018, but this song was put on YouTube in February, 2018. The singer of this song is begging someone not to move back to L.A., even though it appears like that person is doing well there - big house, got sober. I think he's just tired of creative people moving to the big cities and abandoning their roots when they could be writing songs about the Midwest and the Deep South instead of getting destroyed by the music industry. Makes sense to me.

"Don't move back to L.A.
Don't move back to L.A.
Don't move back to L.A.
Although it's 70 out
Don't move back to L.A.
You got a bigger house
Don't move back to L.A.
I know you're sober now
Don't move back to L.A., my baby
In your place out in L.A., my baby

I'm gonna send this out to Mistress Mike
She knows who she is and what I like
I'm gonna send this out to Susan Sneeze
I'm gonna say thirty rosaries
I'm gonna tell her

Don't move back to L.A.
Don't get your license back
Don't move back to L.A.
Don't cut your intake back
Don't move back to L.A.
You think it's best?
It's actually worse out in L.A., my baby
Don't move back to L.A., my baby

'Cause those West Coast cats
They're gonna tune, gonna tune, gonna tune, gonna tune you out
They're gonna chew you up and spit you out
They're gonna break, gonna break, gonna break, gonna break you down
They're gonna waste your time and watch you drown
They're gonna make, gonna make, gonna make, gonna make you die
You say I lost my soul or sold it out
But I told you, I want you
I told you, I want you
I told you now

Well, in two more weeks I'll drop this track
And you can have your New York City back
Well, I will send this out to Space Camp Chip
I saw him living on the ocean's lip
And I will send this to A Lone Heart Chris
He might not agree, but I'll insist

And I will tell him
Don't move back to L.A.
I said I'll move back to L.A.
You got a Midwest song so sing it out
Don't move back to L.A.
You got a Deep South song so sing it out
Don't move back to L.A.
You got a mountain song, just sing it out
I got a East Coast song, I'll sing it out
Don't move back to L.A.
I won't move back
To L.A. in my heart, my baby
Don't move back to L.A.

They're gonna tune, gonna tune, gonna tune, gonna tune you out
Don't move back to L.A.
You got a beach state song, country state song, wolverine state song
They're gonna break, gonna break, gonna break, gonna break you down
Don't move back to L.A.
So sing it out
Or fight it out, sing it out
They're gonna make, gonna make, gonna make, gonna make you die
Oh
Don't move back to L.A.
They're gonna tune, gonna tune, gonna tune, gonna tune you out
Don't move back to L.A.
They're gonna break, gonna break, gonna break, gonna break you down"

Old Californio

California Goodness

Old California is a rock band from Pasadena This is from the album "Westering Again" released in 2009.

"Started out a good man
Got tangled in the arms of a wicked plan
The years, the years, the years

Somewhere south of old Truckee
In the granite cliffs of the Gabilan peaks
There's a mountain fit for Moses
Where a man can feel as close as heavenly

When I come to my senses
Gonna get me some California goodness
It flows through the trees
And feels like being sun kissed

Man joins this world born to lose
Gotta give it all he can just to see it through
The years, and the fears, and the years

I've been lost some thirty odd years
And cry every one just to waste the tears
The years, and the tears, and the years

When I come to my senses
Gonna get me some California goodness
It flows through the trees
And feels like being sun kissed

Like a man caught in the hurricane's eye
I could only wish to to wake before this whole thing flies
The years, and the tears, and the years

Somewhere east of old Santa Rosay
The seven cities of Cibola lay
Under the years, and the tears, and the fears

When I come to my senses
Gonna get me some California goodness
It flows through the trees
And feels like being sun kissed
Yes it flows through the trees
And feels like being sun kissed"

Old Californio

Mother Road

This is another song from the album "Westering Again" released in 2009. In his book The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck called Route 66 "the mother road" and the name stuck. It runs from Chicago to L.A., passing through San Bernardino along the way, which is mentioned in the song.

"You've got to get on the mother road
It's like a river reflecting everything it's told
You've got to get on get your story told
It's like a pot of gold coast at the end of a rainbow
You can see it standing tall ... the old soul
Yeah the old soul
Fabulous sun
Fabulous one

Well I was ... trying to find old 66
She used to snake through the valley like a river cutting through all the chaparral
Now you can't see nothing for the commerce and all the traffic
But it's still the waves crashing with the weight of the sun

You've got to get on the mother road
It's like a river reflecting everything it's told
You've got to get on get your story told

Well I've been laying around too long like old San Bernardino
Sad and tired and proud like old Californio
But you can only stand so long by the side of a river bank
Before that cool cool water will cool you like the current will pull you
Let it pull you
Let it pull you away

I'm gonna pack up my wife and my son and a guitar
Gonna saddle up ...take a trip
Don't matter how far
Should anyone come around just a lookin to know
Well just give 'em the finger and point it on down the road
Ah 'cause the story is there to be told
On the mother road

You've got to get on the mother road
It's like a river reflecting everything it's told
You've got to get on get your story told
You've got to get on get your story told
You've got to get on"

Old Dominion

Make it Sweet

Old Dominio is a country music band formed in Nashville in 2007. This song is the lead single from their third album "Old Dominion" released in 2019.

"I know it's a drag, I know it's a grind
I know that a dollar ain't worth a dime
Just trying to keep up with the Joneses at the end of the block
I know you get tired, I know you get down
I know you get sick of this soul sucking town
But let's make a little lemonade if lemons is all we got

'Cause I'm stuck on you, you're stuck on me
I never gotta wonder where my honey be
I ain't savin' all my sugar for a Saturday night
Seven days a week I got an appetite
The sun sets like a tangerine
Let's find a road we've never seen
Don't waste another mile or a minute not kissin' me
Life is short, make it sweet

Open sky, glimpse of heaven, take the top off the CJ-7
Let that surfside Santa Ana wind mess up your hair
And let that windshield frame the ocean
Radio keep coast-to-coastin'
If we don't get where we're going, baby I don't care
I'm already there...."

The Olés

Goin' Back to Cali

The Olés are a West Coast reggae-hip-hop hybrid band from Santa Barbara. This is from "Westward Bound" released in 2014. I thought it was going to be a cover of the LL Cool J classic, but it's something completely different and a great upbeat California song.

"Far away but still I’m comin'
Home real soon, my mind is runnin'
Always thinkin’ bout goin’ goin’
Back, back, to Cali, Cali
Goin’ goin’ Back, back,
To Cali, Cali. That’s where I ought to be

Always travellin' mind rattlin' first stop Seattle
Then Carolina where I'ma set up for battlin’
It’s like a jungle sometimes it makes you wonder
What they listening to back home, all I hear is thunder
Visions of Cali encircling my iris
Minutes of free time I’m writing; ink and papyrus
My homie showed me Raleigh and the southern flow
Still I’m dreamin’ of my home in El Dorado
So I made my way to the bay towards Santa Fe
Float ‘n’ wrote about the delta like Mark Twain
Since 92 I’ve had this Californian view
Sunshine state of mind man I thought you knew that I’m

Far away but still I’m comin'
Home real soon, my mind is runnin'
Always thinkin’ bout goin’ goin’
Back, back, to Cali, Cali
Goin’ goin’ Back, back,
To Cali, Cali. That’s where I ought to be

Westward Bound with the Pacific Sound
White Sandy Beaches oh the lovin’ we found
Overnight flight then I ride to Oceanside
Won’t stop ‘til I see the California sunrise
Gunnin’ for Huntington, slow jam in Rosecrans
The Bay to L.A. in a day, no traffic jam
Three hundred and sixty five days of summer time
Passin’ through Garden Grove, thinking of Sublime
Floatin’ in the water living to be alive
Forever Charging the line like number 55
Since 92 I’ve had this Californian view
Sunshine state of mind man I thought you knew that I'm

Far away but still I’m comin'
Home real soon, my mind is runnin'
Always thinkin’ bout goin’ goin’
Back, back, to Cali, Cali
Goin’ goin’ Back, back,
To Cali, Cali. That’s where I ought to be"

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen is a singer/songwriter originally from St. Louis then Chicago. Like so many interesting musicians these days, her music is not easy to shoehorn into any one genre. Wickipedia currently describes her music as: art pop, indie folk, indie rock, and alternative country. This song is the B-side of her 2013 single "Sleepwalker."

"On the way to California
and I don't mean California literally
I was thinking, it's so comforting quiet

you read so softly over my head
it's late but I'm maintaining interest in the things that you say
I could listen to you speak all day

in the silence dripping wet with
kisses running down my lips
could be just a good friend
who knows at this point anyway

there's just something about the way you surrender your eyes
without this barrier of bodies, we'd already be inside

on the way to California
and I don't mean California literally
I was thinking, I was thinking, I'm not dreaming
not this time anyway…."

Joy Oladokun

Changes

Joy Oladokun is a singer-songwriter from Arizona, active since 2016. This song is from her album "Proof of Life" released in 2023. It only has one quick side trip to Cali but she and the song are so good that I had to put her on the list. It makes me feel ancient knowing that she was just a baby during the L.A. riots. Wait a minute - that was 30 years ago and the Watts riots were about 30 years before that. I hope that doesn't mean it's time for another L.A. riot....

"I hate change, but I've come of age
Think I'm finally finding my way
Danced with chaos at every occasion
She looks me up every day
Even when I'm tired and low there is gold in this
River that is carrying me home

Newspaper says the world's on fire
People yelling and the water's rising
It's easy to feel kinda anxious
Yeah, we've thought it was the end of time
We're still holding on and we're still trying
Life's always been a little dangerous
But I don't wanna stay the same, so

I'm tryna keep up with the changes
I'm tryna keep up with the changes

I was a baby during the L.A. riots
And I've seen cities burn again
Cried for the innocent a thousand times
And people still don't understand
What's it like to hope again and again knowing
That heartache's gonna be there 'til the end

Newspaper says the world's on fire
People yelling and the water's rising
It's easy to feel kinda anxious
Yeah, we've thought it was the end of time
We're still holding on and we're still trying
Life's always been a little dangerous
But I don't wanna stay the same, so

I'm tryna keep up with the changes
I'm tryna keep up with the changes"

one32west

Cold in California

One32west is a rock band fronted by Greg West, a singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia and Florida. This song was released in 2023.

"Landed in Kansas City, snow on the ground
I'm on my way to the California sun
You know I spend so much time on these airplanes
They always make me feel alone
But it's just 3 days and then I'm coming home

And it's cold, cold in California
When the January sun sinks into the sea
Morning comes every day without question
Guess that's just the way some things are meant to be

I'm surrounded by strangers in this place
Down Sunset Boulevard
And the fire from last night
Has left you out again today

It's amazing how life knocks you down
When you're least expecting to fall
And how bad things pass
When you're not even looking at all

And it's cold, cold in California
When the January sun sinks into the sea
And morning comes every day without question
I guess that's just the way some things are meant to be

Yeah, you know and I know
Some things are just meant to be."

OneRepublic

Good Life

OneRepublic is a band formed in Colorado in 2002. The song mentions London more than L.A. but it's one of my favorite songs from the band, best known for their huge 2007 hit with Timbaland "Apologize." The band's lead vocalist Ryan Tedder has also written and produced some great songs for other singers.

"Woke up in London yesterday
Found myself in the city near Piccadilly
Don't really know how I got here
I got some pictures on my phone

New names and numbers that I don't know
Address to places like Abbey Road
Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want
We're young enough to say

Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

To my friends in New York, I say hello
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Colorado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out
Sometimes there's bulls**t that don't work now
We all got our stories but please tell me-e-e-e
What there is to complain about

When you're happy like a fool
Let it take you over
When everything is out
You gotta take it in

Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life...."

OneRepublic

West Coast

This single was released in early 2022. It's more California dreamin'.

"I've been dreamin' 'bout the west coast (I've been dreamin')
Found some faces that I don't know (I've been dreamin' about it)
Give me the sun for just a year
I'll kiss the sky and disappear

I've been starin' up at the grayest skies
Tryin' to find myself some luck but it's runnin' dry
It's like the weather makes the worst of my cloudy mind
I could really use a dose of some paradise
Sometimes you gotta run from a broken heart
Before I turn into a ghost need a brand new start
Get myself headed to the coast, man it ain't that far
Yeah, they got sun in L.A. and some shinin' stars

[Chorus:]
I've been dreamin' 'bout the west coast (I've been dreamin')
Found some faces that I don't know (I've been dreamin' about it)
Seein' signs for California
Trade the shade for somethin' warmer
I've been dreamin' 'bout the west coast (I've been dreamin')
Where the people take it real slow (I've been dreamin' about it)
I need the sun for just a year
I'll kiss the sky and disappear

Ain't felt a drop now for forty days
But still they're washing cars and they don't show any age
Ain't nothin' that you want'll cost you more than time
If you're tryna find yourself, better get in line
I'm countin' up my money and spendin' to get it right
Got the future in my pocket, I'm spendin' it all tonight
Like a prophet with the vision, I finally see the light
And you know

[Chorus]

When I saw the starry sky
All I wanna do is fly
Take me where the sun shines bright, oh

I've been dreamin' 'bout the west coast
Time to find myself a new glow
I need the sun for just a year
I'll kiss the sky and disappear

[Chorus]"

OneRepublic & SEEB

Rich Love

In this 2017 pop song, OneRepublic and SEEB, a trio of Norwegian producers, venture into the tropical dance music genre. A good place for them. The Hollywood Sign again symbolizes fame and fortune in the entertainment industry.

"I remember talking and drinking what we could find
Burnin' all those candles and stayin' up through the night
We'd make reservations for the places we know we'd never try
But then oh, we found some rich love

I remember feeling broke as a bottle of wine
I didn't move to the city to count all my pennies and worship the Hollywood sign
She'd say, "Hey man, nice to meet you"
But she'd take it in one last time
And I know, cause I found some fake love

Ooh, broke as a bottle of wine
Ooh, but drink with you all damn night
Ooh, I'm not trying to trade love
Cause if we don't find money
Then what we got honey is just enough
We got some rich love

She'd say, "Hey man"
She'd say, "Hey man, nice to meet you"
She'd say, "Hey man, nice to meet you"
But she'd take it in one last time

Do you remember dancing? The parties out in the yard?
We would p**s off the neighbors
They'd eventually call the cops
And I was saving up for something, hoping life would finally start
Cause oh, we had some new love

Ooh, broke as a bottle of wine
Ooh, but drink with you all damn night
Ooh, broke as a bottle of wine
Cause if we don't find money
Then what we got honey lifts it up
We got some rich love...."

Olivia Ooms

California Country

Olivia Ooms is a country music singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach.
This single was released in 2019 when she was 18.

"Blonde hair
Lyin’ underneath the palm trees
Blue ocean
Giving me a melody
We’re chasin' waves
Like we’re chasin' dreams
So come and follow me

We light our bonfires on the sand
Bunch of Beverley Hillbillies with a tan
Staring at the same stars seen in the deep south
No doubt

I’m a California country girl
Got a west coast vibe
That’ll rock your world
I’m hard to catch
Like the rollin' tide
Got a blazing fire
Burning inside

Ooo ooooo
I'm a little more funky
Make you feel something
Ooo ooooo
I'm a 6 string strumming
California country girl

In the car with Brett young and John Pardi
Crank it up to the max, we ain’t sorry
4runner on the highway in good company
Summer raisin’ me

We’re burning up gas on PCH
Up and down all around 80 mph
Got a Golden State of mind
If you’ve been there
Hands in the air

I’m a California country girl
Got a west coast vibe
That’ll rock your world
I’m hard to catch
Like the rollin' tide
Got a blazing fire
Burning inside

Ooo ooooo
I'm a little more funky
Make you feel something
Ooo ooooo
I'm a 6 string strumming
California country girl

I’m taking these boots
And my Huntington roots
And I’m gonna cut loose tonight
I’m taking these boots
And my Huntington roots
And I’m gonna cut loose tonight

I’m a California country girl
Got a west coast vibe
That’ll rock your world
I’m hard to catch
Like the rollin' tide
Got a blazing fire
Burning inside

Ooo ooooo
I'm a little more funky
Make you feel something
Ooo ooooo
I'm a 6 string strumming
California country girl"

Operation Ivy

Bombshell

Operation Ivy was a punk band formed in Berkeley, California in 1987 and active until 1989. This minute-long song is from their album "Energy" released in 1989.

"(She) She (she) she's a bombshell
(She) She (she) she's a bombshell

(Whoa)

Down in South Oakland, off East 14th it's raining (Oh yeah)
Six a.m. on Sunday, the bums are praying (Oh yeah)
Met her at a party, we were drunk, now we're sober (Oh yeah)
She said, 'It's cold, got a long walk home, come over'
Oh yeah

She's a bombshell
She's a bombshell
She's a bombshell

I've retraced my steps a thousand times (Oh yeah)
Seems like I've spent hours asking all my friends about her (Oh yeah)
Been six months, I'll never be the same (Oh yeah)
Nobody, nobody, nobody remembers her name
Oh yeah

She's a bombshell
She's a bombshell
She's a bombshell...."

Rita Ora

Anywhere

Rita Ora is an English singer and actress. This is a dance-pop song from 2017.

Some time in the early 21st Century, songwriters ran out of words to use in the chorus of their songs, and sometimes in the verses, too. Maybe hip hop used them all up. It's probably the worst word drought since the Doo-Wop era with its dom de dooby rat a ta ta toos, and the great Jazz Scat word shortage with its doot-n doodle du-ee-ah vee zee nonsense. During the current lyrics scarcity, the solution seems to be to chop up a couple of words, throw them in a song blender to stretch them back and forth and bounce them around to the beat. The breakdown in this song does just that. It makes a silly and catchy hook, but not one you can sing along with easily unless you're Max Headroom.

In the song's chorus, the singer wants to be taken anywhere a million miles from L.A., but since the moon is only around 240,000 miles from Earth, that would put her about four moons away in the middle of space where she would freeze to death instantly and never record another hit song. So Rita, maybe L.A.'s not so bad after all?

"Time flies by when the night is young
Daylight shines on an undisclosed location, location
Bloodshot eyes looking for the sun
Paradise delivered and we call it a vacation, vacation

You're painting me a dream that I
Wanna belong in, wanna belong in

Over the hills and far away
A million miles from L.A.
Just anywhere away with you
I know we've got to get away
Someplace where no one knows our name
We'll find the start to something new
Just take me anywhere, take me anywhere
Anywhere away with you
Just take me anywhere, take me anywhere
Anywhere away with you

Fun, little less fun
Little less, over, over, over, over, me
Oh, fun, little less fun
Little less, over, over, over, over, me

Truth comes out when we're blacking out
Looking for connection in a crowd of empty faces, empty faces
Your secrets are the only thing I'm craving now
The good, and the bad, let me in
'Cause I can take it, I can take it

You're painting me a dream that I
Wanna belong in, wanna belong in

Over the hills and far away
A million miles from L.A.
Just anywhere away with you...."

Roy Orbison

California Blue

Roy Orbison was a rock, rockabilly, pop, and country singer-songwriter from Texas, active 1953-1988. A song co-written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, released postumously in 1989 on Orbison's last album.

"Working all day
And he sun don't shine
Trying to get by
And I'm just killing time
I feel the rain
Fall the whole night through
Far away from you
California Blue

California Blue
Dreaming all alone
Nothing else to do
California Blue
Everyday I pray
I'll be on my way
Saving love for you
California Blue

One sunny day
I'll get back again
Somehow, someway
But I don't know when
California Blue
California Blue

Living my life
With you on my mind
Thinking of things
That I left far behind
It's been so long
Doing all I can do
To get back to you
California Blue

California Blue
Dreaming all alone
Nothing else to do
California Blue
Everyday I pray
I'll be on my way
Saving love for you
California Blue ...."

Orion Sun

Pressure

Orion Sun is the professional name of Tiffany Majette, a singer-songwriter based in Philadelphia, active since 2013. This song is from her "Getaway" EP released in 2022.

"Low
Got me running on E
All this pressure on me
Got me wishing I was six feet deep In the yard
Somebody checking for me
In the streets
Whippin' ‘round California
In the car
Windows down
Top down
I know you feel me now
I know you feel me now

I’ll go
Faster
Than them demons chasing after
Our art
Our laughter
I said 'baby, what happened?'
Now we overreacting
What's wrong?
Last one
Jump in
Be the captain

Low
Got me running on E
All this pressure on me
Got me wishing I was six feet deep In the yard
Somebody checking for me
In the streets
Whippin' ‘round California
In the car
Windows down
Top down
I know you feel me now
I know you feel me now

Patience
Build my house out of brick
Evenings
In the lot learning stick
I never got it down no it never made sense
Fast forward
Ended up with it
Automatic
I need to let it go
Let it go
Let it go let it go...."

Johnny Orlando

Hollywood Sign

Johnny Orlando is a pop singer-songwriter and actor from Ontario, Canada active since 2011 when he was 8 years old. This song is from his album "All The Things That Could Go Wrong" released in 2022.

"Walking 'round in a modern tragedy
All the zombies swaying casually
We could try, we could try, we could try to leave
But we built up a life in a fever dream
Playing people, plotting strategies
Bunch of angels lacking empathy
If a bridge isn't worth it you burn it down
Lose your head just to wear the crown

They say this place is paradise calling
Sky full of stars that keep falling
It's all that you've ever wanted (All you ever wanted)

All the lights in the city, don't look so pretty
When you count all the people inside
Who all pray for a moment, hearts halfway to broken
Staring up at the Hollywood sign
We all sell ourselves, while we bide our time
Yeah, I know what they say but I think they lied
What doesn't kill you might just make you lose your mind

Na na na na na
Na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na
Na na na

At a party in the hills just to show my face
Weaving through a crowd of people that I hate
Heaven's never felt so far away, so far away

They say this place is paradise calling
Sky full of stars that keep falling
It's all that you've ever wanted (All you ever wanted, woah)

All the lights in the city, don't look so pretty
When you count all the people inside
Who all pray for a moment, hearts halfway to broken
Staring up at the Hollywood sign
We all sell ourselves, while we bide our time
Yeah, I know what they say but I think they lied (I think they lied)
What doesn't kill you might just make you lose your mind...."

Mike O'Rourke

California's Callin' Me

Mike O'Rourke sent me a copy of his song which nicely evokes the 1960s southern California Beach Boys sound.

"I'm on my way to California
To maybe somewhere near L.A.
I'm on my way to Calfornia
The sun is out and there I'm gonna stay

California's callin' me California's callin' me

Oh way out west under a blue sky
The ocean mist it fills the air
I'm on my way to find that blue sky
Where I won't have a worry or a care
I won't have a care

California's callin' me California's callin' me

I never thought I'd get to go
And leave behind the falling snow

I'm on my way to California
Things they should be brighter from now on
Things they should be brighter from now on

And I can hear the ocean's roar
Lying right outside my door

I'm on my way to California
To chase that dream I hold so dear
And when you think of California
Think of me darlin' whishing that you were here

California's callin' me California's callin' me
California's callin' me California's callin' me"

Lee Oskar

San Francisco Bay

Lee Oskar is a harmonica player from Denmark, active since 1966, known for his work with the band War. This song that begins with 90 seconds of sound effects - seagulls, ship bells, water, fog horns, traffic and cable car bells - is from the album "Before the Rain" released in 1978. You might recognize one of the harmonica parts that was used in the song "Timber", a #1 hit for Pitbull and Ke$ha in 2013.

"A million people in San Francisco
A million people I don't really know
Nine hundred thousand doing 9 to 5
A hundred thousand staying up all night
Hey la da la da da da hey hey
It's San Francisco Bay
La da la da da da hey hey
It's San Francisco's way
La da la da da da hey hey
It's San Francisco Bay

Go to a nightclub drink it all up
They hate to go home
But they got to get up

Drive to the country Sunday afternoons
Get the kids down early
So they'll get 'em up for school

La da la da da da hey hey
It's San Francisco Bay

In the morning they roll away the fog
Round up the hookers, stolen cars, and stray dogs

Hey hey, it's San Francisco's ways
Hey hey, San Francisco Bay

A million people in San Francisco
A million people I don't really know
(I'd like to know)
Nine hundred thousand doing 9 to 5
A hundred thousand staying up all night
The city's ways on San Francisco Bay
La da la da da da
Everyone plays at San Francisco's way
Everyone plays at San Francisco's way
The city's ways on San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay
The San Francisco Way
San Francisco Bay
The San Francisco Way
San Francisco Bay
The San Francisco Way...."

The Outfield

The Outfield were a new wave/power pop band based in London, active from 1984-2014.
This song is from the album "Replay" released in 2011.

"One day the California sun will come your way
Walking along through endless rain
Wonder if times will ever change
Hearing the wind that cry's your name
Too many leaves upon the ground
Everyone else seems safe and sound
Faith is your only consolation

One day the California sun will come your way
One day the California sun will come your way

Lost in a place - nobody home
People around you they're all alone
Failure is not you own invention (oh no)

One day the California sun will come your way
One day the California sun will come your way

Waiting in line – taking your turn
Every mistake's a lesson learned
Surviving the pain is no salvation (oh no)

One day the California sun will come your way
One day the California sun will come your way
One day the California sun will come your way
One day the California sun will come your way

California sunshine
California sunshine
One day - California sunshine
One day - California sunshine"

Over It

Siren On The 101

Over It was a rock band from Alexandria, Virgina, that later was based in Orange County, California, active from 1998-2007. This pop punk song was released in 2005. U.S. Highway 101 travels more than 1,500 miles through the states of California, Oregon and Washington, but this song is obviously about the California stretch of highway since the band was based there.

"Up and away to stay
A while in the arms of fate
When did we start this crush?
The question could stop my heart

Sun on your skin, all smiles
A star at your side you fly
Hands on the wheel held tight
Don't you let go, just give it time, no

Tell me all you hear is our song
Like a siren on the 101
Did you come to say so long?
I was sure we had just begun

Tell me all you hear is our song
I know I can't be the only one
But you and me we are a breakthrough
(Just forget the rear view) Don't ever let me go

Was it a test?
This crime a footnote in your meantime?
A shot in the dark
When I was certain we'd come so far?
But I've got a light to blind
A vision of doubt tonight

The song on my lips will fly
And follow you home wherever you go

Tell me all you hear is our song
Like a siren on the 101
Did you come to say so long?
I was sure we had just begun

Tell me all you hear is our song
I know I can't be the only one
But you and me we are a breakthrough
(Just forget the rear view) Don't ever let me go

Where'd you go, what'd you want to know?
What did you come all this way for?
Where'd you go, what'd you want to know?
What is the luster worth so much more?

Where'd you go, what'd you want to know?
Wonder if my heart can tie up the score
Where'd you go, what'd you want to know?
Where'd you go, what'd you want to know?

All I hear is our song
I don't care 'bout the damage done
So turn it up and sing along
I still feel like we've just begun

All I hear is our song
I know I can't be the only one
But you and me, we are a breakthrough
Just forget the rear view, don't ever let me go

Tell me all you hear is our song
Like a siren on the 101
Did you come to say so long?
I was sure we had just begun

Tell me all you hear is our song
I know I can't be the only one
But you and me, we are a breakthrough
(Just forget the rear view) Don't ever let me go
Let me go
Let me go"

Buck Owens

California Okie

Buck Owens was a singer-songwriter-band leader from Texas. He and his band The Buckaroos were the pioneers of the "Bakersfield Sound" and racked up 21 number 1 country hits. Owens did move to Bakersfield, but the song is not exactly autobiographical. It's from the album "Buck 'Em" released in 1976.

"I'm a first-generation, genuine California Okie
Born in Barstow, raised in Bakersfield
My Ma and Pa were orphans of the Oklahoma dust bowl
I was born in the back of a rusty Oldsmobile

My daddy followed his dream West and when we laid his soul to rest
I knew he finally found that promised land
And now I am a working man and with the help of the good Lord's hand
I get to have what daddy never had

I'm a first-generation, genuine California Okie
Born in Barstow, raised in Bakersfield
My Ma and Pa were orphans of the Oklahoma dust bowl
I was born in the back of a rusty Oldsmobile

Well, I like Jimmy Rodgers songs, corn bread beans and honky tonks
I like the smell of new mowed field of hay
This valley is in my blood and bones, the sand walking where I call home
Where I belong is where I'm gonna stay

I'm a first-generation, genuine California Okie
Born in Barstow, raised in Bakersfield
My Ma and Pa were orphans of the Oklahoma dust bowl
I was born in the back of a rusty Oldsmobile

I'm a-born and bred, cornbread fed, California Okie"

Buck Owens and The Buckaroos

Streets of Bakersfield

This California country classic was written by Homer Joy and first recorded by Buck Owens and released in 1973. When Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens recorded it again in 1988 it became a #1 hit on the country music charts.
Los Hermanos Mendoza, three brothers from Bakersfield, also recorded a version of the song that was released in 2024.

"I came here looking for something
I couldn't find anywhere else
Well I don't want to be nobody
I just want a chance to be myself

I've done a thousand miles of thumbin'
Yes, I've worn blisters on my heels
Tryin' to find me something better
On the streets of Bakersfield

You don't know me but you don't like me
You say you care less how I feel
How many of you that sit and judge me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?

Spent some time in San Francisco
Spent a night there in the can
They threw this drunk man in my jail cell
I took fifteen dollars from that man

I left him my watch and my old house key
I don't like folks thinkin' that I'd steal
Then I thanked him as he was sleeping
And I headed out for Bakersfield

You don't know me but you don't like me
You'd say you care less how I feel
How many of you that sit and judge me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?
How many of you that sit and judge me
Ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?"

Owl City

West Coast Friendship

By request: from "Maybe I'm Dreaming" the 2008 debut album by Owl City, an electonic pop project from Adam Young of Minnesota. A very catchy chorus on this one.

"Aloha, my happy west coast friends
Do you feel alive
When the breaking waves arrive
And wash all around you
The beach homes and ocean side
Are quite well known by the evening tide
And we can sleep where we reside
With redwoods around us
The blue air is up there
And could I bring it down
I bottle it up and save it for a sweet summer night

I bought a one way ticket
Cause I knew I'd never see the ground
Unless I was aboard a jet plane
And we were going down
When I wiped the tears from my eyes
The warm water took me by surprise
And I woke up beside the ocean
I realized I must be in California
I must be in California

Am I awake or is this just a dream?

The new year is out here
And I will make a lovely list
Of your charms
So I'll never feel alone in your arms
I must be in California
I must be in California
I must be in California"

Owl John

Los Angeles, Be Kind

Owl John was Scott John Hutchinson, a singer-songwriter-artist from Scotland, active from 2003 until his suicide in 2018. He was known as the founder and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Frightened Rabbit. This song is from his only solo album "Owl John" released in 2014.

"You exhaust me you know
Bellowing black exhaust pipe smoke
And the smog won’t wash from this unsuitable immigrant skin

Such a villainous grace
Oh I don’t know what you’ve done to your face
Some nights I can’t figure out quite where your heart is

Oh Los Angeles, be kind
No more trouble or red lights
I can learn to love you in good time
Oh Los Angeles, be kind

I read you all wrong
So I get drunk just to feel I belong
By a river so dry it’s barely a river at all

And we suck one another at night
Fire pistols and cover our eyes
And we waltz unseen behind Hollywood’s ballroom doors

Oh Los Angeles, be kind
No more headaches or fistfights
We can live with each other, it just takes time
Oh Los Angeles, be kind
Take me to bed with a painkiller, say goodnight
Oh Los Angeles, be kind"

Ozomatli

City of Angels

Ozomatli is a Latin/hip-hop/rock band formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. This song is from the album "Don't Mess with the Dragon" released in 2007.

"What you know about my city that's tic tac?
Hustle to get stacks
Fail get laughed at
Even from here I hear the chit chat
Grew up Miracle Mile
Fairfax to tar traps, Hamilton High alumni
What you know Ham and cheese supreme
JB to Carthay cat L.A. it be the base and the catalyst
Walk Crescent Heights worldwide back to strangle us
Land of the saint and the land of the wicked
Hollywood to Bell
The Manichean kick it
What a duality, arid reality
Devon Brown Shot
Minor technicality
Brad Pitt's cheatin' front page reality
Stanley Miller Beatin'
DA don't want to touch it
But I love my city
Soft yet rugged
Rep L.A. I know the Angels will love it
City of angels! "

Anderson .Paak

'Til It's Over

Anderson .Paak (Brandon Paak Anderson) is an American singer-songwriter/rapper from Oxnard, CA. Even though he collaborates with Dr. Dre, his music owes more to vintage soul, funk, and R&B than to hardcore rap. This song is a single that was released in 2018. It mentions L.A. only briefly, but it's a really good song. (Looking at Wickipedia a year later, I see that this song has now been used in a TV commercial by Apple.) You can tell he's from So Cal just by looking at the names of the albums he's released so far: Venice, Malibu, Oxnard, and Ventura.

"We stayed up all night watching the comedy show
That aged whiskey and hydro
Good lord, what a nice conversation
I'm too floored to get anywhere safely
You know I talk about you highly
I'm fascinated for the time being
We can laugh until the morning
Or we can dance in the hallway

Only one more night in Los Angeles
I really thought I could handle it
But the funny thing is, I was holding back tears
I didn't think this day would happen
I give all this up for a chance at it
You would have thought I'd be the man for this
But the funny thing is, we can never stay here
I didn't think this day could happen

I'ma ride it 'til it's over
I'ma ride it 'til it's over
I'ma ride it 'til it's over
I'ma ride it 'til it's over

I'ma ride, I'ma ride
Ride
I'ma ride it 'til it's over
I'ma ride, I'ma ride
I'ma ride, I'ma ride

And don't all this new music sound the same?
Yeah, we must be getting old and grey
We left early, girl, that bed was s****y anyway
We went home and left our clothes up in the living space, aye
Would you stay if your heart had the power?
Would you run and find another life to imitate?
It's important that we make the best of short time
You could never be my one and only, anyway
Say, can't a young man dream?
Can't we all live the life on a widescreen?
What's the point? Yeah
Yeah, we had fun, if only for the time being

I'ma ride it 'til it's over...."

Palaye Royale

No Love in L.A.

Palaye Royale is a rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2008 by three brothers. This is a single released in 2021.

"Livin’ in the moonlight
Lookin’ at the hills, but the hills don’t shine right
Lookin’ at her nose but the s**t don’t blow right
Gesundheit!
Your mom says,
“You can change your face, but the pain won’t go away”
Addicted to the fame, but the fame is momentarily
Reality

The creeps are crawling up to the doorways
They’re dying to find out what’s inside
The creeps are always posting their photos
To show off what they’re lacking inside

There is no such thing as love in L.A.
Plastic people don’t got nothing to say
They’re judging me, I’m judging you
We ain’t got nothing else to do
There’s no such thing as love in L.A.

Livin’ on Melrose In motel rooms
Up all night drinkin till the day shows
With the B-list and the C-list
And the demons comin’ till I see s**t
On a private jet
But you can’t afford your rent
Gettin’ high with fake friends
‘Cause that’s all you got

I’m late for my own premiere
Maybe I should leave, my dear
I don’t feel a thing out here
But it seems to me that the demons of the city
Wanna keep me here
They wanna keep me here

There is no such thing as love in L.A.
Plastic people don’t got nothing to say
They’re judging me, I’m judging you
We ain’t got nothing else to do
There’s no such thing as love in L.A.
There is no such thing as love in L.A.
I said, “There’s no such thing as love in L.A.!”

Pacific Dub

California Girl

Pacific Dub is a reggae rock band from Huntington Beach, active since 2008. This is from the band's first EP "First Drop" released in 2009.

"I got a little girl you know that she's all mine
I got a little girl I can't keep her off my mind
I got this little chick you know that she's just right for me
When I wake up every morning and she's by my side
When I fall asleep at night I can't help but staring in her eyes
She's that type of girl that all them girlies they want to be

Everything she does and all of everything she says just right
My green eyed slice of heaven got to keep her by my side
She's my little crazy one and everything that I wish I could be
When I hold her in my arms I know that nothing could go wrong
When she's holding on my hand she's really holding on my heart
She knows that I know that she's the only one that I can see

She's the only one that I know that can make me feel like this
And when she's not around you know her smile and her eyes I truly miss
Yeah she's everything, she's everything in me
Yeah she's all that I want and she's all that I could ever need

My California girl you know she's like that sweet sunshine
Like laying in the sand she's got that peace I want to find
My gorgeous little girl she helps to see the good in me
She's my smile when I get sad, my lonely face when I am lost
My sweet and perfect kiss, my happiness when I am not
She's got that type of loving in her soul she only lets me see

And everything that I am is all because of her
When she's holding onto me you know that I am truly sure...."

Pacific Dub

Utica

Pacific Dub is a reggae band from Huntington Beach, California, active since 2008. This song is from their first studio album "Fire Eye" released in 2009. I have no idea why this is titled "Utica" which as far as I know only refers to the city in New York state.

"I wish that I could find the words to say
To try and explain the way I feel today
Wake up in the morning everything feels alright
10 AM the smoke up in my face
The shining sun begins to set the pace
It's gonna be another crazy night, the California way

A brand new world we call the summer time
This herbal fade has got me on the line
You know just how I want to spend my days
Caught up in this crazy style
We live the day to make it worth the while
As we find our way through life's maze, the California way

We know not to live for tomorrow
Moving on day to day
Our own steps you know we will follow
We live the California way
We know not to live for tomorrow
Moving on day to day
The California way

And now the time has come for us to move along
To the place we started from
Today I realized through all the constant highs
These were the streets that gave us life
And all the times we've spent
The music we have sent from our hearts
We share it with the world
From the sunshine city we reside in
To everywhere the lovin' vibe is
We're coming with this irie fade

We know not to live for tomorrow
Moving on day to day
Our own steps you know we will follow
We live the California way
We know not to live for tomorrow
Moving on day to day
The California way"

Pacifique

Another Love in L.A.

Pacifique was a trio formed in France, active from 1988-1994. This song id gtom their album "California" released in 1991.

"On roulait vite sur la highway
On avait pris la direction d'L.A.
Mes mains serrées sur ton cuir usé
Ont glissé enlacés au son de ta Harley
On s'est aimé sur la highway
Dans ce motel où on s'est arrêté
A la télé Eagles chantaient
Un vieux slow que je n'ai jamais pu oublier

Je me rappelle d'un vieux motel
De la mer qui baignait le ciel
D'une guitare qui pleurait
Sur les bords du Pacifique
Another love in L.A.
Je me rappelle de ce motel
Un guitare criait vers le ciel
Un sentiment aussi grand que l'océan Pacifique
Another love in L.A.

Tu m'as quitté sur la highway
J't'ai regardée partir sur ta Harley
A la télé Eagles chantaient
Ce vieux slow que je ne pourrai plus oublier

Je me rappelle d'un vieux motel
De la mer qui baignait le ciel
D'une guitare qui pleurait
Sur les bords du Pacifique
Another love in L.A.
Je me rappelle de ce motel
Un guitare criait vers le ciel
Un sentiment aussi grand que l'océan Pacifique
Another love in L.A.

"We were driving fast on the highway
We had taken the direction of L.A.
My hands clenched on your worn leather
Slipped entwined to the sound of your Harley
We loved each other on the highway
In this motel where we stopped
On TV Eagles were singing
An old slow that I could never forget

I remember an old motel
From the sea that bathed the sky
Of a weeping guitar
On the shores of the Pacific
Another love in L.A.
I remember this motel
A guitar was screaming to the sky
A feeling as big as the Pacific Ocean
Another love in L.A.

You left me on the highway
I watched you leave on your Harley
On TV Eagles were singing
This old slow that I can no longer forget

I remember an old motel
From the sea that bathed the sky
Of a weeping guitar
On the shores of the Pacific
Another love in L.A.
I remember this motel
A guitar was screaming to the sky
A feeling as big as the Pacific Ocean
Another love in L.A."

Paco Versailles

Young in California

This song was released in July, 2023.This is from group's website:
"Paco Versailles is a collaboration between guitarist/composer Vahagni and songwriter/producer Ryan Merchant (Capital Cities). Their sound is a mix of flamenco guitar rhythms with disco-leaning electronic production and captivating vocals, a new genre they call Dancemenco.

The name Paco Versailles was conceived while imagining a collaboration between their biggest influences, the legendary Spanish guitarist Paco De Lucia and French electronic artists Daft Punk and Air, both products of the Parisian suburb of Versailles."

"I miss those days
Young in California
No one to be dissatisfied
But now my ego's going crazy
I'm letting everything faze me
I feel the world try to change me
It's all on me but please save me

I want to cut to the chase
I want it all not just a taste
I want to cut to the chase
I want it all not just a taste

I miss those days when life was simple
No one to be dissatisfied
But now my ego's going crazy
I'm letting everything faze me
I feel the world try to change me
It's all on me but please save me...."

Cleo Page

California Prison Farm

Cleo Page (born Cleo Mallard) was a blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Louisiana, born in 1928 and active from 1955-1979. It is thought that he relocated to Los Angeles by the early 1950s and started his music career there. This electric guitar blues number is from the album "Leaving Mississippi" released in 1979. Page died in 1979, so the song was probably recorded before then. The back cover says that the songs were recorded at various dates through the 1970's at Los Angeles.

"If you ever do wrong
Don't get in a California prison farm
Yes, If you ever do wrong
Don't get in a California prison farm
Yeah, it's just a cold, cold place
Just like a wet fish slapped in your face

No my woman, she can't see me
I'm in a place they call the hole
No my woman can't see me
I'm down in a place they call the hole
Now don't nobody love you here
You're just a number, lord when the white man call the role

Yeah, only God knows
What makes the warden treat me like a dog
Yes, only God in heaven knows
What makes the warden treat me like a dog
No I didn't do no one no harm
But yet they got me down on a California prison farm

Woah, my woman, she can't see me
I'm in a place they call the hole
No, lord have mercy, my woman she can't come to see me
You know I'm in a place they call the hole
Yeah, don't nobody love you down here
You're just a number when the white man call the role"

Cleo Page

California Style

This is another song from "Leaving Mississippi" released in 1979.
I used to think that "California style" just meant a crispy crust pizza with vegetables on top, but I see not it's much more than that...

"California style
California style
California style
You know you're lovin' wild
California style

Got me soakin' wet
You got me soakin' wet
Baby I can't quit
Shake a little bit
It's California style

You made a move on me
You made a move on me
I won't let you be
Rock a little bit
It's California style

Lay your love on me
Lay your love on me
I like your sexy eyes
Love me a while
California style

Got me soakin' wet
You got me soakin' wet
Baby I can't quit
Shake a little bit
It's California style

Make a move on me
You made a move on me
I won't let you be
Rock a little while
California style"

Pak-Man & wewantwraiths

(How Much is) That Doggie in the Window?

Pak-Man is a musician from South London, England and wewantwraiths is the professional name of Mohamed Dahir, a musician from Leicester, East Midlands, UK. This rap track was released in 2024.

"I get my weed from California
I mix the lean with Molly water
Wash our Germans every day, got germaphobia
Light 'em up, these rappers dying for exposure
Cah I've been patient
Now we fifty-seven levels up on vacation
Take your bras off in this Brabus truck, must be amazing
It's a marathon and I've been working on duration
Hard work, dedication

So high, I can touch the stars
Got the double fours in the double R
Pot on the stove like a bubble bath
All I know is hustle hard, doing numbers fast
All I need is just a chance, what's a hundred large?
Family affairs and Damier squares
I'm coming from the jungle, it's just animals here
Pigs ran in my crib, just found cannabis there
This didn't happen overnight, I had to plan and prepare
Everything gon' be okay, wewantwraiths

Got the nine with me like Tion Wayne
Money team shut down the after-party
I'm really on, got a pretty one, half Somali
Skin caramel, hit a bag of sales
Turn your bag Chanel, now we're up in Bagatelle
Turn nuttin' into sumtin', no magic spell
Are you buzzing? Never had no help

I get my weed from California
I mix the lean with Molly water
Wash our Germans every day, got germaphobia
Light 'em up, these rappers dying for exposure
Cah I've been patient
Now we fifty-seven levels up on vacation
Take your bras off in this Brabus truck, must be amazing
It's a marathon and I've been working on duration
Hard work, dedication

We ain't hard to find, we on level fifty-nine
Pretty bi**hes on Molly, they're throwing up
I just mix and matched the time, baby I'll be free in five
Give me two, guarantee we gon' f**k
And all my akhis flashy, I just made a million tax-free
I can't let a bad B trap me, I'm stuck
And I've been on my grind, three sixty-five
You ever seen twenty brizzies uncut?
Free all the heroes
F**k the labels, tell them "Add another zero"
Fam all your life ain't even worth a kilo
Pakachino really move like Al Pacino
On the D-low, I'm a D-boy, need a reload
Maxy doing freeflow, free up Mali till he's free though
Way too direct like I was Quentin Tarantino
But wait a sec, prefer the lean over the Percocet
I don't want your weed

I get my weed from California...."

Patti Page

Patti Page was an American pop and country singer. According to Wickipedia "She was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female artist of the 1950s, selling over 100 million records during a six-decade long career."

This song from 1953 is one of her four number one hits. It's considered a novelty song, popular with little children, but I think the singer is a hard boiled dame with foul play in mind. (Don't believe me? Listen to Page's hit "Conquest" sung by a femme fatale who hunts down an innocent man and traps him in a legal contract until one of them dies.)

Why does the woman singing this song have to suddenly take a trip to California? Why does she think her sweetheart is such a cad that he needs a puppy to keep him from cheating on her while she's away? Why does she talk about armed criminals coming to his house? I suspect that the dog is a McGuffin, her California trip is just an alibi, and she's hired a hit man to knock off her cheating boyfriend while she's gone. Or maybe I've just been watching too much Film Noir lately....

"How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie's for sale
I must take a trip to California
And leave my poor sweetheart alone
If he has a dog, he won't be lonesome
And the doggie will have a good home
How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie's for sale
I read in the papers there are robbers
With flashlights that shine in the dark
My love needs a doggie to protect him
And scare them away with one bark
I don't want a bunny or a kitty
I don't want a parrot that talks
I don't want a bowl of little fishies
He can't take a goldfish for a walk
How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie's for sale."

Panic! At The Disco

Laurel Canyon Blvd (Down)

Panic! At The Disco is a rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2004 that became a solo project for founder Brendon Urie in 2015. This is an unreleased song from the recording sessions for the album "Viva las Vengeance" released in 2022. It's hard to imagine how good the other songs must be. This one is too good to have been cut.

"Your daddy bought you a new black Jetta
A little something that's to curb the pain
Waiting on a call, text, or whatever
Your life's a storm cloud without any rain

Filled your life full of boys that are broken
Validation needed more than you
Scratching your arm with the blade while you're smoking
I wanna cover you

Said I love you, California, but you're bringing me down
You love me then you hate me then you're never around
A natural disaster in a fabricated town
I love you, California, but you're
You're bringing me down
Down, down, down, down, down, down, Down
(Down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down,)

A bitter pill that you never learned to swallow
A sight unseen from your new third eye
Your little tricks, never got them to follow
It's not enough to be the pitiful type

So take your medicine, your freak adrenaline
The kind of problems you had always dreamed you'd settle in
Stop making promises, you don't know what honest is
I wanna cover you

Said I love you, California, but you're bringing me down
You love me then you hate me then you're never around
A natural disaster in a fabricated town
I love you, California, but you're
You're bringing me down

(Around)

Said I love you, California, but you're bringing me down
You love me then you hate me then you're never around
A natural disaster in a fabricated town
I love you, California, but you're
You're bringing me down
Down, down, down, down, down
You're bringing me down"

Panic! At The Disco

Dying in L.A.

This is from the album "Pray For The Wicked" released in 2018.

"The moment you arrived
They built you up
The sun was in your eyes
You couldn’t believe it
Riches all around
You’re walking
Stars are on the ground
You start to believe it

Every face along the boulevard
Is a dreamer just like you
You looked at death in a tarot card
And you saw what you had to do

But nobody knows you now
When you’re dying in L.A.
And nobody owes you now
When you’re dying in L.A.
When you’re dying in L.A.
When you’re dying in L.A.

The power the power the power
Of L.A.

Nights at The Chateau
Trapped in your Sunset bungalow
You couldn’t escape it
Drink of paradise
They told you
Put your blood on ice
You’re not gonna make it"

Panic! At The Disco

L.A. Devotee

This is from the album "Death of a Bachelor" released in 2016.

"You got two black eyes from loving too hard
And a black car that matches your blackest soul
I wouldn't change ya, oh oh
Wouldn't ever try to make you leave, no
The neon coast was your sign
And the Midwest wind with Pisces rising
Wouldn't change ya, oh oh
Wouldn't ever try to make you leave, no

Static palms melt your vibe
Midnight whisperings

The black magic of Mulholland Drive
Swimming pools under desert skies
Drinking white wine in the blushing light
Just another L.A. Devotee
Sunsets on the evil eye
Invisible to the Hollywood shrine
Always on the hunt for a little more time
Just another L.A. Devotee

You got bleached out eyes from the valley sand
And the black tar palms keep weeping your name
I couldn't change ya, oh oh
Couldn't ever try to make you see, no
The high rise lights read your rights
And a downtown storm with Aries rising
Couldn't change ya, oh oh
Couldn't ever try to make you see, no

Static palms melt your vibe
Midnight whisperings

The black magic of Mulholland Drive
Swimming pools under desert skies
Drinking white wine in the blushing light
Just another L.A. Devotee
Sunsets on the evil eye
Invisible to the Hollywood shrine
Always on the hunt for a little more time
Just another L.A. Devotee"

Panicland

The California Song

Panicland is a rock band from Canada. This song was released in 2014. I miss the old days when maps were made of paper and you could throw a dart at one to decide where to go. Try doing that with your maps app.

"We're throwing darts at a map
Without a thing to say
Now we could paint an old school bus
And live out the cliché
(Hey hey)
We'll be in Hollywood by nine and
Dancing in the street
Let's fall in love, not in line
And live the teenage dream

Let's kick it like we're going to California
And got nothing to say
Except for get me out (out) of this damn town
Before I pick up all the pieces that I haven't found
(Woo!)

She took the chains around my neck, had flowers in her hair
(Flowers in her hair)
She said I'll race you to the stars and back
But darlin' that's not fair
(Uh-uh honey)
If life's a joke we'll be the punchline
The perfect mess my dear
We'll be a couple bodies worn out by their souls
But honey I don't care
(We don't care, we don't care, we don't care)

Let's kick it like we're going to California
And got nothing to say
Except for get me out (out) of this damn town
Before I pick up all the pieces that I haven't found
(Woo!)

Sing with me, sing with me
I'ma say pretend with me
Sing with me, sing with me
Won't you be my friend?
(Woo!)

When the moon is finally dead
The little things are all we'll hear
With Coca-Cola-coloured hearts
I'll be your souvenir
Heard someone ask whatever
Happened to this season's
Losers of the year?
Let's carve our names into a wall
We're all alright
We're here

Let's kick it like we're going to California
(We goin' down)
And got nothing to say
(Nothin' to say, nothin' to say)
Except for get me out (get me out) of this damn town
Before I pick up all the pieces
That I haven't found
(Woo!)"

Papa Roach

Hollywood Whore

Papa Roach is a band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. This blast of hard rock misogyny is the first single from the album "Metamorphosis" released in 2009.

"Hollywood whore, passed out on the floor
I'm sorry, but the party's over

Cocaine nose and trendy clothes
Gotta send her to rehab
She found out she's got no soul
But it really doesn't bother her
White trash queen, American dream
Oh, what a role model
Throwing a fit, making a scene
Like no tomorrow

Hollywood whore, passed out on the floor
Can't take it no more
I'm sorry, but the party's over
The talk of the town is she's goin' down
I'm sorry, but the party's over now

Awake by noon, drunk by 4:00
Sucked up in the showbiz
You're so lame, you're such a bore
I wanna kick your teeth in
Plastic smile to match your style
We can tell ya got a facelift
You're so vain, oh-so vile
You're a number one hit

Hollywood whore, passed out on the floor
Can't take it no more
I'm sorry, but the party's over
The talk of the town is she's goin' down
I'm sorry, but the party's over now

The cameras are gone, and nobody screams
She couldn't survive her 15 minutes of fame
Her friends are all gone; she's going insane
She'll never survive without the money and fame
It's all going down the drain
(Down the drain, down the drain, down the drain)

Hollywood whore, passed out on the floor
I'm sorry, but the party's over
The talk of the town is she's goin' down
I'm sorry, but the party's over

Hollywood whore, passed out on the floor
I'm sorry, but the party's over
The talk of the town is she goin' down?
I'm sorry, but the party's over now

Wake up, the party's over
Wake up, the party's over
Wake up, the party's over
Wake up, the party's over
Don't let the door hit ya
Where the good Lord split ya, honey!"

Paper Tongues

Ride to California

Paper Tongues is an alternative rock band from Charlotte, North Carolina, active since 2007. This is another rock anthem about going to Calfornia from the album "Paper Tongues" released in 2009. Charlotte to L.A. would be an epic road trip, crossing the entire country.

"40-40 dollar to the man who wanna go
20-20 to the sister with the ticket at the grocery store
I wish someone would get mine
If you got an extra dollar, can you lend it to a man who's poor?
I'm beat up but I ain't down
I've been lost but now I'm found
I've been defeated for sure
And now I got a chance and the city better let me go

[Chorus:]
I can't wait to get a ride to California
'Cause it makes sense to go to California
If Hollywood is where it's at, let's go to California
'Cause it makes sense to go to California
Can I give up? No
Let's just go
L.A., whoa
Got no money, sure
If you was me, see, you'd do the same thing you know
So leave your bags at your momma's door

Going, going, going to the man in the back
Cut the line if you feel me
Let me hear you sing it one more time
I've set my mind to break free
Now my body's gettin' loose
while I'm shakin' like a dancing tree
I'm beat up but I ain't down
I've been lost but now I'm found
I need deliverance for sure
If you got another seat on the bus will you let me go

[Chorus]

I really gotta catch that ride
I need to find a place in line
I'm pickin' up an L.A. vibe
I really wanna go this time

[Chorus]

Interstate, freeway, green light--go
You can even get a plane or a train if the traffic's slow
I bet you won't beat me
I've been waiting for a mighty long time so you best believe
I'm beat up but I ain't down
I've been lost but now I'm found
I need a ticket for sure
If you got another seat on the plane will you let me go

Hey! Break free
Hey! Break free
Hey! Break free
Hey! Come, go with me
Hey! Break free
Hey! Break free
Hey! Come, go with me

I can't wait to get a ride to California
'Cause it makes sense to go to California
If Hollywood is where it's at, let's go to California
'Cause it makes sense to go to California
Can I give up? No
Let's just go
L.A., whoa
Got no money, sure
If you was me, see, you'd do the same thing you know
So leave your bags at your momma's door"

Jon Pardi

California Sunrise

Jon Pardi is a CMA-award-winning country music singer-songwriter from Dixon, California, active since 2012. This is from "California Sunrise" released in 2016. I have to laugh at the online lyrics sites versions of line 3 where they have "Wi-Fi" burning" instead of "wildfire." I wish that Wi-Fi was the only thing burning...

"You could hear the wind howling across the ocean
And the taste of the wine and the buzzed feel in my head
And the only wildfire was burning right beside me
And we had us a night I'll never forget
She was a 1960s Beach Boys song
And we're living that dream all night long

In that California sunrise
In that California sunrise
She took me to Heaven and so much more
Like nothing I've ever seen before
In that California sunrise

Pretty soon it was raining up in Seattle
And it sure was cold out in Colorado
Yeah, I was missing her kiss in the heat of Arizona
Been everywhere and nothing could compare
Yeah, to that one of a kind trip I was on
Everything about her felt like home

In that California sunrise
In that California sunrise
She took me to Heaven and so much more
Like nothing I've ever seen before
In that California sunrise
Take me on back

Found her number in a pocket of my blue jeans
Picked up the phone and let it ring
Said 'I'm counting down the miles back to you, babe'
Yeah, I'm heading west on a big old jet plane

Back to that California sunrise
That California sunrise
She took me to Heaven and so much more
Like nothing I've ever seen before
In that California sunrise
Take me on back
That California sunrise
That California sunrise
That California sunrise
That California sunrise
Take me on back"

Jon Pardi

Santa Cruz

This song is from his fourth studio album "Mr. Saturday Night" released in 2022.
(One online lyrics site has Champagne and "rocky road" instead of "rock 'n' roll." Champagne and rocky road wouldn't be bad, either, but I take my rocky road straight up.

"Lookin' back through the memories in my mind
Takes me back to a distant time
It was me and it was you
And love was still brand new
On a beach with all my friends
Lead to a wild weekend

Love was in the air, stars were up in the sky
Fireworks was lit, burnin' up the Fourth of July
The breeze through our soul
Champagne and rock 'n' roll
West Coast dancin' with you
In Santa Cruz

Sent a postcard to a friend
Wishin' summer would never end
With that rollercoaster high
Ain't it funny how time flies by?

Love was in the air, stars were up in the sky
Fireworks was lit, burnin' up the Fourth of July
The breeze through our soul
Champagne and rock 'n' roll
West Coast dancin' with you
In Santa Cruz

Let the waves come crashin' in
'Cause I'm feelin' that again
Let the waves come crashin' in
'Cause I'm feelin' that again

It was a top down, freeway, California sunset
Kissin' on you is somethin' I'll never forget

Love was in the air, stars were up in the sky
Fireworks was lit, burnin' up the Fourth of July
The breeze through our soul
Champagne and rock 'n' roll
West Coast dancin' with you
In Santa Cruz

Let the waves come crashin' in
'Cause I'm feelin' that again
When the waves come crashin' in
'Cause I'm feelin' that again"

Jim Parker

California Day

I don't know who Jim Parker is. There are an English composer, a Nashville singer-songwriter, and a Canadian singer-songwriter with the same name, and probably even other musicians. This is written on his YouTube page for the song, which was posted in October 2022: "CALIFORNIA DAY is the second song on Jim Parker's, 60's influenced album, MAKE BELIEVE. It has a Beach Boy's influenced sound with big vocals and a whole lot of sunshine!" It might seem that the lyric "Sunset in L.A." refers to the actual sunset, but since it's capitalized in the video and we even see a street sign for Sunset Boulevard one time when we hear the lyric, it definitely refers to the street.

"Blue sky, sunshine
You and me
On that Santa Monica beach
And you know
It's a California day

Skateboards, palm trees
On the pier
Girls in bikinis drinking beer
And you know
That it's a California day

California day so fine
Take your blues away in no time
Nothin' better than Sunset in L.A.
And you know that it's okay
'Cause it's a California day

Tow down, Highway number one
Catchin' waves and barefoot fun
And you know
It's a California day

California day so fine
Take your blues away in no time
Nothin' better than Sunset in L.A.
And you know that it's okay
'Cause it's a California day

And when the sun goes down
We're just startin' to make the rounds
Party time!
Under warm star shine
'Till the sun comes up again

California day so fine
Take your blues away in no time
Nothin' better than Sunset in L.A.
And believe me when I say
It's always time to play
And everything's okay
When it's a California day
California day
California day"

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke Parks' career as a singer-songwriter, actor, composer, producer, and author has been prolific. He wrote some lyrics with Brian Wilson for the Beach Boys' Smile album and played with the Byrds, and more. Born in Mississippi, he moved to L.A. to become a Beatnik. I'm guessing that means he grew a goatee, wore a beret, played the bongos, and clapped by snapping his fingers. I don't hear any bongos on this, but it is a very weird song from his debut album "Song Cycle" released in November, 1967. The album uses unconventional song structures and a variety of popular music genres to explore Parks' experience of moving to Southern California to work in the film and music industries.

"Tracks of the beaten in automobile
Pound the from nine to fivers
'Round a long line of drivers
Wind to dine in the divers
And dandy lie

One line bled in tandem
From some new hatchet deals

Cracks in the heat and then caught by the wheel
Catch the country store feel
For the hackamore crew
View the cracker-bare coterie
Standing by

One line bred randy-rand and
Too few wretched meals

What's up Laurel Canyon, hey
What is up in Laurel Canyon
The seat of the beat
To meet and eat
In the heart of their companion way

That's up Laurel Canyon
And what is up the Canyon
Will even eventually
Come down"

Van Dyke Parks

Palm Desert

This is another strange song from the album "Song Cycle" released in 1967.

"By Palm Desert
To market to buy
Tenderfoot up to date
Palms of the real estate
By Palm Desert
Springs often run dry

I came west unto Hollywood
Never-never land
Juxtaposed to B.B.D. and O
Beyond San Fernando
On hillside manors
On the banks of toxicity
Those below and those above the same

Dreams are still born
In Hollywood I don't understand
Just suppose the youngster knows
He's had a good deal of fortune
And up through the babble
On the fair banks complicity
Buy your leave or stay beyond the game

Palm Desert
Not fade away
Palm Desert
I wish I could stay
Palm Desert
Sages abound
So head your head
To the ground round

Meanwhile in the wild west
Of Hollywood age is losing hold
Inasmuch as you are touched
Tto have withstood
By the very old search
For the truth within
The bounds of toxicity
Left unsung
So I have strung the frame

Not fade away
I wish I could stay
Palm Desert
Head your head
To the ground round"

Gram Parsons

California Cotton Fields

Gram Parsons was a singer-songwriter from Georgia, active from 1963-1973. He made a classic album with the Byrds - "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" and two with the Flying Burrito Brothers then went solo, helping to create the L.A. country sound of the '70s.

This song was written by Dallas Frazier and Earl Montgomery and originally recorded by Dallas Frazier in 1969 then by Merle Haggard in 1971. It's from Parsons' album "Live in 1973" which was released posthumously. For the lyrics see the original version by Dallas Frazier.

Passenger

Passenger is the stage name of Michael David Rosenberg, an indie folk singer-songwriter from Brighton England, active since 2001. This version of the song was recorded live in Los Angeles with just him and an acoustic guitar and put on YouTube in September, 2024. I have not yet found a studio recording of. It's about a road trip up the PCH from L.A. to S.F. I couldn't understand what kind of rusty rental car they got stuck with until I found out that the Brits pronounce Hyundai much differently than Americans do. For a laugh, ask one to say that he'd like to schedule an advertisement for vitamins for his zebra in privacy on his mobile.

"We planned to rent us a Mustang
But Avis left us high and dry
So we drove up through California
In a rusty old Hyundai

Morning out on Santa Monica
She said it reminded her of a video game
I remember saying the same thing long ago
Sometimes we just seem to see some things the same
Sometimes we just seem to see some things the same

If I close my eyes I go back there with her
Wind in our hair, shoes in our hands
Threading our toes through the surf

The afternoon on Santa Barbara
Watching pelicans fly around the pier
I said as we walked around the harbor
I don't think folks worry about money around here
I don't think folks worry about money around here

If I close my eyes I go back there with her
Snaking our way upon the coastline
Looking out over Big Sur

Just for a moment I didn't worry about anything
She was my queen and I her California king

We flew out of San Francisco
Back to the driving London rain
I loved her in California
I love her anywhere just the same"

Jason Paulson Band

Cold in California

The Jason Paulson Band was formed in Minnesota in the early 2000s to play Americana, blues, country and folk music. This song is from the album "Crow River Ramble" released in 2016. It seems to me that it would be hot in the devil's bead with all that hellfire, or at least she'd have a pile of comforters under her stack of a thousand little pillows..

"The sky is cold and broken like a feeling deep within
And you lost sight of where you end and the devil begins
Used to take to the highway to free your mind
Now all you see is the dead and broken that you left behind

It is cold in California
And the night feels like death
It's cold in California
When you're lying in the devil's bed

The freedom that once was given is burning in this wind
And there's no amount of highway that can get it back again
[?] only prove there's nothing left to say
With a finger on the trigger and a foot down in the grave

And it's cold in California
And the night feels like death
It's cold in California
When you're lying in the devil's bed

Graveyard don't hold your name but it's a welcome sight
And the blood stains your hands and there's nothing left inside
Were you empty when this started before the wickedness came?
Or did you once live here before they took your fate?
You know there's no redemption for your kind of sins
But you can go out with a little of what you had coming in

And it's cold in California
And the night feels like death
It's cold in California
When you're lying in the devil's bed

And it's cold in California
When you're lying in the devil's bed"

Pavement

Two States

Pavement is a rock band formed in Stockton in 1989. They're obviously from Northern California as you can hear in this song from their first album "Slanted and Enchanted" released in 1992. Nobody in Southern California wants to split the state in two and give up all that free water. Every once in a while some lunatic actually does submit a proposal to split California. If it happens it would ruin this list of mine so for that reason alone I urge you to Vote No!

"Two states
We want two states
North and south
Two, two states

Forty million daggers
Forty million daggers
Forty million daggers
Forty million daggers

Two states
We want two states
There's no culture
There's no spies…"

Pavement

Unfair

We get a regular tour of the state in this loud dissonant wonderful 1994 Indie rocker. Stephen Malkmus is better than most at screaming about things that don't need screaming about and making them sound worth screaming about.

"Down in Santa Rosa over the bay
Across the Grapevine to L.A.
We got desert, we've got trees
We got the hills of Beverly
Let's burn the hills of Beverly
… … …
Up to the top of the Shasta gulch
And to the bottom of the Tahoe lake
Man-made deltas and concrete rivers
The south takes what the north delivers
You film hack, I don't use your fade

Lost in the foothills of my pride
... say good night
To the last psychedelic band
From Sacto, northern Cal
From Sacto, northern Cal…."

Waylon Payne

Santa Ana Winds

Waylon Payne is a country music singer-songrwriter and actor from Nashville & Texas whose music career came together in Los Angeles. This song is from "Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me" released in 2020. 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.

"Oh, the Santa Ana winds
They gonna carry me back to you
I've been a long time gone away
The Santa Ana winds
They gonna carry me back to you
'Cause I wanna see your face

If the day comes
That you leave me
I won't cry, I'm gonna smile
And when the day comes that you need me, baby
You know I'll walk every mile

And the Santa Ana winds
They gonna carry me back to you
I'm been a long time gone away
The Santa Ana winds
They gonna carry me back to you
'Cause I wanna see your face

Yeah, I smile when I think about you
'Cause you're always on my mind
So when you feel that old breeze blowing
You know that I'll be right behind

The Santa Ana winds
They gonna carry me back to you
I'm been a long time gone away
The Santa Ana winds
They gonna carry me back to you
'Cause I wanna see your face"

Pearl Jam

Santa Cruz

Pearl Jam is a rock band formed in Seattle and active since 1990. This is a single released in 2008. Lead singer Eddie Vedder was born near Chicago but as a boy he moved to San Diego where he learned to surf. That might be the inspiration for this song, though it makes me wonder why he sings about Santa Cruz and not San Diego.

"Heading South a compass reads
Look at our speed, we're going sixty-three
Look out the window as the trees go green
I look at them and they look at me
Got Neil Young on the stereo
He comes along whenever I go
Something different as I hear him now
Heading south on a familiar route

I can feel them lifting up my blues
I can see a white horizon, new
Got the feeling I just can't lose
Rolling into Santa Cruz

I've got an old friend he remembers me
From way back when we were seventeen
We got kids and we're older now
But when I see him, we're still seventeen

I need the beach to set me free
I need the wind to make me breathe
I need the water to wash my soul
I need my loved ones to let me go

I can feel them lifting up my blues
I can see a white horizon blue
Got the feeling that I just can't lose
Rolling into Santa Cruz

Up in the Northwest, we got it good
Little soggy, but we've got it good
Can't help thinking that I wish I would
Move my ass down to Santa Cruz

I got the feeling that I just can't lose
Pulling into Santa Cruz
I got a feeling that I just can't lose
Pulling into Santa Cruz
I got a feeling I don't want to lose
Pulling into Santa Cruz
I got a feeling I just can't lose
Pulling into Santa Cruz"

Pedro the Lion

Modesto

Pedro the Lion is an indie rock band from Seattle WA fronted by David Bazan, active on and off since 1995. This song is from the album "Santa Cruz" released in 2024.

"Modesto isn’t boring like you thought it would be
Modesto it’s not bologna like you thought it would be
Modesto isn’t lonely like you thought it would be

At first I got a vacuum cleaner salesman job
For men I later recognized in Glengarry Glen Ross
I only sold one
She couldn’t afford it
She wrote out the check
And burst out sobbing

After work I hung out with my new church friends and traded stories
We decided I should quit and then we laughed and carried on til morning
Next day I got a part-time job at the local guitar store

In Modesto it isn’t boring like you thought it would be
Modesto it’s not bologna like you thought it would be
Modesto isn’t lonely like you thought it would be

I heard the perfect song at work today
Having asked if there were bands to see and spots to play
Jim said hell yeah then he handed me a tape

What I heard in my Walkman headphones
Pacing by the speakers and PAs
Was a beautiful hilarious tragic mess
That sent tears streaming down my face
Grabbed me by the lapels, stood me up, and put a 4-track in my hand and told me son
Make all the messes you can manage to make

And move back to Seattle
Be the drummer in a band
There’s a girl from there that Fridays on my lunch break
I write letters to
And I think she likes me too
And I'm gonna find out
I'm gonna go to bible college on my cousin’s dime
In my Volvo wagon
Speeding up I-5"

Paige Peel

California Crazy

Paige Peel is a country singer-songwriter active since 2013. This song was released in 2019. Songs and tourists think all of California is next to a beach in the sun but that just ain't so.

"Such a fool boy dumb boy were you mistaken
When you left I was the one thing you should have taken
But the truth is I'm way better off without you
Got a new life out here in California

Heard that you've been a sad lonely second-guesser
That's what you get when you're not man enough to pull the trigger
You see me smile in the sunny sandy pic I posted
Poor thing you can't scroll past it

You wish you were that sea salt air flowing through my hair
You wanna be that West Coast sun kissing this tan I wear
You wish you were the warmth I feel out in the summer night wind
You're just jealous of the Golden State I'm in
You're a million miles away missin' me
Going Cali-California Crazy
You're goin' Cali-California crazy

Heard our old song didn't even think about you
You can't move on but take it off repeat why dontcha?
You're dying to hear me beg you to come back baby
You must be crazy

You wish you were that sea salt air flowing through my hair
You wanna be that west coast sun kissing this tan I wear
You wish you were the warmth I feel out in the summer night wind
You're just jealous of the Golden State I'm in
You're a million miles away missin' me
Going Cali-California Crazy
You're goin' Cali-California crazy

Oo-oo-oo-oo
Oo-oo-oo mmm yeah
Oo-oo-oo-oo
Oo-oo-oo-oo

You wish you were that sea salt air flowing through my hair
You wanna be that West Coast sun kissing this tan I wear
You wish you were the warmth I feel out in the summer night wind
You're just jealous of the Golden State I'm in
You're a million miles away missin' me
Going Cali-California Crazy
You're goin' Cali-California crazy
You're goin' Cali-California crazy
You're goin' Cali-California crazy"

The Penguins

Memories of El Monte

The Penguins were a doo-wop group from Los Angeles active from 1953 to 2012, best known for their 1954 hit "Earth Angel" which is quoted in this song which was released in 1963.

"I'm all alone
Feeling so blue
Thinking about you
And the love we once knew
And each time I do
It brings back those memories
Of El Monte

Remember the dance
I held you so tight
The Satins were singing
In the still of the night
You gave me your heart
And your love undying
Now I'm alone
I'm sitting here crying

If only they had
Those dances again
I'd know where to find you
And all my old friends
The Shields would sing
'You cheated. You lied...'
And the Heartbeats
'You're a thousand miles away...'
And the Medaillons with 'The Letter' and
'Sweet words of his mortality...'
Marvin and Johnny with
'Cherry Pie...'
And then, Tony Allen with
'Night owl...'
And I, Cleve Duncan, along with the Penguins will sing
'Earth angel
Earth angel
Will you be mine?'
At El Monte

If I could go back
To those days of the past
I'd show you a love
A love that would last
Oh, I remember
Those wonderful dances
In El Monte
In El Monte
'Earth angel
Earth angel
Will you be mine?'
At El Monte"

Michael Penn

Bunker Hill

Michel Penn is a singer, songwriter, producer, and film soundtrack composer from New York who comes from a family of actors, including his brothers Sean and Chris Penn. This song is from his 1992 album "Free-for-All." There are a few Bunker Hills, but this one seems to be about the Bunker Hill neighborhood in Los Angeles. The line about fires on Vermont (an avenue a few miles to the west of Bunker Hill) makes me think that this is about the 1992 Rodney King riots in L.A.

"Always thought it was a game with us
Move until enough's enough
Into a picture-perfect view
I'd like to rip it up with you
Why would anybody leave this place?
It's overdrawn
And won't erase
And if you're feeling incomplete
The line is stretching up the street

So take a look
But you might stay until
You have counted every light from Bunker Hill
Take a coat you're going to freeze

My baby sees every sentence with an underline
Never uses turpentine
Put out a fleece and build a kite
A siren's going off tonight
Lay your head down
Do you call this chance?
Found the exit
This entrance
Now's the time
(and it is still)
I'm sorry that I kept you waiting here until

Hey, Luanda
Do you want a thrill?
We can watch the lights shine up from Bunker Hill
But if it puts your heart at ease
My baby, please...

Try,
But you can't hide
Impossible. You're lit from the inside
And all I've got to do is
Keep my eyes above the ground
To see you move around

The only points of light are fires on Vermont
Somebody must suspect that all we really want
Is a tranquilizer gun to fill
It's a free-for-all on Bunker Hill
And everybody wets their knees
On the trapeze..."

People Under the Stairs

Acid Raindrops

People Under the Stairs was a hip hop duo from Los Angeles active from 1997 to 2019. This song is from their album "O.S.T." released in 2002, before Mary Jane was fully legalized in the state as a form of stress reduction.

"Let's have a Mid-City Fiesta with youur West L.A. connection
Hop inside the vehicle, start crossing intersections
We learning life's lessons while we blaze this herbal essence
A man, but still a child, and I have so many questions
Struggle all my life to evade the misconceptions
To find a place to live between the negatives and positives
While trying to make money slanging synonyms and homonyms
I went to pop's house so I can visit moms and him
Cut to the mall copped a brand new pair of Timberlands
Then dipped down a one way trying to scoop up Double K
And chill with my people on this bright and sunny day
My ni**a Spliff was sippin' Beck's, I'm slappin' hands with Thes
Locate a shady spot so we can circulate the stress
Mary Jane invades my brain now I can't complain
I'm sayin' what else is there to do besides relax
Let the problems in your mind become ancient artifacts
Perhaps these raps can help you alleviate
The things that's got you trippin' you watch me demonstrate
First you ignore the nonsense and clear your conscience
Let your pen touch the paper write verbs and consonants
As the words become a sentence you start to feel indifferent
The stress is out your mind you feel like the weight was lifted
Terrific, I'm glad we had this time to discuss
I'm outro, call me if you want to blaze one up

When the stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops
Mary Jane is the only thing that makes the pain stop
I let the music take over my soul, body and mind
To kick back, relax one time, and you will find
When the stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops
Mary Jane is the only thing that makes the pain stop
Just let the music take over my soul, body and mind
And kick back, relax one time, and you will find

I try to keep it stress free take every day at a time
Make sure the families in place and let the music unwind
I got plans to take charge like major outlets
Ride around the country chillin in my L.A. express
On every street corner
The importance of having fun
Empty bottles filled with tobacco don't nobody carry guns
We keep our minds on fun and let the drums do the bangin'
On any given day like Mr. Cooper yo we hangin'
Under the blue sky, the state laced in smog
Pollute your quarter inch cables with all the sound that we brought
Can't get enough so brother pass another cold one
Feel like a dad at a ball game lampin' with his son
Chuck D yo word up we buggin' over time
From the light to the lime original star time
It's the Double Chris One
And Camel brought the ammo so we can shoot
Game like thugs on your sport channel
Take off the do-rag replace it with a thinkin' cap
If you didn't know tell the bro he should have known that
We here for one thing and that's to remain
What's the name...name...name...ni**a

When the stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops
Mary Jane is the only thing that makes my pain stop
I let the music take over my soul, body and mind
To kick back relax one time and you goin' find
When the stress burns my brain just like acid raindrops
Mary Jane is the only thing that makes my pain stop
Just let the music take over my soul, body and mind
Kick back relax one time and you will find

Yo, L.A., hit me one time, make it funky
Double down on my underground sound I'm feelin' lucky
For this jackpot I jacks pot to fill in my crates
We lay back chillin' and feelin' the music relates
We on the to the two hangin' with my crew
Bulls****in' while we sittin down drinking on some brew
And to the afternoon turns to the moonlight
Funky tracks and nickel sacks freestylin' all night
Doin' it right knowing with time music make it better
My crew banging two blocks like shots from my Beretta
Snub nose to the hoes who pose I suppose
Honey you gotta understand your man's got flows
And I'm leavin' you so by the time I get to Phoenix
Underground ground heads will fiend this musical genius
Transglobal by the books
Like Barnes with noble hooks
Armed with overlooked talented guests so God bless crooks
Who steal loops to keep this s**t alive
Something for your troops to sit around and vibe by
From Camel, Double, and Thes, to ease stress
We brought the hip hop so have fun and God bless...."

People Under the Stairs

Los Angeles Daze

People Under the Stairs was a hip-hop duo from Los Angeles, active from 1997 to 2019 comprised of Christopher Portugal (Thes One) and Michael Turner (Double K.) This is from their debut studio album "The Next Step" released in 1998.

"Check it… People Under The Stairs… Double K…
Thes One…
Putting it down… the way it should be…
For two…
The way it should’ve been…
L.A. style…
We gonna do it…
The West style…
Me and Thes…
Hip-hop…
You… Two, one…
For everybody…

[Samples]
Ask why and we’re be so while
‘Cause I’m rough and I’m tough…
In a b-boy stance… and I come from L.A. (x2… then scratched together)

[Double K]
Crescent Heights city, yeah, that’s where I’m from
A gang of wild-ass ni**as that don’t back down to run
And supposed to perpetrate on bustas that we putting it down
These so-called L.A. fools who ain’t nowhere to be found
I see you throwing up the “W,” but yo, I’m here to trouble you
Of what you listening to-1-3, and that’s 3-1-0, not 3-1-3, so get it right…
Bust it… yo, we makin’ dope like Hoover and Pico, move slow
Be polite and everything’ll be alright, despite what other ni**as say
Yo, this where it at, them other West Coast fa**ots, yo, where they at?
Word to MC Ren, I showed them people that you wack
Peace to the real crews defacing walls on backstreets
In the city of ... and swap meets
From the school of hard knocks, the generation passed down
Kaiser Permanente, yo, that’s where I was found
In the middle of the funk era, 'fros and dashikis
Pops was putting it down, chilling at the speakeasy
Now I’m posting at Unity with the b-boy stance (word!)
Take a glance and keep walking, yo, you know who it is
I’m from the motherfu**ing hardest-working group in show biz
If your s** t ain’t humping right, don’t even bring it this way
You get booed off the stage, leaving town the next day
Telling your boys, 'It is aight, better luck next time
The only thing that was cool: the weed, women, and sunshine'
Forgot to look under the stairs, yo, much more to boast about
Trying to diss and get that ass knocked out

[Thes One]
Thes, born in South America, moved to South Bay
Run with a crew from Mid-City, that’s where I stay
I’m from L.A., always have been, and always will be capitol
The sprawled up piece stands out like palm trees
Next to pine trees, blowing in the Santa Ana breeze
My DJ’s got fame, underground Rick Dees
I am MC, so bring in funk in five minutes
I jam like the 110 in the ‘84 Olympics
Keep the rhyme moving like the Unity location
Rap has been my vocation
Since before the Japanese owned the radio station
That’s why they Fired Jay Thomas
I keep it fattened like the llama, yo, I promise
Never stop, never change, like the price at Dodger Stadium
I blow up, rock free shows at the Palladium
Afterwards, the crew I’m taking ‘em to Tommy’s Burgers
Gotta be for every Los Angelino murder
A rhyme for every burglar, Thes a well-worder
It comes together in a freeway like East L.A. merger
That means you’ll get no pay, but I urge you
Keep ya eye on L.A. like Chuck Henry, word
You heard of someone better? Send ‘em our way
He get done the L.A. Way, the drive-by way…

[Samples]
‘Cause I’m rough and I’m tough…
In a b-boy stance… and I come from L.A. (all scratched together)

[Thes One]
Check it… everyone in my town think they got flows
Thes serve more wack MCs than waitresses at Roscoe’s
You know me, at the graveyard shift, gettin spliffed
We can take it downtown like Figueroa and 5th
And after that, I’m heading up to El Cholo for some dinner
Bustin’ through the inner-city underground like the red line
Thinner than the line at car wash in El Niño
That’s you son, see no time in this locale
Underground, down, talking ‘bout, “Yo, I’m keepin it real!”
I’m coming with the Walkman and tapes, not steel
Not a .22, .45, but a 9, Double O, 6
Put it on your letter to the better, lick a stamp, send it
And mail a letter to Thes, L.A. legend like Fernando Valenzuela
Yes, he never ran in a battle, yes
He be smoking bidis, watching the sun set from Sunset

[Double K]
Ay-yo, we got rappers walking around, shook like earthquakes
Blame it on San Andreas, it was a fault you had to wait
To grab the steel, how you feel? Ain’t even got skills to represent
The City of Angels, my whole team is heaven sent
Getting s**t accomplished, yo, check the way we rock this
Like the Raiders in ‘88, fool, you can’t stop us
Like gang-banging, this s**t’ll be banging for centuries
Imperial groups spreading like bank robberies
Over the Southland, we put the funk in your trunk
To bump hard, like 808s, sorry you had to wait
But we was digging in the crates, no fear, it’s here
Shady like MacArthur Park, don’t get caught after dark
Might never come back, see, sometimes it’s like that
Some ni**as carry a gat, some ni**as use their head
But the smartest of the smartest’ll still come out dead
It’s true it ain’t where you’re from, it’s where you’re at
But you’ll still get caught up wearing the wrong colored-hat
And on that note, everybody shut the f**ck up and kick it
Spliffted, whatever you do, make sure you don’t miss it
‘Cause we coming like the end, yo, it’s just about wax
So watch out, we bringing bad luck like Wilshire and Fairfax
And it’s just like that, so check it out…

[Samples]
‘Cause I’m rough and I’m tough…
In a b-boy stance… and I come from L.A. (all scratched together)
[James Brown] “Fred, where you from?”
[Fred Wesley] 'L.A.'
[James Brown & others] “Uh oh, uh oh! Uh oh! Ask him where he started from…”
California… (repeats)"

People Under the Stairs

San Franciso Knights

People Under the Stairs was a hip-hop duo from Los Angeles, active from 1997 to 2019 comprised of Christopher Portugal (Thes One) and Michael Turner (Double K.) This is from their debut studio album "The Next Step" released in 1998.

"On a warm San Franciscan night
On a warm San Franciscan night
On a warm San Franciscan night
On a warm San Franciscan night
On a warm San Franciscan...
Knight, Lord Radio, and Hale Bop on the Bay Bridge faded
Trying to find Smiley's house, thank God we made it
Yo, blunts, broads and beats, keep it low through the streets
And ni**as givin' us pounds cause of these dope-ass sounds
We run aground like ships, over these beats I flip
The bass is hittin' so hard that your CD skips
Well check it out, make sure it doesn't happen again
I got my grip on it, so turn it up to volume ten
Volume 10, word, like that brother from L.A.
Lord Radio and Hale Bop mean streakin' through the Bay
We all-city like the Mayor, you see my name
On more fresh s**t than Creed Taylor
The G for international ladies like a sailor
Like a sailor I get drunk and bust flows to the beat
Like my man J, I feel the Agony in Defeat
Cause sucka-chumps wanna test and step like we don't know
We doin', we doin' shows in San Francisco
That's right young writer, got a hit for all you biters
Time to bless another track we getting rid of the whack
We put em in the back with the other Tappan Zee s**t
Beats hit hard, make the trolly do ollie
Old folks grabs their collies and vacate the Bay
See a name in Northern Lights, There's Love and Double K
We getting wild for the night, we getting wild for the night
And it all went down, what, what

On a warm San Franciscan night
Yo, rocking shows for you and your crew
On a warm San Franciscan night
We rollin' blunts and doin' the do
On a warm San Franciscan night
We doin shows with a mic check a one two
On a warm San Franciscan night
P.U.T.S on a bad foot coming through
On a warm San Franciscan night

We was drinking, smoking, more smoking, more drinking
Didn't think about the morning hangover, just didn't want to be sober
Yo Radio, tell me how did you feel
Like I'll never catch a DUI, hit gas
Peel, make a left on Market, yo Mister Double K
Ay, ay what's up
Roll up the windows and spark it
Done deal, yo, you didn't have to ask twice
Just park on the top of the hill, so we can peep the city lights
I'm on award tour, we been on lock like Alcatraz
Doin the San Francisco show like Hubert Laws
CTI 7 thousand 71 go buy it
Bring the drums like Harvey Mason don't try it
Better luck next time, trying step to the P
You in the Bay, punk, I guess you ain't heard about L.A.
Yo Double K, tell 'em that the P's unique with the beats
P.U.T.S shows, the San Francisco treat
A San Francisco treat just like some Rice-A-Roni
Put it in your mouth and let it run down the middle just like Monie
Phony homey, you never rock a party
Your whack-ass crew gets called out
See I play the rod-roddy come on down
To the south-land punks, smell the concrete
Have you askin' questions from ya' head to your feet
You don't want none of this s**t that I'm offering
Sayin that the P can't rock your city, (what)
Fool you measure for a coffin
Very often we win, yo, very seldom we lose
Spice rockin' their mother-fu**in whole city

On a warm San Franciscan night
Yo, rollin' blunts and doin the do (the do, the do)
On a warm San Franciscan night
Chillin' with your girl and her crew (her crew, her crew)
On a warm San Franciscan night
Scaring old people, still doin' the do (we're doin' the do)

Yeah, making collect calls into another area code, we mowed
We be the P.U.T, 310, we be the main extension I be the Double K
And we crowning, downing, 40 ounces, vodka, whatever, juice, ludes
San Francisco here we come, we're coming back we gonna have a gun
Pow, pow, pow, pow
Much love to the Bay Area
P. U. T. S.
(On a warm San Francisco)
Rockin' the disco
Startin' a fight
(Warm) "

People Under the Stairs

The L.A. Song

This is another song from the album "O.S.T." released in 2002.

"Yo, a lot of people be steppin' to us like
Y'all from San Francisco right?
Nah G we show a lot of love
But in the state of California from Humboldt to Oceanside ya dig
But L.A. is where it all happens for the Dub and Thess One
All you MC's say L.A. when you on stage
And when you do spit that hot verse
We gonna make it happen man

Who wanna test?
We lickin' off shots in the west
We make believers out the best
Lay the weak to rest
In southern California ain't no place like this
Half the stuff y'all doin' we created this s**t
So don't be saggin' young buck in the presence of this
Don't even come from the city and your runnin' your lips
I'm 'bout to make a call get the news van out
Explain to Tritia Toyota on how your crew ran out
We comin' live from the trey two three area code
Mad clouds of smoke and ain't no room for snow
Sucka n***as with sucka beats
Stay in the back seat and buckle up for the ride
I'm chillin' with bad guys
And got time on my side
Cause this is my city this is where I live
And if ya bring bad vibes I got something to give
Hangin' out under the sun is an everyday thang
And gettin' crazy in the lab's the only way I bang
Don't step to me with that mean face
Buddy I'm all smiles and I'm countin' the miles
Down Crescent Heights Boulevard
Home of the stars
Get ya pulled out ya car for frontin' too hard
Just listen, you ain't down with the streets my brotha?
I can forsee in your future there's some runnin' for cover
A lot of y'all talk a good game
But ain't playin'
I learned about the hood and now feel that's where you're stayin'
Fools be givin' you the mad dog after the show
Cause we ain't feelin' them flows
Or your designer clothes
Its phony people in L.A. I counted it's a lot
And if they ain't a snitch or a bully they claimin' your block
Just get it right it's Crescent Heights all day all night
The community where I was raised
Livin' my days
Wishin' I could be the mayor I'd deport you fools
And send you back to squareland cause over here we brew
Authentic people in the town
Throw up your dub take a drag
It's Double K signin' off from the home of the bodybags

L.A.
Got a beef what a pity
L.A.
Every rapper in the house shut the f**k up
L.A.
Got a beef what a pity
L.A.
Every rapper in the house shut the f**k up

Yo about five years after they kill
Creep up the hype
Wrestlee moovahs the sleepers
Drug dealers rock beepers
T tops, jerry curls, jelly flip flops for girls
C.B.'s on the strip and a commercial for
World on Wheels I whistle to my crew up on the block
The Color soundtrack rock the Fatburger jukebox
My L.A. U.S.C. memories are every sticks who filed down clowns
Claimin' the same tricks on this turf
My roots go deep like turbo Nerf
And the cops still sweat us
I roll on all blocks like I'm sellin' paletas
And rock the bells
Home of the drive-by where they pop the shells
I eat at Charro's and La Barca, not Taco Bell
And if you're not from the city then you should probably bail
Cause a lot of cats are implants
Claimin' our labels something to say and something to prove and
At the shows with the flows and they think the crowd's groovin'
Its like the 405 at 5:30 nobody's movin'
I'm tired of non-recognition losin' the mission to proven to cats
That my soundtracks and L.A. hat
When new jacks strap New York rap on the block
With a palm tree it makes me sick
All you underground producers get off Premier's dick and just (chill)
I'm headed back to Pedro to sit up on the hill
Next to the Korean bell eatin' Busy Bee
Watchin' waves swell high visibility Catalina and sail boats
Hollywood hip hop soaps and sit-com dreams
I make morphine for beat fiends
Support L.A. teens stay trippin' with Cal Green
O.G. Jerry Dunphy when I'm on your screen
I'm friends with neighborhood crack heads
And I know then
L.A. is the place where I solve my problems
In it I'll never fear
I'll always stay here
Cause when I'm in L.A. my family's there

L.A.
Every rapper in the house shut the f**k up
L.A.
I can't stop because the city I'm from
L.A.
Got a beef what a pity
L.A.
Every rapper in the house shut the f**k up
L.A.
Californ-i-a
City of Angels, L.A, Californ-i-a
City of Angels, L.A, Californ-i-a
City of Angels, L.A, Californ-i-a
City of Angels, L.A, Hollywood!"

Pernice Brothers

PCH One

The Pernice Brothers are an indie rock band formed in 1998 in Massachusetts. This song is from the album "Live a Little" released in 2006. It's about the Pacific Coast Highway aka Highway One or PCH One and the need to go on a road trip.

"Let's leave on Saturday
Let's leave on Friday night
I can't promise
I'm not really sure we'll be all right
…

Pull the trigger, I don't care which myth I kill
Struggle through the S's, through the tunnels in the trees
through this sticky optimism hardening in me
It might do some good just to wake up by the sea
To the smell of breath and greasy hair and car seats
…

PCH One might be a catalyst, our panacea
Play the one where no one's really gone
Every answer's buried in a song
PCH One might be a mending kit
I need some mending"

Katy Perry (featuring Snoop Dogg)

California Gurls

Katy Perry is a singer-songwriter from California, Snoop Dogg is a rapper and actor from Long Beach. It was impossible to avoid this massive #1 pop hit in the summer of 2010 with its diabetic's nightmare video and Perry's whipped cream shooters. All the old California cliches are re-packaged here - greener grass, girls on the beach, palm trees and they even throw in some of Tupac's "California Love" electronic effects on the word "California." Be careful not to melt your popsicle.

"...[Katy]
I know a place
Where the grass is really greener
Warm, wet and wild
There must be something in the water
Sippin' gin and juice
Laying underneath the palm trees (undone)
The boys break their necks
Tryna creep a little sneak peek (at us)

You could travel the world
But nothing comes close
To the golden coast
Once you party with us
You'll be falling in love

California girls
We're unforgettable
Daisy Dukes
Bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin
So hot
We'll melt your popsicle

California girls
We're undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce
We got it on lock
West Coast represent
Now put your hands up

Sex on the beach
We don't mind sand in our stilettos
We freak in my Jeep
Snoop Doggy Dogg on the stereo

You could travel the world
But nothing comes close
To the golden coast
Once you party with us
You'll be falling in love

California girls
We're unforgettable
Daisy Dukes
Bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin so hot
We'll melt your popsicle

California girls
We're undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce
We got it on lock
West Coast represent
(West Coast)
Now put your hands up

[Snoop Dogg]
Toned, tan, fit and ready
Turn it up 'cause it's gettin' heavy
Wild Wild West Coast
These are the girls I love the most
I mean the ones
I mean like she's the one
Kiss her, touch her, squeeze her buns

The girl's a freak
She drive a Jeep
And live on the beach
I'm okay
I won't play
I love the bait
Just like I love L.A.
Venice Beach and Palm Springs
Summertime is everything

Homeboys
Bangin' out
All that ass hangin' out
Bikinis, zucchinis
Martinis, no weenies
Just the King and the Queeny
Katy, my lady (yeah)
Lookie here, baby (uh huh)
I'm all up on ya
'Cause you're representin' California (oh yeah)

[Katy]
California girls
We're unforgettable
Daisy Dukes
Bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin so hot
We'll melt your popsicle

California girls
We're undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce
We got it on lock
West Coast represent
(West Coast, West Coast)
Now put your hands up

[Snoop Dogg]
California girls, man
I really wish you all could all be California girls"

Katy Perry

Save as Draft

This song is from Perry's "Witness" album, released in 2017. All we get in the song regarding Cali is an SUV drive-by on Sunset Boulevard, but stop complaining, it's a good song. Congrats to the singer for having found a way to save her life as a draft to work on later, but I think I'd rather have an "undo" feature.

"I remember when you used to be my every other thought
But now my calendar's so full, it's easier to move on
Sometimes I swear I pass your SUV on Sunset Blvd
I don't f**k with change, but lately I've been flipping coins a lot

I struggle
I juggle
I could just throw a line to you
But I should let sleeping dogs lie 'cause I know better, baby
I write it
Erase it
Repeat it
But what good will it do
To reopen the wound
So I take a deep breath
And I save as draft...."

You don't have to subtweet me
My number's always been the same
But all's been said and done
Will we ever really close this case?
Yeah, I will always be here for you, but I could no longer stay
Still my body goes in shock every time I hear your name

I struggle
I juggle
I could just throw a line to you
But I should let sleeping dogs lie 'cause I know better, baby
I write it
Erase it
Repeat it
But what good will it do
To reopen the wound
So I take a deep breath
And I save as draft"

Mike Perry & Hot Shade (featuring Karlyn)

I Dig Rock and Roll Music

Mike Perry is Mikael Persson, a Swedish DJ and producer active since 2006. Hot Shade is a producer based in New York City. Karlyn is a Dutch singer. This electronic dance song was released in 2018.

"I've been going down the wrong kinda road all the time
Left my home, went looking for a place I can call mine

You're gonna see me shine underneath the city lights
So bright they're blinding
The world is at my feet, like living in a dream
Come find me

Meet me in California
Meet me in California

So amazing, I've been walking on cloud nine
I finally made it, just me, myself, and I

You're gonna see me shine underneath the city lights
So bright they're blinding
The world is at my feet, like living in a dream
Come find me

Meet me in California
In California
Meet me in California
In California"

Peter, Paul and Mary

Do they really? I'm not so sure about that. This is a catchy and witty pop song, with some good parodies of the styles of Donovan and The Beatles. Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk trio formed in New York City in 1961 who were not too thrilled with the emergence of folk rock or rock 'n' roll. They made the transition very well in this hit song from 1967, but their biggest hit was a return to their folk style in 1969 with "Leaving on a Jet Plane."

"I dig rock and roll music
And I love to get the chance to play (And sing it)
I figure it's about the happiest sound goin' down today
The message may not move me
Or mean a great deal to me
But hey! It feels so groovy to say

I dig The Mamas & The Papas at the trip Sunset Strip in L.A.
And they got a good thing goin' when the words don't get in the way
And when they're really wailing
Michelle and Cass are sailin'
Hey! They really nail me to the wall

I dig Donovan in a dream-like, tripped out way
His crystal images, hey, they tell you 'bout a brighter day
And when The Beatles tell you
They've got a word "love" to sell you
They mean exactly what they say

I dig rock and roll music
I could really get it on in that scene
I think I could say somethin' if you know what I mean
But if I really say it
The radio won't play it
Unless I lay it between the lines"

The Petersens

California Farms! (California Love Parody)

The Petersens are a bluegrass family band from Branson, Missouri, active since 2005, made up of four siblings, their parents and friends. This song is from their album "Shenandoah" released in 2017." It's such a strange song because it mentions California as a place that the singer almost went to. I like the idea of writing songs about things that never quite happened. Maybe I'll write one about the time I almost won the billion dollar lottery and almost bought my own spaceship full of supermodels. Good times... almost.

"Memories fade slowly
No please don't go, not yet
Well I was your one and only
I'm not ready to forget

All the times we shared together
All the words we never said
But I remember...

When we almost went to California
We almost fell in love in the sand
And you almost told me to be your woman
So you'll always almost be my man

I think it was late last summer
I saw the distance in your eyes
When you said that you found another
And then you told me not to cry

But I knew that's when it started
The beginning of the end
And I remembered...

When we almost went to California
We almost fell in love in the sand
And you almost told me to be your woman
So you'll always almost be my man

I guess it was late last winter
Snow falling all around
Wedding bells rang, she entered
But I left without a sound

Oh I know she'll always love you
But heaven knows that so will I
And I'll remember...

When we almost went to California
We almost fell in love in the sand
And you almost told me to be your woman
So you'll always almost be my man"

The Peterson Farm Bros

The Peterson Farm Bros are a group of farmers from Kansas who make parody songs on YouTube. This one uses the music from "California Love" by 2Pac and Dr. Dre with their own lyrics. It's a silly parody song with a bunch of goofy white guys trying to rap, which is rarely a good idea, but the message is a good one. California is a lot more than just high tech and Hollywood. California's agricultural industry is critical to the economy of the state and to the health of the country. Farming is often overlooked while the flashier entertainment, technology, and tourism industries get all the headlines, but it's just as important to the state, if not more so. You can't stream food from your iPhone. (Not yet, at least, but I'll bet some techies are working on it.) The song's lyrics "from Diego to the Bay" are a little bit misleading - there is a lot of agriculture north of the Bay Area, such as the entire Sacramento Valley and don't forget all that now-legal medicinal produce from the north coast.

"California knows how to farm it
California knows how to farm it
In the city of L.A.
In the county, aaaat the fair
In the country, farmers are charming
They keep on farming

Now let me welcome everybody to the wild wild west
A state agricultural one of the best
400 crops coming at ya like a slug to the chest
That’s some zest, though the elements are quite the pest

We in that Golden State growing 3 times a year
Fruits, Veggies, Nuts, Milk, Meat, yes it’s clear
If you ever be… on a mission for them greens
Cali is the leanest meanest food makin’ machine, we’ve ever seen

Been in the game for 6 years making farm beats
Time to give a shout to a place that makes farm eats
#1 in the world for almonds and pistachios
#1 in the states for each and every one of those

So much food! From Diego to the Bay
Your state is the bomb if your state making hay
Throw up a glass of milk if ya feel the same way
PFB putting it down for Californ-I-A

California knows how to farm it
California knows how to farm it
In the citaaaaay of L.A.
In the countaaaay, at the fair
In the countraaaay, farmers are charming
They keep on farming
Farm it farm it baby!

It’s a drought, water’s out, California screaming
Soon as I’m reading the news, I hear people believing
“Farming is the first thing that needs to go”
“Farmers waste so much water for nothing”… but that’s not all

Only in Cali can you rally to make this kinda food
It’s bout the climate, infrastructure and latitude
Dressed in work clothes, people farming it’s what they do
Cultivating, harvesting, raising the food for you

Almonds, Grapes, Meat, Dairy
Lettuce, Walnuts, Olives, Berries
Tomatoes, Dates, Figs, Broccoli
Avacado, Garlic, Plums, Celery

Say what you say, but give me the eats from CA
We need to feed the streets of L.A.
Central Valley to Modesto
Tulare County let’s go
Cali’s where they grow your snacks bro give em love!

California we need your farming
California we need your farming
In the citaaaaay of L.A.
In the countaaaay, at the fair
In the countraaaay, farmers are charming
Please keep on farming
Farm it farm it baby!"

Petey

Petey is Peter Martin, an L.A.-based former comedian and drummer from the Chicago area who, according to a November 2021 New Yorker profile, became "...famous online for silly and sweet comedy videos." This song was released in 2019. It's a synth and drum-based song with dry flat vocals that builds into a great low-key banger that reminds me of something from Joy Division or New Order. He also does a very minimal version of the song with Miya Folick titled "California (Prius Edition)". These are some of the YouTube notes to that song: "Petey got in his Honda left for California at the ripe old age of 21 to find a better life on the west coast. To be depressed in California was the ultimate American dream. Miya on the other hand, grew up here, she’s been driving her Prius all over the state in search of true meaning and the true California state of mind."

"Left behind my home, 3000 miles down the road
In my Honda with my only mouth to feed

I don't care what town
As long as she's not hangin' around
Just get me far as hell from Nashville Tennessee

Cause I'd rather be depressed in California
Ocean's got the only blues I need
Lay me down to rest in California
Heart as cold as New Years NYC

Friends all think I'm dead
A silver bullet to my head
They've been searching in the flowers and the weeds

They don't know the truth
I'm bringing back the joy of youth
Drinkin' highlife from the bottle on the beach

Cause I'd rather be depressed in California
Ocean's got the only blues I need
Lay me down to rest in California
Heart as cold as New Years NYC

Cause I'd rather be depressed in California
Finally I can find myself some peace
Lay me down to rest in California
Maybe I'll just end up on TV

One hundred thousand cigarettes in California
Still cleaner than the air I used to breathe
Yea, I'd rather be depressed in California
Cause nothing else is good enough for me"

Kim Petras

Malibu

Kim Petras is a pop singer-songwriter born in Germany and based in Los Angeles, active since 2008 when she was a teenager. This song is from her album "Future Starts Now" released in 2020. I don't kinow what Malibu tastes like, but from what I've learned from songs, it's probably a combination of salt water, sushi, the PCH, and money. Lots of money.

"Tell me how do I get over you
When your eyes are so pacific view...ya
Fallin deep into Curacao blue

And all your kisses taste like
And all your kisses taste like

Malibu
And all your kisses taste like
Malibu

Tell me what am I supposed to do
When your eyes are so pacific view...ya
Fallin deep into Curacao blue

And all your kisses taste like
And all your kisses taste like

Malibu
And all your kisses taste like
Malibu
And all your kisses taste like
Malibu
I’m melting, I’m meltin,
I’m meltin, I’m meltin into you
Malibu
I’m melting, I’m meltin,
I’m meltin, I’m meltin into you

Oh baby you left me tinglin’
My nails soft peach and the sea salt’s sinkin in
Oh baby I don’t need anything
its all been beachy since you came crashin’ in

And all your kisses taste like
Malibu
And all your kisses taste like
Malibu (Woo, c’mon ya baby)
I’m melting, I’m meltin,
I’m meltin, I’m meltin into you
Malibu
I’m melting, I’m meltin ya
I’m meltin, I’m meltin into you!

Woo-Ah!

All your kisses
Kisses taste like
And all your kisses taste like

Tell me how do I get over you
When your kisses taste like Malibu
Tell me how do I get over you
When your kisses taste like Malibu"

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty was a singer-songwriter from Florida, active from 1967 until his death in 2017. He's a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of fame and one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was formed in 1976. Petty released a solo album in 1994 titled "Wildflowers." He and the band re-released the album in 2020 titled "Wildflowers & All the Rest" which included ten extra songs including this one. It's is another California song with an apocalyptic earthquake reference.

"California's been good to me
Hope it don't fall into the sea
Sometimes you got to trust yourself
It ain't like anywhere else
It ain't like anywhere else

It's time to roll, I'm all done
It's time we better hit the road
I got work later on
It's time we better hit the road

California's been good to me
Hope it don't fall into the sea
Sometimes you got to save yourself
It ain't like anywhere else
It ain't like anywhere else

Sundown, red skies
Nobody's been around
Sundown, blue eyes
I kinda like this party town

California's treated me good
I pray to God that the hills flood
Sometimes you got to trust yourself
It ain't like anywhere else
It ain't like anywhere else
It ain't like anywhere else"

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Free Fallin'

This song is from Petty's 1989 solo debut album "Full Moon Fever" and ranks as one of his all-time best, ranking #177 on Rolling Stone's magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

"She's a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus and America too
She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis
Loves horses and her boyfriend too

It's a long day livin' in Reseda
There's a freeway runnin' through the yard
And I'm a bad boy, 'cause I don't even miss her
I'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart

And I'm free, free fallin'
Yeah I'm free, free fallin'

All the vampires walkin' through the valley
Move west down Ventura Blvd.
And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows
All the good girls are home with broken hearts

And I'm free, free fallin'
Yeah I'm free, free fallin'

Free fallin', now I'm free fallin'
Now I'm,
Free fallin', now I'm free fallin'

I wanna glide down over Mulholland
I wanna write her name in the sky
I'm gonna free fall out into nothin'
Gonna leave this world for awhile

And I'm free, free fallin'
Yeah I'm free, free fallin'...."

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Into the Great Wide Open

This is from the album "Into the Great Wide Open" released in 1991.

"Eddie waited 'till he finished high school
He went to Hollywood, got a tattoo
He met a girl out there with a tattoo too
The future was wide open

They moved into a place they both could afford
He found a night club he could work at the door
She had a guitar and she taught him some chords
The sky was the limit

Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open
A rebel without a clue

The papers said Ed always played from the heart
He got an agent and a roadie named Bart
They made a record and it went on the charts
The sky was the limit

His leather jacket had chains that would jingle
They both met movie stars, partied and mingled
Their A&R man said, "I don't hear a single."
The future was wide open

Into the great wide open,
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open,
A rebel without a clue..."

Madeileine Peyroux

California Rain

Peyroux is a jazz singer-songwriter from Georgia who grew up in New York City, southern California, and Paris.This beautiful 2006 release is slow mellow jazz with a singing style reminiscent of Billie Holliday. In a refreshing change from all those songs that praise the weather in the state, she sings about being stuck in cold and rainy California, longing to go somewhere far away where she belongs.

"California rain is fallin'
I can hear the summer callin'
Far away, far away
A song that's fadin'

Put me on a plane tomorrow
I'll try to run from all my sorrow
Far away, far away
From endless waitin'

It's so cold here without the sun
I'm so sad here far away from everyone

What a fool to be ambitious
Moving here with all of my wishes
Far away, far away
From where my heart is

Shut the phone off and pack my bags
No more boys who boast and brag
Far away, far away
Where I belong

I'm so sorry for some things I've done
I'll be lonely till I can see my only one
... ... ... ...

I'm goin' back, back where I belong
Gonna catch a train
Gotta get back where I belong
Get back."

Liz Phair

California
(Also titled "Why I Left California)

Liz Phair is a rock singer-songwriter from Chicago, active since 1990. This was originally from a 1991 self-produced 4-track "Girly Sound" cassette, and it's also on her 1995 Juvenilia EP and her 2010 Funstyle album. With a solo guitar strumming in the background Phair tells a dirty joke involving a young bull and an old bull on a hill above a pasture full of cows (the same joke Robert Duvall tells to Sean Penn in Dennis Hopper's 1988 movie "Colors.") Inbetween the joke, she sings the only line in the song several times:

"And I tried to tell you before that that's why I left California."

Liz Phair

What Makes You Happy

This song is from Liz Phair's third album "Whitechocolatespaceegg" released in 1998. I realize that it only has one brief mention of Pasadena, but I had to put it on this list because it's a great pop rock song and because her song "California" mentioned above is not great.

"But don't worry, mom. I met him in a restaurant
And all this time I've been getting to know him
He's got an ex-wife in Pasadena
And sometimes she's a mess
To deal with
But mostly we've been living here
Uninjured

There's a silence, and she says
'Listen here young lady
All that matters is what makes you happy
But you leave this house knowing my opinion
Won't make you love me if you don't care.'

I'm sending you this photograph,
I swear this one is going to last
And all those other bastards
Were only practice!

I feel the sun on my back
I smell the earth in my skin
I see the sky above me
Like a full recovery

'Listen here young lady
All that matters is what makes you happy
But you leave this house knowing my opinion
Won't make you love me if you don't care.'...."

Phantom Planet

Phantom Planet is a rock band formed in Los Angeles, active since 1994. This is probably their best known song since it was used as the theme song to a hit TV show "The O.C." and I think it's one of the best "going to California" songs. It was released as a single from their second album "The Guest" released in 2002. A softer version was later re-recorded in 2005 and titled "California 2005." Because some of the lyrics are similar to the Al Jolson song "California, Here I Come" the songwriters of that song get writing credit. Mates of State also recorded a great cover version that's a bit moodier, kind of inbetween this and the O.C. theme version.

It's another song about driving and returning to California, this time driving on Highway 101 either to see or to perform a show. If they're taking the 101 to California, then they must be driving down the Oregon coast, maybe to the Bay Area or maybe all the way south to Orange County.

"We've been on the run
Driving in the sun
Looking out for number 1

California, here we come
Right back where we started from

Hustlers grab your guns
Your shadow weighs a ton
Driving down the 101

California, here we come
Right back where we started from

California
(California)
Here we come!

On the stereo
Listen as we go
Nothing's gonna stop me now

California, here we come
Right back where we started from

Pedal to the floor
Thinkin' of the roar
Gotta get us to the show

California, here we come
Right back where we started from

California
(California)
Here we come!
California, California, here we come!

California, California, here we come!
California, California, here we come!
California, California, here we come!
California, California, here we come!"

John Phillips

Malibu People

John Phillips was the leader and backing singer of the Mamas & the Papas who went on to have a solo career before resurrecting the band. This song is from his 1970 solo album "John Phillips (John, the Wolf King of L.A.)"

"I got a fine beach house, baby
And the waves roll in
Playing in the sand with your best friend babe
Malibu people really know how to live

A castle in the sand and a lady
And the waves roll in
Keep it in mind for some other time
Malibu people really know how to live

It took some time to find a crack in her defenses
A hole in her heart you might say
Keeping abreast of her, keeping things bandaged
All I know is that the waves roll in

Big belly woman laying waiting in the sand for her baby
And the waves they roll in
If she needs a spot to drop, you know she’s got to drop
Before the waves roll in..."

John Phillips

Topanga Canyon

This song is another song from his 1970 solo album. The references to picking up drugs and being over his head in deep waters are certainly autobiographical references to his notorious drug addictions, which caused him a drug trafficking conviction and a liver transplant later in life.

"Sometimes I drive out to Topanga
And I park my car in the sand
Watching and waiting for a pickup
From my man

And maybe down to Farmer's Market
Those people, they're working in the sun
Buy and sell it for a profit
To anyone

Oh Mary, I'm in the deep waters
And it's way, way over my head
Everyone thought I was smarter
Than to be this dead

You've heard of train wrecks in the mountains
Sometimes there's shipwrecks on the sea
Mary, you must always be careful
Can't you see?

Oh Mary, I'm in the deep waters
And it's way over my head
Everyone thought I was smarter
Than to be this dead

Someone's sick in San Fransisco
Some are down in New Orleans
Others are kept in Camarillo
Picking beans

Oh Mary, I'm in deep waters
And it's way over my head
Everyone thought I was smarter
Than to be misled"

Philly K. & Madi Rindge

Santa Barbara / Zoutelande

Philly K. is a singer based in either Los Angeles or the east coast. (Online bios mention both.) Madi Rindge is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. This slow soulful duet with a rap verse was released in 2016.

Comparing lyrics found online can be very entertaining:
One site interprets a line in this song as a romantic illustration of why the narrator wants to run away to California:
"The California sun and my girl naked in the kitchen."
Another site thinks the line is about a hostage situation with the narrator threatening to blow up the girl if she doesn't make him a sandwich:
"The California sun in my grenade, get in the kitchen."

"Wish I could be in California
I bet it's hotter than Hell in Arizona
Run away, run away
Ain't nobody in my way
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Run away, run away
Off to Californ-i-a
California-ah

I've been dreaming of somewhere else
A painted picture of our house
You don't have to wait anymore
But I've been standing by my front door
Run away, run away
Ain't nobody in my way
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Run away, run away
Off to Californ-i-a
California-ah

Let's go, let's go
Wherever we can
I can make it feel like the weekend
I can make it feel like the weekend
Just like the weekend

Run away, run away
Ain't nobody in my way
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Run away, run away
Off to Californ-i-a
California-ah

Run away, run away
Run away, run away
Run away, run away
Run away
Run away, run away
Run away, run away
California-ah

Yo, ain't no distance gon' stop me from dismissin'
The California sun and my girl naked in the kitchen
I ain't waiting no more days, it's so frustratin'
All the times sittin' here, you know that I'm wasting
Can't tell me that I'm hated
Can't tell me that I'm basic
Take you back to the place where I first saw your face in
Sunny days on Sunset
No one will replace 'em
Walking down the pier, told you baby that we made it

Wish I could be in California
Yeah, it's hotter than hell in Arizona
Run away, run away
Ain't nobody in my way
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Run away, run away
Off to Californ-i-a
California-ah

Run away, run away
Run away, run away
Run away, run away
Run away
Run away, run away
Run away, run away
California-ah
California-ah
California-ah
California"

Pink

Gone to California

Slow, soulful, moody, and atmospheric, with some sax thrown in, Pink is leaving the mean streets of Philadelphia for the promised land where the sun is always shining in this 2001 song. Haven't we seen this before? Does it ever work out?

"I'm goin' to California
To live in the summer sun
The streets are made of silver
I'm like a rabbit on the run

I'm goin' to California
To find my pot of gold
...
I'm goin' to California
I'm goin far, far, far away
...
Goin' to California, yes
To resurct my soul
The sun is always shinin', shinin'
Or at least that's what I'm told
I'm goin' to California
There's a better life for me, yes..."

Pink Skies

Santa Barbara Fireflies

Pink Skies is the psychedelic pop solo project of Arieh Beryl from Oakland, California, based in Los Angeles. This song is from the album "Summer's For Lovers" released in 2021. It sounds nice to sing about fireflies in Santa Barbara, but in reality the fireflies in California are boring because they don't flash a bright light like the fireflies east of the Rocky Mountains.

" I just wanna oooh
Boy hold on tight
Everything will be just fine
If you just take your time
I just wanna ooooh girl
Summer nights
Santa Barbara fireflies
If you just take your time

Thought I threw my past life into the Pacific Ocean
Driving down the coast with you
Yesterday was gone before I woke up this morning
Still I'm dreaming of her too

I just wanna oooh
Boy hold on tight
Everything will be just fine
If you just take your time
I just wanna ooooh girl
Summer nights
Santa Barbara fireflies
If you just take your time

Thought that I could drop into the future on a surfboard
Leaving all my broken hearts behind
But it’s clear that I can’t ride away from whatever I want
Even though I hate my state of mind.

Wish I could be here with you
But I’m stuck in past
When you’re kissing on my neck
I’m not thinking ‘bout what’s next

I’m still thinking about the way she smiled
In that summer dress
And I know I must confess
She’s who I want to impress

I just wanna oooh
Boy hold on tight
Everything will be just fine
If you just take your time
I just wanna ooooh girl
Summer nights
Santa Barbara fireflies
If you just take your time...."

Pitbull (featuring Chris Brown)

International Love

Pitbull is an American rapper from Miami. This song from his 2011 album “Planet Pit” brags about having girls all over the world including “La Mexicana” in Los Angeles.

“You can't catch me boy
I am overseas at about a hundred Gs for sure
Don't test me boy (don't test me boy) 'cause I rap with the best
Fo' sho three oh five to the death of me
Cremate my body let the ocean have what's left of me
But for now forget about that
Blow the whistle, baby you're the referee

You put it down like New York City
I never sleep
Wild like Los Angeles
My fantasy
Hotter than Miami
I feel the heat
Oh oh oh oh it's international love
Oh oh oh oh it's international love

I don't play football
But I've touched down everywhere (everywhere?) everywhere
I don't play baseball
But I've hit a home run everywhere everywhere
I've been to countries and cities I can't pronounce
And the places on the globe I didn't know existed
In Romania she pulled me to the side
And told me Pit you can have me and my sister
In Lebanon yeah the women the bomb
And in Greece you guessed it the women are sweet
Been all around the world
But I ain't gonna lie there's nothing like Miami's heat

You put it down like New York City
I never sleep
Wild like Los Angeles
My fantasy
Hotter than Miami
I feel the heat
Oh oh oh oh it's international love
Oh oh oh oh it's international love

Down in DR they're looking for visa's
I Ain't taking credit cards if you know what I mean
En Cuba la cosa esta dura
But the woman get down, if you know what I mean
En Colombia the women got everything done, but they're
Some of the most beautiful women I've ever seen
In Brazil they're freaky with big ol' boobs
And their thongs, blue yellow and green
En L.A. tengo la Mexicana,
en New York tengo la boricua
Besitos para todas las mujeres en Venezuela,
Y en Miami tengo cualquiera

You put it down like New York City
I never sleep wild like Los Angeles
My fantasy hotter than Miami I feel the heat
Oh oh oh oh it's international love
Oh oh oh oh it's international love….”

PITT

Hollywood Sign

Pitt is a singer-songwriter whose language is French, so I'd guess he's either French or Canadian. This song, in English and French, was released in 2021.
"Hollywood sign Hollywood sign Ahead Hollywood sign Hollywood sign In my head Hollywood sign Hollywood sign Ahead Hollywood sign Hollywood sign In my head I need that light I hear that sound Every day that's like I'm working for nothing And I live like that Your hips don't lie And I make that fire And I killed that vibe And everybody finds me crazy Other's though I'm lazy All you want is sex s**t All I want is success Home is too steady I feel so ready The sunset is glowing And I need nobody Enjoying my sound Drinking your booze I just stopped sleeping 'Cause my dream comes true Yeah you know I'll fade away Yeah you know I'll never be the same Hollywood sign Hollywood sign Ahead Hollywood sign Hollywood sign In my head Hollywood sign Hollywood sign Ahead Hollywood sign Hollywood sign In my head [Dialogue from the Bob Hope comedy movie "The Ghost Breakers" (1940): Richard Carlson: "... it's worse than horrible because a zombie has no will of his own. You see them sometimes walking around blindly with dead eyes following orders not knowing what they do, not caring." Bob Hope: "You mean like Democrats?"]
Je me sems comme un élu Qui doit accomplir ses buts Je dois assouvir mes pulsions Soigner mes élocutions J'veux toucher vos sentiments Vos meufs veulent toucher me centimetres Mais on s'en tape on vit pour vivre nos meilleures reves Mon premier concert j'étais tellement stress J'ai fini tellement sur Que j'devais bosser sans regarder le temps qui passe A chaque phase c'est les frissons qui guident mes pas Je me demande parfois A l'heure ou les doutes frappent fort Si mes errances d'chaque soir Auront la chance d'voir l'jour Nan nan j'me vesqui pas J'ai le coeur qui parle Faut qu'j'exulte ces voix Trop lourdes dans l'encéphale C'est tout, c'est moi Et donc c'est toi in soit Dans chaque son j'sais pas pourquoi T'as b'soin d'faire ton apparition J'deviens débile comme Paris Hilt' J'radote nos vérités blessantes J'crois qu'au fond j'prends mes sons therapies	I feel like a chosen one Who must accomplish their goals I must satisfy my urges Take care of my speech I want to touch your feelings Your girls want to touch my centimeters But we don't care, we live to live our best dreams My first concert I was so stressed I ended up so over That I had to work without looking at the passing of time At each phase it is the thrills that guide my steps I sometimes wonder At a time when doubts hit hard If my wanderings every evening Will have the chance to see the day No, no, I won't leave I have a heart that speaks I must exult in these voices Too heavy in the brain That's all, it's me And so it's you in itself In each sound I don't know why You need to make your appearance I'm becoming stupid like Paris Hilt' I ramble on about our hurtful truths I think that deep down I take my therapy sounds
Hollywood sign Hollywood sign Ahead Hollywood sign Hollywood sign In my head Hollywood sign Hollywood sign Ahead Hollywood sign Hollywood sign In my head"

Pixies

Velouria

The Pixies are an alternative rock band formed in Boston in 1986, fronted by Black Francis, aka Frank Black. (There are other California songs on this list under Frank Black.) Velouria is from the Pixies' third album "Bossanova" released in 1990. The song uses the theremin extensively, which adds a sense of other-worldliness to it.

Mt. Shasta is a large volcano in northern California that dominates the landscape. (It's alluded to in the lyrics "Shasta sheen"). There are stories about survivors from the sunken continent of Lemuria who live in a secret city under Mt. Shasta. The lyrics mention "lemur" skin, which might reference Lemuria, which rhymes with Velouria, who might be a mysterious Lemurian woman. Or not. You can make up your own crackpot theory about the song's meaning.

"Hold my head, we'll trampoline
Finally through the roof onto somewhere near and far in time
Velouria, her covering, traveling career
She can really move, oh, Velveteen

My Velouria, my Velouria
Even I'll adore you, my Velouria
Even I'll adore you, my Velouria

Say to me, where have you been?
Finally through the roof
And how does lemur skin reflect the sea?

We will wade in the shine of the ever
We will wade in the shine of the ever
We will wade in the tides of the summer, every summer
Every my Velouria, my Velouria

Forever green, I know she's here in California
I can see the tears of Shasta sheen

My Velouria, my Velouria
Even I'll adore you, my Velouria
Even I'll adore you, my Velouria"

Plain White T's

Meet Me In California

Plain White T's are a rock band from Illinois, active since 1997. This song is from their album "Big Bad World" released in 2008.

"I knew that this was wrong as I
Stood reaching for the bedroom light
But she turned me on
So I turned it off

Every man has got his flaws
His breaking point, his sacred cause
And I had mine
But I crossed that line

Now I could never ask you to
Forgive me for the things I do
But if you ever need me
You know where I'll be

Meet me in California
I'll be there waiting for your call
I'll be there waiting for you
'Cause you know in California
There's something better for us all
Meet me in California

This night was like a bible verse
With pages torn and missing words
Condemning me
And I'm on my knees

I wish that I could start again
Peel the past like sunburned skin
Right off of me
But it's not that easy

Now I could never ask you to
Forgive me for the things I do
But if you ever need me
You know where I'll be

Meet me in California
I'll be there waiting for your call
I'll be there waiting for you
'Cause you know in California
There's something better for us all
Meet me in California

I don't wanna say goodbye
And I don't wanna make you cry
I just wanna see you smile again
'Cause everything I used to be
Is waiting over there for me
This is a beginning not an end

Now I could never ask you to
Forgive me for the things I do
But if you ever need me
You know where I'll be

Meet me in California
I'll be there waiting for your call
I'll be there waiting for you
'Cause you know in California
There's something better for us all
Meet me in California
I'll be there waiting for you
'Cause you know in California
There's something better for us all
Meet me in California"

Robert Plant

29 Palms

Robert Plant is a singer-songwriter from England active since 1965, known as the lead singer for Led Zeppelin as well as for a successful solo career. This is from his album "Fate Of Nations" released in 1993. 29 Palms is a town in the desert near Joshua Tree National Park.

"A fool in love
A crazy situation
Her velvet glove
Knocks me down and down and down and down.
Her kiss of fire
A loaded invitation
Inside her smile
She takes me down and down and down and down.

Her moves look good
A touch of desperation
From where I stood
She turned my head around and round and round.

It comes kind of hard when I hear your voice on the radio
Taking me back down the road that leads back to you.
Oh-oh 29 Palms I feel the heat of your desert heart
Taking me back down the road that leads back to you.

Oh, I'm burning in love!
A strange infatuation
Why cold cold touch, mmm
What must I do, do, do, do

The heat and the dust
Increase my desolation
In God we trust
Always for you, and you, and you, and you.

It comes kinda hard when I hear your voice on the radio
Leading me back down the road that leads back to you.
Oh-oh-oh 29 Palms I feel the heat of your desert heart
Leading me back down the road that leads back to you.

Baby, now It comes kinda hard when I hear your voice on the radio
Leading me back down the road that leads back to you.
Oh, don't ya hear me baby, now
29 Palms I feel the heat of your desert heart
Leading me back down the road that leads back to you you you,
Yeah-yeah-yeah
I'm coming home, oh oh

Gonna get there, gonna get there, don't ya know babe
It comes kinda hard I said when I hear your voice on the radio
Leading me back down the road that leads back to ooh ooh ooh ooh
29 Palms"

P.O.D.

Boom

P.O.D. (Payable on Death) is a Christian metal band based in San Diego, active since 1992. This anthem was released as a single from the band's fourth studio album "Satellite" released in 2002. "S. D." & "the South" refer to the band's roots in the southern California city of San Diego.

"I never knew that a kid like me
Could take his mic around the world and flash the big S.D.
And rock the masses, from Madrid to Calabasas
Tijuana, Mexico, bootleg demos in Tokyo
They know me though, 'cause I be puttin' in work
Commit my life to rebirth, well respected, 'cause that's my word
I'm sure you heard, about a new sound going around
She might have left my hood, but she was born in my town

You didn't know, thought we was new on the scene
Well, it's alright! It's alright!
I know you know, I see you smiling at me
Well, it's alright! It's alright!

Boom! Here comes the Boom!
Ready or not, here comes the boys from the South
Boom! Here comes the Boom!
Ready or not
How you like me now?

We rep. the South, so what you talking about
I'm not running off my mouth, I know this without a doubt
'Cause if you know these streets, then these streets know you
When it's time to handle business, then we know what to do
Me and my crew, we stay true, old school or new
Many were called, but the chosen are few
We rise to the top, what you want? Just in case you forgot
Rush the stage, grab my mic, show me what you got

You didn't know, thought we was new on the scene
Well, it's alright! It's alright!
I know you know, I see you smiling at me
Well, it's alright! It's alright!

Boom! Here comes the Boom!
Ready or not, here comes the boys from the South
Boom! Here comes the Boom!
Ready or not
How you like me now?
I say
Boom! Here comes the Boom!
Ready or not, here comes the boys from the South
Boom! Here comes the Boom!
Ready or not
How you like me now?

Is that all you got?
I'll take your best shot
Is that all you got?
I'll take your best shot
Is that all you got?
I'll take your best shot
Is that all you got?
I'll take your best shot...."

Pomplamoose (featuring Benny Sings)

Pomplamoose is a husband-and-wife musical duo formed in Corte Madera, California in 2008, known for their YouTube videos and covers of popular songs. Benny Sings is Tim van Berkestijn, a Dutch songwriter and producer active since 1999. This song was released in 2022. According to the YouTube page for the song: "This is actually Benny’s translation of a super popular Dutch song called Zoutelande."

"Nothing better than a rainy day with you
On Sunday and there's nothing here to do
We had nothing to spare when we started
But my parents had a condo in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara

And now we're stuck in this bungalow park
But your silly words keep me out of the dark
We're getting high on your father's whiskey
I'm so happy you're with me, just glad that you're with me
Back at this old little house at the bay
We never cared 'bout the world anyway
Nothing but gray skies from here to the city
I'm happy you're with me, just glad that you're with me

Can we wait a little longer? 'Cause I'm tired
Just wait 'til we get stronger, then we'll fly again
Some people want adventure, they let their heart out
Some people bundle up in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara

And now we're stuck in this bungalow park
But your silly words keep me out of the dark
We're getting high on your father's whiskey
I'm so happy you're with me, just glad that you're with me
Back at this old little house at the bay
We never cared 'bout the world anyway
Nothing but gray skies from here to the city
And I'm happy you're with me, just glad that you're with me

And I'm happy you're with me
I'm so happy you're with me
And I'm so happy you're with me
I'm so happy you're with me

And now we're stuck in this bungalow park
But your silly words keep me out of the dark
We're getting high on your father's whiskey
I'm so happy you're with me, just glad that you're with me
Back at this old little house at the bay
We never cared 'bout the world anyway
Nothing but gray skies from here to the city
And I'm happy you're with me, just glad that you're with me

And I'm happy you're with me
I'm so happy you're with me
And I'm so happy you're with me
I'm so happy you're with me
And I'm so happy you're with me
I'm so happy

Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara"

Pope Suburban

California Beauty

Pope Suburban is the bedroom-folk/rock project of singer-songwriter Kevin Reidy, based in Los Angeles. This is from his EP "The Native West of the Golden Girls" released in 2023.

"I can see you rise
Every time you come and greet me
Just tell me where you want to meet me
And I'll make it so

Your redwood eyes
Your golden hair there in the rear-view
Driving out to catch a clearer view
Of the summer's glow

Oh my love I know you're comin'
And I swear I'm startin' to shake

So I'll be waitin' by the side of 19th avenue to pick me up
A California cutie in a pickup truck
We talk for hours but it's not enough
No it's never enough

I could spend my life
Suspended with your hand in my hand
Rambling on down the [gang plank]
We always make it work

It's how we survive
We never stop to check our tracks
Because each other's got our backs
[?]
Oh my love I feel you comin'
And I'm certain it's no mistake

So I'll be waitin' by the side of Highway One
For you too pick me up
A California beauty in a pickup truck
We talk for hours but it's not enough

We can make it to the gold country on my guitar
We'll pick strings, forget the car
We'll even park where the poppies are

And you know we can take it easy
Cruisin' the slow lane for kicks
Have to plan where exit if need be
But we don't have to count our chicks

Oh my love I see you comin'
And this life is ours to take

So I'll be waitin' by the side of Highway One
For you to pick me up
A California beauty in a pickup truck
We talk for hours but it's not enough
We can make it to the gold country on my guitar
We'll pick strings, forget the car
We'll even park where the poppies are
Because we're [?] where we are
No"

Pop Smoke (featuring Tyga & Quavo)

West Coast S**t

Pop Smoke was a Grammy-winning rapper from Brooklyn, active from 2018-2020 when he was murdered in the Hollywood Hills. Tyga is a rapper from Compton, active since 2004. Quavo is a rapper from Georgia and the frontman of the hip-hop group Migos, active since 2008. This is from Pop Smoke's debut album "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon" released posthumously in 2020.

"Pop Smoke, I'm on some west coast s**t (Pop Smoke)
In New York, I got a west coast b**ch (West coast)
(Huncho on that west coast s**t) (Woo)
(Left wrist, both wrists, and some bricks) (Woo)
If the opps is in the spot, red dot 'em (Rah)
Somebody call Batman, I'm robbin' (Brrt)
(I got 'em, smoke, I pop 'em)
(Put the b**ch on Prada and now she proper)

T-Raww, I'm on some west coast s**t (Business)
LaFeezy, live on the Sunset Strip (Yah, T-Raw)
Today was a good day, fly as a blimp (Aight, ah, ah)
I just booked a round trip, I don't argue with the b**ch (No)
And my Spanish b**ch talk spicy with the lips
When the car worth a M, you don't gotta touch the rim
Don't ask me the price, cost an arm, leg, and limb (Yah; Ayy)
When you in the light, n***as wanna steer you dim (Bit')
Where you get that from? N***as gotta say it's him
Wunna copied my flow, I switch this s**t again
N***as ain't put the work, they don't celebrate the win
When you was ballin' with your b**ch, I was shootin' in the gym, motherf***er, ah

Pop Smoke, I'm on some west coast s**t (Pop Smoke)
In New York, I got a west coast b**ch (West coast)
(Huncho on that west coast s**t) (Woo)
(Left wrist, both wrists, and some bricks) (Woo)
If the opps is in the spot, red dot 'em (Rah)
Somebody call Batman, I'm robbin' (Brrt)
(I got 'em, smoke, I pop 'em)
(Put the b**ch on Prada and now she proper)

Christian Louboutins like I set the pasta
But I'll still steam his ass, I'll grab him
I'm in that new Dior, Quay in that Prada
Don't get it confused, I'll drop him
Four door n***as ridin' strap, get straight hacked to the back
We don't play disrespect, real talk this not just rap
Gang ties in my tat, .22's in the shed
Shotgun in my bag, knock off a n***a dreads
Thirty-six carats on my wrist
That mean there's thirty-six carats on my b**ch (Woo)
S**t, how Virgil got me drippin'
And it's straight from the faucet in the kitchen

Pop Smoke, I'm on some west coast sh**t it (Pop Smoke)
In New York, I got a west coast b**ch (West coast)
(Huncho on that west coast s**t) (Woo)
(Left wrist, both wrists, and some bricks) (Woo)
If the opps is in the spot, red dot 'em (Rah)
Somebody call Batman, I'm robbin' (Brrt)
(I got 'em, smoke, I pop 'em)
(Put the b**ch on Prada and now she proper)
(Quavo)....)"

Jared Porter

Jared Porter is a country music singer-songwriter from California based in Australia. This song is from his album "East to West" released in 2014. He also sings a live version with his father on harmonica in Norman's Rare Guitars store in Tarzana.

"Dancing down in Hollywood
Celebrating like a good man should
Cause I spend my days down in New Orleans
I told you that I knew we would
Head on back out to California
Spend our time making all new things
And I spend my nights under neon lights
I told you its the best thing for us

Oooh oooo oooo
Oooh oooo oooo

We hit the highway out to Mississippi
Cross over into Tennessee
Where I walk the streets listen to the King
I told you its a sight to see

Oooh oooo oooo
Oooh oooo oooo

Yeah the nights I spend without you
Couldn't be more hard on me
In the days I walk alone
I wish I was home
In California

Then we head upstate to New York City
And back down to good old Philly
Where the food tastes great
And the people make steak
But it hurts without you here with me

Next stop Atlanta then Dallas
North to Denver then Flagstaff
Where it's hot and it's cold
And I really wanna hold you
Now right here with me

Yeah the nights I spend without you
Couldn't be more hard on me
In the days I walk alone
I wish I was home
I wish I was home

Yeah the nights I spend without you
Couldn't be more hard on me
In the days I walk alone
I wish I was home
I wish I was home
I wish I was home
In California
California

Oooh oooo oooo
Oooh oooo oooo

Dancing down in Hollywood
Celebrating like a good man should
'Cause for once I'm home with you in my arms
Like I told you that I knew we would"

Mike Posner

I Took A Pill In Ibiza

Mike Posner is an American singer-songwriter. He recorded an acoustic version of this song for his 2016 album At Night Alone, but the remix by Norwegian duo SeeB, released in 2015 and also included on the album, became a huge international hit.

In the song, the singer lives in L.A. and drives a sports car to impress people, but he took a pill in Ibiza to impress Swedish musician/DJ/producer Avicii. I wonder how Avicii felt about the insinuation that he thinks drugs make people cool. (Sadly, Avicii killed himself in 2018.)

"I took a pill in Ibiza
To show Avicii I was cool
And when I finally got sober, felt 10 years older
But f*** it, it was something to do.
I'm living out in L.A.
I drive a sports car just to prove
I'm a real big baller 'cause I made a million dollars
And I spend it on girls and shoes.

But you don't wanna be high like me
Never really knowing why like me
You don't ever wanna step off that roller coaster and be all alone
You don't wanna ride the bus like this
Never knowing who to trust like this
You don't wanna be stuck up on that stage singing
Stuck up on that stage singing
All I know are sad songs, sad songs
Darling, all I know are sad songs, sad songs.

I'm just a singer who already blew his shot
I get along with old timers
'Cause my name's a reminder of a pop song people forgot
And I can't keep a girl, no
'Cause as soon as the sun comes up
I cut 'em all loose and work's my excuse
But the truth is I can't open up...."

Post Malone (featuring Chris Stapleton)

California Sober

Post Malone is Austin Richard Post, an actor and music artist from New York and Texas, based in L.A. Chris Stapleton is an award-winning singer-songwriter-producer from Kentucky, active since 2001. This country pop song is from his album "F-1 Trillion" released 2024. It's not obvious why the song is called California Sober, but it probably refers to Post Malone's past history of substance abuse which he has talked about in public.

Several other musicians have songs with the same title, including Demi Lovato who might have been the first to use the term in her song released in 2021. Go to her entry to see a list of parody terms. (Florida sober = using meth only.)

"California sober on the Highway 1
Over on the shoulder thought I saw some fun lookin' for a ride

Trouble in some Daisy's, holdin' out her thumb
Stole some sucker's money now she's on the run
And she wanna get high
She said, 'I'll take you on a little trip, come on, give these lips a try'

She drank up all my whiskey, blew down all my smoke
I became the punchline of some cosmic joke
Damn bottle was dry
Kinda wanted to cry

She whispered, 'Pull it over,' I said, 'You're the boss'
In a southern drawl, said, 'Here's where I get off'
I've enjoyed our time
She said, 'Baby, give me one more kiss before I kiss your ass goodbye'

Needed me some diesel just to get back home
Tried to pay the man and found my money gone
Had to bum a ride
So if you see them Daisy's walkin' 'round, son, you best just pass 'em by
And if you see a wallet on the ground
Bet your ass, that s**t is mine"

Post Malone

Hollywood's Bleeding

This song is from Post Malone's third studio album, also called "Hollywood's Bleeding." It was released in 2019, debuting at number 1 and producing two number 1 singles.

"Hollywood's bleeding, vampires feedin'
Darkness turns to dust
Everyone's gone, but no one's leavin'
Nobody left but us
Tryna chase a feelin', but we'll never feel it
Ridin' on the last train home
Dyin' in our sleep, we're living out a dream
We only make it out alone

I just keep on hopin' that you call me
You say you wanna see me, but you can't right now
You never took the time to get to know me
Was scared of losin' somethin' that we never found
We're running out of reasons, but we can't let go
Yeah, Hollywood is bleeding, but we call it home

Outside, the winter sky turnin' grey
City up in smoke, it's only ash when it rains
Howl at the moon and go to sleep in the day
Love for everybody 'til the drugs fade away
In the mornin', blocking out the sun with the shades
She gotta check her pulse and tell herself that she okay
It seem like dying young is an honor
But who'd be at my funeral? I wonder
I go out, and all they eyes on me
I show out, do you like what you see?
And now they closin' in on me
Let 'em sharpen all they teeth
This is more than I can handle
Blood in my Lambo'
Wish I could go, oh, I'm losin' hoope
I light a candle, some Palo Santo
For all these demons, wish I could just go on

I just keep on hopin' that you call me
You say you wanna see me, but you can't right now
You never took the time to get to know me
Was scared of losin' somethin' that we never found
We're running out of reasons, but we can't let go
Yeah, Hollywood is bleeding, but we call it home"

Post Malone

Mourning

This song was released as a single from Malone's fifth studio album "Austin" released in 2023.
The best part of this song is the great line about having a lot to say that couldn't fit in the chorus.
Nobody ever drags me to parties in Malibu, so I had to look it up - "High Noon" is a brand of vodka-based hard seltzer, 30 of which, I'm guessing, would probably intoxicate a horse. I hope they paid him well for the product placement.

"Don't want to sober up
The sun is killing my buzz, that's why they call it mourning
Thought I was strong enough
Threw my bottle at the sky, said, 'God that's a warning'
Don't want to sober up
Try to keep it inside, but I just want to pour it
Thought I was strong enough
Got a lot of s**t to say, couldn't fit it in the chorus

I just left Wally's in a Maserati
The way I gotta flex you'd think I did pilates
I called my quote and quote friends, do you got plans?
Turns out everyone's free when the dinner is
Then they drag me to a party out in Malibu
After thirty High Noons it was pretty cool
Tried to shoot my shot, she told me that she had a shoot, bye-bye
(Damn)

Don't want to sober up
The sun is killing my buzz, that's why they call it mourning
Thought I was strong enough
Threw my bottle at the sky, said, 'God that's a warning'
Don't want to sober up
Try to keep it inside, but I just want to pour it
Thought I was strong enough
Got a lot of s**t to say, couldn't fit it in the chorus

Stumbling down a corridor, came across an open door
Throwing up is easy and who put on The Commodores?
That's a nice tile floor, wish I got to know you more
Who am I talking to? Nobody
Take me outside, I'm a little too high
Paid a little too much for the time of my life
When money ain't a problem, everyone's sliding
Even when I tell myself that I

Don't want to sober up
The sun is killing my buzz, that's why they call it mourning
Thought I was strong enough
Threw my bottle at the sky, said, 'God that's a warning'
Don't want to sober up
Try to keep it inside, but I just want to pour it
Thought I was strong enough
Got a lot of s**t to say, couldn't fit it in the chorus"

Post Malone (featuring Ty Dolla $ign)

Psycho

This hypnotic rap song is from Malone's second album Beerbongs & Bentleys, which debuted at number 1 on the charts in 2018, and produced two number 1 singles, including this one. In the song Malone brags about women, his watch, his cars, his diamonds, his clothes, the wads of cash stuffed inside his shorts, and how he's so rich, he can even afford to give drinks to the ugly girls. Ty Dolla $ign brags about all that plus getting high and luxury shopping on Rodeo Drive in L.A. and something about Pico, another L.A. street. For a hilarious and educational full translation of the lyrics, check out this page by Gee Lowery.

"Damn, my AP goin' psycho, lil' mama bad like Michael
Can't really trust nobody with all this jewelry on you
My roof look like a no-show, got diamonds by the boatload
Come with the Tony Romo for clowns and all the bozos
My AP goin' psycho, lil' mama bad like Michael
Can't really trust nobody with all this jewelry on you
My roof look like a no-show, got diamonds by the boatload
Don't act like you my friend when I'm rollin' through my ends, though

You stuck in the friend zone, I tell that four-five the fifth, ay
Hunnid bands inside my shorts, DeChino the s**t, ay
Try to stuff it all in, but it don't even fit, ay
Know that I been with the s**ts ever since a jit, ay
I made my first million, I'm like, "s**t, this is it, " ay
30 for a walkthrough, man, we had that b**ch lit, ay
Had so many bottles, gave ugly girl a sip
Out the window of the Benzo, we get seen in the rent'
And I'm like "Whoa, man, my neck so goddamn cold”
Diamonds weigh, my teeths is sore
I got homies, let it blow, oh
My money thick, won't ever fold
She said, "Can I have some to hold?"
And I can't ever tell you no

Damn, my AP goin' psycho, lil' mama bad like Michael
Can't really trust nobody with all this jewelry on you
My roof look like a no-show, got diamonds by the boatload
Come with the Tony Romo for clowns and all the bozos
My AP goin' psycho, lil' mama bad like Michael
Can't really trust nobody with all this jewelry on you
My roof look like a no-show, got diamonds by the boatload
Don't act like you my friend when I'm rollin' through my ends, though

The AP goin' psycho, my Rollie goin' brazy
I'm hittin' lil' mama, she wanna have my babies
It's fifty on the pinky, chain so stanky
You should see the whip, promise I can take yo b**ch
Dolla ridin' in an old school Chevy, it's a drop top
Boolin' with a thot-thot, she gon' give me top-top
Just one switch, I can make the ass drop (hey)
Uh, take you to the smoke shop
We gon' get high, ay, we gon' hit Rodeo
Dial up Valentino, we gon' hit Pico
Take you where I'm from, take you to the slums
This ain't happen overnight, no, these diamonds real bright
Saint Laurent jeans, still in my Vans though
All VVSs, put you in a necklace
Girl, you look beautiful tonight
Stars on the roof, they matching with the jewelry...."

Mark Pountney

California On My Mind

Mark Pountney is a singer-songwriter from Liverpool, England. This '60s inspired folk-pop song with strings and horns was released in 2020, and is also on his album "Love, Luck and Time" released in 2021.

"Well I can almost feel it
The California sun in my hair down my neck and my spine
Breaks my heart to leave it
This feeling I found I got a reason for believing this time
It's turning my emotions 'round
Lifts me up from the ground
Infuses my breathing with some kind of healing

California
California
California's on my mind

Well I can almost see it
The rhythm of the coast and the ocean as it kisses the shore
It's make believe and magic
But won't let you go
You get a feeling like you've been there before
It's turning my emotions 'round
Picks me up from the ground
Infuses my breathing with some kind of healing

California
California
California's on my mind

And in my mind
I'm turning back the pages of time
In my mind
The sweetest inspiration to fire your imagination

California
California
California's on my mind"

Aaron Powell

Aaron Powell is a Canadian singer-songwriter active since 2012 who also uses the name Fog Lake. This single was released in 2022.

"For a moment I had my fun
I guess now it's all done
Every morning it was so bright
I remember it tonight

Well is it ever gonna be that way again?
Will I play like that again

Remember me
Remember that you are free
Always remember Cali
Remember me
Remember that you are free
Always remember California

I put my heart out felt so alive
I thought you would mind my ride
I lost my trust in I let it down
Then you brought it back to life

Well is it ever gonna be that way again?
Will I play like that again

Remember me
Remember that you are free
Always remember Cali
Remember me
Remember that you are free
Always remember California

Remember me
Remember that you are free
Always remember Cali
Remember me
Remember that you are free
Always remember Cali

Remember me
Remember that you are free
Always remember Cali
Remember me
Remember that you are free
Always remember California
Always remember California
Always remember California"

Daniel Powter

Daniwl Powter is a singer-songwriter from Canada active since 1997 and best known for his #1 hit "Bad Day" in 2005. This song is from his seond album "Daniel Powter" released in 2005.

"Hey, this could be cool
Cause we could be together, but nothing lasts forever.
Me, I'll be your fool
Pick you up when you fall down
And move across the dance floor
Let me buy you a drink or two

And you could be my star for weekends
Do you like your Hollywood?
As far as I'm concerned, the lesson's been learned
At least that's what I understood

That's right!
Hey! Tell your daddy not to wait up
You're not comin' home, you're all mine
And that's fine, I keep you by my side
Oh!, a few of... at last
And move across the dance floor
Let me buy you a drink or two

And you could be my star for weekends
Do you like your Hollywood?
As far as I'm concerned, the lesson's been learned
At least that's what I understood

Come on!
Write him a letter that you'll not come back
These days ain't been good but then these days ain't, so bad
Sooner or later when you come around
You got these problems
Then I let you down

Let me be your star for weekends
Do you like your Hollywood?
As far as I'm concerned, the lesson's been learned
At least that's what I understood

Let me be your star for weekends
Do you like your Hollywood?
As far as I'm concerned, the lesson's been learned
At least that's what I understood"

Jessica Pratt

Mary C. Brown and the Hollywood Sign

Jessica Pratt is a folk singer-songwriter from Redding, California, who started her music career in San Francisco in 2007 and is now based in Los Angeles. This song is from her first album "Jessica Pratt" released in 2012.

"Ooh, when you were just young
And you sang so high to the angels
And you just don't want to go home
'Cause you sang so high to Hollywood

Down where your mother used to go, so low
Oh colored marigolds, you go so low
Through the window, oh you go
Hollywood is tumblin' down

And when you sing so low, watch out or you'll
Vanish the brethren that you know
Oh, and when you sing so low
Hollywood is tumblin' down

When you were just young
And you sang so high to the angels
And you just don't want to go home
'Cause you sang so high to Hollywood

Down where your mother used to go, so low
Oh colored marigolds, you go so low
Through the window, oh you go
Hollywood is tumblin' down"

The Presidents of the United States of America

F**k California

The Presidents of the United States of America was a rock power trio formed in Seattle in 1993. This song was a single released in 1995. The narrator hates L.A., San Bernardino, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Yreka, even Weed. (How could anyone hate Weed?) He never says why he hates the state, but the lyrics describe the Seattle area very well, and he likes it cloudy, so maybe he just hates the sunny Cali weather. (He should try the North Coast. I'll bet he wouldn't hate Arcata.)

"I'm in the mountains
They're so beautiful and crystal clear
They scrape the clouds with their top
(And f**k California)

And the air's so clear
I drink it in it makes me drunk
I fall down and fall asleep
(And f**k San Francisco)

I dream of some little evil land
With twisted little cragily experiences
Down below the Oregon Border
(And f**k San Berdoo)

I'm there in my dreams
I'm there in my nightmares
And I got to sing about it all day long
(And f**k Weed)

You've been naked in the sunshine
You've been buried in the sand
You've been living on the fault line
In a chemical plant

I've been pounding up and down I-5
Highway wanders such a blast
If only I could erase L.A.
The trip wouldn'ta so fast

This city is so beautiful
The clouds come out in the fall
And I love to see them back
(And f**k California!)

Even on a cloudy day
The sun pokes through at the end of the day
To make a little sunset experience even though you're depressed
(And f**k Santa Cruz)

Ohhh I'm in Central Oregon now
Driving my little blue tin can
And I hear green onions
(And f**k Yreka)

Green onions on the little stereo
And I feel like I'm going the right way
North-way North, North, North, North, North!

(Yeah keep goin' north boys!)
(All right!)
(Yahoo!)

Sonic cookie on the outside
Pure frosting all alone
You've been f**king Winona Ryder
And she got crabs on your bone

The only good thing about California
Is the band that I saw
They held there breath to shout out Supernova
They were playing in a shopping mall"

Pretenders

Hollywood Perfume

The Pretenders are an English-American rock band formed in 1978 and fronted by Chrissie Hynde. This song is from the band's 1994 album "Last of the Independents."

"I went out on the balcony in the middle of the night
The hotel was dark except for just one light
Television burning in the other room
I couldn't sleep so i put on some of your
Hollywood perfume

I went out on the balcony and looked across the way
Some guy was shadow boxing, he looked like Sugar Ray
I was feeling dizzy - began to swoon
Was it his punch or was it just your
Hollywood perfume?

I feel like a fugitive escaped from my life
Seeking refuge in the sensual heat
These paper-thin walls make me party to calls
Of love wafting through the room
The night jasmine bloom
Of your Hollywood perfume

I went out on the balcony to clear my head
I was burning up in my queen-sized bed
Down on the strip beneath the billboard moon
Teenaged girls look for love in the
Neon sex and doom
Of your Hollywood perfume

I went out on the balcony with your photograph
I dropped it in the pool and that made me laugh
You like your tan but you don't like to swim
Meanwhile i feel like i'm drowning in
Neon sex and doom
The night jasmine bloom
Of your Hollywood perfume"

Tristan Prettyman

California Girl

Tristan Ann Prettyman is a singer-songwriter from San Diego. This song is from her album Hello (2008). It's slow and moody, starting with acoustic guitars, then builds. This time it's the California Girl who does the singing, but she's cynical and bitter and has learned her lesson. (Still, you just know she is gonna fall for that old trick again.)

"I'll let you fall in love with me
Show you how easy it can be
California girl of your dreams
Sitting by the sea shore
Soaking up the summer breeze

Never gonna fall, I'm never gonna fall
For that old trick again
Never gonna fall, I'm never gonna fall
For that old trick again

I can't believe I even came
Don't even know your name
Boy you know that ain't my scene
But you gotta play by the rules
If you ever gonna win the game

Never gonna fall, I'm never gonna fall
For that old trick again
Never gonna fall, I'm never gonna fall
For that old trick again…."

Dory Previn

This song has some great lyrics about Hollywood dreams and disillusionment. Previn was an American singer-songwriter. After writing lyrics for film songs with her then husband Andre Previn, she became a solo singer-songwriter. This song is from her album with the same name, released in 1972, which I haven’t listened to but which Wickipedia calls “a thematic album about Hollywood misfits. The songs were intended for a musical revue that ran briefly in Los Angeles.” It was a flop in previews so it never opened. The character of Mary C. Brown is based on Peg Entwistle who jumped off the “H” in the Hollywood sign in 1932. Here's a list of other songs that mention The Hollywood Sign.

“You know the Hollywood sign
That stands in the Hollywood Hills
I don't think the Christ of the Andes
Ever blessed so many ills.
The Hollywood sign seems to smile
Like it's constantly saying "cheese"
I doubt if the Statue of Liberty
Ever welcomed more refugees.

Give me your poor
Your tired your pimps
You carhops your cowboys
Your midgets your chimps
Give me your freaks
Your whores your harlots
Your flunkies your junkies
Give me your starlets.

Mary Cecilia Brown
Rode to town on a Malibu bus.
She climbed to the top
Of the Hollywood sign
And with the smallest possible fuss
She jumped off the letter “H”
'cause she did not become a star.
She died in less than a minute and a half
She looked a bit like Hedy Lamar.

Sometimes I have this dream
When the time comes for me to go
I will climb that hill
And i'll hang myself
From the second or third letter "O".

When Mary Cecilia jumped
She finally made the grade
Her name was in the obituary column
Of both the daily trades.

I hope the Hollywood sign
Cries for the town it touches
The Lady of Lourdes in her grotto
Saw fewer cripples and crutches.

Give me your poor
Your maladjusted
Your sick and your beat
And your sad and your busted.
Give me your has-beens
Give me your twisted
Your loners your losers
Give me your black-listed.

You know the Hollywood sign
The witness to our confusion
A symbol of dreams
Turns out to be
A sign
Of disillusion.”

Billy Prewitt (featuring Jody Jones)

The Hollywood Sign

This is a hard rock song from a 7-inch single released in 1979. The YouTube video uploaded in 2015 is pure lo-fi. Somebody just put a camera in front of a turntable and turned both of them on. But somehow the sound of an ungrounded turntable here just sounds perfect for the do-it-yourself record. They lyrics shown don't match what I hear so I have fixed them as much as I can to match the recording but you can read the official lyrics on Prewitt's YouTube page. Below are some of the comments from the page. (Unfortunately, the list of lyrics about the sign has been removed from the Hollywood Sign website.)

' "This unique song was written and recorded by Billy Prewitt in 1979 about the famous"Hollywood Sign". The words and music are featured on the official hollywood sign website http://hollywoodsign.org/ on the lyrics page http://hollywoodsign.org/category/the... scrolling down to 1979. The vocalist is Jody Jones and it was produced by Dennis Johnson of "Chase" & the original "Survivor".

As far as we can tell it is the only song ever written in it's entirety about on the Hollywood Sign. Feel free to contact Billy Prewitt on Facebook if you would like to record The Hollywood Sign. ... If you are an LA area musician we would be be honored to have you record The Hollywood Sign in any style, genre, or arrangement as your signature song.. copyright Billy Prewitt 1979.

The words to the song might have even been what was going on in the mind of Peg Entwhistle when she moved to Hollywood in 1932." '

If you do record the song, let me know, too!
Here's a list of other songs that mention The Hollywood Sign.

"Well it’s time that I was California bound
Got to lose this old one horse town
Told everybody that I got to go
And then I packed up my bags and got out on the road

All my friends said I would never get half way
Well I just passed the city limits to L.A.
All the people just walkin' on by
But me I can’t believe my eyes
Here I am right at 5th & Vine
Standin’ here starin’ at the Hollywood Sign
Yeah I'm standin’ here starin’ at the Hollywood Sign
All the people ... as they walk by
And I'm standin' here starin' at the Hollywood Sign

Well Tinseltown was no mistake
I had to turn around and I made my break
The work paid off and my dream came true
Now I couldn’t lay off if I wanted to
So I bought me a little house right under that hill
When I look up to that sign I still get a thrill
I’ve come a long way from days gone past
And sometimes you know I have to laugh
When I think way back to the time
When I was standin’ here starin’ at the Hollywood Sign
Standin’ here starin’ at the Hollywood Sign
All the people ... as they walk by
And I'm standin' here starin' at the Hollywood Sign

California sunshine can’t be beat
I worship the sand right under my feet
Well there's a magic word on the mountainside
With the sunset right behind
It really makes me feel so fine
Well I'm standin’ here starin’ at the Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign
It feels so good
The Hollywood Sign"

Margot Price

All American Made

Margo Price is country music singer-songwriter from Illinois, now based in Nashville. This song is from her second studio album "All American Made" released in 2017.

"I woke up from a movie I immediately forgot
I got a heartache on the bottom and a headache on the top
The part of me that hurts the worst is the one I just can't spot
And it's all American made

Through everywhere I go, somebody puts me in the dirt
And everything I say, somebody says they said it first
But I don't need ten million, baby just give me one that works
It's all American made

I have been all over but I can't help feeling stuck
Something in my blood line or something in my gut
Says go to California in a rusted pickup truck
It's all American made

1987 and I didn't know it then
Reagan was selling weapons to the leaders of Iran
And it won't be the first time and baby, it won't be the end
They were all American made

But I was just a child unaware of the effects
Raised on sports and Jesus and all the usual suspects
So tell me, Mr. Petty, what do you think will happen next
It's all American made

And I wonder if the president gets much sleep at night
And if the folks on welfare are making it alright
I'm dreaming of that highway that stretches out of sight
And it's all American made
It's all American made
It's all, it's all American made"

Margo Price

Cocaine Cowboys

This is another song from Price's 2017 album "All American Made." It only has a reference to California in a list of places, and many songs like that I haven't taken the time to add, but since this one has a cheezy 70s wah wah guitar sound and it's about drugged up cowboys who are bad in the saddle and she rhymes "Seattle" with "Cattle," so I had to put it on the list.

"Well the boys round here ain't like the boys back home
They don't plant the fields, they won't work the farms
The boys round here well they talk too fast
When the times get hard, no they won't last

Cocaine cowboys
They're bad in the saddle
But they're coming from New York, L.A., and Seattle
They're all hat, they don't rope no cattle
They don't ride no bulls
Cocaine cowboys, they never get sleep
With their bloodshot eyes, their cigarette teeth
I wish that someone warned me
Stay away from them cocaine cowboys

Well they're riding the rails right before the show
Better call up James when the bag gets low
The crowd thins out the longer they play
You can't write a song with nothing to say

Cause the cocaine cowboys
They're bad in the saddle
But they come in from New York, L.A., and Seattle
They're all hat, they don't rope no cattle
They don't ride no bulls

Cocaine cowboys, they never get sleep
They're out in the bars and grinding their teeth
And I wish that someone warned me
Stay away from them cocaine cowboys
And I wish that someone warned me
Stay away from them cocaine cowboys"

Steve Pride & Scotty

Miss California

As far as I can determine Steve Pride aka Steven Heidrich and Scotty, aka Oliver Heller, are German music producers. This song is a 2023 electronic dance remake of the 2001 Dante Thomas and Pras song, which was also remade by DJ Serg & Simon Blaze in 2020. This version adds a couple of verses in French, but I don't have a transcription and translation of them yet.

Primal Sky

Take The Star Out Of The Window

Primal Sky is a smooth jazz band that has been featured in a number of surf movies. This song was released in 2016.

"Gloria
It's that time of year
We all come out and meet
Sleigh bells on your radio
It's all over the street
No we don't get much snow
That happens in Chicago
Granting L.A. good cheer
Wearing bikinis on the pier

It's a California Christmas
Another California Christmas
A California Christmas
Another California Christmas

I hear the sound of singing
A contagious Christmas feeling
Little eyes biting the sweets
Santa Clause they're dying to meet

It's a California Christmas
Another California Christmas
A California Christmas
Another California Christmas
(Jingle all the way)

La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
Gloria

The bells are ringing
California dreaming
(Jingle bells jingle all the way)

As we gather 'round
Spending time with friends and family
Knowing Santa's in town
There's nowhere else he'd rather be

It's a California Christmas
Another California Christmas
A California Christmas
(Jingle all the way)
Another California Christmas
(Jingle all the way)
It's a California Christmas
Another California Christmas
A California Christmas
Another California Christmas
(Jingle all the way)
(Jingle all the way)"

John Prine

John Prine was an American country/folk singer and songwriter whose first album was released in 1971. This song about a Viet Nam veteran returning to his parents in California, is from his second album, Diamonds in the Rough, released in 1972.

Robert was a sailor
For the best years of his life
His captain was his mother
And the ocean was his wife
Only fresh out of the cradle
Life's one and only spring
He was sworn to do his duty
And got blood on his high school ring

And it's hello California
Hello dad and mom
Ship ahoy
Your baby boy
Is home from Vietnam
Don't you ask me any questions
About the medals on my chest
Take the star out of the window
And let my conscience take a rest

Now he sailed across the ocean
To the old Far Eastern war
And it was foreign to his body
It was foreign to his shore
So he traded in the present
For the better times he'd seen
And made an oriental waitress
His own home comin' queen

And it's hello California
Hello dad and mom
Ship ahoy
Your baby boy
Is home from Vietnam
Don't you ask me any questions
About the medals on my chest
Take the star out of the window
And let my conscience take a rest

Propellerheads

Take California

Popellerheads were an electronic music duo from England, active from 1995-2003. This is a single released in 1996 and it's on their album "Decksanddrumsandrockandroll" released in 1997. Apparently, this was the first song ever used in an iPod TV ad.

The voices we hear are samples, including recordings of Mrs. Lady Bird Johnson and an interview with Vice President Richard M. Nixon. According to speculation on the internet, the main sample "Take California" is Nixon's voice. (Early in his political career Nixon was a Senator from California.) A man asks him if they can keep a memento of Nixon's visit and Tricky Dick tells him to "Take California." I doubt that this conversation really happened. It's most likely the result of creative editing.

"[Record Scratch]
Begin to eat the dust, the dust, eat the, the dust, the dust of, dust of, the dust of, Baja California

It's a great pleasure
It's a great, great pleasure
It's a great pleasure to have all of you here today
But I thought you all might begin your tour here

Senator welcome to our microphones
Is there anything of yours that we can keep as a memento of this visit?
Take California

Take California
Take California
Take California
Take California

Take California
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright
That's alright"

Chuck Prophet

Temple Beautiful (the song and the complete album)

Chuck Prophet released "Temple Beautiful," a song and an album of rocking guitar-based songs, in early 2012. The album is described on his web site as "...untimately an open love letter to San Francisco..." There are many references to people and places in S.F. history.

Temple Beautiful was a Jewish temple in San Francisco that was converted into a punk rock club in the late '70s or maybe early '80s. It was located next to the iconic Fillmore West and the infamous Jim Jones church.

"There she stood right next to me at the
Temple Beautiful Someday, there's gonna be a revolution Till then, you need an eye on constitution
The lights came on it was a whole new world at the
Temple Beautiful
I got the kid but I lost the girl at the
Temple Beautiful

She got so excited
Manchester United
Her mind was dirty but her hands were clean at the
Temple Beautiful

Everybody doing criminal acts
Temple Beautiful
And now the future's here, but it feels like the past
Temple Beautiful
I don't remember what happened last
Temple Beautiful
Well we might've got high, we might've just left
Temple Beautiful

Someday this is all gonna be gone
Temple Beautiful"

PS1 (featuring Alex Hosking)

Fake Friends

PS1 is a New York dance music producer and Alex Hosking is an Australian singer-songwriter. This is a house dance track from 2020. People all over the world artificially enhance their smiles and bodies, but the West Coast (L.A.) always gets the blame, probably because it's associated with Hollywood actors.

"It's the middle of the night, what the f**k we gon' do?
It seems you're all talk, baby, all talk, ooh
I could smell the cigarette smoke falling from you
Got me alone, what the f**k we gon' do?

You hate those West Coast plastic, tinsel, botox, perfect smiles (umm hi)
You're a lonely wallflower, old school type of anti-style

Maybe we could be like the others, they know how to have fun
Maybe we could be like the others, they know how to have fun
Maybe we could be like the others, they know how to have fun
They know how to have fun, they know how to have fun...."

Psychedelic Forest

Lost Hills, California

This blast of psychedelia is from the EP "Water Clear As Day (But My Vision Isn't)" released in 2022. I don't know anything about the band except that when I Googled the name I saw lots of pictures of colorful trees. Lost Hills is just west of I-5 north of Buttonwillow, or so the signs say. Nobody really knows where they're hiding.

"California baby
Where'd you leave me?
Lost Hills aren't forgiving
Secret feelings are deceiving

California where'd you leave me?
Lost Hills don't believe in me

[?] is believing and
Lost Hills don't believe me
Baby don't you leave me
Baby don't you leave me

California where'd you leave me?
Lost Hills don't believe in me

Lost Hills don't believe me
Lost Hills don't believe me
Lost Hills don't believe me
Lost Hills don't believe me
Lost Hills don't believe me
Lost Hills don't believe me
Lost Hills don't believe me
Lost Hills don't believe me
Whoa whoa whoa...."

Public Enemy (featuing Ice Cube & Big Daddy Kane)

Public Enemy is Hip hop group from New York, active since 1985. Ice Cube is a rapper and actor from South Central L.A. active since 1986, and Big Daddy Kane is a rapper and actor from Brooklyn, active since 1987.This song is from their third studio album "Fear of a Black Planet" released in 1990.

"Burn Hollywood burn, I smell a riot
Goin' on first they're guilty now they're gone
Yeah I'll check out a movie
But it'll take a black one to move me
Get me the hell away from this TV
All this news and views are beneath me
'Cause all I hear about is shots ringin' out
So I rather kick some slang out
All right fellas let's go hand out
Hollywood or would they not
Make us all look bad like I know they had
But some things I'll never forget, yeah
So step and fetch this s**t
For all the years we looked like clowns
The joke is over smell the smoke from all around
Burn Hollywood burn

Ice Cube is down with the PE
Now every single b**ch wanna see me
Big Daddy is smooth word to muther
Let's check out a flick that exploits the color
Roamin' thru Hollywood late at night
Red and blue lights what a common sight
Pulled to the curb gettin' played like a sucker
Don't fight the power the motherf***er
As I walk the streets of Hollywood Boulevard
Thinin' how hard it was to those that starred
In the movies portrayin' the roles
Of butlers and maids slaves and hoes
Many intelligent black men seemed to look uncivilized
When on the screen like a guess
I figure you to play some jigaboo
On the plantation, what else can a ni**er do
And black women in this profession
As for playin' a lawyer, out of the question
For what they play Aunt Jemima is the perfect term
Even if now she got a perm
So let's make our own movies like Spike Lee
'Cause the roles being offered don't strike me
There's nothing that the black man could use to earn
Burn Hollywood burn"

Charlie Puth

Attention

Charlie Puth is an American singer and songwriter from New Jersey.
Released in 2017, this song is about a woman who seems to be a bit of a stalker. The singer claims she goes around to every party in L.A. because she knows that he'll be at one of them. In a city of at least 4 million people, that's a lot of parties if you consider all the birthday parties, pool parties, house parties, cocktail parties, weddings, bar mitzvah parties, Quinceañeras, etc. etc. I'm calling Fake News on this. But it's still a very infectious pop song with a great bass line.
If you like people who make music with their mouths, check out the great a cappella version of this song by Pentatonix.

"You've been runnin' round, runnin' round, runnin' round throwin' that dirt all on my name
'Cause you knew that I, knew that I, knew that I'd call you up
You've been going round, going round, going round every party in LA
'Cause you knew that I, knew that I, knew that I'd be at one

I know that dress is karma, perfume regret
You got me thinking 'bout when you were mine
And now I'm all up on ya, what you expect
But you're not coming home with me tonight

You just want attention
You don't want my heart
Maybe you just hate the thought of me with someone new
Yeah, you just want attention
I knew from the start
You're just making sure I'm never gettin' over you

You've been runnin' round, runnin' round, runnin' round throwing that dirt all on my name
'Cause you knew that I, knew that I, knew that I'd call you up
Baby, now that we're, now that we're, now that we're right here standing face to face
You already know, already know, already know that you won...."

Charlie Puth

L.A. Girls

Another song about California Girls - from Puth's 2018 album Voicenotes.

"Told you I'm moving out to bigger and better things
Guess you never know how good you got it 'til it's gone
Thought I could find somebody new who could take your place
The list goes on, and on, and on

There was Nikki, Nicole, Tiffany, and Heather
But there's only room for you in my world
But you say that I changed like the east coast weather
How the hell did I get caught up?
Messin' with these L.A. girls

I miss my baby
I'm missin' my baby L.A. girls)
I miss my baby
Messin' with these L.A. girls

I miss the days we'd take a Greyhound to NYC (NYC)
Wish I could have seen that it was perfect how it was
Listen, I don't want this to be the way you remember me
'Cause I know I was wrong, wrong

There was Nikki, Nicole, Tiffany, and Heather
But there's only room for you in my world
But you say that I changed like the east coast weather
How the hell did I get caught up?
Messin' with these L.A. girls

I miss my baby
I'm missin' my baby (L.A. girls)
I miss my baby
Messin' with these L.A. girls

I miss my baby
I'm missin' my baby (L.A. girls)
I miss my baby
Messin' with these L.A. girls

1, 2, 3
Talk to me like, ooh ooh ooh
Quit messin' with my baby
Oh ooh, ooh, ooh, yeah!
Ooh, ooh, oh oh
Ooh, ooh

There was Nikki, Nicole, Tiffany, and Heather
But there's only room for you in my world
But you say that I changed like the east coast weather
How the hell did I get caught up?

Messin' with these L.A. girls
I miss my baby
I'm missin' my baby (L.A. girls)
I miss my baby
Messin' with these L.A. girls ('m missing my baby!)"

Raff Pylon (featurning Snoop Dogg)

Christmas in California

Raff Pylon is a singer-songwriter-producer. This soulful Christmas song was released in 2020 during the dark days of the pandemic, which is why Snoop Dogg celebrates "no mask on, no social distance." A Latin version was released the next year with verses in Spanish and Portuguese, which you can see below.

"Baby it’s seven in the morning
I’ve never really seen the sun so bright in December
Silver bells by the palm trees yeah
And something ‘bout the music in the air makes me wonder if we could

Put a tree in the backseat, and drive with the top down
The only Santa we’ll see here is Monica baby
Got a taste of the sun yeah, and you’ve never looked so fine
I got a feeling we were meant to be here

On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California

Walking through the mall like we’re shopping on Rodeo
Don’t worry ‘bout the price tag, we gon’ be okay though
And I still remember days back when we used to window shop
And listen for the reindeer on the rooftop
Come on let’s

Put a tree in the backseat, and drive with the top down
The only Santa we’ll see here is Monica baby
Got a taste of the sun yeah, and you’ve never looked so fine
I got a feeling we were meant to be here

On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California

Me and you girl
Close on Christmas, no mask on
No social distance, toast with a glass
Post the pictures, playing Secret Santa
While I grant your wishes
California love got us hugging and kissing under the mistletoe
Relax by the fire smoking medicinal
Real love since the 80s, love’s crazy
Now we’re wrapping gifts for the kids and grand-babies

Star on top of the Christmas tree
All my love like the sand and the sea
I’m so happy you’re here with me
We’re California dreaming (Yeah)

Star on top of the Christmas tree
All my love like the sand and the sea
I’m so happy you’re here with me
We’re California dreaming

On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California

Star on top of the Christmas tree
All my love like the sand and the sea
I’m so happy you’re here with me
We’re California dreaming

Star on top of the Christmas tree
All my love like the sand and the sea
I’m so happy you’re here with me
We’re California dreaming
California love
California dreaming"

Raff Pylon, Afro Bros & Leo Santana (featuring Snoop Dogg & DioBula)

Christmas in California (Latin Version)

This Latin version of the song with a few verses in Spanish and Portuguese was released in 2021.

"Baby it’s seven in the morning
I’ve never really seen the sun so bright in December
Silver bells by the palm trees yeah
And something ‘bout the music in the air makes me wonder if we could

Put a tree in the backseat, and drive with the top down
The only Santa we’ll see here is Monica baby
Got a taste of the sun yeah, and you’ve never looked so fine
I got a feeling we were meant to be here

On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California

Quisiera lleva a un lado donde lo amargo lo quita el ponche
Hookah telera y romo coquito grande que vino de ponse
Tamo afuera el brindis con la banquera desde afuera
Llegan en aviones buscando de ella
Aquî la gente por mas problemas que tienen tan sonrientes
Navidad esta en aire y eso se siente evidente
Colmadones escuchando a Jhonny y conciente yah

Clima de natal no verao mai'bro noel alta estacao
I love you Brazil o mundo me adoro
Mas se me chamar
Vou pra California

Vamos brindar que
Ta bom ta bom
Tem de presente aumento o som
A felicidade nao escolhe idioma
Se juntar o mundo soma

On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California

Me and you girl
Close on Christmas, no mask on
No social distance, toast with a glass
Post the pictures, playing Secret Santa
While I grant your wishes
California love got us hugging and kissing under the mistletoe
Relax by the fire smoking medicinal
Real love since the 80s, love’s crazy
Now we’re wrapping gifts for the kids and grand-babies

Star on top of the Christmas tree
All my love like the sand and the sea
I’m so happy you’re here with me
We’re California dreaming (Yeah)

Star on top of the Christmas tree
All my love like the sand and the sea
I’m so happy you’re here with me
We’re California dreaming

On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California
On this Christmas in California

Star on top of the Christmas tree
All my love like the sand and the sea
I’m so happy you’re here with me
We’re California dreaming

Star on top of the Christmas tree
All my love like the sand and the sea
I’m so happy you’re here with me
We’re California dreaming
California love
California dreaming"

I would like to take it to a side where the bitterness is washed away by the punch
Hookah telera and blunt large coquito that came from ponse
I toast outside with the banker from outside
They arrive in planes looking for her
Here the people for more problems that they have so smiling
Christmas is in the air and that feels evident
Colmadones listening to Jhonny and conscious yah

Christmas weather in summer mai'bro noel high season
I love you Brazil the world loves me
But if you call me
I'm going to California

Let's toast that
Okay okay
Has a present increase in sound
Happiness does not choose language
Join the sum world

Q-Feel

Dancing in Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop)

This new wave classic is the only hit from the British synthpop group from their only album also titled Q-Feel, released in 1982, but I think it's one of the best New Wave dance songs ever. The singer says he'll be the first to dance the Bossa Nova ten thousand miles above L.A., and that is close enough to California to be put on this list, which has shamefully minimal presequisites for inclusion.

"Are you ready? Here we go!

Slow, slow. Quick-quick, slow.

Countdown it's getting near to flight time
Night stars are shining in my eyes
Ma' says I'm going to be the first one
To dance the be-bop in the skies!

Dancing in heaven, I never thought
I'd ever get my feet this far (orbital be-bop)

I'll be the first to Bossa Nova
Ten thousand miles above L.A.!
Boogie my way beyond the radar
I'll bring a jive to outer space!

Hey! Here I am!
I hear the universe sing the celestial swing
I am not alone, are you receiving me clear?
There's others out here!"

Quasi

Quasi is an indie rock from Portland band. This song was released in 1998. The depressed tour guide singer of the song thinks panhandlers should be kicked.

"Life is full life is grey:
At its best it's just OK.
But I'm happy to report
Life is also short.

So I find myself back in California
I'm a coolie for the tourists
Those happy Epicureans:
Evil spectres from my own
Suburban upbring.
As I reveal points of interest
I can chat so pleasantly,
But it's hard to be cheerful
When you feel so hopeless
And there's no reason for this dark mood.
It will pass; it will return, but will I ever learn?

And the children of privilege
Begging for my spare change.
Do they need my assistance
To purchase their intoxicants,
Or would they best be served a swift kick
Slowly sinking in the vast ambivalent sea
Of California."

Quicksilver Messenger Service

Fresh Air

Quicksilver Messenger Service is a psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. This song was their most successful single, from their fourth album "Just For Love" released in 1970. I don't think they're really singing about having a "hit" of air, since the songwriter Dino Valenti was put in prison for possession of taking too many "hits" of marijuana (yeah, they used to put you in prison for that) but I still think of this as an anthem for the great California outdoors - as long as you're out of the smog zone and it's not wildfire season....

"Wo-oh-oh, what you do to me
Oh oh, what you do to me, little girl
Oo-oo-oo-oo, have another hit of sweet air (in the morning)
Oo-oo-oo-oo, have another hit

I want to know where you going
I want to know, sweet mama, where you gonna go, yeah?
Oo-oo-oo-oo, have another hit of fresh air
Oo-oo-oo-oo, have another hit

Oh, baby, what you gonna do?
I what to know, honey, what you gonna do, sweet thing?
Oo-oo-oo-oo, have another hit of sweet love (in the morning)
Oo-oo-oo-oo, have another hit

I love you, yes I do, babe
I love you, God knows I do, sweet thing
Oo-oo-oo-oo, have another hit of sweet California sunshine
Oo-oo-oo-oo, have another hit

Oo-oo-oo, Oo-oo-oo

Take me home, take me home
Take me home with you
Take me home
I wanna go home with you, little girl
Oo-oo-oo-oo, have another hit of fresh air
Oo-oo-oo-oo, have another hit"

RAC

405

RAC is the remix collective solo project of Portuguese-American musician and producer Andre Anjos, active since 2013 and based in Portland, Oregon. This light electro-pop dance track is from RAC's 2014 debut album "Strangers" and features vocals by Portland Claire L. Evans from the Portland-based dance pop band YACHT. The 405 is a freeway near the coast in Los Angeles in Orange Counties.

"Do do-do-do
Do do-do-do
Let's go for a ride
Do do-do-do
Do do-do-do
Let's go for a ride

Let's drive out to the west side you and me
It's a long trip but the crest rides into the sea
The city it seems meaningless and vague
But I'm giddy and I'm feeling it just like a wave

Do do-do-do
Do do-do-do
Let's go for a ride
Do do-do-do
Do do-do-do
Let's go for a ride

The GPS will tell us we've arrived
But all I want to do today is drive, drive, drive
Down Beverly, down Sunset to the end
Down Venice, down Sepulveda, down Mulholland

They say the smog makes the sunsets look the way they do
Like the sun is getting undressed right before the moon
(I don't give a damn, I don't give a damn, I don't give a damn about the 405)
They say the smog makes the sunsets look the way they do
(I don't give a damn, I don't give a damn, I don't give a damn about the 405)
Like the sun is getting undressed right before the moon

(I don't give a damn) do do-do-do
(I don't give a damn) do do-do-do
(I don't give a damn about the)
405
(I don't give a damn) do do-do-do
(I don't give a damn) do do-do-do
(I don't give a damn about the)
405

This town is like an animal curled up at our feet
It's full of intangibles and friends I've yet to meet
From up here on the canyon, all the cars
On the freeway through the city flow like veins of stars

Do do-do-do
Do do-do-do
Let's go for a ride
Do do-do-do
Do do-do-do
Let's go for a ride

They say the smog makes the sunsets look the way they do
Like the sun is getting undressed right before the moon
(I don't give a damn, I don't give a damn, I don't give a damn about the 405)
They say the smog makes the sunsets look the way they do
(I don't give a damn, I don't give a damn, I don't give a damn about the 405)
Like the sun is getting undressed right before the moon

I don't give a damn
I don't give a damn
I don't give a damn about the 405
I don't give a damn
I don't give a damn
I don't give a damn about the 405

Do do-do-do
Do do-do-do
Let's go for a ride
Do do-do-do
Do do-do-do
Let's go for a ride"

RADA

Payme

This short bouncy electronic dance track was released in early 2024, but I don't know much about RADA. Music publication The Fader put this song at number ten in their 50 best songs of 2024 list, describing RADA as a "London-based "Swag&B" singer..." saying that she put the track together quickly with producer Endeavour, who also made a remix of it.

"If you want that new s**t, better pay me for it
If you want that new s**t, better pay me for it
If you want that new s**t, better pay me for it
Better pay me for it, better pay me for it

If you got sumn’ for me, better be more money
Got no time for a broke bi**h, you can't get nun’ from me
Meet me down in L.A., my new ni**ga's from L.A.
If you want that new s**t, (totally) play me

If you want that new s**t, better pay me for it
(If you wanna, if you wanna)
If you want that new s**t, better pay me for it
(Better pay me for it)
If you want that new s**t, better pay me for it
(If you wanna, if you wanna)
Better pay me for it, better pay me for it
(Better pay me for it)

If you want that new s**t
(Everytime I walk in the room)
If you want that new s**t
(Tell me they're all lookin' at you)
If you want that new s**t
(Everytime I walk in the room)
Better pay me for it, better pay me for it

Baby, come closer
Baby, come closer

Oh s**t, I'm poppin
They play my music 'cause I'm it
Go get your shawty she's tweakin'
You know we like to get geeky
Yeah, over here we get freaky
I'm on the table I’m leanin’
We poppin' bottles I feel sick
Pop-poppin' bottles I feel sick

If you got sumn’ for me, better be more money
Got no time for a broke bi**h, you can't get nun’ from me
Meet me down in L.A., my new ni**a's from L.A.
If you want that new s**t, (totally) play me

If you want that new s**t, better pay me for it
(If you wanna, if you wanna)
If you want that new s**t, better pay me for it
(Better pay me for it)
If you want that new s**t, better pay me for it
(If you wanna, if you wanna)
Better pay me for it, better pay me for it
(Better pay me for it)"

The Radiators

Nancy Can't Dance

The Radiators are a pub rock band from Australia, formed in 1978. This song is from their debut album "Feel the Heat" released in 1980, when disco was still a big deal, despite the racist and homophobic "disco sucks" movement which led to Disco Demolition Night at Major League Baseball's Comiskey Park in Chicago in 1979 where theyt blew up a crate of disco records and destroyed the playing field.

"...There sits Nancy drinking in the corner
Sitting this one out because the music bores her
She can hardly wait for the band to stop playin'
When the DJs on and her hips are swayin'

She's looking really cool, Nancy knows every step
It comes so naturally, for one of the jet set
She don't like Rock 'n' Roll, cos Rock 'n' Roll ain't hip
She too much into that music trip

Nancy can't dance if the beat ain't disco
Learned all the steps in San Francisco
Nancy can't dance if the music ain't disco

Every record she owns has a techno beat
Always hanging round where the techno crowd meets
Boyfriend's rich and his name is Mike
He's a John Travolta look-alike (Spew)

Nancy can't dance if the beat ain't disco
Learned all the steps in San Francisco
Nancy can't dance if the music ain't disco
Ain't disco. It's a discord (Aww s**t)...."

Radical Something

Marriage Made in Hollywood

Radical Something is a trio formed in 2011. Two members met at UC Berkeley. This upbeat reggae indie pop song is from their debut album "We Are Nothing" released in 2011.

"How do I get out of here
Back to where I belong
California, California
Baby I'm coming home

I need some fun vibes and a couple drops of sunshine
Good enough to pick and choose the always over sometimes
Pour a little out we like to live a lot
And I make better decisions when I'm hot
We are chasing dreams for my scenes at my hangout spot
No plan for tonight
But we all stay locked
Writin' nice grin, uh uhhh
No thunder or lightning
Just a view of the ocean
And the sexy ass light skin girl
I'm going back
I'm going back
And I'm headed for my paradise
My paradise where I can sit and write songs
Eat a little food and we can share our lives
California got me thinking I should really take it easy
Out back with my crew and some girls if you need me
So when I say welcome home
You ask what do I mean
I mean you visit and you never wanna leave
Come find me

How do I get out of here
Back to where I belong
California, California
Baby I'm coming home

It's so sweet so sweet Californ-i-a
Where the fruits all fall from my family tree
I need my skateboard a drink and a long stretch of pavement
Pickin' up my pace and I'm back to the basics
Yeah, and travel well of my element
Gone for a second and every time I leave
You know I'm always second guessing it
Thinking I'll regret it
But you know I'm coming back in the end
And I've accepted it
Yeah I'm feelin' feelin' all feelin' all feelin' all feelin' all golden
We're skatin' on the sidewalk
And you can hear us all hear us all hear us all hear us all rollin'
It's so damn hot outside and missed flights are the only thing that's stoppin' me from tryin' to kick it tropically
Cuz out here we don't just own the sun, us California kids got a monopoly
Let’s go come on

How do I get out of here
Back to where I belong
California, California
Baby I'm coming home

I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Cause I've been gone for way too long
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Cause I've been gone for way too long
And these Cali girls Cali girls Cali girls Cali girls
Are all just so damn fine
And these Cali girls Cali girls Cali girls Cali girls
Running through my mi-ind
And these Cali girls Cali girls Cali girls Cali girls
Are all just so damn fine
And these Cali girls Cali girls Cali girls Cali girls
Running through my mi-i-i-ind yea"

Radical Something

California Pt. 2

This song is from the album "Summer of Rad 2.0" released in 2015

"Catch my wave
Feel it vibrate
I’ma lay you down with my boom box babe
Now turn up the bass
Drink ya' drink drink
I’ma lay you down with my boom box babe
California
California
Where I belong

Mendocino eating Pecorino
Sippin’ vino with Dan Marino
In my speedo with a Desert Eagle
Holla like where did he go, where did he go
Got love for Los Angeles
Even though the people so scandalous
Hood mansion tip Richard Branson slick
California kings

Catch my wave
Feel it vibrate
I’ma lay you down with my boom box babe
Now turn up the bass
Drink ya' drink drink
I’ma lay you down with my boom box babe
California
California
Where I belong

Ayo that’s where I’m from
I pop the VHS and watch Top Gun
All day everyday you know I got love
I fly no lie Runyon I run
In the Valley I can hold you down
Hit The Peasant then I got the rounds
Get down with Dustin cause he got the Crown
Live so deep cause I don’t wanna be found, oh yeah

Catch my wave
Feel it vibrate
I’ma lay you down with my boom box babe
Now turn up the bass
Drink ya' drink drink
I’ma lay you down with my boom box babe
California
California
Where I belong

Energized rabbit
Creature of calm habit
Any given day just relaxin’
Eyeballs wrapped in plastic lifestyle nautical
Bathtub full of bikinis and sand particles
Sip a drink that just hit the gym
So its stronger than you think it is
A song like this you could put it in a time capsule
Millenniums later it’d still be radical...."

Radical Something

Cali Get Down

This song is a single released in 2014.

"Cali get down like this
Come and get down like that
Cali

We’re crawling up the streets
And rollin’ through your town, its electric
Bending every corner but I’m feelin’ disconnected
Because I’m young, dumb, and loaded like a shot gun
She coastin’ up on a Santa Cruz long one
Rollin’ it up and smokin’ it all
She turned around and goes
'Where you from?'

Left coast, best coast, did I stutter?
West coast that’s my bread and butter
Rad Fam hot damn on the come-up
Everybody be like 'What up motherf**ker!?”'

She looks like she’s from California
She dance with two left feet and do the hipster polka
Funny lookin’ shake a leg, bunny hoppin’
Maybe we look stupid but it's fine
She looks like she’s from California
Cali get down like this
Cali get down like this

Nah she ain’t done yet, she slappin’ down Sunset
She so cold like Frisco, she OG like disco
She rock them Vans ‘til the day that she die
I’m In'N'Out we gettin saucy got that Animal Style

So where you from?
Yeah, where tropical is typical
We’ll put you on!
To some gnarly individuals
Yo, you don’t know what you’re missin’ one flight from good living
Quit your job or call in sick and you can take a visit to the

Left coast, best coast, did I stutter?
West coast that’s my bread and butter
Rad Fam hot damn on the come-up
Everybody be like .What up motherfu**ker!?.

She looks like she’s from California
She dance with two left feet and do the hipster polka
Funny lookin’ shake a leg, bunny hoppin’
Maybe we look stupid but it's fine
She looks like she’s from California
Cali get down like this
(Cali get down)
Cali get down like this
(Cali get down)

Cali get down like this
Cali get down like that
(Hop a flight I’ll bring you home)
Cali get down like this
Cali get down like that
Cali get down like this...."

Radiohead

Palo Alto

Radiohead is the award-winning Hall of Fame English rock band that killed upbeat '90s Britpop and made us all listen to sad, atmospheric, dystopian British rock with the release of their 1997 masterpiece "OK Computer." Not that that was a bad thing. This is from the band's 1998 EP "Airbag/How Am I Driving?"

"In a city of the future
It is difficult to concentrate
Meet the boss, meet the wife
Everybody's happy
Everyone is made for life

In a city of the future
It is difficult to find a space
I'm too busy to see you
You're too busy to wait

But I'm okay, how are you?
Thanks for asking, thanks for asking
But I'm okay, how are you?
I hope you're okay too

Give me one of those days
When the sky's California blue
With a beautiful bombshell
I throw myself into my work
I'm too lazy, I've been kidding myself for so long

I'm okay, how are you?
Thanks for asking, thanks for asking
But I'm okay, how are you?
I hope you're okay too."

Rage Against the Machine

Down Rodeo

Rage Against the Machine is a rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1991, known for their political songs, including this one about race and class in L.A. not long after the Rodney King riots of 1992. The song is from their second album "Evil Empire" released in 1996. "Rodeo" is Rodeo Drive, the famous street in the upscale shopping district in Beverly Hills, where, due to the color of his skin, the singer felt he needed to defend himself with a shotgun as he drives down Rodeo.

"Yeah I'm rollin' down Rodeo wit a shotgun
These people ain't seen a brown skin man
Since their grandparents bought one

So now I'm rollin' down Rodeo wit a shotgun
These people ain't seen a brown skin man
Since their grandparents bought one

So now I'm rollin' down Rodeo wit a shotgun

Bangin' this bolo tight on this solo flight can't fight alone
F**k tha track my verbs fly like tha family stone
The pen devils set that stage for tha war at home
Locked wit out a wage ya standin' in tha drop zone
The clockers born starin' at an empty plate
Momma's torn hands cover her sunken face
We hungry but them belly full
The structure is set ya neva change it with a ballot pull
In tha ruins there's a network for tha toxic rock
School yard ta precinct, suburb ta project block
Bosses broke south for new flesh and a factory floor
The remains left chained to the powder war

Can't waste a day when the night brings a hearse
So make a move and plead the fifth 'cause ya can't plead the first
Can't waste a day when the night brings a hearse
So now I'm rollin' down Rodeo wit a shotgun
These people ain't seen a brown skin man
Since their grandparents bought one

Yes I'm rollin' down Rodeo wit a shotgun
These people ain't seen a brown skin man
Since their grandparents bought one
So now I'm rollin' down Rodeo wit a shotgun

Bare witness to tha sickest shot while suckas get romantic
They ain't gonna send us campin' like they did my man Fred Hampton
Still we lampin' still clockin' dirt for our sweat
A ballots dead so a bullet's what I get
A thousand years they had tha tools
We should be takin' 'em
F**k tha G-ride I want the machines that are makin' em
Our target straight wit a room full of armed pawn to
Off tha kings out tha west side at dawn

... ... ... ...

The rungs torn from the ladder can't reach the tumor
One god, one market, one truth, one consumer

Just a quiet peaceful dance!
Just a quiet peaceful dance!
Just a quiet peaceful dance!
Just a quiet peaceful dance!
Just a quiet peaceful dance for the things we'll never have
Just a quiet peaceful dance for the things we don't have"

Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt is a multiple-Grammy-Award-winning singer-songrwriter and guitar hero born in California and raised in New York who has been doing it since 1971. This song probably shouldn't be on this list, because the "Hollywood" in the lyrics refers to the entertainment industry and not the city, but I'm glad to have something of hers on this list. It's from her 2012 album "Slipstream."

"Jimmy's not a high concept guy
But he's front page news, let me tell you why
He's on the cover of the New York Post
Every network, coast to coast
All he needed was a hot night in June
'Cause he had the needle and he had the spoon
When he spiked it bit, and man, he flew
Into America's living room

We all love tragedy and it loves us too
It's a marriage made in Hollywood
Between greed and you
All you need to be a star is to die in open view
It's a marriage made in Hollywood
Between greed and you
Between greed and you
Between greed and you

Loved by women, admired by men
He walked down Broadway with his best friend
His brain was wired like a light in a socket
With his old friend in his back pocket
That horse could kick, that horse could scream
Ride you outta here into a different scene
Unrequited love and that makes it fair
But who keeps score when you're in mid-air?

We all love tragedy, it loves us too
It's a marriage made in Hollywood
Between greed and you
All you need to be a star is to die in open view
It's a marriage made in Hollywood
Between greed and you
Between greed and you
Between greed and you

Like a free-fall chute that didn't open
He looked down to see his dream was broken
He stared back up at a hot grey sky
Reran his life and then he died
Well if you jump off a building, brother beware!
'Cause my friend Jimmy woke up mid-air
No time to smile, no time to wave
They buried him in a media grave

We all love tragedy, it loves us too
It's a marriage made in Hollywood
Between greed and you
And all you need to be a star is to die in open view
It's a marriage made in Hollywood
Between greed and you
Between greed and you
Between greed and you"

Rascall Flats

She'd Be California

Rascall Flats is a country band from Ohio. This song, released in 2009, has a tanned blonde in a red convertible who embodies they stereotypical California girl even though she's not.

"She got the long blonde hair
Got the red sports car
And you know she's got the
Top laid back
She got the movie star smile
Got the sun-kissed tan
Santa Barbara in summer
Yeah, she feels like that

Hey she's like a canyon drive
In a midnight sky
Those eyes are deep enough
To get lost
Her legs are palm tree tall
The way she walks
Like the heat on a runway
When the cameras go off

She's small town from the country
She ain't big time but she could be

Hey, Hollywood never looked this good
Bright as the big screen burns
Hey, I bet drivin' down Sunset
They're lookin' for a face like hers
Yeah, I've been all around this world
And she'd be California
If California was a girl"

Ramones

Journey to the End of the East Bay

The Ramones was a punk rock band formed in 1974 in New York City that is considered the first band to define the punk rock sound. It's hard to imagine how radical they sounded in the mid 70s because their sound is so commonplace today. Many established rock music fans back then hated them because they couldn't play more than 3 chords but the Ramones also inspired thousands of others to pick up instruments and start a band, in the do-it-yourself spirit the punk movement inspired. It took many years, but eventually they have become considered one of the greatest bands of all time. This song is a great cover of the 1964 Rivieras classic described below, from Ramones second album "Leave Home" released in 1977.

Ramones

Judy is a Punk

This is from Ramones first album "Ramones" released in 1976. The SLA was the "Symbionese Liberation Army," a radical California group that committed bank robberies and murders, and is best known for kidnapping Patricia Hearst in Berkeley in 1974.

"Jackie is a punk
Judy is a runt
They both went down to Berlin, joined the Ice Capades
And oh, I don't know why
Oh, I don't know why
Perhaps they'll die, oh yeah
Perhaps they'll die, oh yeah
Perhaps they'll die, oh yeah
Perhaps they'll die, oh yeah
... ... ...
Jackie is a punk
Judy is a runt
They both went down to Frisco, joined the SLA
And oh, I don't know why
Oh, I don't know why
Perhaps they'll die, oh yeah
Perhaps they'll die, oh yeah
Perhaps they'll die, oh yeah
Perhaps they'll die, oh yeah"

Rancid

Brad Logan

Rancid is a punk band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1991. This is from the "Chef Aid: The South Park Album" released in 1998.

"California sun has sunk
Behind the Anaheim Hills, here comes tonight
I was high on junk
And the warm winds of Santa Ana feel alright

Will every crimmin hood making bargain with the world
She's all obsessive when you shot through the curb
I spend my day in blackness
At night I get my vision
Dodging cars, paranoid indecision

'Cause it's wild
Well it's wild
Wild, wild, wild

California sun has sunk
Behind the Anaheim Hills, here comes tonight
I was high on junk
And the warm winds of Santa Ana feel alright

I get disgruntled, outside opinions
I'm no longer respected in this new transition
I put into a fact, my long time standard
Disastrous living, disastrous living!

'Cause it's wild
'Cause it's wild
Wild, wild, wild

California sun has sunk
Behind the Anaheim Hills, here comes tonight
I was high on junk
And the warm winds of Santa Ana feel alright...."

Rancid

This is from the album "...And Out Come the Wolves" released in 1995.

"Reconcile to the relief
Consumed in sacred ground for me
There wasn't always a place to go
But there was always an urgent need to belong

All these bands and
All these people
All these friends and
We were equals but
What you gonna do
When everybody goes on without you?

To the end to the end I'll journey to the end

Started in '87 ended in '89
Got a garage or an amp we'll play anytime
It was just the four of us, yeah man the core of us
Too much attention unavoidably destroyed us
Four kids on tour, 3000 miles in a four-door car not knowing what was goin' on
We got a million years
Touring out like this hell
No, no premonition could've seen this

Matty came from far away
From New Orleans into the East Bay
He said this is a mecca
I said this ain't no mecca man, this place's f**ked
Three months go by, he had no home he had no food, he's all alone
Matty said fool me once shame on you, didn't fool me twice
He went back to New Orleans"

Rancid

Telegraph Avenue

This song is from Rancid's ninth studio album "Trouble Maker" released in 2017. Telegraph Avenue stretches several miles from the main entrance to the U.C. Berkeley campus south into Oaklandl. It has been the center of many protests, including the Free Speech protest in 1964, led my Mario Savio, as well as the People's Park riots in 1969, when Ronald Reagan was governor of the state.

"I was there in the rain
Man, even if them skies were blue
You can find me on the corner of Durant
And Telegraph Avenue

When I was only 17
I knew what I had to do
So I grabbed my left handed guitar
And I headed out to Telegraph Avenue

Na na na na na, na na na na na na, na na
Na na na na na, na na na na na na, na na
Oh yeah

Mario Savio gave a speech
It was him against The Machine
For that he spent 3 months in jail
But he said he'd do it again

Governor Reagan had enough
So the National Guard they pushed on through
Tear gas and riot police
On Telegraph Avenue

Na na na na na, na na na na na na, na na
Na na na na na, na na na na na na, na na
Oh yeah

The ones who stand for freedom of speech
Well this one goes out to you
Well I can still hear your voice
On Telegraph Avenue

Na na na na na, na na na na na na, na na
Na na na na na, na na na na na na, na na
Oh yeah"

Rappin' 4-Tay

Playaz Club

Rappin' 4-Tay is Anthony H. Forté, a rapper from San Francisco's Fillmore District, active since 1988. This smooth G-funk/West Coast Hip-hop track is from his second album "Don't Fight the Feelin'" released in 1994. It's a classic West Coast hip-hop song that has been featured on several compilations. It's full of mentions of places in San Francisco, but it also name checks a few other places in the Golden State.

"Me and my homies, we're tighter than a glove
We chop a lot of game, that's how we do it at the Playaz Club
So jump the pool, or kick it in the tub
'Cause we keep much ass at the Playaz Club

I got a ho named Reel-To-Reel
She got a buddy named SP-12, now you know the deal
We gets freaky in the studio late-night
That's why the beats that you hear are comin' real tight
Something to roll to, something to stroll to
If you's a player in the game this'll hold you
More money, more money for the bank roll
Stick to the script, don't slip in the '94
A lot of fools put the salt in the game
To where these women get the notion that they runnin' the game
Huh, I run my own, and I'm my own self-person
No respect make the situation worsen
Fillmore, H.P., and Sunnydale
There's a Playaz Club everywhere you dwell
Lakeview, P.H., and Army Street
A different part of town, a different kind of freak
I just wiggle my toes on a mink rug
And press play on remote at the Playaz Club

Me and my homies, we're tighter than a glove
We chop a lot of game, that's how we do it at the Playaz Club
So jump the pool, or kick it in the tub
'Cause we keep much ass at the Playaz Club
(More champagne, Mr. 4-Tay?)

From day one I had to get my money right
Me, Fly, and Frankie J, we took an airplane flight
Huh, they wanted to hear a rap, I said 'Alright, bet'
We dropped a beat, I grabbed the mic, and then they wrote a check
A few G's for the pocket, no hesitation
Took a flight back to the Golden State, and
Shops made orders from a whole new capital
The word was gettin' out, 4-Tay's out-rappable
Don't need a Glock, but I bought one just in case
A sucka try to stop me from pursuing my paper chase
Know the chase is on, because it don't stop
I got the beat and got the rap, you make the Glock pop
So treacherous suckas couldn't sweat this on a bad day
By the way, just in case you never heard of Rappin' 4-Tay
I'm on the smooth tip
Never trippin' on them suckas poppin' off at the lip
I pop the top off the drank and we can roll some dank, bro
Leave the gat at the house, bring some dominoes
Kick off your shoes, relax, and get a body rub
And shoot your mackin' at these women at the Playaz Club

Me and my homies, we're tighter than a glove
We chop a lot of game, that's how we do it at the Playaz Club
So jump the pool, or kick it in the tub
'Cause we keep much ass at the Playaz Club

You can't resist it, but don't get it twisted
VIP, that means the number's not listed
Membership is based on clout
And how you carry yourself; now homie, what you all about?
I stack paper and kick it with the O.G.'s
Some got a nine-to-five, some jook a lot of keys
You can learn a whole lot from a playa
A lot of these playas make a damn good rhyme-sayer
A lot of people get a misconception
And start drifting in the wrong direction
Miss Goody Two-Shoe, I'll see you later
I ain't got time, you ain't nothing but a playa-hater
I'd rather kick it with the crew in Arizona
They chop game like we do in California
Another show, another flow, a new bank account
But cash money comes in large amounts
So get your membership, but never slip to lameness fast
Or else Fly will have to tap that ass
And drop you to the ground, and make your knees scrub
It's just an everyday thang at the Playaz Club

Me and my homies, we're tighter than a glove
We chop a lot of game, that's how we do it in the Playaz Club
So jump the pool, or kick it in the tub
'Cause we keep much ass at the Playaz Club
Me and my homies, we're tighter than a glove
We chop a lot of game, that's how we do it at the Playaz Club
So jump the pool, or kick it in the tub
'Cause we keep much ass at the Sucka-free Club

Yeah, I'd like to send this shout out
To all the Playaz Clubs throughout the world
I know they got a Playaz Club in Chicago
Huh, what about that one they got in Philly, Fo'?
You know they got one out there in Atlanta
The way they be choppin' it
You understand, s**t; Detroit, New York, Texas
Yeah, but we gonna move on down to these Playaz Clubs
Closer to home, like Seattle, L.A., Bakersfield, San Diego
P.A., V-Town, Richmond, Sacramento
Yeah, but a special shout goes out to the Playaz Club
Right across the water in the Biggity-Biggity-O
Yeah, and last but definitely not least, yeah
Them Playa Clubs they got right there in the
San Francisco mothaf***kin' bay, yeah
Where your Playaz Club at 4?
My Playaz Club right in the heart of Fillmo'e
Uh, I feel you boy
Where yours at Fly?
Man, on the corner of Third and Newcomb, right in the heart of HP
Hahahah, Huh
This is for all you playaz out there mayne
We out, at the Playaz Club"

Rarin

California Flexin'

Rarin is a musician from New York. This pop-rap song is from the album of the same name which was released in 2020. I'll spare you from looking up VVS like I had to - it's a very high quality diamond.

"California flexin’ got me chilling with the famous hoes
Right up in hillies, raining billies yeah I set the tone
Got a chain on my neck, yeah I’m flexed up
Living hot, like the flu, you don’t want smoke
Yeah and I’m back with the gang yuh
Skrt skrt in a foreign, shawty tanned up
I got white VVS on my hand yuh
Life’s a dream, hit the gas, live it faster

Aye, Ima do what I wish
This is my life, jump in pools with the click
Shawty scream my name on the roof of the whip
Rockstar living I’m a fool with this s**t
Ex call my phone I decline with it
My cup’s empty, pour the wine in it
Shawty throw it back, yeah she fine with it
Counting up my bands, Ima die with it
Now I gotta go and flex with my money now
Shawty eating all my checks, I ain’t running out
Got a ring on my thumb and my pinky now
Shawty likes Louis belts, yeah she checks it out

California flexin’ got me chilling with the famous hoes
Right up in hillies, raining billies, yeah I set the tone
Got a chain on my neck, yeah I’m flexed up
Living hot, like the flu, you don’t want smoke
Yeah and I’m back with gang yuh
Skrt skrt in a foreign, shawty tanned up
I got white VVS on my hand yuh
Life’s a dream, hit the gas, live it faster

California flexing flexing chilling with the famous hoes
Right up right up hillies, raining billies billies set the tone
Got a chain on my neck, yeah I’m flexed up
Living hot, like the flu, you don’t want smoke
Yeah and I’m back with the gang yuh
Skrt skrt in a foreign, shawty tanned up
I got white VVS on my hand yuh
Life’s a dream, hit the gas, live it faster"

Eddy Raven

Who Do You Know in California

Eddy Raven is the professional name of Edward Garvin Futch, a country music singer-songwriter from Louisiana, active since 1962. This was a hit single from his 1981 album "Desperate Dreams."

"Living with me isn't always easy
Bless her heart she tries
I put her through some crazy times
She always let it slide
But early this morning I could hear her
Banging on the pots and pans
Something had finally gotten to her
She's taken all that she could stand

She said, 'Who do you know in California'?
What's she doing calling here?
Some people got a lot of nerve
Some people just don't care
I don't understand what makes a man do
Some of the things you do
Who do you know in California?
What does she want with you?'

Hiding behind the morning paper
Hanging on to every word
Trying to find a real good answer
One that wasn't too absurd
To look in her eyes and tell her a lie
I don't know if I can
She knows just enough to know too much
Now it's about to hit the fan

She said, 'Who do you know in California?
What's she doing calling here?
Some people got a lot of nerve
Some people just don't care
I don't understand what makes a man do
Some of the things you do
Who do you know in California?
What does she want with you?'

'Tell me, who do you know in California?
What's she doing calling here?
Some people got a lot of nerve
Some people just don't care
I don't understand what makes a man do
Some of the things you do...' "

The Raveonettes

Ode to L.A.

The Raveonetts is a duo from Denmark. This 2005 release has a Phil Specter-ish girl group sound with the heartbeat drums, the wo ho ho's, and an almost mono mix. And as usual, the theme is let's go to L.A. for the fun and sunshine.

"Come on let's go to where it's fun
I want a slice of L.A. sun
Whoa ho ho ho
... ... ... ... ...
So come along and pay the price
This ain't New York this tasty slice
Whoa ho ho ho

Take a minute listen to this town
Don't you ever feel you have to come
Take a minute she won't let you down

See you excited in her arms
L.A. and all her crazy charms
Whoa ho ho oh"

Susan Raye

L.A. International Airport

This song was written by Leanne Scott and first recorded by David Frizzell in 1970. Susan Raye sang country music in Bakersfield with Buck Owens. Her version of this song became an international crossover pop hit in 1971.

"Standing in that silent hall waitin' for that final call
Says he doesn't love me anymore
Shaking hands I pack a bag, trembling voice I call a cab
Slowly I start walking to the door

Cab arrives he blows his horn, I stumble out in the early morn
Tell him of the place I've got to go
Hit a hundred signal lights, Peterbilts in a traffic fight
Gettin' through these doors has been so slow

L.A. International Airport
Where the big jet engines roar
L.A. International Airport
I won't see him anymore

A stewardess in a miniskirt, hippie in a leather shirt
Starlet on the way to Naples, Rome
While I'm wondering where it's at I see a Paris diplomat
College kids are trying to get back home

Baggage car goes quickly by, I see my case and I start to cry
Stumble to the lounge to be alone
While I'm trying to get some rest, bite my lips and try my best
To fight the pain that's making me leave home

L.A. International Airport
Where the big jet engines roar
L.A. International Airport
I won't see him anymore...."

Razorlight

Los Angeles Waltz

Razorlight is an English indie rock band active since 2002. This is from their second studio album "Razorlight" released in 2006. You could probably waltz to this, but you better have very fast feet.

"I've been sitting here patiently
I've been talking too myself
Trying to shake that sinking feeling
Wishing I was somebody else
And I know it's not easy
When you don't get what you deserve
You can say that you love me
But that's not what I've heard

Tonight in L.A.
Tonight in L.A.
Well it's got to be that way
Tonight in L.A.

Maybe I'll get right out of here
Go all the way back to Turnpike Lane
Find me a girl that can calm me right down
It's been such a fu**ed up year
But I know it's not easy
When you don't get what you deserve
You can say that you love me
But that's not what I've heard

Tonight in L.A.
Tonight in L.A.
Well it's got to be that way
Tonight in L.A.

Maybe I'll get myself together
Or fall to pieces and run back home
Get me a ticket for an airplane
I'm tired of been alone
I was on Mulholland Drive
With the radio on
They played Augustus Pablo
And the Kings of Leon
We say, we know it's not easy
When you don't get what you deserve
You can say that you love me
But that's not what I've heard

Tonight in L.A.
Tonight in L.A.
Well it's got to be that way
Tonight in L.A.

I think of you now we own each other
I think of you yeah we own each other
Own each other

Tonight in L.A.
Tonight in L.A.
Tonight in L.A.
Tonight in L.A.
Tonight in L.A.
Tonight in L.A.

Mars and the USA
[? Will fall on] the Milky Way
It's got to be that way
[? Kiss is] on Broadway
Home a million miles away, away, away

You met your match
Stars catch your eyes
You cried I bet
You've met your match
You burn like fire
Our higher love
You trust your man
You burn like fire
I steal I lie
I try to thrill
You built your love
You steal you lie
And love to steal
Like me you try
You cried I bet
You met your match"

Eddi Reader

True Men Don't Kill Coyotes

Eddi Reader is a singer-songwriter from Scotland, active since 1984. This upbeat folk rock song with slide guitar is from her fourth studio album "Angels & Electricity" released in 1998.

"Billy doesn't love me but he keeps good company
He only comes here when there's no one else to see
I don't mind if he comes around
I know the winter gets him down
Billy doesn't love me but he keeps good company

We can't afford a ticket but we can always dream
It looks so good you could almost kiss the screen
We've seen the blue, we've seen the smiles
We can get a map and count the miles
It looks so good you could almost kiss the screen

And when we get there
What will we find?

All the way to California
We'll go
All the way to California
Why don't you come with me
And I'll get you through January
In California
California

Why don't you come and lie down next to me
If you're feeling like a river lost in the deep blue sea
Under covers you're a child
We'll be there in a little while
Why don't you come and lie down next to me

And when we get there
What will we find?
Will we find something
We left behind?

All the way to California
We'll go
All the way to California
Why don't you come with me
And I'll get you through January
In California
California
California...."

The Rebelution

Santa Barbara

The Rebelution is a reggae rock band from the Isla Vista, home of U.C. Santa Barbara, active since 2004. This song is from their sixth studio album "Falling into Place" released in 2016.

"Met a wild-eyed girl in Santa Barbara
I can see, I can see where it all began
When the night was done, closed me eyes, then she left me with the sun
Met a wild-eyed girl in Santa Barbara
While she steps through the world, I just can't follow her
Even though I'm so low, so lonely here
'Cause all my maps are wrong, in the tide where she left me with a song
Met a wild-eyed girl in Santa Barbara

And I still dream about her
And I still dream about her

Every star in the sky in Santa Barbara
Tells the tale of a love that never ends
And I'll still wait for you, in the city where my every dream comes true
Met a wild-eyed girl in Santa Barbara

Oh, where'd she go?
Run away, my runaway lover
Oh, where'd she go?
Run away, my runaway lover
No, carry on
Carry on, but I wish that you'd come home
To Santa Barbara

And I still dream about her
And I still dream about her

Met a wild-eyed girl in Santa Barbara
I can see, I can see where it all began
When the night was done, closed my eyes, then she left me with the sun
Met a wild-eyed girl in Santa Barbara"

The Red Clay Strays

Wondering Why

According to their website, the Red Clay Strays are a band "Hailing from the red dirt clay of Mobile, Alabama." This slow-paced Americana love song is from their album "Moment of Truth" released in 2023. It only has one mention of California, but it's a good one.

"She comes from silver spoon, golden rule, private school, never miss Sunday Church
And I come from blue-collar, low-dollar, out here where concrete meets old red dirt
And I don't know what happened, but it sure don't add up on paper
But when I close my eyes late at night, you can bet I thank my maker

She keeps on loving me, loves me the way I am
She's not just along for the ride, she's my biggest fan
Lord, it's a little piece of Heaven when we lay down at night
She keeps on loving me and I keep on wondering why

She's got a wicked smile, angel eyes, every guy wanting to hold her close
She's as pretty as sin like the sun sinking down on the California coast

She keeps on loving me, loves me the way I am
She's not just along for the ride, she's my biggest fan
Lord, it's a little piece of Heaven when we lay down at night
She keeps on loving me and I keep on wondering why

And I don't know what happened, but it sure don't add up on paper
And as long as she lets me, I'll take her wherever she wants me to take her

She keeps on loving me, loves me the way I am
She's not just along for the ride, she's my biggest fan
And it's a little piece of Heaven when we lay down at night
She keeps on loving me and I keep on wondering why
She keeps on loving me and I keep on wondering why"

Brandon Redd

San Diego

Brandon Redd is a musical artist from Miami. This song was released in 2022.

"Speeding through San Diego in an M4
This type of high's the s**t that I live for
If we die tonight at least we had a good one, ha
Oh yeah we had a good one
On my way to Ocean Beach for some hot fun
Talking 'bout party favors and more shots
Hands on her waist 'cause I can't help her touch
I just can't get enough
... ... ...
Booked a flight to Cali from the 3-0-5
Six hours later and I finally arrived
Bad little mommy meet me there with a smile
The vibe always better when it's been little while
The tequila hit harder when you want to get wild
... ... ...
Views like this from cliffs in La Jolla
Sunset slow my heart beatin' for ya
Half past five I feel so alive
Praise most high my soul match my mind
... ... ...
Speeding through San Diego in an M4
This type of high's the s**t that I live for
If we die tonight at least we had a good one, ha
Oh yeah we had a good one
On my way to Ocean Beach for some hot fun
Talking 'bout party favors and more shots
Hands on her waist 'cause I can't help her touch
I just can't get enough...."

Red Elvises

Girl From Malibu

Red Elvises is a multi-genre band from Los Angeles, formed in 1995 by two Russian musicians. This song is from the album "Shake Your Pelvis" released in 2000. (There's also a song on the album titled "City of Angels" but it's not about Los Angeles, it's about Bangkok, which is also called the City of Angels.) The California girl may be from Malibu, but the song takes place in Santa Monica and Venice.

"I was sitting at the coffee house
Looking at the sunset
I saw her coming from a distance
She had a perfect silhouette

She came inside for just some salsa
She sat right next to me
I was a long way from Tulsa
I needed company

Girl from Malibu
I wanna be with you
I wanna wake up in the sun
On Ocean Avenue
Girl from Malibu
I wanna be with you
I wanna walk along the beach
And make sweet love to you

We ate at sushi place in Venice
We danced a salsa beat
We had a lot of Margaritas
The evening was complete

I took the plane back to Tulsa
In the morning sun
I heard the same beat of salsa
Malibu was fun

Girl from Malibu
I wanna be with you
I wanna wake up in the sun
On Ocean Avenue
Girl from Malibu
I wanna be with you
I wanna walk along the beach
And make sweet love to you

Girl from Malibu
I wanna be with you
I wanna wake up in the sun
On Ocean Avenue
Girl from Malibu
I wanna be with you
I wanna walk along the beach
And make sweet love to you"

Red Elvises

Venice, U.S.A.

This upbeat song with horns and a Eurofolk music feel is from their album "Lunatics & Poets" released in 2004.

"Sweat is dripping off my face, dreams are melting in the sun
I'm rolling down on PCH, Hare Krishna, here I come

Ocean looks like silver screen, you smile like fashion magazine
Showing off your pretty skin, full of lotion and sunscreen
Surfers look a little stoned, all dressed up in silicone
Talking bulls**t on their phones

She tells me that she tried it all, ménage à trois and fancy drugs
She is waiting tables all night long, she knows the friends of movie stars

Ocean looks like silver screen, you smile like fashion magazine
Showing off your pretty skin, full of lotion and sunscreen
Surfers look a little stoned, all dressed up in silicone
Talking bulls**it on their phones...."

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Around the World

Red Hot Chili Peppers is a rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982. This song is from the band's seventh studio album "Californication" released in 1999. It's Anthony Kiedis' celebration of the beauty of the world and its women, with a nod to The Beach Boys' "California Girls." The lyric sites on the web show that he sings "You say 'Hello' and then I say 'I do." but I think it's more likely that he's singing "I say 'Adieu' the French word for goodbye (which he pronounces like "ado" instead of "adyou.") If he is saying "I do" that means he's getting married, and I just don't see that happening to this traveling rock star. I could be wrong. The "ding dang dong" words at the end might sound like he's making fun of a foreign language, but he's known for using nonsense lyrics so I don't think so. Also, I read on Reddit, and I believe absolutely everything I read there :) that the ding dongs were filler for lyrics that weren't yet written. When they added the real lyrics to the recording, Flea's daughter missed the nonsense words so they put them back in.

"...All around the world, we could make time
Rompin' and a-stompin' 'cause I'm in my prime
Born in the north and sworn to entertain ya
'Cause I'm down for the state of Pennsylvania
I try not to whine, but I must warn ya
'Bout the motherf**kin' girls from California
Alabama baby said 'Hallelujah'
Good God, girl, I wish I knew ya

I know, I know for sure
That life is beautiful around the world
I know, I know it's you
You say 'Hello' and then I say 'Adieu'

Come back, baby, 'cause I'd like to say
I've been around the world, back from Bombay
Fox hole love, pie in your face
Living in and out of a big fat suitcase
Bonafide ride, step aside, Mike Johnson
Yes, I could, in the woods of Wisconsin
Wake up the cake, it's a lake she's kissin' me
As they do when they do in Sicily

I know, I know for sure
That life is beautiful around the world
I know, I know it's you
You say 'Hello' and then I say 'Adieu'

Where you want to go? Who you want to be?
What you want to do? Just come with me
Oh, I saw God and I saw the fountains
You and me, girl, sittin' in the Swiss mountains
Me, oh my, oh, me and guy o
Freer than a bird 'cause we're rocking Ohio
Around the world, I feel dutiful
Take a wife 'cause life is beautiful

I know, I know for sure
Ding, dang, dong, dong, deng, deng, dong, dong, ding, dang
I know, I know it's you
Ding, dang, dong, dong, deng, deng, dong, dong, ding, dang
Mother Russia, do not suffer, I know you're bold enough
I've been around the world and I have seen your love
I know, I know it's you
You say 'Hello' and then I say 'Adieu' "

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Californication

This is the title song from the album "Californication" released in 1999.

According to Wickipedia the word "Californication" first appeared in Time Magazine in 1966. It referred to the unchecked development of land in Southern California triggered by an influx of people from other states. Then the Californicated became the Californicators when the word became a xenophobic term referring to Californians moving to and ruining neighboring states. It was often seen in the 1970s on bumper stickers in Oregon and other western states on cars owned by people who didn't want their communities turned into sprawling overpriced California suburbs. But they lost that fight as the sprawl and the sky-high cost of housing eventually spread everywhere. (Sorry, Seattle.) "Californication" also became the obvious title of a comedy TV series about a California man who enjoys fornication. California xenophobia is still common and exhibited in various ways on cars owned by people who need to blame someone else for their own problems, including "Don't California My Arizona", "No Cal!", "Oregon is Full, Go Home!" and with lots of messages that use an image of the state inside the general prohibition sign of a red circle with a backlash through it. I also saw signs in Austin Texas that read: "We don't care how they do it in California!"

The J. Geils Band used the word fifteen years earlier in their 1984 song "Californicatin'" which is the first use in music I have found so far. In this song the word refers to a California cultural imperialism that is exported largely (back before the ascendance of social media) by the Hollywood entertainment industry, which somehow involves using plastic surgery to fight off aging, Chinese spies, Star Wars, earthquakes, war, pornography, fame, Curt Cobain, and unicorns. (Unicorns?) Who cares if the lyrics don't always make sense when the music's this good? And, of course, Californication can also be spread through songs about California, as this one demonstrates.

"Psychic spies from China try to steal your mind's elation
And little girls from Sweden dream of silver-screen quotation
And if you want these kind of dreams, it's Californication

It's the edge of the world and all of Western civilization
The sun may rise in the East, at least it settled in a final location
It's understood that Hollywood sells Californication

Pay your surgeon very well to break the spell of aging
Celebrity skin: is this your chin or is that war you're waging?

First born unicorn
Hardcore soft porn

Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication

Marry me, girl, be my fairy to the world, be my very own constellation
A teenage bride with a baby inside getting high on information
And buy me a star on the boulevard, it's Californication

Space may be the final frontier but it's made in a Hollywood basement
And Cobain, can you hear the spheres singing songs off Station to Station?
And Alderaan's not far away, it's Californication

Born and raised by those who praise control of population
Well, everybody's been there, and I don't mean no vacation

First born unicorn
Hardcore soft porn

Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication

Destruction leads to a very rough road but it also breeds creation
And earthquakes are to a girl's guitar, they're just another good vibration
And tidal waves couldn't save the world from Californication

Pay your surgeon very well to break the spell of aging
Sicker than the rest, there is no test, but this is what you're craving

First born unicorn
Hardcore soft porn

Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication"

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Dani California

This 2006 song isn't really about the state. It's about a poor southern girl named Dani California who robs banks and gets herself killed in North Dakota. But she's got a good name, and it's a good song, and that's good enough for this list. You can find a lot of covers of this song. There's a list of a few of them below the lyrics.

"Gettin' born in the state of Mississippi
Poppa was a copper and her momma was a hippie
In Alabama she was swinging hammer
Price you gotta pay when you break the panorama
She never knew that there was anything more than poor
What in the world does your company take me for?

Black bandana, sweet Louisiana
Robbin' on a bank in the state of Indiana
She's a runner, rebel and a stunner
On her merry way saying baby what you gonna
Lookin' down the barrel of a hot metal .45
Just another way to survive

California rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California show your teeth
She's my priestess, I'm your priest
Yeah, yeah

She's a lover, baby, and a fighter
Should've seen it coming when I got a little brighter
With a name like Dani California
Day was gonna come when I was gonna mourn ya
A little loaded, she was stealing another breath
I love my baby to death

California, rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California, show your teeth
She's my priestess
I'm your priest
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Who knew the other side of you?
Who knew that others died to prove?
Too true to say goodbye to you
Too true to say, say, say
Pushed the fader, gifted animator
One for the now, and eleven for the later

Never made it up to Minnesota
North Dakota man
Wasn't gunnin' for the quota
Down in the Badlands she was saving the best for last
It only hurts when I laugh
Gone too fast

California, rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California, show your teeth
She's my priestess
I'm your priest
Yeah, yeah, yeah...."

Various artists

Cover versions of the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Dani California."

Most of these are home-made live recordings. I haven't yet found an official studio recorded cover version yet. If you know of one, let me know.

A live cover by INGA from Belarus.

A cover by Insane Cherry that uses the sounds of cats, dogs, monkeys, a frog, a fox, a rooster, and goats. No, I did not make that up. They make other cover songs with animals, also.

A solo piano instrumental cover played by David Gogi.

A live acoustic cover by Melle.

Ten Second Songs does a heavy metal cover in the style of "Disturbed."

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Out in L.A.

This is from the band's debut studio album "The Red Hot Chili Peppers" released in 1984.

"We're all a bunch of brothers livin' in a cool way
Along with six million others in this place called L.A.

L.A. is the place, sets my mind ablaze
For me, it's a race through a cotton pickin' maze

The town makes me jump, it's got a bunch of bad chicks
Well sure, it's got some chumps but I still get my kicks
My body loves to scrump when I lick the ripe pick
Like a come on a thumb
Poppin' hump, hump, hump, pop out

The action never stops, I'm as wild as can be
'Cos I'm shooting for the top and my best friend is Flea
Oom Chucka Willy knew the balls to pop
But he never met the Tree so he never be-bopped out hop!

Antwon the Swan, from the pretty fish pond
Was a bad mother jumper, you could tell he was strong
He war a cold paisley jacket and a hellified hat
And between his legs was a sweet young lass

He threw a hundred women up against the wall
And he swore to fear that he'd love 'em all
By the time he got to ninety nine, he had to stop
Because that's when he thought that he heard a phone

Last night and the night before, I heard a
Fop outside, then I came in doors
Freak out!

Now that I told you a little something about the Flea
A little something about the Tree, a little something about me
I can't leave you hangin' but my man Shermzy, he swings the yang, he bangs the yang
And now, it's time to hear him do his playin', you better be burning Sherman!

We're all a bunch of brothers livin' in a cool way
Along with six million others in this place called L.A.

Step out!"

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Road Trippin'

This acoustic ballad about a road trip on the Pacific Coast Highway (the One) is from the band's seventh studio album "Californication" released in 1999.

"Road trippin' with my two favorite allies
Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
It's time to leave this town, it's time to steal away
Let's go get lost anywhere in the U.S.A.
Let's go get lost, let's go get lost

Blue, you sit so pretty west of the One
Sparkle light with yellow icing, just a mirror for the sun

Just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun
These smiling eyes are just a mirror for

So much has come before those battles lost and won
This life is shining more forever in the sun
Now let us check our heads and let us check the surf
Staying high and dry's more trouble than it's worth in the sun

Just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun
These smiling eyes are just a mirror for

In Big Sur we take some time to linger on
We three hunky dory's got our snake finger on
Now let us drink the stars, it's time to steal away
Let's go get lost right here in the U.S.A.
Let's go get lost, let's go get lost

Blue, you sit so pretty west of the One
Sparkle light with yellow icing, just a mirror for the sun

Just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun
These smiling eyes are just a mirror for
These smiling eyes are just a mirror for
Your smiling eyes are just a mirror for"

Red Hot Chili Peppers

This is from the band's first album "The Red Hot Chili Peppers" released in 1984.

"Hoo, lord!

I'm gonna ride a sabertooth horse
Through the Hollywood Hills
The farther west, the farther out
Yeah, that's the way I feel
Well, I dig the dirt and I dig the dust
I barbecue my meals
Riding wild on a paisley dragon
Through the Hollywood Hills, yeah
Huh, Hollywood Hills

I'm gonna ride a sabertooth horse
Through the Hollywood Hills
Just don't tell me anything
'Cause that's the way I feel
Well, I dig the dirt and I dig the dust
I barbecue my meals
Riding wild on a paisley dragon
Through the Hollywood Hills, yeah
Huh, Hollywood Hills

Passion drippin' from the coyote's eyes
He can taste his blood and blood never lies, pale face die

True men don't kill coyotes
True men don't kill coyotes

I'm gonna ride a sabertooth horse
Through the Hollywood Hills
The farther west, the farther out
Yeah, that's the way I feel
Well, I dig the dirt and I dig the dust
I barbecue my meals
Riding wild on a paisley dragon
Through the Hollywood hills, yeah
Huh, Hollywood Hills

Passion drippin' from the coyote's eyes
He can taste his blood
And blood never lies, pale face die

True men don't kill coyotes
True men don't...."

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Under the Bridge

Anthony Kiedis sings about the city of L.A. being his only companion and of using drugs under a bridge downtown. (Kiedis refuses to say which bridge it was, though one writer claims it was one in MacArthur Park, the same park where someone left a cake out in the rain.) A slow and emotional ballad about loneliness and drug use from the band's 1992 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik that came as a pleasant surprise from the super animated butt-flopping hard rocking band. It went on to be a huge radio hit and, with the help of a video directed by Gus Van Sant, helped the band break through to a huge new audience.

"Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in, the city of angels
Lonely as I am, together we cry

I drive on her streets cause she's my companion
I walk through her hills cause she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy
I never worry, now that is a lie.

I don't ever want to feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way
I don't ever want to feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way, yeah, yeah, yeah
……………

Under the bridge downtown
is where I drew some blood
Under the bridge downtown
I could not get enough
Under the bridge downtown
forgot about my love)
Under the bridge downtown
I gave my life away"

Red House Painters

Cruiser

Red House Painters were a rock band formed in San Francisco, active from 1988-2001. This long slowcore song is from the band's final studio album "Old Ramon" released in 2001.

"My biggest smile from Tokyo
You came out here five years ago
Her life song is a sad one
Her mom fell off when she was young
Her mom died off when she was young

Purple nights and yellow days
Neon signs and silver lakes
L.A. took a part of me
L.A. gave this gift to me

So, drive me down Sunset Boulevard
I'm feeling nice in your white car
Playing Hanoi Rocks and Social D
My sweetest angel set me free
My sweetest savior rescued me

Won't you whisper in my ear?
You look so good against my mirror
And you're my baby full of joy
You're my erotic brown-eyed toy
You're my exotic black-haired toy

Slipping letters under the door
Leave candy wrappers round my floor
And take me out of here round the canyons
Where the pavement meets the sand
Where the boardwalk creatures stand

So, drive me down Beverly Drive
Where my room's lit up all night
I've been so lonely in this bed
It's good to sleep with you instead
It's good to talk all night instead

Morning pours the ocean deep
Into the hollow of my sleep
But the ocean can't be mine
Your perfection can't be mine

So, drive me down the 405
Where my airplane leaves tonight
I'm tipping up and touching down
Leave L.A. sparkling on the ground

L.A. glitters on the ground
L.A. sparkles on the ground
L.A. glitters on the ground
L.A. sparkles on the ground"

Red House Painters

Grace Cathedral Park

This song is from the album "Red House Painters (Rollercoaster)" released in 1993. Grace Cathedral is a church on Nob Hill in San Francisco with a park in front of it called Huntington Park which is probably the park referred to in the song.

"A rare and blistering sun shines down on Grace Cathedral Park
There with you I fear the time, when air gets dark
You know I don't spend days like this
Caught up in lost times of youth that I miss

Can almost hear roller coasters, see sailboats in the sea
Hear noise and screaming
Weaving in and out of happy music box sounds
But here on the ground we're so far away from that
Time turned older now

We walked down the hill, I feel the coming on of the fading sun
And I know for sure that you'll never be the one
It's the forbidden moment that we live that fires our sad escape
And holds passion more than words can say

Tell me why are you like this? Are you the same with anyone?
Save me from my sickness and tell me why do you treat me like this?
Tell me why are you like this? Are you the same with anyone?
Save me from my sickness and tell me why are you like this?
Why are you like this?"

Otis Redding

(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay

This is one of the great R&B classics of the 1960's. Otis Redding was a Georgia born soul singer-songwriter who died in a plane crash in 1967 at the age of 26 shortly after recording this song. It became a posthumous number one record and has been covered by many other artists. Redding started writing the song when he was literally in a dock on the bay - living on a houseboat in Sausalito. It was finished in Memphis with guitarist Steve Cropper (of the Stax house band, Booker T. & the M. G.'s, and later of the Blues Brothers band).

"Sittin' in the morning sun
I'll be sittin' when the evening comes
Watching the ships roll in
Then I watch them roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away, ooh
I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the Frisco Bay
Cuz I've had nothing to live for
And look like nothing's gonna come my way

So, I'm just gon' sit on the dock of the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away, ooh
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

Looks like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, listen

Sittin' here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone, listen
Two thousand miles I roam
Just to make this dock my home, now

I'm just gon' sit at the dock of the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away, ooh
Sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time"

Craig Reever (featuring Nadja Alsen)

Take Me Out To California

Craig Reever is a songwriter-producer working out of Sweden, but I don't know anything about the singer Nadja Alsén. This pop song was released in 2017. The streets are paved with gold, no one ever gets old, happy faces, flowing wine, and hopes and dreams are always fulfilled - she's seen it all on the silver screen. I must be watching the wrong movies because I don't recognize that place.

"Take me out to California
Take me out to California

I feel the day is coming to an end
And my eyes are drawn to southern skies
And all the while I was trying to pretend
The promised land was there beyond the great divide
But I'll be coming, coming home soon
Yeah I'll be coming, coming home soon

So take me out to California
Where the sun is always high
Where the streets are paved with gold
And no one ever gets old
I'll be longing for that day to come
Take me home California
California here I come

I've seen it all upon a silver screen
The happy faces and a sign upon a hill
The wine is flowing and the fields forever green
And all your hopes and dreams will always be fulfilled

So I'll be coming, coming real soon
Yeah I'll be coming, coming real soon

So take me out to California
Where the sun is always high
Where the streets are paved with gold
And no one ever gets old
I'll be longing for that day to come
Take me home California
California here I come

Californ-i-a
Californ-i-a

Take me out
Take me out

Take me out to California
Where the sun is always high
Where the streets are paved with gold
And no one ever gets old
I'll be longing for that day to come
Take me home California
California here I come"

The Reeves Brothers

It Gets Cold at Night in California

The Reeves Brothers are a band formed by brothers Matt and Cole who grew up in Pahrump, Nevada. This country bar song is from the album "The Last Honky-Tonk" released in 2020.

"The sun is shining bright down on Sunset
Stars light up the city night ...
Santa Ana winds blow through the palm trees
And a chill comes over me when daylight starts to fade

It gets so cold at night in California
Your memory makes me stop and wonder why
It gets so cold at night in California
Without you here to hold, my dear, I'll never sleep tonight

You can always find me drinking in the barroom
I can't help but love the taste of smooth red wine
It helps me not to think about your leaving
And warms me up when winter comes and you're still on my mind

It gets so cold at night in California
Your memory makes me stop and wonder why
It gets so cold at night in California
Without you here to hold, my dear, I'll never sleep tonight
Without you here to hold, my dear, I'll never sleep tonight
It gets so cold at night in California"

Regen

Regen is a band from Ljubljana, Slovenia. The band is fronted by singer-songwriter Gaja Kuscer. Their music is likened to "midnight drives on an empty highway or rainy-day nostalgia." This song was released as a single in 2021.

"Please kiss me goodbye like that night
I’d have died in your arms
Had you have never had to move

Please tell me to stay
Can you read on my face that I’m waiting?
Falling into you

Kissing in the back seat
Told me that he loved me
Left me way too early
Easy, honey

Dancing in the streets
The weekend on repeat
Doing it like they do in

California, I adore ya
Only move my body for ya
‘Cause it’s tales like these on silver screens
My dancing fever, type machines

In California, should have warned ya
I’m a good-for-nothing traitor
Saw ya linger for a bit too long
The road goes on and on in California

I bet that you taste like regret
I don’t care if it’s bad
I wanna see it through

Fast drives, midnight
You’re right, I shouldn’t
But there’s nothing I can do

My mind’s in California
I adore ya
Only move my body for ya
‘Cause it’s tales like these on silver screens
My dancing fever, type machines

In California, should have warned ya
I’m a good-for-nothing player
Showed my cards a bit too long, oh God
The list goes on and on in California

In California
In California
In California

In California, I adore ya
Only move my body for ya
‘Cause it’s tales like these on silver screens
My dancing fever, type machines

In California, should have warned ya
I’m a good-for-nothing player
Showed my cards a bit too long, oh God
The list goes on and on in California

(Oh, God)
In California
(Oh, God)
In California"

The Regrettes

California Friends

The Regrettes is a pop punk rock band formed in 2015 in Los Angeles and led by Lydia Night.
This song is from the band's album "How Do You Love?" released in 2019. I give the song extra credit for offering to make a playlist of the songs of a band from California.

"Will you come a little closer?
I've got something to show ya
Look at my friend in California
She really likes the freckles on my face

Won't you come and hold my hand now?
I think that you might wanna
Do you ever listen to Madonna?
Yeah, I really like the freckle on her face

If I think that you might like me
I might start getting lonely
When I think about how you can't hold me
Do you like the freckles on my face?

And if I take you to a movie
Things might get groovy
Oh, but don't start thinking you can fool me
Yeah, I know you like the freckles on my face

I think I love you but then I think, "No way!"
I gotta go but I wanna stay, just stay!
I guess I'll save it for another day, well okay?

I think I love you but then I think, "No way!"
I gotta go but I wanna stay, just stay!
I guess I'll save it for another day, well okay?

Will you come a little closer?
I've got something to show ya
Check out this band from California
I can make you a playlist of their songs

Won't you come and hold me close now?
I think that you might wanna
But don't tell anyone, don't need no drama
And then we can move it right along...."

The Regrettes

Monday

This is a single released in 2021 by the L.A. punk band.

"Open my door, I step between my clothes
Can't find the floor, yeah it's been like this before
Still washing stains but I know they won't fade
These growing pains, they push me 'till I break

I'm pulling down my eyelids two at a time
I swear it's just my sinuses, I'll be fine
An existential crisis and it's only a Monday
Tell me I'm alive
Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah

Gotta get the f**k out of L.A. (Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)
Run from the sun before it burns my brain (Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)
I'll cut the breaks
Hey, I'm still alive (Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)

No sympathy, don't look at me that way
'Cause physically, well I'm falling into space
And typically, yeah, I'd wrap it in a bow
But honestly, the cracks, they start to show

I'm pulling down my eyelids two at a time
I swear it's just my sinuses, I'll be fine
An existential crisis and it's only a Monday
Tell me I'm alive
Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah

Gotta get the f**k out of L.A. (Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)
Run from the sun before it burns my brain (Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)
I'll cut the breaks
Hey, I'm still alive (Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)...."

James Reid

California Lovin'

James Reid is a Filipino-Australian singer-songwriter active since 2010. This is a single that was released in 2022.

It was a quick first romance, whirlwind of a night
You came in smokin' red hot right off of the flight
And when I saw her, took my breath away
Oh, what a beautiful sight, it's been way too much time

Got me thinkin', hate the thought, though I know you'll be leavin'
Just got here, though we're already deep in
I don't want to waste the minutes thinkin' too much 'bout the distance
Rather have your kisses for now

It's a California lovin' type of situation, type of situation
(Ooh woah)
We'll be California coastin' like we're on vacation, with no inspiration (Ooh woah)
Singin' lala, lala, lala, woah
Lala, lala, lala, woah
Lala, lala
It's a California lovin' type of situation

We had the most fun doing nothin'
Talking my talk, I got you blushin'
It's gotta say I might be crushin', crushin' (Oh yeah)
Well I got you here, we movin', shakin'
Just tell your friends we not gon' make it
Chemistry, no you can't escape it, baby

Got me thinkin', hate the thought, though I know you'll be leavin'
Just got here, though we're already deep in
I don't want to waste the minutes thinkin' too much 'bout the distance
Rather have your kisses for now

It's a California lovin' type of situation, type of situation
(Ooh woah)
We'll be California coastin' like we're on vacation, with no inspiration

Singin' lala, lala, lala, woah
Lala, lala, lala, woah
Lala, lala
It's a California lovin' type of situation
Singin' lala, lala, lala, woah
Lala, lala, lala, woah
Lala, lala
It's a California lovin' type of situation"

Rejoice!

Golden Gate Park

Rejoice! is a psychedelic folk group formed in southern California in the mid 1960s and then relocated to San Francisco. This song about the popular San Francisco park is from the album "Rejoice!" released in 1969.

"Sunday morning in Golden Gate Park
People walking, scent of flowers everywhere
I could stay here from dawn until dark
Haven't got a care

Sunday morning and no place to be
I'm as free as clouds that float across the sky
Sunday morning is magic to me
I won't ask why

Who cares where the wind may blow me
I'm not afraid to see
Who cares what cities know me
My mind is flying free

Got no money and no place to be
I'm as free as clouds that float across the sky
Sunday morning is magic to me
I won't ask why

Who cares where the wind may blow me
I'm not afraid to see
Who cares what cities know me
My mind is flying free

Sunday morning in Golden Gate Park
People walking, scent of flowers everywhere
I could stay here from dawn until dark
Haven't got a care

Sunday morning in Golden Gate Park
People walking, scent of flowers everywhere
I could stay here from dawn until dark
Haven't got a care"

Rejoice!

Sausalito Sunrise

The band's relocation to San Francisco seems to be the subject of this song - an all-night drive up the 101 leaving L.A. for Sausalito. With a psychedelic banjo, strings, and horns, the song is from their album "Rejoice!" which was released in 1969. I wonder if the singer ever found his mind....

"The City of Angels is dark
No laughter is heard in the park
Your angels are picking my bones
Asking for more than I own
Or care to part with

Your freeways are spanning my mind
My ghost walks at Sunset and Vine
City of Angels I cry
You're flinging your lights at the sky
To hide the moon

And I'm rollin' up that ragged California highway
Headin' for the San Francisco Bay
I'm gonna find my mind
L.A. is far behind
And I'll make it just in time
For the Sausalito sunrise today

The City of Angels is dark
No laughter is heard in the park
Your angels are picking my bones
Asking for more than I own
Or care to part with

And I'm rollin' up that ragged California highway
Headin' for the San Francisco Bay
I'm gonna find my mind
L.A. is far behind
And I'll make it just in time
For the Sausalito sunrise today...."

Release the Sunbird

Always Like the Son

Release The Sunbird is a side/solo project of Zach Schwartz (a.k.a. Zach Rogue) of the Indie Rock band Rogue Wave from Oakland. This song is a very nice mix of acoustic instruments and harmonies with some background electronic effects. I don't know what it's about because I can't fully understand the lyrics and I can't find any online.

"From the time that we were born
(?) California sons
When you wanted to be everyone
In the hour of your demise
You asked if you'd be fine
When you never would know (... ?)

Well you're always like the son
Always like the son
Well you're always like the son
(That I) never was"

R. E. M.

Electrolite

R.E.M. is a rock band from Athens Georgia, formed in 1980, recognized as one of the pioneers of Alternative Rock, or College Rock, or Jangle Pop, whatever you want to call it. This is a ballad about looking down at the electric lights of L.A. from Mulholland Drive in the hills above Hollywood, thinking about movie star masculinity and the end of the 20th century. It's from the band's 1996 album "New Adventures in Hi-Fi." (It's not about the chemicals they put in all the sports drinks so you'll pay a fortune for sweetened dyed water.) Radiohead has covered it, also.

"Your eyes are burning holes through me
I'm gasoline
I'm burnin' clean

Twentieth century, go to sleep
You're Pleistocene
That is obscene
That is obscene

You are the star tonight
Your sun electric, outta sight
Your light eclipsed the moon tonight
Electrolite
You're outta sight

If I ever want to fly
Mulholland Drive
I am alive

Hollywood is under me
I'm Martin Sheen
I'm Steve McQueen
I'm Jimmy Dean

You are the star tonight
Your sun electric, outta sight
Your light eclipsed the moon tonight
Electrolite
You're outta sight

If you ever want to fly
Mulholland Drive
Up in the sky
Stand on a cliff and look down there
Don't be scared, you are alive
You are…"

R. E. M.

I Remember California

This is a slow and moody song from the band's 1988 album "Green."

"I remember redwood trees, bumper cars and wolverines
The ocean's Trident submarines
Lemons, limes and tangerines
I remember this

I remember traffic jams
Motor boys and girls with tans
Nearly was and almost rans
I remember this
History is made
History is made to seem unfair"

The Rentals

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

The Rentals are an Amerian band fronted by the former Weezer bass player.

"Hoo hoo, I need your huggin'
I'm here my fears close guarded
Youth costing less than the next flight
You love the beautiful West Side
The beach and gorgeous sunrise
Surfs up the waves are risin' high
I'm all alone I need you here in Santa Monica California

California
California
California
California

From here to Bel Air
The blue bus will take us everywhere
Everyone's happy everyone's all right
From Lomita to El Cerrito
Seven years up and down the West Coast
Surfs up the waves are risin' high
I'm all alone I need you here in Santa Monica
I'm all alone why don't you come to Santa Monica?"

The Replacements

Left of the Dial

The Replacements were an alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis in 1979. In America, the left end of the radio dial is usually where you find alternative and public radio stations, and that's where you had to go to hear the Replacements in the '80s.

"Read about your band in some local page
Didn't mention your name, didn't mention your name
Sweet Georgia breezes, safe, cool and warm
I headed up north, you headed north

On and on and on and on
What side are you on?
On and on and on and on
What side are you on?

Weary voice that's laughin', on the radio once
We sounded drunk, never made it on
Passin' through and it's late, the station started to fade
Picked another one up in the very next state

On and on and on and on
What side are you on?
On and on and on and on and...

Pretty girl keep growin' up, playin' make-up, wearin' guitar
Growin' old in a bar, ya grow old in a bar
Headed out to San Francisco, definitely not L.A.
Didn't mention your name, didn't mention your name

And if I don't see ya, in a long, long while
I'll try to find you
Left of the dial"

The Residents

Death in Barstow

According to the myth, the Residents are an anonymous collective who formed in Louisiana then went west in 1966 to become hippies in San Francisco but ended up in San Mateo when their truck broke down. I think everybody should find their home that way. It's hard to describe or categorize their weird and experimental music but this example might help: Back in the day, when I needed to get rid of unwanted visitors, all I had to do was put the Residents album "Duck Stab!" on the turntable. This song was recorded for their 1977 album "FIngerprince" but ended up on their 1979 album "Babyfingers." If you don't know, Barstow is a city in the California Mojave Desert the most people just pass through on their way from L.A. to Vegas.

"Once I went to Barstow
Then I went to bed
First my friend was with me
Then my friend was dead

All his clothes were burned up
And his thighs were red
After all we've been through
What more can be said?...."

The Residents

This is from the 1979 album "Eskimo" by the Bay Area collective. No, it's not a cover of the Tony Bennett classic, it's more like an attack on that song.

"I know that soon I will be gone
I know that soon I will be gone
I know that soon I will be gone
I know that soon I will be gone

Left his heart in San Francisco
I know that soon I will be gone

Left his heart in San Francisco
I know that soon I will be gone

Left his heart in San Francisco
I know that soon I will be gone

Left his heart in San Francisco
I know that soon I will be gone...."

Malvina Reynolds

Little Boxes

Malvina Reynolds was a folk singer/songwriter and activist from San Francisco. She wrote this satirical song in 1962. It was recorded and released by Pete Seeger in 1963, who made it a hit song and there have been many other covers of it since. The version linked to here is from her album
"Malvina Reynolds...Sings the Truth" released in 1967, but there is a different version of the song which you can listen to here, which was used for a few years as the theme song to the hit TV show "Weeds" beginning in 2005, when it was originally set in a California suburb.

According to her daughter, Reynolds got the idea for the song when driving through Daly City and started writing it in the car. Though it does not mention the state, or Daly City, it's still a well-known song about California.

"Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes all the same
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same

And the people in the houses
All went to the university
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same
And there's doctors and lawyers
And business executives
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same

And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same

And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same"

Thomas Rhett

Country Again

Thomas Rhett is a country music singer-songwriter from Georgia, active since 2010. This song is from his album "Country Again: Side A" released in 2021.

"I quit hunting with my daddy, guess I didn't make the time
And it's been a year since I've seen a deer
And a small mouth on the line
The other day I hooked a monster and as I reeled him in
I thought 'man it feels good to be country again'

I spent way less time in Nashville and more time in L.A.
My back home buddies, they quit calling
Thought I had too much on my plate
But last night we cracked some cold beers
And cranked Eric Church to ten
Thought man it feels good to be country again

Yeah, I love me some California, but it sure ain't Tennessee
And my roots down there in Georgia, yeah they start missing me
And I wouldn't trade the things I've done or the places that I've been
Man it feels good to be country again

I traded in my Silverado, I didn't need no 4 by 4
I tucked my boots in the back of the closet
They didn't feel like me no more
But I dug 'em out and slipped 'em on
They've been on my feet since then
Man it feels good to be country again

Woooh

Yeah, I love me some California, but it sure ain't Tennessee
And my roots down there in Georgia, yeah they start missing me
And I wouldn't trade the things I've done or the places that I've been
Man it feels good to be country again...."

Thomas Rhett

Country For California

This is from Rhett's seventh studio album "About a Woman" released in 2024. It's another good song about someone moving to L.A. to find fame and fortune, while someone love-struck waits for them to return. As always, L.A. represents all of California, which is not fair. There's no way she would be too country for Bakersfield. There are a few other songs with similar themes on this list, which makes me wonder if there are a lot of songs about someone moving to New York, or any big city, too. Maybe there will be some soon, because I keep reading that work in Hollywood is disappearing. What I'd like to hear is a song about an L.A. woman who moved to the country but realized she was too California for country.

"Girl, I get it
Some dreams are just too big to stay in a small town
And right now, you gotta go chase 'em
So spread them wings out wide
Leave me and these two lanes behind

I hope you find what you’re tryna find
But baby, keep in mind

If you get tired of that sunshine and 72
Ocean blue waves and those Hollywood stars
If waitin' tables on the boulevard just ain't workin’ out for ya, oh
And if those Beverly Hills get to bringin' you down
Put that smile on the jet plane and when the wheels hit the ground
I'll be sittin' right here at this bar with a drink, waitin' on ya, oh
If you find out, you're too country for California

Saw your momma
She said your boots are still sittin' there by the back door
I wonder if you're makin’ heads turn
Like you used to do ’round here
Oh, but you ain't here

So if you get tired of that sunshine and 72
Ocean blue waves and those Hollywood stars
If waitin’ tables on the boulevard just ain't workin' out for ya, oh
And if those Beverly Hills get to bringin' you down
Put that smile on the jet plane and when the wheels hit the ground
I’ll be sittin' right here at this bar with a drink, waitin' on ya, oh
If you find out you're too country for California
For California

I hope you find what you're tryna find
And it's right back here in these arms of mine

If you get tired of that sunshine and 72
Ocean blue waves and those Hollywood stars
If waitin' tables on the boulevard just ain't workin' out for ya, oh
And if those Beverly Hills get to bringin' you down
Put that smile on the jet plane and when the wheels hit the ground
I'll be sittin' right here at this bar with a drink, waitin' on ya, oh
If you find out you're too country for California"

Thomas Rhett

Die a Happy Man

This slow-burning love song is from Rhett's second studio album "Tangled Up," released in 2015. Besides being a number one hit for many weeks, it won a lot of awards, including Single of the Year for both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. Driving a sportscar up the coast of California is definitely worthy of inclusion on the singer's bucket list.

"Baby, last night was hands down
One of the best nights
That I've had no doubt
Between the bottle of wine
And the look in your eyes and the Marvin Gaye
Then we danced in the dark under September stars in the pourin' rain

And I know that I can't ever tell you enough
That all I need in this life is your crazy love

If I never get to see the Northern lights
Or if I never get to see the Eiffel Tower at night
Oh, if all I got is your hand in my hand
Baby, I could die a happy man

Happy man, baby
Mmm

Baby, that red dress brings me to my knees
Oh, but that black dress makes it hard to breathe
You're a saint, you're a Goddess,
The cutest, the hottest,
A masterpiece
It's too good to be true,
Nothing better than you
In my wildest dreams

And I know that I can't ever tell you enough
That all I need in this life is your crazy love

If I never get to see the Northern lights
Or if I never get to see the Eiffel Tower at night
Oh, if all I got is your hand in my hand
Baby, I could die a happy man, yeah

I don't need no vacation,
No fancy destination
Baby, you're my great escape
We could stay at home,
Listen to the radio
Or dance around the fireplace

And if I never get to build my mansion in Georgia
Or drive a sports car up the coast of California
Oh, if all I got is your hand in my hand
Baby, I could die a happy man

Baby, I could die a happy man
Oh, I could die a happy man
You know I could girl
I could die, I could die a happy man"

Dani Ribba & Jesse Baez

Dani Ribba is a singer and songwriter from Argentina. Jesse Baez is a singer and songwriter born in Chicago and raised in Guatemala. This song was released in May, 2024.

"Veintitrés, todo vintage oversize
Rococo Chanel, todo es superfly
10 de 10, porque como tú no hay
10 de 10, como tú no hay

Sueño en California despertarte
Muchos besos, mucho cash
Una vida, te quise encontrar
Es que a mí me pone hasta mirarte
Y no puedo ni soltarte
Una vida, te quise encontrar

Una vida, hasta que te encontré
Y ahora sos lo último que me gustaría perder
Desde esa vez que te vi, supe que eras para mí
Y yo para ti también

Por ti le di la vuelta entera al mundo y volví
A las fichas Messi no me pesan, siempre en Ole
Tu forma de pensar me pone horny
Dejemos la vergüenza y las maletas en el lobby

Vamos por ahí, recorramos la ciudad
Donde no sepan de mí, donde todo nos da igual
Donde una vez en la vida pueda ser alguien normal
Soñé tanto estar aquí, no me creo que sea verdad

Sueño en California despertarte
Muchos besos, mucho cash
Una vida, te quise encontrar
Es que a mí me pone hasta mirarte
Y no puedo ni soltarte
Una vida, te quise encontrar

Nunca fui afectivo, pero es distinto contigo
Quiero estar pa' verte cumplir todos tus objetivos
La luz de tus ojos me alumbran si estoy perdido
Todo cobra sentido cuando estás al lado mío

Cuando al lado mío estás, nada puede salir mal
Con vos me siento en el aire como si no hay gravedad
Sé que la fama te da igual
Y que no estás conmigo por lo material

Tus ojos los veo
Todos los disgustos que otros bobos te dieron
Porque no supieron ponerte primero
Te hablo claro, no soy fan del dinero
Pero por verte feliz te bajaría hasta el cielo

Sueño en California despertarte
Muchos besos, mucho cash
Una vida, te quise encontrar
Es que a mí me pone hasta mirarte
Y no puedo ni soltarte
Una vida, te quise encontrar"

"Twenty three, all vintage oversize
Rococo Chanel, everything is superfly
10 out of 10, because there is no one like you
10 out of 10, there is no one like you

I dream of California waking you up
Lots of kisses, lots of cash
One life, I wanted to find you
It makes me even look at you
And I can't even let go of you
One life, I wanted to find you

One life, until I found you
And now you are the last thing I would like to lose
From that time I saw you, I knew you were for me
And I for you too

For you I went around the world and came back
The Messi chips don't weigh me down, always in Ole
Your way of thinking makes me horny
Let's leave the shame and the suitcases in the lobby

Let's go there, let's tour the city
Where they don't know about me, where everything doesn't matter to us
Where once in a lifetime I can be someone normal
I dreamed of being here so much, I don't believe it's true

I dream of California waking you up
Lots of kisses, lots of cash
One life, I wanted to find you
It makes me even look at you
And I can't even let go of you
One life, I wanted to find you

I was never affectionate, but it's different with you
I want to be there to see you achieve all your goals
The light of your eyes illuminates me if I am lost
Everything makes sense when you're next to me

When you are next to me, nothing can go wrong
With you I feel in the air as if there is no gravity
I know that fame doesn't matter to you
And that you are not with me for the material

I see your eyes
All the troubles that other fools gave you
Because they didn't know how to put you first
I'm telling you clearly, I'm not a fan of money.
But to see you happy I would take you down to heaven

I dream of California waking you up
Lots of kisses, lots of cash
One life, I wanted to find you
It makes me even look at you
And I can't even let go of you"

Tyler Rich

California Grown

Tyler Rich is a country music singer from Yuba City, California, active since 2014. This song is from his EP "Valerie" released in 2015. Here's a list of other songs that mention The Hollywood Sign.

"Friday night, strings tuned just right
On a stage under some cheap neon lights
35 of my best friends in the crowd
At that Town Pump where I was playing when
I was just 19 and my friends couldn't get in
But, you sure as hell know we were
Sneakin' through the back door

I've played 46 out of the 50 states
For the last 10 years just trying to find my way
But every time I leave I just wanna come back home
I'm California Grown

Yeah we spend our
Weekdays with dirt on our hands
Weekends our toes in the sand
Shootin' whiskey on a Friday night
But Saturday we're sippin' Margaritas in the daylight
Sunday when the service ends
Hop in the truck, throw the boat on a hitch
Pullin' Tracy over 6ft wakes
Spending every summer out there on Clear Lake
Just me and the boys, doin' all we know
Yeah there's nothing quite like this place that I call home
I'm California Grown
Yeah we're California Grown

You might think you know about this place, and say
'There ain't nothin country 'bout the Golden State, it's just
Palm trees, beaches and celebrities.'
Well have you ever heard about that Bakersfield Sound?
Owens and Haggard used to run that town
You go 2 hours north of the Hollywood Sign you'll find
Farm lands, miles wide

Weekdays with dirt on our hands
Weekends our toes in the sand
Shootin' whiskey on a Friday night
But Saturday we're sippin' Margaritas in the daylight
Sunday when the service ends
Hop in the truck, throw the boat on a hitch
Pullin' Tracy over 6ft wakes
Spending every summer out there on Clear Lake
Just me and the boys, doin' all we know
Yeah there's nothing quite like this place that I call home
I'm California Grown
Yeah we're California Grown

From Santa Rosa all the way to L.A.
From San Diego to the San Fran Bay
Well you can find me in the Sacramento Valley
Probably shootin' s**t with Mr. Jon Pardi

Weekdays with dirt on our hands
Weekends our toes in the sand
Shootin' whiskey on a Friday night
But Saturday we're sippin' Margaritas in the daylight
Sunday when the service ends
Hop in the truck, throw the boat on a hitch
Pullin' Tracy over 6ft wakes
Spending every summer out there on Clear Lake
Just me and the boys, doin' all we know
Yeah there's nothing quite like this place that I call home
I'm California Grown
California Grown
California Grown"

Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers

California Desert Party

Richman was a trailblazer of minimalist rock and one of the progenitors of punk rock. Born in Massachusetts, he moved to California in 1975, where he obviously spent some time in the deserts. This song, with its upbeat rythm, handclaps, raunchy saxophone mixed in with a few doo wop background vocals, always makes me want to go sleep in the sand with the lizards and the cactus, but I'd bring more to drink than just carrot juice... (Palms of Twenty-nine = the desert city of Twentynine Palms.)

"Everybody's dancin’ 'round, in the cactus garden
Yucca trees are on the ground
Cholla, too, look out
Guacamole's there for you
(Ooh)
Carrot juice and naturals, too
(Ooh)
It’s a California desert party, yeah

Landers, Lone Pine, Palms of Twenty-Nine
California desert party
Yeah, pack rats, and kit fox, and petroglyphs, and sleepin' bags
It's a California desert party

They brought the harp and lyre
(Ooh-ah-ooh)
They turned the hot tub higher
(Ow!)
Yeah, chapparral, and sagebrush, and look out, there, their sleepin' bags
California desert party

They brought the harp and the lyre
(Ooh-ah-ooh)
They turned the hot tub higher, yeah
(Ooh)
Landers, Lone Pine, Palms of Twenty-Nine
California desert party
Yeah backpacks, and petroglyphs, and kit fox, and pack rats
It's a California desert party, yeah"

Right Said Fred

Obvious

Right Said Fred is a dance-pop band based in London formed in 1989. This song is from their album "For Sale" released in 2006.

"You could be someone walking down my street
And you could be a friend of a friend I might meet
Baby you could be anyone walk by
Down the Kings Road on a high
But it's obvious
Yes it's obvious

It'll be summer on your lawn
It'll be all my favourite songs
It'll be obvious
You're the one
It'll be Christmas every day
It'll be hip hip hip hurray
It'll be obvious
You're the one

You could be someone I knew in school
And if we didn't see eye to eye, well hey that's cool
Baby you can be in San Francisco
Around a corner in a disco
'Cause it's obvious
Yes it's obvious...."

Rihanna

California King Bed

Rihanna is a singer, songwriter, and actress, originally from Barbados, who has become one of the best selling musical artists of all time. This power ballad is from her 2010 album "Loud." If you don't know (I didn't) a California king bed is a longer and narrower version of a king-size bed.

"Chest to chest (Chest to chest)
Nose to nose (Nose to nose)
Palm to palm
We were always just that close (Just that close)
Wrist to wrist (Wrist to wrist)
Toe to toe (Toe to toe)
Lips that felt just like the inside of a rose

So how come when I reach out my finger
It feels like more than distance between us?

In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apart
I've been California wishing on these stars
For your heart, for me
My California king

Eye to eye (Eye to eye)
Cheek to cheek (Cheek to cheek)
Side by side
You were sleeping next to me (Oh, next to me)
Arm in arm
Dusk to dawn
With the curtains drawn
And a little last night on these sheets

So how come when I reach out my fingers
It seems like more than distance between us?

In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apart
I've been California wishing on these stars
For your heart, for me
My California king

Just when I felt like giving up on us
You turned around and gave me one last touch
That made everything feel better
And even then, my eyes got wetter
So confused, wanna ask you if you love me
But I don't wanna seem so weak
Maybe I've been California dreaming
Hey, hey, hey, hey

In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apart
Been California wishing on these stars
For your heart, for me
My California king

My California king

In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apart
I've been California wishing on these stars
For your heart, for me
My California king"

Rilo Kiley

Glendora

Rilo Kiley was an indie rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1998, fronted by Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett, both of whom were child actors, and both have solo careers in music. This song is from their first record "Rilo Kiley" released in 1999. (The record was later released as "The Initial Friend EP" without the song.) I lived in Glendora "The Pride of the Foothills" for a while when I was a teenager, so I understand why the narrator feels she's the only living person there, but then again, most teenagers probbly feel that way no matter where they live, So Go Tartans! (That's right, the high school mascot is a Scottish fabric. They were almost named "The Oranges" which is not a lot better.)

"It's New Year's Eve, I'm in Glendora
I'm the only living person in Glendora
Heading east on the freeway
I left my prom dress on the bus-stop in Duarte
I switch the rules, you take advantage
You know I always like to play the victim
And would you f**k me? 'cause I'd f**k me
Am I your wet nap?
Freestyle walking

I cry, cry, cry, then I complain
Come back for more, do it again
I cry, cry, cry, then I complain
Come back for more, do it again

I'm on my way, I want to see you
You're in your bedroom with some dancers underneath you
I come inside, I hear the door slam
You tell me if I really loved you I'd get with them
They make me sick, you make me sicker
But I want to please you so I go and I get with her
I close my eyes, I think about me
I'm just your wet nap
Freestyle walking...."

Rilo Kiley

Let Me Back In

This ode to going home again is from the "Rkives" compilation released in 2013. It's a rare song that uses the sounds of tap dancing in the background.

"Let it be printed, let it be known
I'm leaving you, I'm going home
And all you can do is just watch me go

I've put you down, talked you up, defended your honor
And then packed it in and picked it up
And all you can do is watch me go

From the Eastern seaboard, the landlocked Midwest
The Keys, the Alps, the Black Hills and Budapest
With my heart in a sling, tail between my legs a-swinging
I'm sorry for leaving

But when the palm trees bow their heads
No matter how wrong I've been
L.A., you always let me back in

And you can bury me when my body breaks
In the earth that created me, in the Golden State
By my mama and her brother and their mama too

'Cause I had a dream I was carried on backs
Of a thousand green birds
And they carried me to a place without words
And there was nothing, but there was everything

And it sounded like this

But when the palm trees bow their heads
No matter how cruel I've been
L.A., you always let me back in

And when the palm trees bow their heads,
No matter how cruel I've been,
L.A., you always let me back in, in

Oh back in, in
Oh back in, in"

Rina (featuring Sin Boy)

CALI

Rina is Rina Balaj, is a Kosovo-Albanian rapper and singer, active since 2017. Sin Boy is a Greek-Albanian rapper. This song is from her album "Balerina" released in 2021. She sings parts of the song in Albanian and I found the Albanian lyrics online which are included here along with the English translations that were put on the YouTube page for the song.

[Sin Boy]
"Cali California
Cali California
You ain't good but I want ya
You know just what I wanna
California, California, California, California

[Rina]
Cali California
Cali California
Un zemren ty ta mora
You know just what I wanna, yeah

Sa here te shoh e sho gabimin qe kom bo
Mi mshel syt e ca kem bo mi kthy ne koh
Po von
Po te shoh ty me to
Po si un ajo ti e din
Nuk o nuk o

Goosebumps
When I see you dancing in the club
I get goosebumps
`till I see you dancing with her
Goosebumps

Mkujtohet koha kur me mu ke dal n club
Ftoft ftoft
Zemra shum e ftoft pa ty o

Ooo oh-oh, ooo oh-oh, ooo oh-oh-oh

[Sin Boy]
Cali California
Cali California
You ain't good but I want ya
You know just what I wanna
California, California, California, California

[Rina]
Cali California
Cali California
Un zemren ty ta mora
You know just what I wanna, yeah

Mos u bo kishe sem shef
Mos u bo qe ke harru
Planin e kem pas
N'California bashk me shku
Shpresat mi ke jep
Hala jon gjall sikur dru
Sa shum e du at vend po pa nuk muj me shku
L.A., L.A. Ti pse sje knejiiii
L.A., L.A. Tdu sa te urrejj
... ... ...

Cali California
Cali California
You ain't good but I want ya
You know just what I wanna"

[Sin Boy]
"Cali California
Cali California
You ain't good but I want ya
You know just what I wanna
California, California, California, California

[Rina]
Cali California
Cali California
I took your heart
You know just what I wanna, yeah

Everytime I see you, I see the mistakes I made
I wanna time-travel, and what we did to bring back in time, but It’s too late
I see you with her,
But she is not like me
You know I’m better

Goosebumps
When I see you dancing in the club
I get goosebumps
`till I see you dancing with her
Goosebumps

I remember the time when we used to dance in the club
Cold, cold M he
My heart is so cold without you in it

Ooo oh-oh, ooo oh-oh, ooo oh-oh-oh

[Sin Boy]
Cali California
Cali California
You ain't good but I want ya
You know just what I wanna
California, California, California, California

[Rina]
Cali California
Cali California
I took your heart
You know just what I wanna, yeah

Don’t act like you don’t see me
Don’t act like you forgot
Our plans were t o go
To go to California together
The hopes that you gave me
They are still alive
I love that place so much, but I can’t go without you
L.A., L.A., why are you not around
L.A., L.A., I love you till I hate you
... ... ...

Cali California
Cali California
You ain't good but I want ya
You know just what I wanna"

Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter is a singer-songwriter from Idaho. This is another song about going to California to warm up. (A space heater might be cheaper.) The singer knows it's been done a hundred thousand times but needs to do it himself. It's also probably been sung about that many times, too.

"Going out to California
gonna let the water warm my clothes.
I’m alone but I’m not lonely
gonna trade the weather for the Western coast.
No don’t cry
I’ll be back and I’ll
bring the sun to shine
in your eyes
on your shoulders.
Sunset Boulevard will strip for money.
Mulholland is a long drag for the lonely hearts.
Down along the Imperial Valley
runs a river of homelessness and cinema stars.
Don’t say
the trip’s been done
a hundred thousand times
cause this one
is mine.
So I will work at what work finds me
and I will take what comfort I can get
I’ll be back when I’m good and ready
California doesn’t seem to think I’m ready yet…."

Johnny Rivers

Going Back to Big Sur

Johnny Rivers is a singer-songwriter-producer born in New York City and raised in Louisiana. His career started in 1956 and he is best known for several songs he recorded between 1964 and 1968, including "Secret Agent Man" and "Poor Side of Town." This song is from his album "Reinvention Highway" released in 2004.

"It's a cold and rainy Friday night
City life's got me all uptight
My mind keeps wandering far away
Somethin' tell me it's time to leave L.A.

Going back to Big Sur
Wish I could leave today
I want to walk beneath those Redwood trees
Just south of Monterey

A little cabin, quiet and alone
No television, no telephone
Water trickling down this little stream
Makes you wonder, is it all just a dream?

Going back to Big Sur
This time, I might just stay
Going back and straighten out my head
Just south of Monterey

Gentle people all around
Never try to put you down
Makes you feel like someone new
They don't care who you are or what you do

Guess I'll drive up Highway One
Watch the ocean, kiss the setting sun
Stars dancing across the sky
It sort of puts you on a natural high

Going back to Big Sur
This time, I might just stay
Going back and straighten out my head
Just south of Monterey

And that girl..."

Rivieras

The Rivieras was a rock band from Indiana, part of the early 60's "frat rock" sound that was overtaken by the British Invasion shortly thereafter. This song was a big hit for them in 1964 though they had never even been to California. But they weren't the frist group to record it. It was written by Henry Glover and it was first recorded by R&B singer Joe Jones in 1961, but with slightly different lyrics. After the Rivieras' hit, the song was then recorded by many other artists.

"Well, I'm goin' out west where I belong
Where the days are short and the nights are long
Where they walk and I'll walk
They twist and I'll twist
They shimmy and I'll shimmy
They fly and I'll fly
Well they're out there a'havin' fun
In that warm California sun.

Well, I'm goin' out west out on the coast
Where the California girls are really the most
Where they walk and I'll walk
They twist and I'll twist
They shimmy and I'll shimmy
They fly and I'll fly
Well they're out there a'havin' fun
In that warm California sun.

Well the girls are frisky in old 'Frisco
A pretty little chick wherever you go
And they'll walk and I'll walk
They twist and I'll twist
They'll shimmy and I'll shimmy
They'll fly and I'll fly
Well they're out there a 'havin' fun
In that warm California sun
Yeah, they're out there havin' fun
In that warm California sun."

RL Grime (featuring 24 Hrs)

UCLA

I'm filing this under "R" because even though the name RL Grime is a tribute to children's author R.L. Stine, it is stylized without periods and Grime refers to a music genre, not a name, so I am considering RL Grime to be all one artist name, like a band name with more than one word. The man behind the confusing name is Henry Alfred Steinway, an American music producer from L.A. who specializes in trap, grime, and bass music and also uses the stage name Clockwork to further confuse everybody. This is a hip-hop/dance song from the second RL Grime album "Nova" released in 2018. The featured rapper, 24 Hrs, is from Atlanta.

"She just moved to L.A.
Go to UCLA
And she drive a Maserati
Damn she got a body
She be tryna party
She be tryna party

She just moved to L.A.
Go to UCLA
And she drive a Maserati
Damn she got a body
She be tryna party
She be tryna party

Surfboard shorty, she just caught the wave
24 big and getting paid
Diamonds in the watch no s**ts
All these lights on the train and okay
Pop one pill
Pop two pills
Roll, roll, roll, now she going downhill
And she was born in Texas
So you know she flexing
Shorty got style I can tell how she dressing

She just moved to L.A.
She be tryna party
She be tryna party
She just moved to L.A.
She be tryna party
She be tryna party

She ain't used to the weather
She been rocking old clothes
F**ked up last night, today she a no-show
She don't like to go to class
Rather get a party
Study that s...rly
Papa got money
Red Maserati
She just met new friends
They just wanna stay up
Till the sun come up
They just wanna party
Tell 'em something came up
She just wanna party
She don't wanna change up

She just moved to L.A.
Go to UCLA
And she drive a Maserati
Damn she got a body
She be tryna party
She be tryna party...."

Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise

This is a good blues song from an American band formed in 1994 in Detroit featuring vocalist Robert Bradley. It's from the band's eponymous recording released in 2011.

"Well, I'll never forget the day
I motored into big L.A.
I remember seeing the Dodgers play some ball
Well I'll never forget the sound of all the
Greyhound bound, takin me home, to see my momma

And I never y'all, seen the stars shine in California
but I remember seeing the rain a comin down, Lord
And I never no, seen the stars shine in California
but I remember seeing the rain comin down

Well I'll never forget the time
That I toasted California wine
I remember strolling along Wilshire Boulevard
But I never forget the lights, the lights of Hollywood
and I remember a ridin down the Harbor Freeway

And I never y'all, seen the stars shine in California
but I remember seeing the rain a comin down, Lord
And I never no, seen the stars shine in California
but I remember seeing the rain comin down

Well I never forget the warmth
of that San Diego sun
And I remember going across the Golden Gate Bridge
But I never forget the day
that I motored into the big L.A.
I remember seeing the Dodgers play the ball, y'all

And I never y'all, a little star shine in California
but I remember, seeing the rain a coming down, Lord

Turn on the light
and let it shine on me
Turn on the light
and let it shine on me
The Big L.A.
The Big L.A.
The Hollywood lights
Its gonna make them ride
Well I never seen the stars shine in California
But I remember, seeing the rain comin down"

Chris Robinson & The New Earth Mud

...If You See California

Chris Robinson is a musician from Georgia, one of the founders of The Black Crowes. New Earth Mud is his solo project. This song is from his second solo album "This Magnificent Distance" released in 2004.

"I'll give you my heart if you want me to
Give you my soul and my mind
Give you this song if you want it too
Just don't leave me far behind

I've traveled this road that has led to you
Tasted the fruit off your vine
Traveled through time to be next to you
Please say that you will be mine

If you see California, you're almost home
If you see California say hello, say hello
There is a place that is close to me
A place made of mountain and sea
Some people call it the Golden State
I simply call it the key

If you see California, you're almost home
If you see California, then say hello
If you stop and look inside your mind the beauty there that you will find
If you see California say hello, say hello
Think of me when your lost in your day dream day
Think of me and I'll be there when you are awake"

Hannah Roby

Blue Yodel No. 4 (California Blues)

Hannah Roby is a singer-songwriter from San Diego. This Christmas song with a country feel was released in 2020.

"Wake up in the morning and I feel that winter breeze
The I realize it's just the A/C
Open my curtains and I see raindrops
Look outside and it's the sprinklers going off
Going outside without a jacket on
Wearing long sleeves, shorts and flip flops, you can't go wrong
All the cold and snow that I won't miss
It's a California Christmas

People that Santa rides on a sleigh
Well I just saw him surfing the other day
Are those reindeer up high in the air
Whoops! They're just seagulls soaring everywhere

Going outside without a jacket on
Wearing long sleeves, shorts and flip flops, you can't go wrong
All the cold and snow that I won't miss
It's a California Christmas

There won't be chestnuts on an open fire
But the heat wave will keep you warm
And you can build Frosty out of sand
While you're sledding at the beach on your boogie board

Going outside without a jacket on
Wearing long sleeves, shorts and flip flops, you can't go wrong
All the cold and snow that I won't miss
All the cold and snow that I won't miss
It's a California Christmas
California Christmas"

Tamara Rodriguez

My San Diego

Tamara Rodriguez is a singer-songwriter-actor-dancer living in California who was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, where she got her start on television shows as a teenager. She sings with a jazz combo in this song that was released in 2016.

"Rise and shine what's on your mind
We leave to day let's catch a ride
To the town where [waves are high]
Forever

So much to do so much to see
It would be nice to make believe
That we can live next to the sea
Together

San Diego, my San Diego
San Diego, you are my love
San Diego, my San Diego
San Diego, you're in my heart

San Diego, my San Diego
San Diego, you're in my heart

Nothing but blue across the sky
Can't wait to dive into the night
Where we can fall beneath the moon
Forever

Can I forget the times I spent
Wrapped up in your eternal grace
Of colorful dreams that turn to breeze
Together

San Diego, my San Diego
San Diego, you are my love
San Diego, my San Diego
San Diego, you're in my heart"

Jimmy Rodgers

Jimmie Rodgers was a country and blues singer-songwriter from Mississippi, active from 1910-1933. Regarded as "the Father of Country Music" he was influential in both country music and the blues. This song, written by Rodgers and recorded in 1928, is an interesting mix of country blues, country yodeling, and Dixieland jazz. These days there are still a lot of people sleeping out every night in California, but most of them don't do it by choice.

Other musicians have covered this song in blues, rock, and country genres, including:
Alejandro Escovedo
Merle Haggard
Doc Watson
Randy Travis
Redwing
John Fogerty
The Seldom Scene
Marty Stuart

"I'm goin' to California
Where they sleep out every night
I'm goin' to California
Where they sleep out every night
I'm leaving you, mama
'Cause you know you don't treat me right

O-de-layee-ay-ee-olay-ee

Listen to me mama
While I sing you this song
Listen to your daddy
Sing you this lonesome song
You've got me worried no
But I won't be worried long

O-de-layee-ay-ee-olay-ee

Let me tell you something
Mama, that you don't know
Let me tell you something
Good gal, that you don't know
I'm a do right papa
And got a home everywhere I go

O-de-layee-ay-ee-olay-ee

Got the California blues and I'm
Sure gonna leave you here
Lord, Lord
Got the California blues and I'm
Sure gonna leave you here
I may ride the blind
I ain't got no railroad fare

O-de-layee-aee-olay-ee

I don't understand
What makes you treat me like you do
I can't understand
How come you treat me like you do doodle do
Now if you don't want me mama
It's a cinch I don't want you.

O-de-layee-ay-ee-olay-ee"

Olivia Rodrigo

Deja Vu

Olivia Rodrigo is a singer and actress from Temecula. She had a huge hit with her song "Driver's License" in early 2021 then she started her next hit single remembering car rides to Malibu to get strawberry ice cream.

"Car rides to Malibu
Strawberry ice cream
One spoon for two
And trading jackets
Laughing 'bout how small it looks on you
(Ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha)
Watching reruns of Glee
Being annoying
Singing in harmony
I bet she's bragging
To all her friends, saying you're so unique, hmm

So when you gonna tell her
That we did that too?
She thinks it's special
But it's all reused
That was our place, I found it first
I made the jokes you tell to her when she's with you

Do you get deja vu when she's with you?
Do you get deja vu? (Ah), hmm
Do you get deja vu, huh?

Do you call her
Almost say my name?
'Cause let's be honest
We kinda do sound the same
Another actress
I hate to think that I was just your type

I'll bet that she knows Billy Joel
'Cause you played her Uptown Girl
You're singing it together
Now I bet you even tell her
How you love her
In between the chorus and the verse (ooh) (I love you)

So when you gonna tell her
That we did that too?
She thinks it's special
But it's all reused
That was the show we talked about
Played you the song she's singing now when she's with you

Do you get deja vu when she's with you?
Do you get deja vu? Oh
Do you get deja vu?

Strawberry ice cream in Malibu
Don't act like we didn't do that s**t too
You're trading jackets like we used to do
(Yeah, everything is all reused)
Play her piano, but she doesn't know (oh, oh)
That I was the one who taught you Billy Joel (oh)
A different girl now, but there's nothing new
(I know you get déjà vu)

I know you get deja vu
I know you get deja vu"

Destiny Rogers (featuring Kalan.FrFr)

West Like

Destiny Rogers is an R&B singer from Lodi, California, active since 2018. Kalan.FrFr is a rapper from southern California, active since 2016. This song was released in 2021.

"Whatchu doin’ on this side
Do you know where you at
Let me give you some advice
Before you get too attached baby
Don’t get caught up in the lights
‘Cause you will never make it back
‘Cause this city, this town
Is so much more than that

Baby do you feel like surfin’ on a wave
(ooh baby)
Now we can freak it from Hollywood up to the Bay
(Ooh yeah)

Let me show you what that west like alright
Baby won’t you come and ride with me
I’ll show you what that west like alright
California girls know what I mean
On the Westside

Baby let me show you what my side like (ohh)
Don’t get caught up in the limelight
All this water on my wrist can’t get the time right
I see you in hindsight I see you as my wife
I see you with me in a 6-3
Hair blowing in the breeze
It’s your California dream (yeah)
Tell me something I wanna believe
Tell me that you need me the way I need you on my team
If I see you in the spring I will fall if you leave
Audemars and AP’s
Yeah I ball in HD
From the Westside with love
Like I’m diamond 13
Got me in real life
Gotta say it for real twice
I’m from Southern California where the weather real nice
And the honeys not nice
You’re in the spotlight
I ain’t even caught a vibe
And if you wanna ride I’ll show you what the west like
(Show you what the west likeeeee…….)

Let me show you what that west like alright
Baby won’t you come and ride with me
I’ll show you what that west like alright
California girls know what I mean
On the Westside

We got what you want
We got what you like
Sunny days and palm trees
They’ll get you high
Just like that
When you leave you’ll be coming right back
‘Cause you can’t get enough of this California love

Let me show you what that west like alright
Baby won’t you come and ride with me
I’ll show you what that west like alright
California girls know what I mean
On the Westside

Come on let me take you on a ride
(ohh wee)
Westside yeah

Let me take you on a ride
Westside
Take you on a ride let me show you what the west like"

Ron Rogers

God Came Down to Hollywood

Ron Rogers is a singer/songwriter/producer from New York City. He sounds like he's from the southwest but he's from the South Bronx. This song is from his album "La La Land" released in 2000.

"Well God came down to Hollywood
And hung his head in shame
It never was my desire he said
For this misery and pain

I look around and what I see
Causes my heart to break
Of all my famous handywork
This is my worst mistake

Well God came down to Hollywood
And kindly brought some rain
Some of what I've witnessed here
In Heaven has no name...."

Ron Rogers

La La Land

This is another song about Hollywood from Rogers' album "La La Land" released in 2000.

"I looked up at the neon sky
I looked down at a bum passin' by
I couldn't help but look in his eye
But I turned away when he asked for a dime

I wandered down the sidewalk of the stars
I drank all night in alternative bars
Everybody had their hair dyed black
And some kind of weird tattoo on their back

Here I am, here I am
I'm in the middle of La La Land
Yeah, here I am, here I am
I'm in the middle of La La Land

This is the place they all warned me about
You'll be back, just another burnout
I must admit the fascination is strong
I wonder how long 'till the glamour is gone

I finally found a group of my peers
To celebrate I pierced my ears
Out here you know it's kind of expected
But it hurt like hell when it got infected

Here I am, here I am
I'm in the middle of La La Land
Yeah, here I am, here I am
I'm in the middle of La La Land

They had a shopping cart convention
Man they had everybody's attention
They're out on Highland just walkin' the line
And it was mad dog mad dog out of their mind
You know that mad dog mad dog got 'em out of their mind

La la la la la la la la la la la land
La la la la la la la la la la la land
La la la la la la la la la la la land
Ooh la la land

Car alarms and cops in the sky
Gridlock out on the 405
Sometimes it seems just like a battle zone
But I'm makin' triple what I did back home..."

Stan Rogers

Stan Rogers was a folk singer-songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, active from 1970-1983. This song is from his album "Northwest Passage" released in 1981. A lot of Canadian musicians have moved to America to make it big, but it's not just for warmer weather. The U.S. is simply a much bigger market. California alone has more residents than all of Canada, which means more people to pay to hear their music.

"Now it's gettin' so I'm mad when someone says your name
'Cause I've had to say good-bye to friends who couldn't stay away
And sometimes it felt so wrong to never want to lean on you
You may stand tall, but I've got two feet too

Now we talked of you in bars around a quiet beer
Tell their tales of mine-gone stones when no one else can hear
And later on outside, they say they're gettin' on a plane
To fly away, to live in you again

California, my friends all call you home
And if you take away another, I'll be that much more alone
Is it my fault that my kind are always drawn toward the sun
Like a child to home whenever darkness comes?

Now in a few more years, I won't remember what it was to play
The music of old friends who need to live so far away
But can I once taste more than waters, then forsake them for the south
To feel California's ashes in my mouth

California, my friends all call you home
And if you take away another, I'll be that much more alone
Is it my fault that my kind are always drawn toward the sun
Like a child to home whenever darkness comes?

Oh, California, my friends all call you home
And if you take away another, I'll be that much more alone
Is it my fault that my kind are always drawn toward the sun
Like a child to home whenever darkness comes?
Like a child going home whenever darkness comes"

Rogue Wave

The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man

Rogue Wave is a band from Oakland, California, active since 2002. This warm and fuzzy California-cursing acoustic guitar song is from the group's second studio album "Descended Like Vultures" released in 2005.

"Screw California
Friends that are never there
Places that they ought to
Pretend that they even care

From her false family
She could light you up
Like a holiday tree
In a summer month

So lead us there

So screw California
And ice that will never melt
From hearts of
The modern children of Cicero

From her false family
She could light you up
Like a holiday tree
In a summer month

So lead us there
So lead us there...."

The Rolling Crew

Home on Alcatraz

As far as I know, the Rolling Crew is a band with various members that was put together by Johnny Otis, a bandleader, producer, singer, and DJ who recorded many blues artists in the '40s and '50s. This jump blues number is from a single released in 1955. It was written by blues singer Cleo Jones, but I don't know if he is the singer. The song begins with a man's voice saying "Johnny Jones, you're here to stay" which seems to indicate that the singer is named Johnny Jones. Unfortunately, I can't understand the lyrics that might explain why he was sent to prison. 99 years is a long time, so it's probably for murder.

"San Francisco, California
Alcatraz Island, U.S.A.
Johnny Jones
You're here to stay

Home on Alcatraz
In Frisco Bay
Home on Alcatraz
In bed in jail
There's sharks in the water
Can't get away

Had a little girl
Liked the best of everything
Had a little girl
Liked the best of everything
Twenty dollar bills
Caught her [?]

The law caught me
And now I got to pay
The law caught me
And now I got to pay
On Alcatraz Island
In the Frisco Bay
(Goin' away)

See the light in Oakland
And the big Bay Bridge
See the light in Oakland
And the big Bay Bridge
Think about my baby
And all the things we did

Every day I see
The mighty Golden Gate
Every day I see
The mighty Golden Gate
I'm pulling 99 years
In the Frisco Bay"

The Rolling Stones

Far Away Eyes

From from the band's "Some Girls" album released in 1978, this is another great Jagger/Richards composition in the Bakersfield Country style. It's hard to imagine that there is much of an audience in Bakersfield for black gospel music, but Jagger said the country stations there played it on Sunday mornings and evenings when he drove through. It's also hard to imagine Mick Jagger driving through Bakersfield. Where was he coming from and where was he going? I want to hear that song.

“I was driving home early Sunday morning through Bakersfield
Listening to gospel music on the colored radio station
And the preacher said, "You know you always have the
Lord by your side"
And I was so pleased to be informed of this that I ran
Twenty red lights in his honor
Thank you Jesus, thank you lord
I had an arrangement to meet a girl, and I was kind of late
And I thought by the time I got there she'd be off
She'd be off with the nearest truck driver she could find
Much to my surprise, there she was sittin in the corner
A little bleary, worse for wear and tear
Was a girl with far away eyes
So if you're down on your luck
And you can't harmonize
Find a girl with far away
And if you're downright disgusted
And life ain't worth a dime
Get a girl with far away eyes
Well the preacher kept right on saying that all I had to do was send
Ten dollars to the church of the sacred bleeding heart of Jesus
Located somewhere in Los Angeles, California
And next week they'd say my prayer on the radio
And all my dreams would come true
So I did, the next week, I got a prayer with a girl
Well, you know what kind of eyes she got
So if you're down on your luck
I know you all sympathize
Find a girl with far away eyes
And if you're downright disgusted
And life ain't worth a dime
Get a girl with far away eyes”

The Rolling Stones

Route 66

An early Stones cover of the Nat King Cole original from their debut album "The Rolling Stones" released in 1964.

The Rolling Stones

Some Girls

This is from the "Some Girls" album released in 1978 back when rock stars were expected to be sexist and racist when singing about their groupies. Zuma Beach is a beach in Malibu, California.

"Some girls give me money
Some girls buy me clothes
Some girls give me jewelry
That I never thought I'd own

Some girls give me diamonds
Some girls, heart attacks
Some girls I give all my bread to
I don't ever want it back

Some girls give me jewelry
Others buy me clothes
Some girls give me children
I never asked them for

So give me all your money
Give me all your gold
I'll buy you a house back in Zuma Beach
And give you half of what I own

Some girls take my money
Some girls take my clothes
Some girls get the shirt off my back
And leave me with a lethal dose

French girls they want Cartier
Italian girls want cars
American girls want everything in the world
You can possibly imagine

English girls they're so prissy
I can't stand them on the telephone
Sometimes I take the receiver off the hook
I don't want them to ever call at all

White girls they're pretty funny
Sometimes they drive me mad
Black girls just wanna get f**ked all night
I just don't have that much jam

Chinese girls are so gentle
They're really such a tease
You never know quite what they're cookin'
Inside those silky sleeves

Give me all your money
Give me all your gold
I'll buy you a house back in Zuma Beach
And give you half of what I own

Some girls they're so pure
Some girls so corrupt
Some girls give me children
I only made love to her once

Give me half your money
Give me half your car
Give me half of everything
I'll make you world's biggest star by half

So gimme all your money
Give me all your gold
Let's go back to Zuma Beach
I'll give you half of everything I own"

The Rolling Stones

Star Star

This is the infamous banned Rolling Stones 1973 single with the original title of starf***er. Notorious for its explicit lyrics as well as mentions of celebrities and allusions to Mick Jagger's affair with Carly Simon, who had just moved zout to Hollywood, like the groupie in the song.

Joan Jett also recorded the song in 1983, titled "Star Star" but with uncensored lyrics. She snuck it onto a cassette as a hidden track, but when that was discovered, and her cassette was banned, it was re-released without the song.

"Baby, baby, I've been so sad since you've been gone
Way back to New York City
Where you do belong
Honey, I missed your two-tone kisses
Legs wrapped around me tight
If I ever get back to Fun City, girl
I'm gonna make you scream all night

Honey, honey, call me on the telephone
I know you're movin' out to Hollywood
With your can of tasty foam
All those beat up friends of mine
Got to get you in their books
Lead guitars and movie stars
Get their tongues beneath your hood

Yeah! You a starf**ker, starf**ker, starf**ker, starf**ker...."

The Rolling Stones

Sweet Virginia

This is from "Exile On Main Street" released in 1972.
Mick Jagger thanks California for its wine, fruit, and... illegal drugs?

"Wading through the waste, stormy winter
And there's not a friend to help you through
Trying to stop the waves behind your eyeballs
Drop your reds, drop your greens and blues

Thank you for your wine, California
Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruits
Yes I've got the desert in my toenail
And I hid the speed inside my shoe

But come on, come on down, sweet Virginia
Come on, honey child, I beg of you
Come on, come on down, you've got it in ya
Got to scrape that s**t right off your shoes

I want you to come on and sing it with me one time
All right

Yes, I want you to come on, come on down, sweet Virginia
I said I want you to come on, honey child, I beg of you
I, I want you come on, honey child you've got it in you, uh huh
Got to scrape that s**t right off your shoes

One more time
Hey

But come on, come on down sweet Virginia
Come on, come on down, I beg of you
Come on, come on down, you've got it in ya, uh huh
Got to scrape that s**t right off your shoes"

The Rolling Stones

In this song from the 1965 album "Out of Our Heads," the Stones skewer the music industry with a song about someone working in one of its lower levels who thinks he's sharp and claims to have a sports car, but then why is he taking a bus in L.A. and why doesn't he even have bus fare? (Wait, bus fare was only a dime in 1965!)

"Well I'm waiting at the bus stop in downtown L.A.
Well I'm waiting at the bus stop in downtown L.A.
But I'd much rather be on a boardwalk on Broadway

Well I'm sitting here thinkin' just how sharp I am
Well I'm sitting here thinkin' just how sharp I am
I'm an under assistant west coast promo man, yeah, yeah

Well I promo groups when they come into town
Well I promo groups when they come into town
Well they laugh at my toupee, they're sure to put me down

Well I'm sitting here thinking just how sharp I am
Yeah I'm sitting here thinking just how sharp I am
I'm a necessary talent behind every rock and roll band

Yeah, I'm sharp, I'm really, really sharp
I sure do earn my pay, sitting on the beach every day
Yeah, I'm real real sharp, yes I am
I got a Corvette and a seersucker suit, yes I have

Here comes the bus, uh oh
I though I had a dime, where's my dime
I know I have a dime somewhere
I'm pretty sure"

Linda Ronstadt

Adios

Linda Ronstadt is a singer originally from Tucson, Arizona. She was the most successful female rock singer of the 1970s based on sales, Billboard charts, and all of the awards she won. And she kept on singing into the 21st century. She has worked in several genres including rock, country, and Latin. This sad and nostagic song is from Ronstadt's 1989 album "Cry Like A Rainstorm - HowI Like The Wind."

"Ran away from home when I was seventeen
To be with you
On the California coast

Drinking margaritas all night in the old cantina
Out on the California coast

Don't think that I'm ungrateful
And don't look so morose
Adios
Adios

We never really made it baby
But we came pretty close
Adios adios

Going up north where the hills are winter green
I have to leave you
On the California coast

Going where the water's clear and the air is cleaner
Than the California coast

Our dreams of endless summer
Were just too grandiose
Adios
Adios

And I miss the blood red sunset
But I miss you the most
Adios adios
Adios
Adios
Adios adios"

Linda Ronstadt

Poor Poor Pitiful Me

This is from Ronstadt's album "Simple Dreams" released in 1977. It's a cover of a song written by Warren Zevon that he released in 1976. The gender is changed along with some of the lyrics and some of the action is moved from Hollywood to Yokohama. Zevon also sings the Yokohama lines in some recordings as do most of the other cover versions I've heard.

"Well I lay my head on the railroad track
Waiting on the Double E
But the train don't run by here no more
Poor poor pitiful me

Poor poor pitiful me
Poor poor pitiful me
Oh these boys won't let me be
Lord have mercy on me
Woe woe is me

Well I met a man out in Hollywood
Now I ain't naming names
Well he really worked me over good
Just like Jesse James
Yes he really worked me over good
He was a credit to his gender
Put me through some changes Lord
Sort of like a Waring blender

Poor poor pitiful me
Poor poor pitiful me
Oh these boys won't let me be
Lord have mercy on me
Woe woe is me

Well I met a boy in the Vieux Carres
Down in Yokohama
He picked me up and he threw me down
He said 'Please don't hurt me Mama'

Poor poor pitiful me
Poor poor pitiful me
Oh these boys won't let me be
Lord have mercy on me
Woe woe is me

Poor poor poor me
Poor poor pitiful me
Poor poor poor me
Poor poor pitiful me
Poor poor poor me
Poor poor pitiful me"

Linda Ronstadt

Talk to Me of Mendocino

This is a cover of a song originally by Kate and Anna McGarrigle, from Ronstadt's 1982 album "Get Closer." You can see the lyrics above.

Linda Ronstadt

Willin'

This song, a cover of a Little Feat song, is from Ronstadt's 1974 album "Heart Like a Wheel." I prefer her version to the Little Feat version even though it doesn't make me happy to think of Linda Ronstadt (or anyone) as a drunk and dirty trucker popping pills and throwing trucker bombs out the window. But I guess any human driver would be more attractive than a driverless truck, which makes me wonder - will computers one day write country songs for robots to sing about self-driving trucks?

"I been warped by the rain
Driven by the snow
I'm drunk and dirty, don't you know
And I'm still... willin'

And I was out on the road late at night
I seen my pretty Alice in every headlight
Alice, Dallas Alice

I've been from Tucson to Tucumcari
Tehachapi to Tonapah
Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made
Driven the back roads
So I wouldn't get weighed
And if you give me weed, whites, and wine
And you show me a sign
I'll be willin'... to be movin'

Well, I've been kicked by the wind
Robbed by the sleet
Had my head stoved in
But I'm still on my feet
And I'm still... willin'

I smuggled some smokes
And folks from Mexico
Baked by the sun
Every time I go to Mexico
And I'm still...

And I been from Tuscon to Tucumcari
Tehachapi to Tonapah
Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made
Driven the back roads
So I wouldn't get weighed
And if you give me weed, whites, and wine
And you show me a sign
I'll be willin'... to be movin'"

Hunter Root

California Sober

Hunter Root is a musical artist from Pennsylvania. This bluesy song is from his album "Arkansas" released in 2023.
There's also a live version on YouTube.

"Lord I'm high as a kite, despite how low I feel like I am
Tell me a lie, turn around and do it again
I tried so hard to please her
Didn't try enough to appease her
I'd feel better off dead than alive

Wishin' you goodbye
Always got to make your stand
Got my head held high
While you got your head in the sand

She's California sober
Spent a decade or two hung over
I've been down that road one or two times

Lord I got to find another way
I promise I will sign my soul away
And riding on the vine is gettin' old
Catch the blues 'round here like a common cold
Walk on by

Hey everybody trying to be different
It makes them all the same
Anybody trying to sell you
Will tell you anything
Take it with a grain of salt
Most good things they can't be bought
And we all got time hangin' on the line

Think before you speak
Hell, I'm having trouble speaking at all
Trippin' over my feet
Soon I'm gonna start having to crawl

I hope and pray for closure
Wake me up and I'll do it all over
Stayin' up all night praying for a ray of light

Lord I got to find another way
I promise I will sign my soul away
And riding on the vine is gettin' old
Catch the blues 'round here like a common cold
That's all right
That's all right
Walk on by"

The Roots (featuring Blu, Phonte & Patty Crash)

The Day

The Roots is a hip hop band formed in Philadelphia in 1987 that's been the house band for Jimmy Fallon, currently host of The Tonight Show, since 2009. Blu is a rapper and producer from Los Angeles active since 2002, which explains why his verse mentions L.A. Phonte is a rapper from North Carolina, active since 1998.
Patty Crash is a singer from Iceland who emigrated to the U.S.A. This is from the Roots' 2010 album "How I Got Over."

"[Patty Crash]
When I wake up, I look into the mirror
I can see a clearer, vision, I should start living today
Cause today is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day
Cause today is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day

[Blu]
Yeah, it's like everyday I wake up, I stare into space and don't say much
Peer in the mirror, feeling dead from the face up
Coffee pots, cigarettes, morning J's, Baileys
Slowing down my day before it picks up the pace
Beats playing since the night before, thinking about writing songs
Feeling exhausted from times we toured constant
And plus the toxins I sip got me tall
Still tipsy, staring at the city from the spot we call Los Angeles
Every day is like a blank canvas
Carving my initials in the planet like I brand it
Hand picked to live this life we take for granted
Like a child with an upright bass, we can't stand it
Smiling through the trouble we face, tryna manage
My way without pumping my brakes and staying stagnant
Cause I can sit on my ass or just imagine
The madness I did on my path and paint the canvas

[Patty Crash]
When I wake up, I look into the mirror
I can see a clearer, vision, I should start living today
Cause today is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day
Cause today is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day

[Black Thought]
Before I rise and shine like a neon sign
I need the girl of my dreams to give me Einstein
And burn the marijuan' like Buju Banton
It's my only bonafide break from these confines
I need a change of scenery like a montage
These kids bringing me the noise like the Bomb Squad
And everybody coming at me from the blindside
I'm tired, it's hard to open up my eyes wide
I listen to some theme music on the iPod
And walk around the crib doing little odd jobs
Checking my breath, take a view from this high rise
Feeling like I'm checking out a game from the sideline
I got to try different things in these trying times
2010 is different than it was in '9-5
It's come alive time, I picked a fine time
For getting open off life like a fine wine

[Patty Crash]
When I wake up, I look into the mirror
I can see a clearer, vision, I should start living today
Cause today is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day
Cause today is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day

[Phonte]
Uh, yeah, Sunday morning, plan my day out
Whole new blueprint, brand new layout
Deep down still don't know if it'll play out
But for the first time, feel like I done found a way out
Skin getting clearer and it feel like I lost weight
Stop and say a prayer for the times I lost faith
Troubles of the world had me in a cross-face
Chicken-wing, sickening, living so off-base
But now it's like I'm in the last lap of the car chase
And I finally understand my right to choose
My preacher man told me it could always be worse
Even the three-legged dog still got three good legs to lose
So you can stop and refresh the rules
Breathe in, breathe out, let it heal all your exit wounds
Something inside said that's the move
And maybe today I'll restart fresh and new

[Patty Crash]
When I wake up, I look into the mirror
I can see a clearer, vision, I should start living today
Cause today is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day
Cause today is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day
Is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day
Is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day
Is gonna be the day, is gonna be the day
Is gonna be the day"

Kona Rose (featuring Jean Placide)

Fall in California

Kona Rose is a singer from New York and Tokyo. Jean Placide, a musician from Pasadena, California. This song was released in 2019. I can barely understand the lyrics, but the chorus is about leaves not falling in California. I've transcribe the few bits I can understand below.

The lack of fall colors in California is another persistent myth about the state. Fall might not be as dramatic as it is on the East Coast, but there are still lots of places in California where you can go to see the leaves change color if you know where to go.

"How am I supposed to learn to let go
If the leaves don't fall in California"
... ... ...
... the leaves don't fall in California
... the leaves don't fall in California
How am I supposed to learn to let go
... the leaves don't fall in California"
... ... ...
"Mr. L.A. spring time petal peeler
Love me or you love me not girl
Ain't no better feelin'
Lost in La La Land
Where some will do the most
But you got tired of the seasons so you hit The Coast
Girl my finger's broke and I'm throwin' up that West Side
Usually I keep my worries by my bedside
But lately I've been learning lots of ways of letting go
Tryin' to break these walls strong as those of Jericho
Turn up the stereo we usually cruisin' with the wind blowin' strong
Eighty-eights on the interstate ...
Hey shorty I can do it hit this liquor or the Dutch..."
... ... ...
"Leaves don't fall
Cali where the
Leaves don't fall
Leaves don't fall
Cali where the
Leaves don't fall
On me
On me"

The Rose

The Rose is a pop band from South Korea active since 2017. This song is from their album "RED" released in 2019. I love their vision of happiness - "Sleeping all day, eating all night." I'll take me some of that.

"Driving through the clouds
Swimming like a hummingbird
I don't wanna say goodbye
I just wanna stay all night

Inside the crashing waves
Sleeping like grizzly bear
I don't wanna take it slow
I just wanna dance all night

Take me back in time
When I listened to Sublime
Missing everything
I'm coming home

To California
Our worries make no sense
Colors are sky blue
Singing in my view
Young and wild

To California
Where people make freedom
Colors are sky blue
Singing in my view
Young and wild

Peaceful melody
Take it in as destiny yeah
Maybe we won't make it far
So enjoy it while we last

Living in the moment
Life is more than
Small little things
You know
Starting bonfires on the beach
With the sun going down
Chilling with the friends
That always got my back

To California
Our worries make no sense
Colors are sky blue
Singing in my view
Young and wild

To California
Where people make no fence
Colors are sky blue
Singing in my view
Young and wild

You know
Happiness is easy to achieve
Sleeping all day
Eating all night
Oh love is something
Good for us to share
Oh yes the joy it brings

To California
Our worries make no sense
Colors are sky blue
Singing of my view
Young and wild

To California
Where people make no fence
Colors are sky blue
Singing in my view
Young and wild"

Tim Rose

Blow Me Back Santa Ana

Tim Rose was a folk/rock singer-songwriter from New York who later relocated to England, active on and off from the early 1960s, when he was in the folk trio The Big 3 with pre-the Mamas and Papas Cass Elliott, to his death in 2002. A melody he wrote for "The Banjo Song" was later appropriated by the Dutch band Shocking Blue for their #1 hit "Venus." This song is from "The Gambler" which according to Discogs was recorded in 1976 but not released until 1991. It's a country music truck driving song with banjo and steel guitar about the Santa Ana winds. The Santa Anas are strongest in the mountain passes so if he was driving north of L.A. on I-5 and the winds were blowing hard from the desert through the Soledad Pass, it could feel like they were trying to blow him south back to L.A.

"I was out on a highway and right out of luck
Runnin' away from you
My eyes were red like the morning sun
My tears felt like morning dew

I was tryin' to get as many miles in between
Seein' how far I could drive
But somethin' kept on callin' me back
Back along Highway 5

Blow me back Santa Ana
Back to the one I need
Help me to turn that wheel
Give me just a little more speed
Blow me back Santa Ana
Help me to get back home
'Cause I don't wanna spend my life
Travelin' on my own

Well I pulled off the highway to stop for a while
Then I saw that child standin' there
Her eyes were brown like the mornin' sun
She smiled as she threw back her hair

Blow me back Santa Ana
Back to the one I need
Help me to turn that wheel
Give me just a little more speed
Blow me back Santa Ana
Back to the one I need
Help me to turn that wheel
Give me just a little more speed
Blow me back Santa Ana
Back to the one I need
Help me to turn that wheel
Give me just a little more speed
Blow me back Santa Ana
Help me to get back home
'Cause I don't wanna spend my life
Travelin' on my own

Blow me back
Blow me back
Blow me back...."

Claire Rosinkranz

BeVerly Hills BoYfRiEnd

Claire Rosinkranz is a singer-songwriter and social media personality born in southern California in 2004. This song was released in 2020, when she was 16. You can tell she's very young because she hasn't yet learned how to use the caps lock key on her keyboard yet. (Or maybe that just tells you how old I am...)

"She's a wacky crazy lady
He's a rich rich man
She moved to the state of California
With two kids in hand

She's a super star making money
And she found a boy to call honey
Sunny dummy funny boy
Used him as her little toy

She's got her Beverly Hills boyfriend
Spending all of his money
It's OK he's got a lot
Spent a portion on my mom

Beverly Hills boyfriend
He's gone for the weekend
Doesn't care about his bills
Guess that's what life's like in the Hills

(La da da da da da...)

She's got funky little quirks
He is always gone at work now
She's living in royalty
Is she living in loyalty
Now champagne is popping on Sundays
He's away and sipping on Bombay
Wasting bucks on beauty queens
Far away and can't be seen

She's got her Beverly Hills boyfriend
Spending all of his money
It's OK he's got a lot
Spent a portion on my mom

Beverly Hills boyfriend
He's gone for the weekend
Doesn't care about his bills
Guess that's what life's like in the Hills

(La da da da da da...)

She's a superstar making money
And she found a boy to call honey"

David Lee Roth

David Lee Roth is a rock singer born in Indiana, active since 1972 and best known for being the original lead vocalist for the band Van Halen from 1972-1985 and again from 2006-2020. This song is from his album "Crazy From The Heat" released in 1985. It's basically a copy of the Beach Boys' classic but it was such a big hit single (as big as the original) that it's worth a mention here. I get the feeling that Roth recorded the song just so he could make the video, which, with its parade of women in bikinis and high heels, certainly contributed to the song's popularity. You can see the lyrics under The Beach Boys.

Rot The Chair

California Song

They only started their YouTube channel two days before this song was put online August 30, 2024 and there's no information online yet about Rot the Chair, though it seems from the lyrics that there is a connection with Cleveland.

"All my friends wanna tell me
That the winter's gonna change
The ice will melt and folks will smile
And life won't seem so strange

But California calling my name
California, again
California, I'm so tired of being ashamed
California, again

Spent the winter up in Cleveland
The bricks are cold and hard and square
And the wind comes whipping through the buildings
I'd rather been most anywhere but there

And California calling my name
California, again
California, I'm so tired of being ashamed
California, oh when?

Got into some trouble up in Cleveland
Had mouths to feed and did not care
And so they threw me in the County
Sure not much to do in there

And California calling my name
California, I swear
California, I'm so tired of being ashamed
They don't care about things like this out there

County doc says my body can't take the drinking
And somehow that just don't seem fair
Quit 'bout every substance known to mankind
Now a couple Stroh's will kill me, they swear

And California calling my name
I'm young and strong and healthy there
California, I'm so tired of being ashamed
Sure would like to get back there

Don't think I'll make it to California
Too tired and sick to leave my chair
But I can almost see Orange County from my window
Replace the snow I see 'round here

And California calling my name
California, my friend
California, I'm so tired of being ashamed
California, the end"

RoyalLive

California Gardens

According to his YouTube profile:

"Ibraham Aka RoyalLive es un talento venezolano radicado en la ciudad de Dallas donde compone y produce su propia música para llevarla al mundo. Ritmos urbanos atmosféricos que incluyen sabor caribeño."

"Ibraham Aka RoyalLive is a Venezuelan talent based in the city of Dallas where he composes and produces his own music to take it to the world. Atmospheric urban rhythms that include Caribbean flavor."

This trippy Spanish rap song was released in May, 2023. I don't have the lyrics yet but one line sounds like this:
"Estamos fumando a California Gardens" or "We're smoking California Gardens."

Rozzi

Joshua Tree

Rosalind Elizabeth "Rozzi" Crane is a singer-songwriter from San Francisco, California, active since 2012. This indie pop vocal song is from her album "Bad Together released in 2018. Joshua Tree in summer can be extremely hot, so it's no wonder there was no one in sight.

"I'm selfish
I always made your problems 'bout me
I can't help it
I wish I had a little empathy for ya

But that night that you told me that I don't work hard enough
Told me I cracked too much ripped me to pieces and then called it love
Oh and I never handled it like I wanted to what was I supposed to do?
Knowing that both of us had enough

But when you think of me
I hope you think of Joshua Tree
That summer, where the road went on forever
No one in sight for us
When you think of me
I hope you think of the letters that I sent ya
From across town, just cause I missed ya
When the worst was yet to come

'Cause you know I do, when I think of you
Yeah you know I do, when I think of you

You're careless
Always saying things you didn't mean
Took me for granted
Expecting me to find the in-between
But that night that I told you that I wouldn't marry you
Swear I could feel from the floor to the ceiling
Your walls came up
So then I pulled you closer, and you pushed me further
And nothing would matter
We kept getting sadder and called it love

But when you think of me
I hope you think of Joshua Tree
That summer, where the road went on forever
No one in sight for us
When you think of me
I hope you think of the letters that I sent ya
From across town, just 'cause I missed ya
When the worst was yet to come
'Cause you know I do, when I think of you
Yeah you know I do, when I think of you

I think of New Year's in San Francisco
Drunk on my roof looking at you
Wrapped up in your coat
So tell me, my dear
What do you think of?
Don't you remember why we fell in love

Oh, and when you think of me
I hope you think of Joshua Tree
That summer, where the road went on forever
No one in sight for us
When you think of me
I hope you think of the letters that I sent ya
From across town, just 'cause I missed ya
When the worst was yet to come
'Cause you know I do, when I think of you
Oh baby
Yeah you know I do, when I think of you
I think of you, I think of you, baby
Are you thinking about me, baby?
I'm thinking about you"

The Runaways

California Paradise

The Runaways were a rock band active from 1975-1999, one of the few all-female bands of that time, known mostly for the song "Cherry Bomb" and for their founder who went on to bigger fame - Joan Jett. This song is from their album "Queens of Noise" released in 1977. Kristin Stewart starred in an interesting biopic about them in 2010 called "The Runaways" and I'd also like to see a biopic about the wild producer who put the band together, Kim Fowley.

"Turn up that radio
Hear the rock and roll
Malibu shines like summer gold
Wild beaches
In the salty wind
California summer never ends

California - it's so nice
California - you're paradise

The kids are ripping up the streets
In their super cars
All night parties and loud guitars
Hot hot neighborhoods
Its the silver sound
Wicked Hollywood goes round and round

California - you're so nice
California - you're paradise

California - you're so nice
California - you're paradise"

The Runaways

Five Little Miles From San Berdoo

This is one of their better known songs from the band's 1977 album "Queens of Noise."

"Each night alone I dream
That I'm a rebel roller queen
I'll be a star that shines
I can make the whole world mine
Hollywood it feels so good
Hollywood it feels so good
Each day at home I scheme
For the fame and fortune dream
Gonna be a superstar
With my fancy clothes and cars
Hollywood it feels so good
Hollywood it feels so good
I can make it, make it, make it, make it
'Cause I can take it, take it, take it,take it
Each time the radio plays
It tells of the golden days
Living fast on the go
Lets get on with the show yeah
Hollywood it feels so good
Hollywood it feels so good"

Chris Rupp (featuring Ali Spagnola)

Christmas in California

Chris Rupp is a singer from Minnesota who formed the acappella group Home Free in 2001 before starting a solo career. Ali Spagnoa is a musician and social media celebrity from Pennsylvania. This song was released in 2021. It's another song about Christmas in Southern California.

"Looking around, at Tinseltown
It doesn't have the right vibe
How can it be Christmas when it's 74 outside

I miss the glow, the falling snow
Lights on every street
The crisp bite of the air, and the crunch beneath my feet

I might be so far away and feeling all alone
But its time to make some new traditions
'Cause I can't make it home

We'll have a California Christmas
Surf instead of sleigh
It may not be what we're used to
And maybe that's OK
Palm trees swaying, children playing
In Beverly Hills L.A.
In California, Christmas is still with us anyway

Chasing dreams, starlet scenes
Making a name for myself
All my Yuletide memories, in an old frame on the shelf

I didn't know, 5 below
And the frost upon the glass
How much those things meant to me, memories from the past

I might be so far away and feeling all alone
But its time to make some new traditions
Cuz I can't make it home

We'll have a California Christmas
Sun instead of ice
It may not be what we're used to
But maybe that'd be nice
Palm trees swaying, children playing
In Beverly Hills L.A.
In California, Christmas is still with us anyway

We'll have a California Christmas
Our favorite season in the sand
The first thing on our wish list
To have the merriest we can
With palm trees swaying, children playing
In Beverly Hills L.A.
California Christmas
California Christmas
California, Christmas
Is still with us anyway"

Russ & G-Eazy

California Girl

Russ is a rapper and producer from New Jersey and Atlanta, active since 2007. G-Eazy is Gerald Gillum, a rapper and producer from Oakland and Berkeley, active since 2006. This song was released in 2023. There are no lyrics online yet. G-Eazy does the chorus on it, but Russ raps so fast I couldn't keep up. Here's the chorus and a little bit of Russ's rap.

"I been waitin' all week, take me anywhere you wanna
Tell me where to go 'cause I'm new to California
I can bring a pack, since you don't know how to roll up
Talk about your culture, I'm tryin' to get to know ya

Come on, pull off to the side and we can walk, walk, walk
Emptyin' a bottle while we talk, talk, talk
Now I got you open speakin' soft, soft, soft
What took you so long?

Ok, ok, ok, I'm back now on a new trip
For a new person in California
With some good girls and bad b**ches
In Los Angeles but I can't afford 'em
Goin' upstate with my old car
Dark Side of the Moon playin'
Got pink shades to help see clear...
... ... ...
City of Angels, city of god
... and Kendrick Lamar
She took me to see ... in the dark
Griffith Park right above the stars...."

Jane Russell

Jane Russell is singing this tune in a cantina in Nogales, Mexico, when Robert Mitchum first lays eyes on her in the 1951 Howard Hughes produced movie "His Kind of Woman." She sings a shortened version in the movie and a longer more fully-orchestrated version on LP.

"Ten little miles
Nine little miles
Eight little
Seven little
Six little miles

Five little miles from San Berdoo
I woke this mornin' and thought of you
Looked out the window
What a view
Five little miles from San Berdoo

Four little miles from San Berdoo
The porter shouted, "We're almost through!"
I saw familiar sights we knew
Four little miles from San Berdoo

Three little miles from San Berdoo
My bag was packed and ready
I said to myself, "Steady!"

Two more miles and you're in heaven

One little mile from San Berdoo
My heart was skippin' a beat or two
Oh what thrill when I saw you
Waitin' at the station down in San Berdoo

From San Berdoo
I woke this mornin' and thought of you
Looked out the window
What a view
From San Berdoo
From San Berdoo
The porter shouted, "We're almost through!"
I saw familiar sights we knew
From San Berdoo
From San Berdoo
My bag was packed and ready
I said to myself, "Steady!"

Two more miles and you're in heaven

Little mile from San Berdoo
My heart was skippin' a beat or two
Oh what thrill when I saw you
Waitin' at the station down in San Berdoo

San Bernardino!
Berdoo"

Tom Russell

California Snow

This is from the album "Borderland" released in 2001. He co-wrote the song with Dave Alvin, who released the song in 1998. You can see the lyrics under Dave Alvin.

Tom Russell

Out In California

This is from the album "The Rose of the San Joaquin" released in 1995. It's a song he wrote with Dave Alvin who released a version of the song the following year.

"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 a bed
The mountains here are shaped like a woman lying naked on a bed
She may be 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 stands by the window letting down her long black hair

If a man keeps running, he'll run right into himself
It a man keeps moving he'll run into himself
Out in California she's lying down with somebody else

Out in California
Out in California

Gonna buy me a Chevy, as soon as my luck turns around
Gonna buy me a shotgun, soon as my luck turns around

I'm gonna 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
Out in California she's takin' off her tight red skirt

Out in California
Out in California
Out in California"

Tom Russell

The Rose of the San Joaquin

Tom Russell is a singer-songwriter born in Los Angeles in 1947 or '48 in Los Angeles, making music in the Americana music tradition. This song is from the album "The Rose of the San Joaquin" released in 1995. I think San Joaquin refers to the San Joaquin Valley which makes more sense than if it refers to the San Joaquin River. Unless Magdalene is a freshwater mermaid...

"Farewell to the lights of Madera, I'm leaving with the wind at my back
Tell all of my friends in Dos Palos, I'm gone but I'll be circling back
Now I'm crossing the Chowchilla River
By the light of a ragged moonbeam
And I miss the Rose of San Joaquin

I'll miss the sun on the Sierra Nevadas, adobe moon on the rise
Shining down on my love in Madera, shining into her dark Spanish eyes
Oh she taught me those Mexican love songs
'Volver, Volver' in my dreams
And I miss the Rose of San Joaquin
Caught somewhere between
The road and the Rose of San Joaquin

Now her black hair fell on the blanket in the tall grass wet with the dew
Making love through the night by the river
Oh Magdalene how my heart cries for you
Alone on this highway of darkness
You are the light of my dreams
And I miss the Rose of San Joaquin
Caught somewhere between
The road and the Rose of San Joaquin"

Anica Russo

Coming Home (California)

Anica Russo is a singer-songwriter based in Berlin, Germany. This pop song was released in 2024.
(She should stop worrying and buy a plane ticket. If she goes to California and it doesn't feel like home, she can always just go back home.)

"Always the one who didn't belong
Holding my heart
Right in my hand
Like a smoking gun
Ever since I was young

Dream of a place
Where it never rains
Where I fit in
Maybe somewhere by the ocean waves
Under the Golden Gate

Hope can be fleeting
And I got a feeling

I had a dream ‘bout California
Maybe now I don't want to go
What if I go to California
And it doesn’t feel like coming home?

The devil I know
Wherever I go
I end up alone
How many hearts lie awake at night
In the city where angels die?

Dreams can be blinding
My road needs refining

I had a dream ‘bout California
But maybe now I don’t wanna go
What if I go to California
And it doesn’t feel like coming home?

I had a dream ‘bout California
But maybe I’m only chasing ghosts
What if I look into the mirror
And finally feel like coming home?"

Charley Ryan

Hot Rod Lincoln

This is a 1955 rockabilly answer song to Arkie Shibley's 1950 song Hot Rod Race. The singer of this song is the Model A driver in Shibley's song who comes out of nowhere to win the race. It was a top ten hit in 1971 for Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.

"My pappy said, 'Son, you're gonna drive me t' drinkin' ...
If you don't quit drivin' that - Hot ... Rod ... Lincoln!'

Well, you've heard the story of the hot rod race,
When the Ford and the Mercury were settin' the pace.
That story's true I'm here to say,
Cause I was a'drivin' that Model A.
It's got a Lincoln motor and it's really souped up;
That Model A body makes it look like a pup.
It's got 12 cylinders and uses them all;
And an overdrive that just won't stall.

It's got a 4-barrel carb and dual exhausts,
4:11 gears that really get lost -
Safety tubes and I'm not scared,
The brakes are good and the tires are fair.

We left San Pedro late one night;
The moon and the stars were shinin' bright.
We were drivin' up Grapevine Hill,
Passin' cars like they were standin' still.

Then, all of a sudden, in the wink of an eye,
a Cadillac sedan passed us by.
The remark was made, "That's the car for me."
But, by then, the taillights wuz all you could see.

Well, the fellers ribbed me for bein' behind,
So I started to make that Lincoln unwind.
Took my foot off the gas and, man alive,
I shoved it down into overdrive.

Well, I wound it up to 110;
Twisted the speedometer cable right off the end.
Had my foot glued right to the floor;
I said, "That's all there is - there ain't no more."

Now the fellas thought I'd lost all sense;
The telephone poles looked like a picket fence.
They said, "Slow down, I see spots."
The lines on the road just looked like dots.

Went around a corner and passed a truck;
I crossed my fingers just for luck -
The fenders clickin' the guard rail post;
The guy beside me was white as a ghost.
Smoke was rollin' outta the back
When I started to gain on that Cadillac
I knew I could catch him and hoped I could pass
But when I did I'd be short on gas.

There were flames comin' from out of the side;
You could feel the tension; man, what a ride.
I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly"
And the Cadillac pulled over and let me by.

All of a sudden a rod started knockin';
Down in the depths she started a rockin'.
I looked in the mirror and a red light was blinkin';
The cops was after my Hot Rod Lincoln.

Well they arrested me and put me in jail.
I called my pop to make my bail.
He said, "Son, you're gonna drive me t' drinkin',
If you don't quit drivin' that - Hot ... Rod ... Lincoln!" "

Joey Ryan

One Way, or Every N - - - - With a Budget

Joey Ryan is a singer-songwriter from Eagle Rock. He's best known as part of the duo The Milk Carton Kids who formed in 2011 with Ryan and Kenneth Pettengale. This is from "...with its roots above and its branches below" released in 2008. Kenneth Pettengale and Joey Ryan also sing a version of this song that sounds very similar on their album "Retrospect' released in 2011 just before they became The Milk Carton Kids. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmph6Qxfmi4

"California, California
Know I love you, California
When I leave, I know you wait for me
Cause in the sun and in the weather
No one else has loved me better
California you're the place for me

Los Angeles, Los Angeles
My heart goes out to you and if
I make it back I'd love to drive around
Cause your streets are wide and dirty
Yes they've raised me in a hurry
You're the city with the angels, yes indeed

Oh San Francisco, San Francisco
Always busy, you're always pretty
I can see you just across the bay
Your red bridge over the sea
Keeps me safe and warm and free
On a clear day, there's no place I'd rather be

In the mountains, in the mountains
No one knows you like I do
And summer streams are knee deep in the snow
Just like the giving tree you have made a man of me
Cause everyone needs someplace beautiful
I think everyone needs someplace beautiful

California, California
Know I love you, California
When I leave I know you wait for me
Cause in the sun and in the weather
No one else has loved me better
California you're the place for me

In the valley, in the valley
Give me life and cradle me
The sun is setting as I drive ahead
So keep us and sustain us
Give us food and love and I trust
That without you we'd all soon be dead

In the forest, all the trees
You make a little child of me
How I long to know what you have seen
All the people who are gone
And all the ones who once were strong
Oh won't you keep their fate from claiming me

In the oceans, in the sea
We have seen eternity
How can I tell when you really end
I imagine that you lead to other worlds entirely
Where we can save ourselves and start again
Yes we need to save ourselves and start again

California, California
Know I love you, California
When I leave I know you wait for me
Cause in the sun and in the weather
No one else has loved me better
California you're the place for me

So nurse me like a mother
Raise me strong just like my father
Let me wander off, discover who I am
I'll have learned your deepest lessons
Gathered up your finest blessings
Return to California once again
Yes, I'll come home to California once again

California, California
Know I love you, California
When I leave I know you wait for me
Cause in the sun and in the weather
No one else has loved me better
California you're the place for me
Yes California you're the place for me
California won't you save a place for me?"

Sam Ryder

Somebody

Sam Ryder is a singer-songwriter from the United Kingdom, active since 2009. This pop song was released in 2022. It only has a brief mention of California, but it's an unusual one.

"....You bring me summer every weekend
Like a rooftop in L.A.
When it heats up in the evening
You cool me off like lemonade
So don't go changin' like the seasons
'Cause you're perfect in every way
Babe, you got a love that's worth bleedin'
If you go runnin', I lead, you can't blame (Hey)

Wake me up
Lot of caffeine in my coffee cup
And like a shootin' star, you light me up
Oh, hey, you made it

'Cause we all need somebody
Even lonely hearts need somebody
So the farthest love leaves your body
Give it away
So if you've got somebody
Let 'em know that they got somebody
Little love never hurt nobody, hey
So you use your light and shine it like crazy
We got one life, let's make it amazin'
I love you, baby, no, that ain't changin'
You got, you got somebody who loves ya
You got, you got somebody who loves ya...."

Saba

Saba is the professional name of Tahj Malik Chandler, a rapper and producer from Chicago. This song from the album "Few Good Things" released in February, 2022, has a great beat, melody and chorus. It should have been a bigger hit.

"Want the peace, but don't wanna die
It's a one way street though
It's a round trip when we fly
Never one way, one way
New crib by the seaside
On the one way street though
There's a million ways to get by
Never one way, one way

Need a million after taxes, I might spend the s**t on fashion
All this flexin' made me stronger, feel like Tony in a mansion
My baby mama lookin' she could've won a pageant
I'm not vegan, we been eatin', kick my feet up and get fatter
Sit all day and I play Madden and my mattress California
My address California, when I can't find my controller
I'm like "F**k it", buy another, it ain't nothin', I got money
We all splurgin' on this dumb s**t, 'cause we careless and we youngins
Every ni**a with a budget takin' care at least ten buddies
What you need, you know I cover

It's a one way street though
It's a round trip when we fly
Never one way, one way
New crib by the seaside
On the one way street though
There's a million ways to get by
Never one way, one way

I'ma order pasta that I cannot properly pronounce
Keep my doors open 'case a ni**a pop up on my couch
Went from couldn't afford it, to a ni**a coppin' without counting
None my checks been voidin' since a ni**ga got me an accountant
Send my mama a quick thousand and we crashed them open houses
All the rappers in Tarzana, in the valley, Calabasas
All my ni**as wanna crash here, and my woman friends is ratchet
All my neighbors lookin' at us, lookin' different than they family
A black man with the baggy, so my people in my paddy
Know I got it if you ask me

It's a one way street though
It's a round trip when we fly
Never one way, one way
New crib by the seaside
On the one way street though
There's a million ways to get by
Never one way, one way"

Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band

Ho! For California!

Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band are a tradition folk and old-time country band dedicated to preserve and celebrate American folk music. This song is from their album "Ballad of America, Volume 1" released in 2005. 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.

This version is unlike most I've heard so far because it uses the original title and the original lyrics which are sung at a slower pace than most other versions, making it sound more like a traditional folk song than a sea shanty.

"We've formed our band, and we're all well manned
To journey afar to the promised land
Where the golden ore is rich in store
On the banks of the Sacramento shore

As off we roam through the dark sea foam
We'll ne'er forget kind friends at home
But memory kind shall bring to mind
The love of those we left behind

Then, ho! Boys ho!
For California go
There's plenty of gold in the world we're told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Heigh ho and away we go
Digging up the gold on the Francisco
Heigh ho and away we go
Digging up the gold on the Francisco

Oh don't you cry, nor heave a sigh
We'll all come back again by and by
Don't breathe a fear, nor shed a tear
But patiently wait for about two year

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 come howling 'round

Then, ho! Boys ho!
For California go
There's plenty of gold in the world we're told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Heigh ho and away we go
Digging up the gold on the Francisco
Heigh ho and away we go
Digging up the gold on the Francisco

As the gold is thar most any whar
They dig it out with an iron bar
And where 'tis thick, with a spade or pick
They take out lumps as big as a brick

As we explore the distant shore
We'll fill our pockets with the shining ore
And how 'twill sound as the wind goes 'round
Of our picking up gold by the dozen pound

Then, ho! Boys ho!
For California go
There's plenty of gold in the world we're told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Heigh ho and away we go
Digging up the gold on the Francisco
Heigh ho and away we go
Digging up the gold on the Francisco

Oh the land we'll save for the bold and brave
Have determined there never shall breathe a slave
Let foes recoil, for the sons of toil
Shall make California God's Free Soil

Then, ho! Boys ho!
For California go
There's plenty of gold in the world we're told
On the banks of the Sacramento

Heigh ho and away we go
Digging up the gold on the Francisco
Heigh ho and away we go
Digging up the gold on the Francisco
Digging up the gold on the Francisco"

Saint Etienne

Downey, California

Saint Etienne is an electronic indie dance band formed in London in 1990 with vocalist Sarah Cracknell. This song is from their Sound of Water Album (2000).

"Dream home
In Downey, California
Palm trees
The sound of Karen Carpenter
Mother's holding baby
Baby's getting restless now
Looking for her mother
Looking for her mother

You don't, don't want to believe him now
Don't want to
Don't want to see him"

Stroke 9

Stroke 9 is an alternative rock band formed in Marin County, active since 1989. This song is from the album "Rip It Off" released in 2002.

"Can't change how
Feelings will be shown
Don't blame you
You're nervous on your own
Propose the worst and I'm the first in line
Despite the rest it's not a bad sign

That you mean the world to me
And the city and my soul disagree

Last time 'round fast
I'll see you on the way down
Life's a funny thing
And you can't bring yourself to face
It if you want to
Now I shake here
For your sake dear
I was raised and I was born here
I couldn't leave California if I tried to

Can't say now
Where I'm gonna go
When I figure it out
You'll be the first to know
Do you understand that it's out of these hands of mine
Despite our plans I've got to draw the line

You still mean the world to me
The city and my soul disagree

Last time 'round fast
I'll see you on the way down
Life's a funny thing
And you can't bring yourself to face it if you want to
Now I shake here
For your sake dear
I was raised and I was born here
I couldn't leave California if I tried to
If I tried to
If I tried to
If I tried to

Can't change how
Feelings will be shown
Don't blame you
You're nervous on your own
Propose the worst and I'm the first in line

Last time 'round fast
I'll see you on the way down
Life's a funny thing
And you can't bring yourself to face it if you want to
Now I shake here
For your sake dear
I was raised and I was born here
I couldn't leave California if I tried to

Now I shake here
For your sake dear
I was raised and I was born here
I couldn't leave California if I tried to"

St. Verie

California Calls

St. Verie is Kirsten Skopelitis, based in Berlin at one time, maybe still. Her Soundcloud page says: "If Indie Pop and Dream Pop had a baby... it would be St. Verie." But wouldn't an indie dream pop baby keep you up all night singing depressing songs with too much reverb? This is better than that. It was was one of the first tracks she released back in 2018.

"You've got two hours to write a hit
Hear your time, run out
They say it doesn't take a day it's all we've got
Breathe in breathe out
Time's running out
Take the risk
Breathe in breathe out
Time's running out
Take the risk

California's calling me
Golden Coast is where I want to be
California's calling me
Golden Coast is where I want to be

Pack my things I'm taking my dog
We've got to go
Never look back there's only forward to go
Breathe in breathe out
Time's running out
Take the risk
Breathe in breathe out
Time's running out
Take the risk

California's calling me
Golden Coast is where I want to be
California's calling me
Golden Coast is where I want to be

West Coast, West Coast, West Coast loving
West Coast, West Coast, West Coast loving me
West Coast, West Coast, West Coast calling me
West Coast

California's calling me
Golden Coast is where I want to be
California's calling me
Golden Coast is where I want to be
California's calling me
Golden Coast is where I want to be
California's calling me
Golden Coast is where I want to be"

St. Vincent

Los Ageless

St. Vincent is the stage name for Anne Clark, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter known for her innovative guitar playing, raised in Dallas, Texas, and based in New York City, active since 2003. This song is from her Masseduction album released in 2017. The song title is wordplay on an obsession with youth in Los Angeles. The city is never specifically mentioned, but the first line of the song mentions a season without winter which is obviously L.A. and there is a reference to the Sunset Blvd. club scene. The very colorful video for the song parodies women's yoga, beauty treatments, fashion, plastic surgery, and weird diets, all of which are common stereotypes of L.A. women, though the obsession with youth and beauty is certainly just as prevalent among women in many other places.

"In Los Ageless, the winter never comes
In Los Ageless, the mothers milk their young
But I can keep running
No, I can keep running
The Los Ageless hang out by the bar
Burn the pages of unwritten memoirs
But I can keep running
No, I can keep running

[Chorus]
How can anybody have you?
How can anybody have you and lose you?
How can anybody have you and lose you
And not lose their minds, too?
How can anybody have you?
How can anybody have you and lose you?
How can anybody have you and lose you
And not lose their minds, too?

The last days of the Sunset superstars
Girls in cages playing their guitars
But how can I leave?
I just follow the hood of my car
In Los Ageless, the waves they never break
They build and build until you don't have no escape
But how can I leave?
I just follow my hood to the sea, go to sleep

[Chorus]

Oh my Lord, oh, we really did it now
I'm a monster and you're my sacred cow
But I can keep running
No, I can keep on running...."

Sacramento

L.A.? Not Alone Girl!

I couldn't find anything out about this band or singer by searching for "Sacramento." All I know is that English is not the first language of the singer, who sings with an unidentifiable accent. At the end he sings L.A. as "lay" which is nice. I can see that becoming a thing in the future. And I don't know why the artist name is "Sacramento." Maybe they are using the Spanish meaning of the word.

"No matter what you do
No matter if you treat me good
you've always meant a lot

No matter if I win or lose
You're always by my side
I'll never feel alone with you

Remember the swans in Echo Park
Remember the Sunset Boulevard
The Mexican fan palms all around

You can't let me alone out there
I'm not going to live L.A. myself
I'll never be alone again

No matter what you do
No matter if you treat me good
You're going to fly down south to me

It's always been my dream, but never without my lead
I'll never live L.A. alone

Ain't no be no L.A. alone
Ain't no be no L.A. alone
Not alone girl

Ain't no be no L.A. alone
Ain't no be no L.A. alone
Not alone girl"

Salty Dick

Banks of the Sacramento

Salty Dick is Jerry Bryant, a folk music performer/archivist who specializes in maritime songs. This is a "dirty" 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.

Most of the other versions of the song mention that there is plenty of gold on the banks of the Sacramento River, but this song celebrates a more practical natural resource found on the riverbanks.

"As I was walking down the strand
Hoo dah, hoo dah
I spied two b***hes hand in hand
Oh, hoo dah day

Blow, boys, blow, for Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of grass to wipe your ass
On the banks of the Sacramento

I chose the one with the curly locks
Hoo dah, hoo dah
She's the bugger that gave me the pox
Oh, hoo dah day

Blow, boys, blow, for Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of grass to wipe your ass
On the banks of the Sacramento

So off to the doctor I did go
Hoo dah, hoo dah
Prick and balls I had to show
Oh, hoo dah day

Blow, boys, blow, for Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of grass to wipe your ass
On the banks of the Sacramento

In come the doctor with a bloody big lance
Hoo dah, hoo dah
Said, 'Now, young sailor, I'll make ye dance'
Oh, hoo dah day

Blow, boys, blow, for Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of grass to wipe your ass
On the banks of the Sacramento

In come the nurse with a mustard poultice
Hoo dah, hoo dah
She jammed it on, but I took no notice
Oh, hoo dah day

Blow, boys, blow, for Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of grass to wipe your ass
On the banks of the Sacramento

Now I'm well and free from pain
Hoo dah, hoo dah
If I meet that whore I'll f**k her again
Oh, hoo dah day

Blow, boys, blow, for Cal-i-for-ni-o
There's plenty of grass to wipe your ass
On the banks of the Sacramento"

Samia

Amelia

Samia (Samia Najimu Finnerty) is a singer-songwriter and actor from New York City, born in L.A. to show-biz parents, and active since 2017. This catchy pop song song is from her album "Honey" released in 2023. "Wet as the L. A. River" is probably meant to be ironic, since the river was pretty dry in all of the movie and tv chase scenes I've seen that were filmed in it.

"Who's that shadow kicking sunset?
Running up with Muriel to catch the last song
Carolina in the springtime
Caleb at the fire pit scaling the beyond

All I'm running with, babe, is a blank slate towards the ocean
F**k your rear view
There's no room to shoulder hindsight where we're going

Huh, delight
To live another night
Huh, delight
Delight

Amelia
She's giving me that half smile
She knows something about me I do not know
And behind her
You can see the sun
Reaching its long fingers into a chokehold

She's shuffling between the strobes
Sucking up and rolling the globe
I'm like, 'How'd you get your leg so high up?'
F**k

Delight, to live another night
Huh, delight
Delight
Huh, delight
To live another night
Huh, delight
Delight

Walking into the middle of the party
I'm writing a poem somebody stop me
Simmer, wet as the L.A. River
Me and all my friends are up late bonding

I can feel the earth, it's shaking underneath my shoes
Oh my god, there's nothing quite like doing what you came to do
Percolating, breathing, dancing, dying

Huh, delight
To live another night...."

Cameron Sanderson

In California

Cameron Sanderson is a musical artist from Great Britain. This song was released in January 2023.

"You're out on the west side
All our mates are too high
Don't tell me you're breaking
All alone
Just bell me on FaceTime
'Cam I swear that I'm fine...'
If you wanna fix me
Leave me alone

So what are you running from
Where are you going?
Maybe I'm on the run
Across the ocean
You tell me I'm giving up
That's your diagnosis
Why haven't I noticed?

Even if I tried
You were always gonna die
In California
No don't tell me you're alright
Wearing hoodies all the time
Yeah don't think I don't notice
So please take me away
Tell me I'm to blame
Everything is golden in this state
But I know that's a lie
God isn't on your side
In California
In California
(In California)

If you're good then I'll follow
You down to the bottle
'Cam I am not sober...'
I know it's not the drugs you've been given
It's the place that you live in
But before she could listen she goes

So what are you running from
Where are you going?
Maybe I'm on the run
Across the ocean
You tell me I'm giving up
That's your diagnosis
Why haven't I noticed?

Even if I tried
You were always gonna die
In California
No don't tell me you're alright
Wearing hoodies all the time
Yeah don't think I don't notice
So please take me away
Tell me I'm to blame
Everything is golden in this state
But I know that's a lie
'Cause God isn't on your side
In California
In California"

San Quinn & Tuf Luv (featuring B-Legit)

Drunk in San Francisco

San Quinn is Quincy Brooks IV, a rapper from San Francisco, active since 1989, B-Legit is Brandt Jones, a rapper from Vallejo active since 1988, and I can't find out much about Tuf Luv except that he's a rapper most likely from the Bay Area. This song is from the album "A Hustler's Hope" released in 2012. It uses a sample of Nancy Wilson's 1968 version of "I'm Always Drunk in San Francisco" as the hook. This song will take you back to a time when the Raiders were still in Oakland, the 49ers still played in San Francisco, and Candlestick Park hadn't yet been demolished. In 2022 the A's are still there, but maybe not for long.

"I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco

[San Quinn]
It's a staring artist, in need of racks
You heard him too? I'll drink to that
Sittin' at the beach, drinking like a fish
Fifty privilege, arguing with my b**ch
She said I need to quit, or find another groupie
Then she took the car, made me ride the MUNI
Bottle gone, at the bus I hobble on
Like a real wine-o, gettin' my wobble on
End up on Market, busy drunk talking to the homies
In the Tenderloin diggin' in the garbage
F**k, like I'm not a star
Lookin' for another card, free ride on the cable car
From brown to ..., Chinatown on the hype
Patron shot after shot, no water or Sprite
Lookin' for a fight, runnin' up on tourists
Not too aware, but I'm for sure, ripped
See me on one, let me be me
You better off calling SFPD

I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco

[Tuf Luv]
What time is it? what day it is?
How the hell I end up it the baby crib?
I don't drink much, but when a ni**a do
I get drunker than a pirate in a sailor suit

I'm on a bar with a bottle in my back pocket
Me and Paul Masson, just left crackin'
We about to go and kick it with Brandy
Her and her little sister Landy
At 11:45, at my Pier 39
With a bar and a dime, with a beer and a lime
Somebody draw the line I try to stop but can't
Soon as the bottle hit my lips I'm like Frank the Tank
I'm drunk on the curb, askin' for my money back
Slurring words, yelling "what the look you fu**in' at"
Now everybody lookin', like ain't that a b**ch
I'm at the 'Niner game, in that Raider fit
At the Giant's game, in that A's hat
When people flip me off, I just wave back

I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco

[B-Legit]
Yeah, I know the club owner, I like to rub on her
I'm in the crib with 3 shots and a cold Corona
I run laps like the 500 Daytona
'Till I find one that wanna know my persona
Then I'm on her like a light switch
The right b**ch, that'll try to f**k a d**e b**h
I take her out to Candlestick
Get another 50 see if she can handle it
That n**ga B-Le, he be on that black
Cognac, Hennessy, yeah he f**k with that
I seen him at the Glass Cat
Gettin' splat at the back, it was hella racks
And, boy if you only knew
What I do, when I ride through them avenues
I'm talkin' 21, 22
My heels on, she about 6 in the few
I let them know what the thing do
We by the zoo so it's cool, baby, act a fool"

I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco
I'm always drunk in San Francisco"

Santana (featuring The Product G&B)

Maria Maria

Santana is a rock band formed in San Francsico in 1966 by Carlos Santana, who was born in Mexico. The Product G&B is an R&B duo made up of David McRae and Marvin Moore-Hough. The song, #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for ten weeks, is from the album "Supernatural" released in 1999, one of the best-selling albums in the world, and the winner of the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Those are some impressive stats...

"Ladies and gents, turn up your sound systems to the sound of Carlos Santana and the G&B, it's The Product of Ghetto Blues from the Refugee Camp

Oh, Maria, Maria
She reminds me of a West Side Story
Growing up in Spanish Harlem
She's living the life just like a movie star
Oh, Maria, Maria
She fell in love in East L.A.
To the sounds of the guitar, yeah, yeah
Played by Carlos Santana

Stop the looting, stop the shooting
Pick pock'ing on the corner
See as the rich is getting richer
The poor is getting poorer
Se mira Maria on the corner
Thinking of ways to make it better
In my mailbox, there's an eviction letter
Signed by the judge, said see you later

Ahora vengo mama chula, mama chula
Ahora vengo mama chula (East Coast)
Ahora vengo mama chula, mama chula
Ahora vengo mama chula (West Coast)

Oh, Maria, Maria
She reminds me of a West Side Story
Growing up in Spanish Harlem
She's living the life just like a movie star, oh
Maria, Maria
She fell in love in East L.A.
To the sounds of the guitar, yeah, yeah
Played by Carlos Santana

I said a la favela los colores
The streets are getting hotter
There is no water to put out the fire
Ni gota de esperanza
Se mira Maria on the corner
Thinking of ways to make it better
Then I looked up in the sky
Hoping of days of paradise

Ahora vengo mama chula, mama chula
Ahora vengo mama chula (North side)
Ahora vengo mama chula, mama chula
Ahora vengo mama chula (South side)
Ahora vengo mama chula, mama chula
Ahora vengo mama chula (Worldwide)
Ahora vengo mama chula, mama chula
Ahora vengo mama chula (Open up your eyes)

Maria, you know you're my lover
When the wind blows, I can feel you
Through the weather and even when we are apart
It feels like we're together, Maria, yeah

She reminds me of a West Side Story
Growing up in Spanish Harlem
She's living the life just like a movie star
Maria, Maria
Oh, she fell in love in East L.A.
To the sounds of the guitar
Played by Carlos Santana

Put 'em up, y'all
Carlos Santana with the Refugee Camp
Wyclef
Jerry Wonda
Mr. Santana
G&B
Yo Carlos, man, you're making that guitar cry"

Sarah Anne

Sarah Anne is a country music singer-songwriter, I'm guessing from Tennessee. This song was released in 2017.

"I can't see it now
At your mama's house
Mulled wine churnin'
The fire's burnin'

You've got your slippers on
Singing Christmas songs
With your daddy and your brothers
Like you always do when you get together

But there's somethin' that just don't feel right
That I'm not right there with you
Underneath the mistletoe
Damn I'm wantin' to kiss you

It's a California Christmas
Sunny and 75 down on the beach
I just miss you and I wish you
Were underneath my tree with Tennessee

Won't be snow or ice
Won't be carriage rides
We've got palm trees and
... the night down Rodeo Drive

There's something about a sunset cruise
Headed up Mulholland
That takes me back to Tennessee
When you and me were fallin'

It's a California Christmas
Sippin' rose all day down on the beach
I just miss you and I wish you
Were underneath my tree with Tennessee

I don't know if I can get on by
Wakin' up without you by my side
I've been ... the middle of our traditions tonight

It's a California Christmas
I'll be holdin' on to you on New Years
I just miss you and I wish you
Were were underneath my tree with Tennessee
I just miss you and I wish you
Were were underneath my tree with Tennessee
Underneath my tree with Tennessee
Underneath my tree
Underneath my tree
Underneath my tree
Underneath my tree
Underneath my tree with Tennessee"

Savage Garden

Savage Garden was an Australian pop duo with Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones, active from 1993-2001. They had a lot of success in the U.S. including two #1 hot 100 hits. This is a previously-unreleased song from their album "Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden" released in 2005.

"I've got a cottage with a sea view,
I've got a regular summer tan,
I've been working up the courage to call you all year,
Ooooh.
But there's nothing i can say,
And there are no good words left anyway.
Besides people are cruel and the world still moves without you,
Ooooh.

And welcome to my Californian home.
You don't have to call me you can,
Leave when you want there's a
Picture by my bed and there's a,
Light in your eyes I don't know,
Well I don't know,
Why you still feel alone.

And we were dying from the get-go,
I was dreamin' but you never believed.
I was tryin' to fit myself in the spaces between,
Ooooh.
And you were kind and sometimes cruel -
You said all the world's love couldn't satisfy you.
And nothing could have hurt me as much as the truth,
Ooooh darlin'

Welcome to my Californian home,
You don't have to call me, you can,
Leave when you want there's a,
Picture by my bed and there's a,
Light in your eyes I don't know,
Tell me 'coz i wanna find out,
Do you still feel alone?

Love is elusive when you search for it,
And don't I know.
Happiness sometimes it just creeps in,
And don't I know it.
I'm goin' crazy I've been wonderin'
Do you still feel alone?

(I need to find,
Some kind of peace of mind.
I need to find...)

I've got a cottage with a sea view,
I've got a regular summer tan,
I know that I deserve more,
But I still want you...

And welcome to my Californian home,
You don't have to call me you can,
Leave when you want there's a,
Picture by my bed and there's a,
Light in your eyes I don't know,
Tell me 'coz I wanna find out do you still feel?

Welcome to my California, (I need to find)
Even though I'm no good for ya, (Some kind of peace of mind)
There's a part of me that's still waiting for you, (I need to find)
Oh oh oh,
Welcome to my happy ending, (I need to find)
Even though it's fun pretending I know, (Some kind of peace of mind)
I know you can't look back you can never go back.

(Welcome to my Californian home) I know you can never go back again,
(Welcome to my Californian home) I know you can never go back again,
(Welcome to my Californian home) I know you can never go back,
I know it, I need to find out do you still feel?...."

Savage Garden

Santa Monica

This is from the group's album "Savage Garden" released in 1997. It's an ode to the city in southern California. I'm pretty sure that anybody would know the difference between a supermodel and Norman Mailer, especially since he's dead.

"In Santa Monica, in the winter time,
The lazy streets so undemanding
I walk into the crowd
In Santa Monica, you get your coffee from
The coolest places on the promenade
Where people dress just so
Beauty so unavoidable, everywhere you turn
It's there I sit and wonder what am I doing here?
But on the telephone line I am anyone
I am anything I want to be
I could be a supermodel or Norman Mailer
And you wouldn't know the difference
Or would you?

In Santa Monica, all the people got modern names
Like Jake or Mandy
And modern bodies too
In Santa Monica, on the boulevard,
You'll have to dodge those In-line skaters
Or they'll knock you down
I never felt so lonely,
Never felt so out of place
I never wanted something more than this

But on the telephone line I am anyone
I am anything I want to be
I could be a supermodel or Norman Mailer
And you wouldn't know the difference
On the telephone line, I am any height
I am any age I want to be
I could be a caped crusader, or space invader
And you wouldn't know the difference
Or would you?"

Jasper Sawyer

California Dreaming

Jasper Sawyer is an American singer-songwriter and Instagram star. This is from his album "California Dreaming" released in 2022. The singer of this song dreams of living the life of a rich and famous star in SoCal with all the mansions, fancy cars, & parties in Malibu that he thinks go with it. In these days of six dollars a gallon gas, most of us are probably willing to downgrade our dreams to include just being able to pay the bills - but that would make a very boring song. His California dreams are a lot more fun.

"I’m headed down this road again
I’m going back to California
Only left the first time cause the rent
Was just a little too high

I stacked up all my money
Bought a busted car
But when I get to Hollywood
I’ma be a star
I’m chasing better days
People come to Cali for them better days
So here we are

Can’t you see what I see
Gold and purple mountains
Yellow Lamborghinis by the ocean
Cali dreamin’s coming back
Golden coast is where it’s at
You might see me on your tv
If I make it in California

Cali folk are so chill
Making money, heard some people signed a record deal, like that
Cali dreamin’s where it’s at
Hollywood is calling back
You might see me on your tv
When I make it big, I’m California

I’m on the golden coast again
I bet it all in California
I’ma do it big or I’m gon' quit
I bet that on the rest my life

Fall in love in Hollywood, get a better ride
Buy a house in Malibu
Party through the night
I say hello to better days
People come to Cali for them better days
... ... ... ...
I’m headed to the top
I’ll make it big in Cali
So put everything I got
On black Its coming at me
California, California, California, Califor-ni-a

They say I’m headed to the top
I’ll make it big my mama said to
Show 'em what you got
I’m back it’s coming at me
California, California, California, Califor-ni-a
... ... ... ...
They say I’m headed to the top
I’ll make it big my mama said to
Show 'em what you got
I’m back it’s coming at me
Cali dreamin in my eyes
California in its prime
Golden Coast if you can hear me
Let me make it here, I’m California Dreamin

California I’ve been Dreaming
California dreaming
California I’ve been Dreaming
California dreaming

Oh come live the life, Cali
Live the life, Cali
Live the life, California life
I just got to take a picture
To remember Sunset Boulevard, The life
Live the life, California life

I just got in from San Francisco
Grabbing lunch down in Malibu
The LIfe, Live the life, Hollywood life

There’s a Mercedes, and a Bentley
Next to green Lamborghinis
Live the life, Live the life, California life

I'm livin' I'm livin' I'm livin' I'm livin'
I'm livin' I'm livin' I'm livin' I'm livin' in Cali

Live the life, California life
I’m living in Cali, I live I live in California

I’m out in California, I’ve been dreaming
California dreaming
I’m out in California, I’ve been dreaming

California I’ve been Dreaming
California I’ve been Dreaming...."

Boz Scaggs

White Boy from Sacramento

Boz Scaggs is a singer/songwriter and gitar player mostly from Texas, who started his career in the 1960s, moving to San Francisco in 1967 where he worked with the Steve Miller Band and then went on to an award-winning solo career. This is a disco song from Scaggs' 1977 album "Down Two Then Left."

"The way you read the crowd, the way you make them pay
You stepped in and did the scene a whole new way
No one would resist you now and even if they could
Hollywood just never had it quite this good

I see your name in lights, I see them standing in line
They send the cards and the wine
Broadway here she comes
You should be a natural

Camera, action, do it again
(Ooh, anyway I gotta do it)
What a reaction, do it again
(Yeah, gonna make you a star)

Camera, action, do it again
(Ooh, anyway I gotta do it)
What a reaction, do it again
(To get you this part)

No one had to tell you what your smile was for
You sure there's not an uncle name of Barrymore
Now she did this and she did that you are the latest talk
Now there lining up for you around the block

Throwing roses and Holy Moses
Even the Times say
Sparks fell from the skies
That gets you immortalized

Camera, action, do it again
(Oh, anyway I gotta do it)
What a reaction, do it again
(Yeah, I'm gonna make you a star)

Camera, action, do it again
Ooh, anyway I gotta do it)
What a reaction, do it again
(To get you this part)

They gave you 5 stars, they're sending big cars
And Sunset Boulevard will never be the same
You give it a brand new name

Camera, action, do it again
(Ooh, anyway I gotta do it)
What a reaction, do it again
(Yeah, I'm gonna make you a star)...."

Boz Scaggs

Sierra

This song is from Scaggs' 1994 album "Some Change." "Sierra Nevada" is the correct way to refer to the California mountain range, but since Scaggs lived in San Francisco, and Californians tend to abbreviate the name to the "Sierra" or the "High Sierra." I'm sure he's singing about that mountain range and not a different sierra. There's even a great Bogart film called "High Sierra" from 1941.

"What about the one who said he loved you
What about the one who said he cared
Don't bother trying to find him
Way up in the icy air

Oh you played with his heartstrings
And you played without a care
But not up in the High Sierra
You won't play his heart out there

The angels lay their clouds across his sky
They line up for him every night
Some have wings and others sing
The rest do lazy ballets in the air

There he's got a bird to give him warning
And he's got a lookout too
The beauty of the High Sierra
And she's looking out for you

The angels lay their clouds across his sky
They line up for him every night
Some have wings and others sing
The rest do lazy ballets in the air

What about the one who said he loved you
What about the one who said he cared
He's up in the High Sierra
But don't bother looking there"

Scarub

California Dreaming

Scarub is the stage name of Armon Collins, a rapper from Los Angeles and member of the collective Living Legends, a group of indie hip hop artists from California. This is from his "The California EP," released 2011, which contains several songs about California. It samples some of the iconic The Mamas & the Papas song of the same name to use as a chorus.

[The Mamas & the Papas:

I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
If I was in L.A.
California...
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm...]

[Scarub]

"....Hello world reporting live from Cali
From a disclosed location where the ocean and valley meet
Surf, sand, sunbathin' in the summer heat
Southern California dreamin' on a sandy beach
And I'm a beach bum
No shirt no sandals
Collectin' sand dollars at the sand bank
Gettin' scratched like sand paper
Eatin' sandwiches
Sex on the beach, that's my favorite drink
Malibu rum
Kick back with me splashin ... back in deep
A black hippie soul surfin'
Watchin' waves break hear 'em crash and leave
I'm prime real estate feelin' great grab a seat
Pacific terrific it's really uplifting
Splendid exquisite complicit no tripping I'm sayin'
Lay out, like a beach towel
Smoke sea weed 'till you see now
Wow"

[The Mamas & the Papas:

...Warm
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
If I was in L.A.
California...
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm...]

Scarub (featuring Dirty Gold)

California Sunrise

This is another song from Scarub's "The California EP," released 2011. It samples some of the band Dirty Gold's song also called "California Sunrise"to serve as the chorus. The Tourist Board should think about using this song to promote California tourism, because it's nearly four minutes of stream of consciousness lyrics praising the state. I have only transcribed part of the lyrics below, though I couldn't understand them all.

[Scarub]

".... Cali she calling me back
It's a shore thing
Like Malibu, Oceanside, Santa Cruz, ... PCH
On a natural high ... soaring
Without a cloud in the sky's the limit
And women apply livin' in paradise
It's never boring
Never been?
Poor thing
If you visit in the Summer you ain't neva gonna wanna leave Cali's scorching

[Dirty Gold]

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

[Scarub]

Home yeah that's where the heart is
Heart is me always leavin'
Me I'm a starving artist hungry for these Cali seasons
Infatuated with the state of mind that only deepens
Warm weather is ideal for playin' every day fun begins
Waters with coral reefs and oceans with sancy beaches
Forests with redwood trees and snow-capped mountains peakin'
Rivers and valleys desert floors mixed with lakes and streams yeah
So many optiions hard to decide how to spend a weekend
Catch a dose of Cali coastline
Cruisin' while the road winds
Shred it like a long board
Easy weavin'
Or travel east up to the summit
Ride the slopes while the sunlit
Catch an ear before the sunset...

[Dirty Gold]

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...."

Scarub

Just Like the Sun

This is another song from The California EP, released 2011, which contains four songs about California, including a version of California Drreamin'. It uses the chorus of "Looks Just Like the Sun" by Broken Social Scene, released in 2003. I can't find the lyrics online, and there are a million words in it, so I have only tried to transcribe part of it that I could understand.

"Dear day, treat me right it's been a tough winter
Summer's here it's time to see the sights
Venture out while the sky is clear
About to drive out somewhere
Vibe out on ocean and air
Push the gas turn the wheels
And let the music blare
Touch the water walk the sands
Moments spent here is rare
So caught up in this hustlin'
Little time left to spare
So for the time bein'
I'm a... with little care
Carefree air sea...

Looks just like the sun
Looks just like it
Looks just like the sun
Looks just like it
Looks just like the sun
Looks just like it
But I'm free...

These Cali sunsets breathtakin' so mystic
From the shorlines watch 'em slide into the Pacific
Some things words can't describe
This Cali vibe you gotta live it
Spirits floatin' high set ablaze purple haze
..... what you find
Give' em praise at the ways
This place will blow your mind
Today is yesterdays elopin' to the by and by
Postcards they don't comply to witness in this open eyed
Rollin' tide of ocean side take a ride along the coast and drive
Beyond where most would slide and toast to those who died
And hopes their souls confide in open sky
Some things words can't convey
I'm from that Golden State
Better I show you than say
.... is a perfect day
Nightfall at the water's edge skip a rock...."

Markus Schulz (featuring Nikki Flores)

Leaving L.A.

Markus Schulz is a DJ from Germany based in Miami, active since 1990. Nikki Flores is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, professionally active since 2003 when she was 15. This electronic dance track was released in 2016. There are some funny versions of the lyrics to this song online. I think they may be victims of bad computer interpretations. My favorite one is "I need to feel the earth underneath the midgets" which you can find on Genius.com. I don't think every word of the lyrics shown below is accurate, the heavy processing on the vocals makes some them hard to understand, but I have removed the midgets, or little people, which most of them prefer to be called now.

"Only that L.A., give me a landscape
Something from my dreams is calling my body
Take me to a place they remember me
Never sleep, memories don't ever die
I need to feel the earth underneath of me
Just get me high

I wanna see the sky there fading into my rearview
The colors racing, purple and blue
I need love, I need love
So I'm leaving L.A.
The City of Angels
Is nothing but heartbreak
I need love, I need love
So I'm leaving L.A.

Leaving L.A.
I'm Leaving L.A.
Leaving L.A.
I'm Leaving L.A.

I wanna see the sky there fading into my rearview
The colors racing, purple and blue
I need love, I need love
So I'm leaving L.A.
The City of Angels
Is nothing but heartbreak
I need love, I need love
So I'm leaving L.A.

Leaving L.A.
I'm Leaving L.A.
Leaving L.A.
I'm Leaving L.A."

Scissor Sisters

San Luis Obispo

Scissor Sisters were a band formed in New York City in 2000. Wickipedia labels them pop rock, indie pop, glam rock, nu-disco, and electroclash, a good example of why genre names are useless. This song is from their last studio album "Magic Hour" released in 2012.

"Well she left me here halfway
Between the bright lights of Los Angeles
And the tawdry nights of San Jose

With Ecstasy and Ivory wave
And a backpack full of Captain Jack
To take me to an early grave

And I've never been to paradise
Standing on this corner by myself
You don't have to tell me twice

And the world's not gonna end
If I could just pretend
And here's a place to go
San Luis Obispo
And the streets they may look the same
Of any town by any name
Gonna find my afterglow
San Luis Obispo

The difference between delight
And loneliness could be a one way flight
In these San Luis Obispo nights

It's where no one seems to mind
If you string words together with
Kool cigarettes and sparkling wine

Keep the conversation light
Wait until the girls get underdressed
Then the talk gets less polite

And I could stay here all my days
Will I spend my life deciding if
Happiness is just a phase

And I hope that I'm not wrong
Maybe here's where I belong
Every winter free of snow
San Luis Obispo

But if she's coming back again
I would flee but until then
Every day my love it grows
San Luis Obispo

The difference between delight
And loneliness is never black or white
In these San Luis Obispo nights

Sorry you misunderstood
This kid with his intentions good
When all I had was two feet left to stand

And if you're coming back through town
Put your ear down to the ground
Cause' this boy's voice has changed into a man's

And I hope that I'm not wrong
Baby here's where I belong
Every winter free of snow
San Luis Obispo

But if she's coming back again
I would flee but until then
Every day my love it grows
San Luis Obispo

The difference between delight
And loneliness could be a one way flight
In these San Luis Obispo nights"

Scoobert Doobert

I Live in California

All I can find out about Scoobert Doobert is that his location is listed as San Diego and that he has quite a few songs online. His name is thought by some people online to be Scooby Doo's real name, though others claim the cartoon Great Dane's last name is simply Doo. This song was released in 2021. (Thanks to LD for the recommendation and help with the lyrics.)

"I'ma I'ma take a selfie hangin' at the beach in
Winter
Rub it in my hometown's face
I'ma I'ma tell my family
I surf like every day
Though I never even caught a wave

Yeah I'm from
Ohio
From Cali back to Cleveland
I am never leavin'
No

I'ma take you down to California
We can swim in the marijuana
That no one can afford yeah
We all live with our mama

Take you down to California
We can cruise in a beat up Honda
We all do what we gotta
To live in California

I'm a waiter on the westside
Got cast in an episode of CSI
Yeah I play a dead guy
What about it?

I'm holistic AF
Got a crystal for that good energy
Tell everyone I'm vegan
Cocaine on the weekend

Ohio
From Cali back to Cleveland
I am never leavin'
No

I'ma take you down to California
We can swim in the marijuana
That no one can afford yeah
We all live with our mama

Take you down to California
We can cruise in a beat up Honda
We all do what we gotta
To live in California"

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. Schmit is a singer-songwriter born in Oakland and raised in Sacramento, active since 1960. He has performed as the bass player and singer for the Eagles and Poco. This song is from his solo album "Expando" released in 2008, back when Schwarzenegger was still the Governator.

"I'm just a white boy from Sacramento
I'm not too funky, or so I'm told
I'm on the level - I'm incognito
I'm just a white boy from Sacramento

I went to school in the shiny suburbs
I heard young Pat Boone on my radio
Grew up on TV - I still love Lucy
Drank Pepsi-Cola, and did the stroll

Went to the barber - he cut my flattop
I rode my red bike straight on home
Put on my Jade East, went to a party
We did the limbo - we got real low

I dig surf music 'cuz it's so bitchin'
I think the Kingston Trio is so hip
I close my eyes and I feel so groovy
I shake my head while I bite my lip

I hit them high notes like they were nothin'
I sing them love songs so soft and fine
So if you wanna feel warm and fuzzy
I whisper, 'Love will keep us all alive'

You know the governor - The Terminator
You know there's nothing he can't do
And he's as strong as an alligator
Now he's from Sacramento too

I'm just a white boy from Sacramento
I'm not too funky, so bless my soul
I'm on the level - there's one thing I know
I'm just a white boy from Sacramento

Whatever I do, wherever I go
I'm still a white boy from Sacramento

Get down! Be groovy! Now limbo!
I'm just a white, white, white, white, white boy!
Yeah - you know what I mean. You know, up there in the capital...
Get down
Alright, this one, here we go, that's it!"

The Scrayper Boyz

Look at California

The Scrayper Boyz are Hyphy rappers from the Bay Area.
This song samples the Maze version of the song.

Seavino

It's Stll You

Seavino (like sea wine) released this pop country single in November, 2024. It drives us around the state where, after a breakup, it's raining in Southern California.

"I took a drive on the PCH
To a Chula Vista red trolley
Danced on a roof in Tijuana
I made a run for the border

But it's still you
You make me blue
Oh baby what can I do
I sleep somewhere you're not
I read a book, I lose the plot
I find love in a bottle of rum
And a Jimmy Buffet song

It's just another day
With you so far away
Isn't love all fun and games
Until it rains, until it rains
(Until it rains) in California ya (Southern California)

Headed north, San Bernardino
Stopped to call you from San Francisco
But when she picked up your line
I just drove back to Anaheim

But it's still you
You make me blue
Oh baby what can I do
I sleep somewhere you're not
I read a book, I lose the plot
I find love in a bottle of rum
And a Jimmy Buffet song (bah)

It's just another day
With you so far away
Isn't love all fun and games
Until it rains, until it rains
In California, ya
In California, in Southern California

Headed north, San Bernardino
Stopped to call you from San Francisco
But when she picked up your line
I just drove back to Anaheim

But it's still you
You make me blue
Oh baby what can I do
I sleep somewhere you're not
I read a book, I lose the plot
I find love in a bottle of rum
And a Jimmy Buffet song (bah)

Headed north, San Bernardino
Stopped to call you from San Francisco
But when she picked up your line
I just drove back to Anaheim

But it's still you
You make me blue
Oh baby what can I do
I sleep somewhere you're not
I read a book, I lose the plot
I find love in a bottle of rum
And a Jimmy Buffet song (bah)"

Seavino

No Roads

This song about how the songwriter ended up in Califiornia was released in November, 2024.

"Our Chevy broke down in San Francisco
Two thousand miles from where I would go
We had no plan just roads to roam
Just casual friends miles from home
Unhooked our gear doors swung wide
We slept outdoors on the wild side
I held my hopes and my guitar in hand
Found our way to the steps of an old friend

There were no roads not driven
Trees uncarved, mistakes forgiven
The life I left behind me then
Can't trace those steps back home again
I'm going to make a life that's new
And I hope it brings me back to you

In a backstage room where secrets hide
With wigs and gowns and lipstick bright
I held the glue the lashes tight
Put on my stage face to dance naked all night

There were no roads not driven
Trees uncarved, mistakes forgiven
The life I left behind me then
Can't trace those steps back home again
I'm going to make a life that's new
And I hope it brings me back to you

The city's lights the fireside glow
Down to the wharf where the homeless go
A fortune told a future seen
By candlelight and hazy dreams

A gypsy smiled she touched my face
Rich or poor you'll find your place
But I was sad, alone and unbound
Just another girl lost in this town

There were no roads not driven
Trees uncarved, mistakes forgiven
The life I left behind me then
Can't trace those steps back home again
I'm going to make a life that's new
And I hope it brings me back to you"

Neil Sedaka

Cardboard California

This dramatic pop song that sounds like it's from a musical or a movie soundtrack is from the album "Emergence" released in 1971. I don't think there's any doubt that the town of Cardboard California is really Hollywood.

"Nothing is real
In Cardboard California
Just waking up
Brings you down
One lousy deal
Is Cardboard California
You just can't survive
In a make believe town

Lost in a city of little tin gods
Cold plastic people with phony facades
How can you win when you look at the odds?
You're running down a one way street
Nobody cares if you survive
Sometimes you beg or you don't eat
You've gotta fight to stay alive
Hey
You're never gonna get away

Where's the world you used to know?
Where did all the good times go?
Look around, your hopes and dreams are gone
But like a fool you still keep hanging on

Come and be a movie star
Come and drive a fancy car
Come and see
What you really are

Everybody's going somewhere
But you
You're going nowhere

Look in the mirror
Mirrors don't lie
You're getting older, your time's past you by
You lost your shot
To some younger guy

You're running down a one way street
Nobody cares if you survive
Sometimes you beg or you don't eat
You gotta fight to stay alive
Hey
You're never gonna get away

Nothing is real
In Cardboard California
Just waking up
Brings you down
One lousy deal
Is Cardboard California
You just can't survive
In a make believe town"

Pete Seeger

Little Boxes

Pete Seeger was a celebrated American folk singer and activist from New York. Seeger released this cover of the Malvina Reynolds song in 1963.

Pete Seeger

Seventy Miles

This is a 1965 folk song about the sad state of the San Francisco Bay after many years of unregulated urban growth and unrestricted dumping of garbage and pollutants poisoned the water and filled in over 25 percent of the marshland. Save The Bay, one of the very first environmental organizations, active since 1961, eventually succeded in getting legislation passed that began the protection and cleanup of the bay. (Unfortunately, the bay is now home to one of the greatest concentrations of non-native species of any waterway with more than 200, and possibly as many as 400.)

"Seventy miles of wind and spray,
Seventy miles of water,
Seventy miles of open bay,
It's a garbage dump.

What's that stinky creek out there,
Down behind the slum's back stair,
Sludgy puddle, sad and gray?
Why man, that's San Francisco Bay!"

Ty Segall

California Commercial

Segall is a singer-songwriter from SF, member of several bands including Ty Segall Band, known for its psychedelic garage rock. This is from "Goodbye Bread" a 2011 release. It's repetitous and monotonous and really short.

"Come to California
Stay inside your house
Stay inside your head
It is nice outside
Come to California
Stay inside your head
Leave on a TV
Slip inside your bed
Stay in California
Never go outside
Things they are too nice
We'll stay until you die

I was gonna tell you
I remember names
Anything for fame, anything for fame
will you marry me?
You can be my wife
I have lots of money
You can settle for me
I still think you love me
I still think you love me
I'll invite our friends
Now come into our house
Yeah"

Ty Segall

Californian Hills

This is from Segall's 2016 album "Emotional Mugger.”

"I met the candy queens
I met the court, they’re so mean
Sound the Dionysus bell
Send them all back to hell

American nightmare
Guilty generation
Fingers on the pulse of their parents’ alienation
From the history, histories of Western civilization
Ahhhhh

The gift of affluent life
Was wasted on the fickle wife
Who slept in Californian hills
And gave herself the sleeping pills
And waits for the dollar bills
The papers say we’re going to hell"

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

Hollywood Nights

Bob Seger is an American rock singer-songwriter from Detroit who had many hits, including this one, form his 1978 album "Stranger in Town."

"She stood there bright as the sun on that California coast
He was a midwestern boy on his own
She looked at him with those soft eyes,
So innocent and blue
He knew right then he was too far from home
He was too far from home

She took his hand and she led him along that golden beach
They watched the waves tumble over the sand
They drove for miles and miles
Up those twisting turning roads
Higher and higher and higher they climbed

And those Hollywood nights
In those Hollywood hills
She was looking so right
In her diamonds and frills
All those big city nights
In those high rolling hills
Above all the lights
She had all of her skills

He'd headed west cause he felt that a change would do him good
See some old friends, good for the soul
She had been born with a face that would let her get her way
He saw that face and he lost all control
He had lost all control
Night after night, day after day it went on and on
Then came that morning he woke up alone
He spent all night staring down at the lights of L.A.
Wondering if he could ever go home

And those Hollywood nights
In those Hollywood hills
It was looking so right
It was giving him chills
In those big city nights
In those high rolling hills
Above all the lights
With a passion that kills

In those Hollywood nights
In those Hollywood hills
She was looking so right
In her diamonds and frills
Oh, those big city nights
In those high rolling hills
Above all the lights
She had all of her skills

(Hollywood nights)
(Hollywood hills)
(Above all the lights)
(Hollywood nights)
(Hollywood nights)
(Hollywood hills)
(Above all the lights)
(Hollywood nights)
Hollywood nights
(Hollywood nights)
Hollywood hills
(Hollywood hills)
Above all the lights
(Above all the lights)
(Hollywood nights)
(Hollywood nights)
(Hollywood hills)
(Above all the lights)
(Hollywood nights)"

The Seldom Scene

California Earthquake

The Seldom Scene is a bluegrass band formed in Maryland in 1971. This is from "The New Seldom Scene Album" released in 2005. The song mentions the 1906 San Francisco quake and fire, but I can't find any information about the Mission Creek quake of '99. There is no Owens County and there was no big quake in the Owens valley in 1983 or 1883 either, so maybe those are made up quakes. Why would they need to make up quakes where there are so many to choose from?

"There was a California earthquake in the year of '83
It shook the living daylights out of the Owens County Seat
There weren't a building still left standing when the dust had cleared away
Just a rumble in the distance all the way to San Andrea

Well, Sherman Buck was driving his old mule on into town
When the big 'un came and shook so hard that it knocked him to the ground
Lord, there opened up a hole so big, he just knew that 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 might fall off in the ocean, Lord, but you'll never make us run
You're a partner to the devil, but we ain't afraid of him
And we'll build ourselves another town so you can tear it down again

Then there came the quake of '99 that leveled Mission Creek
The earth was like an ocean churning waves of twenty feet
Lord it sounded like a thousand trains were screaming underground
Clean across to San Joachim folks heard that mournful sound

California earthquake you just don't know what you've done
We might fall off in the ocean, but you'll never make us run
You're a partner to the devil, we ain't afraid of him
And we'll build ourselves another town so you can tear it down again

Then there came one day a holocaust, and it rocked the Frisco Bay
Miles of walls came tumblin' down, like on Jericho that day
Might near everything that the earthquake missed, a holy fire consumed
And just left 'em the smoke and ashes of the dreams that they had ruined

California earthquake you just don't know what you've done
We might fall off in the ocean Lord, but you'll never make us run
You're a partner to the devil but we ain't afraid of him
And we'll build ourselves another town so you can tear it down again
We'll build ourselves another town so you can tear it down again"

Semisonic

Day After Day (It's Slippin' Away)

Semisonic is a rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1995. This song is the band's second album "Feeling Strangely Fine" released in 1998, which also includes probably their best known song, the saddest bar song ever made - "Closing Time." Dan Wilson sings the name of the state in a way I haven't heard before - Caaaaaaa-li-for-niiiii-yuh. Maybe it's a Minnesotan thing, dontcha know.

"Driven through the canyons I was
Dazzled by the mountains and we didn't go very far
Close enough to heaven if you
Climb up on a mansion you too can swing like a star

I tried to get inside
I bought a ticket with my pride
And I was gone right out of my head
I went out for a ride to go
Across the great divide
And I ended up at home instead

California
I thought I should see
Now I'm back home, yeah
With twelve little pieces of me

I was just a passenger
A rider on the tremors
That were shaking all our beds at night
A visitor a stranger thought
I might pass for a regular
If I just kept out of the lights

Tore my heart out from my chest
Mixed it up in my mind
With the best freshest pieces of my soul
Chose the ones I loved the most
Drove 'em all down to the coast
Threw 'em in a big black hole

California
I thought I should see
Now I'm back home, yeah
Got twelve little pieces of me
California
I dreamed I would find
Some kinda sorta pick-me-up
I got twelve little pieces of my mind

California
I thought I should see
Now I'm back home, yeah
Got twelve little pieces of me
California
I dreamed I would find
Some kinda sorta pick-me-up
I got twelve little pieces of my mind
Twelve little pieces of my mind
Twelve little pieces of my mind
Twelve little pieces of my mind, ohh"

Semisonic

El Matador

This low-key song is from the band's third album "All About Chemistry" released in 2001.

"Matador sweeps the veil
From the last young day of my life
Malibu tides inhale
Santa Ana winds from behind

Wade out into the water
No more chances this year
I busied myself all summer
My day for swimming is here
Yes it's time

Seaside revelations
All those dreams and visions of mine
Washed up like a vacation
Lost as I wasted my time

Looking through my dark glasses
I see smiles on the faces of friends
But time keeps pushing me on now
And I'll ride this wave till the end

Please don't go away
Stay awhile, stay awhile
Please don't go away
Stay awhile, stay awhile...."

Seven Foot Wave

Catalina

Seven Foot Wave is a band from California, fronted by Michael Berns, who wrote this song. They got a lot of attention in 2004 when the demo for this song started getting indie radio station airplay. It's an indie rock song with a reggae feel from their EP "Better than Sunshine" released in 2006.

"Hey Miss 28 of October girl
Would you like to chill on an island with me?
Whoa, yeah
I would take you there and cover all the fare
We could go by sea, we could go by air
Alright, tell me now

Would you come with me
To Catalina some time
To Catalina some time
I would make it right
In Catalina some time
In Catalina some time

We should set a date and make it late
I hear the island really comes alive at night
Whoa, yeah
It wouldn't take long, before an hour's gone
By the ocean we'll be in Avalon
Whoa, yeah
Tell me now

Would you come with me
To Catalina some time
To Catalina some time
I would make it right
In Catalina some time
In Catalina some time

I promise I will be spontaneous
And there would be no fuss if we get lost
I hope that you can leave behind your cell
In interruption Hell is where it belongs

Underneath the stars
Venus and Mars
There's a spot I just want to see with you
Alright
When the verdict lands
My offer still stands
I would get whatever your heart demands
Alright, tell me now

Would you come with me
To Catalina some time
To Catalina some time
I would make it right
In Catalina some time
In Catalina some time"

SHAED

Everybody Knows I'm High

SHAED is a pop trio formed in Washington, D.C. in 2011. This song is from their album "Spinning Out" released in 2024. I like her description of feeling like she's on "the wrong coast" when she's on the left coast. I get that. It feels like I'm on the wrong coast whenever I travel east to the right coast.

"...Sun's burning up the City of Angels
I'm seeing stars in the blue sky
A smile's creeping on your face, I'm terrified

Everybody knows I'm high
Stuck on the wrong coast
I'm missing you back home
Hundred degrees, but I'm freezing
I think they know
Yeah, everybody knows I'm

High
High

When I'm left to my own devices
I'm homesick and I'm paranoid
I miss laughing at the little things
Like our tongues in the mirror out here

Everybody knows I'm high
Stuck on the wrong coast
I'm missing you back home
Hundred degrees, but I'm freezing
I think they know
Yeah, everybody knows I'm

High (High)
High
I'm high

The white rabbit staring from the corner
Is telling me I'm late for tea
They wanna pull me back under the ceiling
But I'm never leaving

Yeah, everybody knows I'm high
Stuck on the wrong coast
I'm missing you back home
Hundred degrees, but I'm freezing
I think they know
Yeah, everybody knows I'm
High...."

Tupac Shakur (2Pac) (featuring Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman)

California Love

Tupac Shakur (aka 2Pac and Makaveli) was a rapper and actor born in New York City, raised in Baltimore and then California where he moved when he was 17. Active from 1989 to 1996 when he was murdered in a drive-by shooting as part of the notorious East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. In California he became one of the most influential rappers and one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, as well as a convicted felon - the first artist to have a #1 album on the charts while serving a prison sentence. This iconic California anthem was released at the end of December 1995, becoming a huge hit that reached #1 on the Billboard hot 100 chart. It's based on samples of other songs, most notably Roger Troutman's talk box chorus "California knows how to party" taken from the 1982 song "West Coast Poplock" by Ronnie Hudson & The Street People." It's also built of samples of the horns and piano vamp from Joe Cocker’s 1972 song “Woman to “Woman” and the "Shake, shake it Baby" vocals from Zapp and Roger’s 1993 song “Dance Floor."

[Roger Troutman]
"California...knows how to party
California...knows how to party (Yes, they do)
In the city of L.A.
In the city of good ol' Watts
In the city, the city of Compton
We keep it rockin'! We keep it rockin'!"

[Dr. Dre]
Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west
A state that's untouchable like Elliot Ness
The track hits ya eardrum like a slug to ya chest
Pack a vest for your Jimmy in the city of sex
We in that sunshine state with a bomb ass hemp beat
The state where ya never find a dance floor empty
And pimps be on a mission for them greens,
Lean mean money-makin-machines servin' fiends
I been in the game for ten years makin' rap tunes
Ever since honeys was wearin' Sassoon
Now it's '95 and they clock me and watch me
Diamonds shinin', lookin' like I robbed Liberace
It's all good, from Diego to The Bay
Your city is tha bomb if your city makin' pay
Throw up a finger if ya feel the same way
Dre puttin' it down for
Californ-i-a

[Roger Troutman]
"California...knows how to party
California...knows how to party (Yes, they do)
In the city of L.A.
In the city of good ol' Watts
In the city, the city of Compton
We keep it rockin'! We keep it rockin'!"

Shake, shake it, baby
Shake, shake it, mama
Shake it Cali, shake it shake it baby
Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it

[2Pac:]
Out on bail, fresh out of jail, California dreaming
Soon as I step on the scene, I'm hearing hoochies screaming
Fiending for money and alcohol
The life of a Westside player where cowards die and the strong ball
Only in Cali where we riot not rally to live and die
In L.A. we wearing Chucks not Ballys (yeah, that's right)
Dressed in Locs and Khaki suits, and ride is what we do
Flossing, but have caution: we collide with other crews
Famous because we throw grams
Worldwide, let them recognize from Long Beach to Rosecrans
Bumping and grinding like a slow jam, it's Westside
So you know the row won't bow down to no man
Say what you say, but give me that bomb beat from Dre
Let me serenade the streets of L.A.
From Oakland to Sac-town, the Bay Area and back down
Cali is where they put their mack down
Give me love!

[Roger Troutman:]
California knows how to party
California knows how to party (Yes, they do)
In the city of L.A
In the city of good ol' Watts
In the city, the city of Compton
We keep it rockin'

[Dr. Dre:] South Central
[2Pac:] Uh, that's right
[Dr. Dre:] Now make it shake

[Roger Troutman:]
Shake, shake it, baby
Shake, shake it, mama
Shake it Cali, shake it shake it baby
Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it

[Dr. Dre:]
Shake it Cali
Uh, uh, West Coast
Uh, yeah, uh, uh, Long Beach in the house
Uh, yeah, Oaktown, Oakland definitely in the house
Frisco, Frisco

[2Pac:]
And you know L.A. up in here

[Dr. Dre:]
Pasadena where you at?
Yeah, Inglewood
Inglewood always up to no good

[2Pac:]
Even Hollywood trying to get a piece, baby

[Dr. Dre:]
Sacramento, Sacramento where you at?

[2Pac:]
Throw it up ya'll, throw it up, throw it up!
I can't see ya
Let's show these fools how we do it over on this West Side
Cause you and I know it's the best side
Yeah, that's right
West Coast, West Coast"

Tupac Shakur (2Pac)

Check Out Time

From Shakur's All Eyez on Me album released in February 1996. The mentions of death and Las Vegas in this song seem eerily prescient of his shooting death in Las Vegas seven months after the song was released.

“…. Now I'm up early in the mornin', breath stinkin' as I'm yawnin'
Just another sunny day in California
I got my mind focused on some papers while I'm into sexy capers
Give a holla to them hoochies last night, that tried to rape us
Will these rap lyrics take us, plus room all up in Vegas
I'm a boss playa, death before I let these b**ches break us
Last night was like a fantasy...."

Tupac Shakur (2Pac)

To Live and Die In L.A.

This song is from Tupac's altum "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" released in 1996, almost two months after his death.

"To live and die in L.A., California
What you say about Los Angeles?
Still the only place for me
It never rains in Southern California

To live and die in L.A.
Where everyday we try to fatten our pockets
Us n**gas hustle for the cash, so it's hard to knock it
Everybody got they own thing, currency chasin'
Worldwide through the hard times, worrying faces
Shed tears as we bury n**gas close to heart
Who was a friend is now a ghost in the dark
Cold-hearted 'bout it, n**ga got smoked by a fiend
Tryin' to floss on him, blind to a broken man's dream
A hard lesson, court cases keep me guessin'
Plea bargain ain't an option now, so I'm stressin'
Cost me more to be free than a life in the pen
Making money off of cuss words, writin' again
Learn how to think ahead, so I fight with my pen
Late night down Sunset, likin' the scene
What's the worst they could do to a n**ga?
Got me lost in Hell, to live and die in L.A. on bail

(My angel sing)
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be
(And the angels go)
You've got to be there to know it
When everybody wanna see
(To live and die in L.A.)
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be
You've got to be there to know it
When everybody wanna see

It's the City of Angels and constant danger
South Central L.A. can't get no stranger
Full of drama, like a soap opera, on the curb
Watchin' the ghetto bird helicopters, I observe
So many n**gas getting three strikes, tossed in jail
I swear, the pen right across from hell
I can't cry, 'cause it's on now, I'm just a n**ga on his own now
Livin' life thug style, so I can't smile
Writing to my peoples when they ask for pictures
Thinking Cali just fun and b**ches
Better learn about the dress code, B's and C's
All them other n**gas copycats, these is G's
I love Cali like I love women
'Cause every n**ga in L.A. got a little bit of thug in him
We might fight amongst each other
But I promise you this: we'll burn this b**ch down get us pissed
To live and die in L.A.

(My angel sing)
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be
(And the angels go)
You've got to be there to know it
When everybody wanna see
(To live and die in L.A.)
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be
You've got to be there to know it
When everybody wanna see

It wouldn't be L.A. without Mexicans
Black love, brown pride, and the sets again
Pete Wilson tryin' to see us all broke
I'm on some bulls**t out for everything they owe
Remember K-day? Weekends, Crenshaw, MLK?
Automatics rang free, n**gas lost they way
Gang signs being shown, n**ga, love your hood!
But recognize and it's all good
Where the weed at? N**gas gettin' shermed out
Snoop Dogg in this mothaf**cka permed out
M.O.B., Big Suge in the Lo-Lo, bounce and turn
Dogg Pound in the Lex with a ounce to burn
Got them Watts n**gas with me, O.F.T.B.
They got some hash, took the stash, left the rest for me
Neckbone, Tray, Heron, Big Buntry too
Big Rock got knocked, but this one's for you
I hit the studio and drop a jewel, hopin' it pay
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly; to live and die in L.A.

To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be
(Let my angel sing)
You've got to be there to know it
When everybody wanna see
(And my angels go)
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be
(To live and die in L.A.)
You've got to be there to know it
When everybody wanna see
(Let my angel sing)

This go out for 92.3, and 106
All the radio stations that be bumpin' my s**t
Makin' my s**t sells katruple quitraple platinum
(To live and die in L.A., mhmmm)
This go out to all the magazines that support a n**ga
All the real motherf**kers
(To live and die in L.A., mhmmm)
All the stores, the mom and pop spots
A&R people, all y'all mothaf**ckers
(To live and die in L.A., mhmmm)
L.A., "California Love" part mothaf**kin' two
Without gay ass Dre
(To live and die in L.A., mhmmm)"

Shango

Shango was a band formed in Los Angeles and active in 1969 and 1970 that started as the band Renaissance in 1968. This Calypso-influenced parody of the doomsday earthquake scenarios popular at the time about California falling into the ocean was their debut single and best-known song, released in 1969. Idaho seems a bit far to rent dock space after the big one. You might be better off buying a beach house in Fresno.

"Day after day
More people come to L.A.
Shhh! Don't you tell anybody
The whole place slippin' away
Where can we go
When there's no San Francisco?
Shhh! Better get ready
To tie up the boat in Idaho

Do you know the swim?
You better learn quick, Jim
Those who don't know the swim
Better sing the hymn
Tuna at the bowl
Find fillet of much sole
Ooh ooh, what can you do
With a bushel of wet gold?

Day after day
More people come to L.A.
Shhh! Don't you tell anybody
The whole place shakin' away
Where can we go
When there's no San Francisco?
Shhh! Better get ready
To tie up the boat in Idaho

Where can we go
When there's no San Diego?
Shhh! Better get ready
To tie up the boat in Idaho

Do you know the swim?
You better learn quick, Jim
Those who don't know the swim
Better sing the hymn
Tuna at the bowl
Find fillet of much sole
Ooh ooh, what can you do
With a bushel of wet gold?

Day after day
More people come to L.A.
Shhh! Don't you tell anybody
The whole place shakin' away
Where can we go
When there's no San Francisco?
Shhh! Better get ready
To tie up the boat in Idaho

Shhh! Better get ready
To tie up the boat in Idaho
Shhh! Better get ready
To tie up the boat in Idaho
Shhh! Better get ready
To tie up the boat in Idaho
Shhh! Better get ready
To tie up the boat in Idaho
Shhh! Better get ready
To tie up the boat in Idaho..."

Stephen Sharer

Malibu Barbie

Stephen Sharer is an internet personality and singer-songwriter from Virginia, born in 1998. Most references to a blonde blue-eyed California girl called a Malibu Barbie are critical of her, but in this really cheesy but very popular song with millions of views that was released in 2022, the singer is crazy about her.

"Malibu Barbie, bar bar Barbie
Malibu Barbie, bar ba ba bar Barbie

I saw you at the party
Blonde hair blue eyes smile so bright yeah
Be my Malibu Barbie
With your sun-kissed suntan Gucci on the waistband

I saw you at the party
Blonde hair blue eyes smile so bright yeah
Be my Malibu Barbie
With your sun-kissed suntan Gucci on the waistband

I can take you where you wanna go
We can take a flight from Paris all the way to Tokyo
Pop into the club just to make a cameo
Drop the top pull off in the Lambo

And my visions gettin' blurry but I keep you in my sight
I know that you don't know me but imma
Leave with you tonight

I saw you at the party
Blonde hair blue eyes smile so bright yeah
Be my Malibu Barbie
With your sun-kissed suntan Gucci on the waistband

I saw you at the party
Blonde hair blue eayes smile so bright yeah
Be my Malibu Barbie
With your sun-kissed suntan Gucci on the waistband

Cant get you off my mind
You lookin' really fine
The way you dancin' in this party make me wanna slide
And I'm hypnotized
From lookin' in your eyes
So lit lets dip imma make you mine

And my visions gettin' blurry but I keep you in my sight
I know that you don't know me but imma
Leave with you tonight

I saw you at the party
Blonde hair blue eyes smile so bright yeah
Be my Malibu Barbie
With your sun-kissed suntan Gucci on the waistband

I saw you at the party
Blonde hair blue eyes smile so bright yeah
Be my Malibu Barbie
With your sun-kissed suntan Gucci on the waistband"

Malibu Barbie, bar bar Barbie
Malibu Barbie, bar ba ba bar Barbie
Malibu Barbie, bar bar Barbie
Malibu Barbie, bar ba ba bar Barbie"

Shark?

California Grrls

Shark? is a rock band from Brooklyn. This is from their album"Savior" released in 2013.

"Don't care about the rest of the world
I hate California girls
Let 'em burn let 'em burn burn burn
I hate California girls
Blonde hair and black eyeliner
They try to hurt each other
They lead like lambs to slaughter
They want to kiss each other

Oh, I hate California girls
They don't believe in nothin'
I hate California girls
They don't believe in nothin'
They don't believe in nothin'

Cigarette in the back of the cab
Forty ounces and an acid tab
Y' feel good for the rest of the night
With a Misfits jacket and a pocket knife
Black hair and black sunglasses
Buying their backstage passes
Don't care who else may suffer
Just wants the world to love her

Oh, I hate California girls
They don't believe in nothin'
I hate California girls
They don't believe in nothin'
They don't believe in nothin'

I hate California girls
I hate California girls
I hate California girls
I hate California girls

I hate California girls
I hate California girls
I hate California girls
I hate California girls"

Shaunta

California Soul (Lincoln Lawyer Remix)

Shaunta is a musical artist from Beverly Hills, which is not the most common source of L. A. rappers. This hip-hop track is from the special edition bonus disc to the soundtrack to the movie 8 Mile, released in 2002. I can't understand all of the lyrics so my transcription is full of holes, including, unfortunately, the repeated chorus, but I'll bet it's a bit more more accurate than all the other lyrics sites that copy each other's hilarious mistakes. ("Twelfth quarter." What is that?) You can check out some other lyrics on Genius.com.

"I'm just ridin' and decidin' if I want somebody to hold
No commitment I'm just ... laid ...
California, sweet California
Got the sunset room where we can hide it
Got me ... like, ooh

Want somebody down wit your clown
Would you ride around town
Would you let the sun hit you weed smokin'
Fu**in' take a shower
Lay down wit ya in the bed wit ya ... lickin' wide open
Got me on my back with my thighs wide open
I stay wet, I don't need no lotion
Meet me in the back of the spot love potion
Meet me in the sunshine state West Coastin'
Hit it from the side fly by sex motion
Do a drive by, fly high, f**k boastin'
Crack on mine, we ... boatin'
In the sea fishin'
Beverly Hills ho, Beverly Hill pigeon
Beverly shoppin', Beverly men pickin'
Beverly hotel, Beverly sweet pimpin'
Compton game got Beverly men listen

I'm just ridin' and decidin' if I want somebody to hold
No commitment I'm just ... laid ...
California, sweet California
Got the sunset room where we can hide it
Got me ... like, ooh

Ni**as wanna hit it from the where, the ...
Spank me and pull my hair, yeah
Talk to me like you really care
Actin' all queer like you Fred Astaire
You think I'm stupid, don't ya
You think I'm a lay down and let you stick me with your beat poker
Don't cha, mister Swiss mocha
You can come closer
You can come over
You can have a signed autograph of my poster
Drunk or sober
May or October, come right over
Rub my shoulders, four leaf clover
No gun holsters, get f**ked wake up with a hangover
Fourth quarter nothing left when the game over
Wake up all alone nights get colder
See you the next day get a cold shoulder

I'm just ridin' and decidin' if I want somebody to hold
No commitment I'm just ... laid ...
California, sweet California
Got the sunset room where we can hide it
Got me ... like, ooh

Let's get it on, we can be alone
Get it on in the freak zone
We can both get along when the heat's on
Look, we can both do wrong
Been too long, I grew too strong
I got full blown then got my own
Got me a loan, bought me a home
Order mine to go, bought me a low-low
And a six-four, sittin' on chrome
Dayton wheels roll, dipped in all gold
Roll with three hoes, pick up three mo'
Buy some Indo, roll purple smoke
We all do the most, keep ni**gas close
Keep heat closer, avoid all vultures
Navigatin' like we supposed to
Sunshine, sunny state, California

I'm just ridin' and decidin' if I want somebody to hold
No commitment I'm just ... laid ...
California, sweet California
Got the sunset room where we can hide it
Got me ... like, ooh"

Billy Joe Shaver

L.A. Turnaround

Billy Joe Shaver was a country singer-songwriter from Texas, active 1973-2020. This song is from his first studio album "Old Five and Dimers Like Me" released in 1973.

"Stuck here in Los Angeles with a case of worn out soles
Totin' a bag full o' yesterdays
And a mind full of doughnut holes
I been talking about leaving
But I just can’t go
Los Angeles hangups won’t turn loose of my soul

Oh Los Angeles women far as I can see
Losing time and making time
With a country boy like me
I wanna go where that wind blows
With a southern drawl
L.A. turn around, turn loose of my soul

L.A. turn your big eyes out to sea
L.A. turn around don't look at me
Let me go home where I belong
Where the nights are short as the days are long
Where they're too busy living to think about dying
L.A. turn around, turn loose of my mind

Sweet, sweet, sweet Virginia
Turning around in my mind
Used to be all over me
Now you're somewhere behind
If I ever get back South
Gonna shut my mouth
Try to turn the wrong side inside rightside out

L.A. turn your big eyes out to sea
L.A. turn around don't look at me
Let me go home where I belong
Where the nights are short as the days are long
Where they're too busy living to think about dying
L.A. turn around, turn loose of my mind"

Marlena Shaw (featuring Ya Boy)

Before Matthew McConaughey was making commercials for Lincoln, he played a lawyer who works out of a chauffeured Lincoln in Los Angles in the 2011 movie "Lincoln Lawyer" which is based on the book by Michael Connelly (who also wrote a lot of books about a Hollywood police detective named Bosch.) During the end credits we hear a remix of the classic Marlena Shaw song "California Soul" with Ya Boy, a rapper from San Francisco, rapping extra lyrics on it. (The original lyrics of the song and some other cover versions are discussed under The Messengers.) Most of the music and lyrics to this version are new, but since it uses a lot of Shaw's original song, Shaw gets the performance credit and Ya Boy gets a feature. I have put the parts Marlena Shaw sings in italics.

"Like a sound you hear
That lingers in your ear
But you can't forget
From sundown to sunset

It's all in the air
You hear it everywhere
No matter what you do
It's gonna grab a hold on you

Killa Cali hustler
Git it by all means
The people know whatever they need
They can call me

California hustlin'
Movin' and we musclin'
And we don't f**k with the pigs
Like a Muslim

For the green we rushin'
No not Moscow
I'm talkin' quick pass
In a hurry right now

Can't be a victim
Can't fall short
I just wanna be a baller
With my own ball court
California hustlin'

California soul
California soul

California hustler
California hustler

Like a sound you hear
That lingers in your ear
But you can't forget
From sundown to sunset

That's the code of the street mentality
One minute you're on top
And the next you're a casualty

It's all in the air
You hear it everywhere
No matter what you do
It's gonna grab a hold on you

It's gonna grab a hold on you
If you let it

California soul
California hustler
California hustler
Whoo, feels good

See I live through the fear
Shed a lot of tears
There's a reason why my friend
Died here for the hustle
For the California hustle
So get your hustle on with Cala

Puts a brand new kind
Of thinkin' in your mind
And you can't go wrong
Cause you're groovin' all day long
California soul

I feel you baby
California hustlin'
I got the soul of a Saint
Heart of a lion

I go hard in the paint
Put some paint where it ain't
Put a whig on a pig
I won't stop 'till my dough
Stretched long as a bridge

Movin' through the streets
In my Lincoln
Get it all night
While the whole world sleepin'

In the fast lane
With this thing for a reason
'Cause they handshake
Don't match the way they speakin'

Top gettin' closer
And I'm still reachin'
If you lookin' for me
I'll be hustlin' in my region

California hustler
Yeah
See life has it's lessons y'all
When you a California hustler

So happy they were rockin and reelin'
Take 'em to church
Because they had added that lovin feeling
Put your best foot forward
To California soul
California soul
I'm become a victim of these streets
Hustle, Hustle
Might as well get with it
Sound you hear that lingers in your ear
Oh, you just cannot forget it,
From early in the morning 'till the sun goes down
Money make the world go 'round
So just gimme, yeah, just gimme, yeah
Money make the world go 'round
Oh, it's all a trend
Money make the world go 'round
Listen to it, listen to it
Give a beat
Feels good"

She & Him

Home

A 2010 release from M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, the film actress with Anime eyes and a TV Sit Com. M. Ward is also a solo artist and works with the Monsters of Folk.

"California is a great big nation of one
They never knew what they wanted til it was already gone
What do they do with the light in the morning when they wake up alone? They just go home

They just go home Youre the nicest, nicest boy I've ever met
and then I think about you then I think about you again
And again

Why don't we just sit and stare and do nothing?
Nothing at all for a while I like the way you smile
I could be your state and I could be your nation
It doesn't get better than home, now does it?
Doesn't get better than home, now does it?"

Shed Seven

Kissing Calfornia

Shed Seven is a rock band from York, England, active since 1990, and much more well-known at home than in the US. This single released in July, 2023 is a return to the great BritPop sound of the 1990s.

"(California)
(California)

What would you do if I called for you
You'd wrap your arms around California
Everyday my love grows for you
All dressed up and everywhere to go now

This could be far out of sight
Cause you and I, it's dynamite
Come on we could see this through
Looking from this birds-eye view of love
Kissing California
(California)
California
(California)
Kissing California

What would you say if I came running for you
You'd drape your arms around California
Cause everyday my love for you grows
I wanna see my flag wave when the wind blows

This could be far out of sight
Cause you and I, it's dynamite
Come on it's just me and you
Looking from this birds-eye view of love
Kissing California
(California)
California
(California)
Kissing California

Some say that life's unkind
But I'm a lucky find
Open your mind, the world keeps spinning round with love

Open your mind, the world keeps spinning round with love
(California)
The world keeps spinning round for us
(California)
Kissing California
(California)
California
(California)
Kissing California
California
(California)"

Sherilyn

California Christmas For One

Sherilyn is a singer-songwriter-podcaster based in Cayucos, CA. This song was released in 2021. You have to admire the singer's attitude. Instead of just ignoring the holiday, like most people who spend it alone, she's all in on the holiday. But I wonder if she wraps presents for herself, too. That would be weird.

"No, there's no hint of snow
No need for mistletoe
One lonesome stocking hung
But feels so right
I'll make new memories
And trim the tree, just me
And watch 'It's a Wonderful Life'

I'm strummin' my white guitar
Singin' old Christmas songs alone
I'm snugglin' up by the fire
All is so calm and so bright on my own

I love this California Christmas
This California Christmas for one
This California Christmas
This California Christmas

Things may be different this year
But I'm digging
That peace-on-earth
Yuletide cheer
Lesson learned, I never needed anyone else
To make the season bright

I'm strummin' my white guitar
Singin' old Christmas songs alone
I'm snugglin' up by the fire
All is so calm & so bright on my own

I love this California Christmas
This California Christmas for one
This California Christmas
This California Christmas

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright

Deckin' the halls on my own
Singin' Christmas songs alone
I love it, I love it
This Christmas, this Christmas

Oh I am snugglin' up by the fireside
All is calm and all is bright
I love it, I love it

I love this California Christmas
This California Christmas for one
This California Christmas
This California Christmas
For one"

Allie Sherlock

Allie Sherlock is a singer and guitarist based in Cork, Ireland, known so far for performing on the street. This live street recording of the song was put on YouTube in April, 2023, and there is another video of a rehearsal of the song she recorded in a studio with a band on YouTube also. Maybe one day she will make a studio recording of the song.
It's true, the skies are always blue in California. Except when they're gray. Or orange. Lots of orange these days.

"Saturday night and I'm sitting on the sofa
Staring at the only photo of us
God I wish you were here tonight
Holding me so tight
Another Saturday night without you

And maybe you will love me
Maybe you will hurt me
But I want to risk it all
And Maybe I'll stay over
You might say it's over
But I want to risk it all

And maybe if I lived in California
Maybe one more time I'd get to hold ya
Remind me once again just why I left
Hope you don't forget again
And maybe if I lived in California
Where the sky is always blue
Where the sky is always blue

It's a Saturday night
Drinking why wine on the sofa
Trying to numb the pain
That I'm sitting here without you

And when .... comes around
Life will start again
Another Saturday night without you

Or maybe you will love me
Maybe you will hurt me
But I want to risk it all
And Maybe I'll stay over
Watch you kiss and hold her
But I want to risk it all

Maybe if I lived in California
Maybe one more time I'd get to hold ya
Remind me once again just why I left
Hope you don't forget again
Maybe if I lived in California
Where the sky is always blue
Where the sky is always blue...."

Sherwood

The Best In Me

Sherwood is a rock band from San Luis Obispo, California, active since 2002. This upbeat pop rock song is from the album "A Different Light" released in 2007. There's also an electronic version released in 2015 -
"The Best In Me Electronic."

"If only you could hear the beat, beat, beat of my beating heart
Then maybe we, we, we would never be apart
Its a beautiful sky on a beautiful day
But only you could stretch a smile across my face

So I'm waiting, waiting, waiting
For you to be calling, calling, calling
Cause its another drive another day on the road
And honey I don't have the strength for another show, no

And I've got it almost figured out
If I could get you closer to me
Cause its a good life, for a short time
Whoa oh woah oh
And you've got me almost figured out
There's almost nothing left to see
You're bringing out the best in me
You're bringing out the best in me

And it's a long way back to the Golden State
Where the city's held in by a Golden Gate
Like a giant jar full of fireflies
The yellow lights blinking on the mountainside
And I wish I had a plane or a cable car
Cause all I really want is to be in your arms

And I've got it almost figured out
If I could get you closer to me
Cause its a good life, for a short time
Whoa oh woah oh
And you've got me almost figured out
There's almost nothing left to see
You're bringing out the best in me
You're bringing out the best in me

And I've got it almost figured out
If I could get you closer to me
Cause its a good life, for a short time

And you've got me almost figured out
(You've got me almost figured out)
You're bringing out the best in me
You're bringing out the best in me
You're bringing out the best in me...."

She Wants Revenge

Up in Flames

She Wants Revenge was a goth rock band from Los Angeles, active since 2004. This fire song is from their album "Valleyheart" released in 2011. It's one of several songs that mention the Santa Ana winds, which can make wildfires so dangerous.

"You don't have to dance with me, you don't have to dance at all.
You can just lie there looking good, or you can play by yourself.

We should be careful because the canyons scream as the valley sleeps at night.
Then the fear takes hold, as the Santa Ana winds blow cold.
Cause if the city's goin' up in flames then we oughta go down, down, down together.

You don't have to sleep with me, we don't have to touch at all.
We can talk till the sun comes up or listen to the raindrops fall.

But be careful because the canyons scream and the alleys bleed at night.
Then the freeways fold and the Santa Ana winds blow cold."

Arkie Shibley

Hot Rod Race

Arkie Shibley was a country singer from Arkansas. This song is about a race between 2 hot rods that started in San Pedro and made it all the way out to the desert but was won by a third driver. It's one of the first songs about automobile racing and inspired an answer song - Hot Rod Lincoln, by Charley Ryan in 1955. I guess it took a long time to make an answer song in those days.

"Now me and my wife and my brother Joe
Took off in my Ford from San Pedro.
Hadn't much gas and the tires was low
But the doggone Ford could really go.

Now along about the middle of the night
We were rippin' along like white folks might
When a Mercury behind he blinked his lights
He honked his horn and he flew out of sight.

We had twin pots in the [Columbia?], but
You people may think that I'm in a rut
But to you folks who don't speak the jive
That's two carburators and an over drive.

We made grease spots out of many good town
And left the cop's heads spinnin' 'round and 'round
They wouldn't chase, they'd run and hide
But me and that Mercury stayed side to side.

Now we were Ford men and we likely knew
That we would race until something blew
And we thought it over Now wouldn't you

I looked down at my lovely bride
Her face was blue I thought she'd died
We left streaks through towns about 40 feet wide
But me and that Mercury stayed side by side

My brother was pale he said he was sick
He said he was just a nervous wreck
But why should I worry for what the heck
Me and that Mercury was still neck and neck

Now on through the deserts we did glide
A flyin' low and a flyin' wide
Me and that Mercury was takin' a ride
And we stayed exactly side by side

I looked in the mirror and I saw somethin' comin'
I thought it was a flame by the way it was a runnin'
It was a hummin' along at a terrible pace
And I knew right then it was the end of the race

When it flew by us I turned the other way
The guy in the Mercury had nothin' to say
For it was a kid in a hopped up Model A"

Jack Shields

Leaving California

Jack Shields is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. This rootsy song is from his "Leaving California" EP released in 2017.

"Pack the suitcase
Bring the smog
Leaving California for my home
Fill a jar
With that ocean air
Setting sail with salt up in my hair

But the ink is on the paper
And the writing's on the wall
I got silver in my pockets
And the sun within my heart
I got no enemies
And the ocean's just so blue
But I'm leaving California
For you

Start the wagon and get me out of L.A.
She said don't look back
Unless you plan to stay
And all I is is rain
On the run away

Elementary eloquence
You hop the wall, we cut the fence
Im looking at the ships break for the cove
Run my hand through your a hair
A twist of fate to clear the air
I know you know

Now I'm livin'
In a place I won't call home
Suddenly my bones don't rest so young

So I ask you all too listen
Don't tread upon her faults
And the stories that she gives you
Play them through the halls
Your Majesty
You gave me all I got to lose
But I'm Leaving California
For you"

Chris Shiflett

West Coast Town

Chris Shiflett is a singer-songwriter originally from Santa Barbara, active since 1982, and well-known as the lead guitarist for the Foo Fighters. This alt country song is from his solo album also titled "West Coast Town" released in 2017. He never mentions Santa Barbara in the lyrics, but East Beach, Salinas Street, and Leadbetter Beach are all in Santa Barbara so he's obviously singing about that expensive city where working class people can't afford to live anymore.

"I walked home all the way from East Beach
With an oil spill stickin' to my feet
To that little house on Salinas Street
Throwin’ rocks in the creek, my brothers and me

Yeah, mom held it down on a county wage
Clothes on our backs and food on our plates
Every Saturday night Mariachis played
And I listened through the window to the low rider sway

Yeah, I grew up in a west coast town
Back before they chased the working class out
You know we don't f**k around where I grew up
In a west coast town

Fourth of July, Leadbetter Beach
Salt air digging in my lungs so deep
Chased her all night 'til she couldn’t see
It was paradise but I had to leave

Yeah, I grew up in a west coast town
Back before they chased the working class out
You know we don't f**k around where I grew up
In a west coast town

Now I'm long gone
Like stoplights on the freeway
You can tear me down
But I'll, I'll never change

Yeah, I grew up in a west coast town
Back before they chased the working class out
You know we don't f**k around where I grew up
Yeah, I grew up in a west coast town
Back before they chased the working class out
You know we don't f**k around where I grew up
In a west coast town
In a west coast town"

Michelle Shocked

Come a Long Way

Michelle Shocked (Karen Michelle Johnston) is a singer-songwriter originally from Texas. Her stage name comes from the term "shell shocked" which was a more-accurate term for the acute stress suffered by war combatants until it was watered down to what was first called post-traumatic stress disorder then the even more vague P.T.S.D. by the millitary, which has perfected making things sound less terrible with Orwellian doublespeak.

This song is from her album "Arkansas Traveler" released in 1992, but (last checked in March, 2024) it's not available to listen to or buy online. After what were interpreted as anti-gay rants at a show in San Francisco in 2013, she was shunned and cancelled, but that doesn't seem to be the reason why it's not online. I've read that she won't allow her music to be available on any of the major streaming sites. Nevertheless, it's a great L.A. song that takes us on a motorcycle ride all over the city (which can easily feel like a 500 mile drive) and the song even includes an earthquake, as every Cali song should.

"I kicked in his door at 5 AM
'I've come for my bike' I told the repo man
My 920's gonna take me far today
You can travel for miles and never leave L.A.

I've come a long way
I've come a long way
I've gone 500 miles today
I've come a long way
I've come along way
And never even left L.A.

I drive by the Plaza where the gay boys pose
Stand in their windows wearing no clothes
I heard the screams of the dying dark
Through the sweet green icing of MacArthur Park
And then I crossed the river into East L.A.
Pescado mojado me encontré
And I've given up on rock 'n roll
And I'm saving up for norteño
The river she runs by the railroad tracks
I swear I'll never take it back
A train, she cries on the midnight hour
All along the Watts Tower
Ohhhhhhhhhhh

I've come a long way
I've come a long way
I've gone 500 miles today
I've come a long way
I've come along way
And never even left L.A.

I gunned it down to San Pedro Bay
Watched my ship sail in, watched her sail away
The sun was sinking into the sea
But a ball of fire inside of me
Was burning my motor and driving me hard
Past the big hair on the Boulevard
And up Mulholland where I made the scene
Like the one that took little Jimmy Dean
And then I shimmied up Wilshire like a little silk worm
Past Rodeo and the pachyderm
And then I stopped for coffee at an art cafe
I saw the repo man and made my getaway
Doing the Eagle Rock
Heading for the hills
Oh try to let my engines cool
And it is not my fault that this town shakes
I saw the falling rock and I hit my brakes

I've come a long way
I've come a long way
I've gone 500 miles today
I've come a long way
I've come along way
And never even left L.A.

Now you tow it to the repo man's front door
And you give him these keys, I don't need them no more
You tow it to the repo man's front door
And you give him these keys, I don't need them no more

I've come a long way
I've come a long way
I've gone 500 miles today
I've come a long way
I've come along way
And never even left L.A....."

Shocking Blue

California Here I Come

Shocking Blue was a Dutch rock band formed in 1967, best known for their #1 hit song "Venus," which also went to #1 in the U.S. in 1986 when covered by Bananarama. This song is from the band's 1968 album "At Home."

"Got a long long way to go
Over her dusty roads
Take my old brown suitcase
And leave at the break of dawn

I'm not afraid of the distance
Some time on my side
Hear me singing my song
California here I come

When the sun's going down
Silence is the only sound
Oh restless are the nights
When nobody's around

I'm not afraid of the distance
Some time on my side
Hear me singing my song
California here I come

Day after day
I'm going over her dusty roads
How long will this go on
Until I'm there where I belong

But now troubles are over
I wipe off the dust on my boots
Hear me singing my song
California now to come...."

Shwayze (with Cisco)

Golden Dreams

Shwayze is an American rapper. This song is from his third album "Island in the Sun" released in 2011. It's essentially an upbeat guitar rock song with rapped verses.

"(Chorus):
Baby come along with me
To a land of fantasy
Where the good things are free
And everybody's smiling
Come along with me
To where the sun meets the sea
California, California, land of golden dreams

Pair of dice and a pair of eyes
Kill me now but I don't wanna die till I see you smile
Cryin' tears of joy on the green mile
But I'm gonna stop now cause that just ain't my style
It's goin' down like the Dow Jones
Soccer moms and town homes
Nukesand new calzones [?]
Kid's skippin school cause they on that home grown
Dad a alien straight ET phone home
No pro bono high school yo just wanna bone hoes [?]
I was the high fool all stoned in the photos
Chillin' on the beach, solo dolo
Kick off my sneaks, watch the world in slow mo

Another year goes by, priorities change
The tide comes in and takes us away
Sometimes stranger ain't such a bad thing
I look at them and say

(Chorus)

It's all good like I knew it would
I'll be your tour guide if you come to Hollywood
Black journey dep slept on the powership [?]
Woke up with a chick she was hot as s**t
Cruisin' down Sunset in the Palisades [?]
Smilie face thinkin' what would your daddy say
You and I blend together like a puree
Palm trees, balm weed there's no other way
We ain't models but we sittin' on the runway
Hit that bottle and we make a clean getaway
Don't worry babe, it's just another vacay
Tell your momma we be back again another day

Another year goes bye, priorities change
The tide comes in and takes us away
Sometimes stranger ain't such a bad thing
I look at them and say

(Chorus)

California, California, land of golden dreams

Hey Cali baby, will you be my sugar honey
I do it from the heart so it ain't about the money
And if I got you it's a rap like a mummy
I get goosebumps every time you say you love me cause

You make me feel like love for the first time
You make me feel like eternal sunshine

(Chorus)"

Michael Shynes

California in the Spring

Michael Shynes is a pop/folk singer-songwriter based in Minnesota. This song is the opening track from his album "Happy Before We Get Old" released in 2021. It seems to be about the life of a traveling musician. I don't know if the line "What doesn't kill me makes me wander" is a play on the Nietzsche quote or the Kelly Clarkson song, but it's a great line that makes me want to hit the road. But with gas prices at an all-time high, maybe that Greyhound's a good idea.

"Tonight I leave familiar for the great unknown
Got a couple broken arrows and my hair has grown since you saw me last
Talking on an old flip phone

Today I shed the skin of who I used to be
Got Sinatra on a 45 I'm buzzing like a bee
Just hoping you'll come fly with me

I took a Greyhound down to Georgia
Then a rental up to Maine
But how I hope for California in the Spring

Tonight I leave the only home I've ever known
Got a couple hundred dollars that I'm gonna blow on a used guitar
A Fender or an Epiphone

What doesn't kill me makes me wander
And think of what the future will bring
But how I hope for California in the spring

Open roads now
Gonna find the place where my heart hits the ground
City lights shine

And it gives me a rush of adrenaline every time
I'm on my way gonna catch that plane
Trying not to get lost in the Everglades

And the start of a dream is just only deciding to chase
Go find the chase
I took a bus back down to Nashville

In Carolina in my mind
But I hope for California one more time
Open roads now

Gonna find the place where my heart hits the ground
City lights shine
Gonna find the place where my heart sticks around"

Sia

California Dreamin'

Sia is a singer-songwriter originally from Australia who moved to Los Angeles like most musicians. This is an excellent version of the Mamas and the Papas classic from the 2015 "San Andreas" soundtrack. Yes, I watched the stupid movie. I happen to like cheezy disaster movies, especially those in which California is destroyed. And there's not much left of the state at the end of this one.

Chelsea Sica

Boys From California

Chelsea Sica is a New York City-based singer-songwriter. Her website describes her as a modern classic rock artist, and this song, which was put online in August 2022, evokes the acoustic guitar riff from Led Zeppelin's 1973 song "Over The Hills And Far Away."

"Let me guess, you can't take the Winter
Too much noise out on the streets at night
F**kin' with your mind
Let me guess, this isn't about me
You need time to find your roots again
Feet in the sand
Hope you feel safe in your mother's arms

All those boys from California
Fall in love with this New Yorker
Try my best to ignore 'em
All those boys from California

Here it comes, are you comin' with me
I don't want to, yes I know I could
Don't like Hollywood
You know that I get impatient
I'm not some kind of laid back babe
Tryin' to catch some sun while you ride your wave
Get away from everything
Hope you feel safe in your hybrid car

All those boys from California
Fall in love with this New Yorker
Try my best to ignore 'em
All those boys from California

You'll still love me when you get back home
Sleepin'... feelin' so alone
Think how ever could I ever let her go
Many people will never know
Ohh ohh ohh ohh

All those boys from California
Fall in love with this New Yorker
Try my best to ignore 'em
All those boys from California"

Sickick

Sickick is a singer-songwriter-EDM artist from Canada, who released his first album in 2014. This cool dance track was released in 2019. He's one of those DJs who wears a mask and you can even buy one on his website along with socks with the word "Sick" on them. And who doesn't always need some new socks.

"Take me to California
Where my dreams don't seem so f**king far away
I am standing by the Walk of Fame, hopin' for a break
I pray that my dreams don't up and fade away

We've spent the most of our lives together
May all our wonderful memories last forever
Whenever I think of you tears I'll cry
Knowin' the life I've let pass me by
This has to be the hardest goodbye
But I'm weighed by the pressure

'Cause I know I'll shine brighter than the sun in the sky
I'm lookin' for my moment where my dreams come to life
Can you show me the way before I run out of time
I'm tired of waitin', tired of waitin', and I said

Take me to California
Where my dreams don't seem so f**king far away
I am standing by the Walk of Fame, hopin' one day to see my name
I pray that my dreams don't up and fade away

One day I'll come back for you, girl
Make you my queen, I'ma give you the world, so
Anymore guilt and I think I'ma tear
Look past the hurt and you'll see that I'm scared

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel
I can see the end of the line, oh no
You've been by my side while I've been through the struggle
I'll always care

I know I'd shine brighter than the sun in the sky
I promise I'm coming back for you if I survive
Show me the way before I run out of time
I've got to make it, got to make it, and I said

Take me to California
Where my dreams don't seem so far away
I am standing by the Walk of Fame, hopin' for a break
I pray that my dreams don't up and fade away, and I said

Take me to California
Where my dreams don't seem so f**king far away
I am standing by the Walk of Fame, hopin' one day to see my name
I pray that my dreams don't up and fade away, aay"

Silent Pilot

Silent Pilot is an alternative pop/rock band formed in San Francisco in 2014. This song is from their heartSOUNDS EP released in 2016.

"(Give me that)
West coast, golden state of mine
Where the sunshine never dies
And your love is like the wave I ride beside you
(Give me that)
Open, orange-colored sky
Can you feel that
It’s the motion in the ocean
That makes you brighter than the sun, yeah
(Cruisin’ down the 101)

You’re my
California sunrise
Open up your gold eyes
Meet me on the coast
'Cause that’s where I’ll be at
At sundown
Never looking back now
Dancing to our own sound
Making history
Just you and me, yeah

(Give me that)
Halo, smile to pull me in
Can I kiss your summer skin
'Cause my heart is here to swim with you, I know it
(Give me that)
Summer loving all the way
From the Bay down to L.A.
Cruisin’ down the PCH with you ‘til morning
(Singing)

You’re my
California sunrise
Open up your gold eyes
Meet me on the coast
'Cause that’s where I’ll be
At sundown
Never looking back now
Dancing to our own sound
Making history
Just you and me, yeah
Just you and me, yeah
Just you and me, yeah

You’re my
California sunrise
Open up your gold eyes
Meet me on the coast
Just you and me, yeah

If you feel like you wanna watch the stars
From the back seat of my car
With the top down we’ll be
Close enough to reach them
And I hope someday we’ll be the ones
Living life under the sun
But until then we’ll be California dreaming
Yeah, we'll be California dreaming

You’re my
California sunrise
Open up your gold eyes
Meet me on the coast
'Cause that’s where I’ll be
At sundown
Never looking back now
Dancing to our own sound
Making history
Just you and me, yeah

You’re my
California sunrise
Open up your gold eyes
Meet me on the coast
'Cause that’s where I’ll be
At sundown
Never looking back now
Dancing to our own sound
Making history
Just you and me, yeah
Just you and me, yeah
Just you and me, yeah

You’re my
California sunrise
Open up your gold eyes
Meet me on the coast
Just you and me, yeah"

Silver Convention

San Francisco Hustle

Silver convention were a disco band from Germany, best known for their #1 hit "Fly, Robin, Fly." This is another disco dance song from the band's album "Get Up and Boogie" released in 1976.

"San Francisco Hustle

Come and dance
Come and dance

San Francisco Hustle

Do, do, do, do
Do, do, do, do,
come and dance

Do, do, do, do
Do, do, do, do,
come and dance

San Francisco Hustle

Do, do, do, do

Hustle, aha

Hustle, aha
Hustle, aha

Do, do, do, do
Do, do, do, do,
come and dance

Do, do, do, do
Do, do, do, do,
come and dance

San Francisco Hustle...."

Silver Jews

Smith and Jones Forever

From 1989-2009 the Silver Jews were an indie rock band from New York City that included Stephen Malkmus from Pavement. This is from their 1998 album "American Water." I don't know what any of it means or who Smith and Jones are other than common generic surnames.

"Are you honest when no one's looking?
Can you summon honey from a telephone?
They sat there with their hooks in the water
And their mustaches caked with airplane glue

O come let us adore them
California overboard
When the sun sets on the ghetto all the broken stuff gets cold

Smith and Jones forever!
Smith and Jones forever!
Smith and Jones forever, together forever and ever

Build a stage for Autumn's b**ch
They walk the alleys in duct tape shoes
They see the things they need through the windows of a hatchback
The alleys are the footnotes of the avenues

O come let us adore them
California overboard
Holding up their trousers with extension cords

Smith and Jones forever!
Smith and Jones forever!
Smith and Jones forever, together forever and ever

I've got two tickets to a midnight execution
We'll hitchhike our way from Odessa to Houston
And when they turn on the chair
Something's added to the air
When they turn on the chair
Something's added to the air forever

Smith and Jones forever!
Smith and Jones forever!
Smith and Jones forever, together forever and ever"

Silvertide

California Rain

Silvertide is a hard rock band from Philadelphia, PA, active since 2001. This song sounds like it's from the '70s, but it's from their album "Show & Tell" released in 2004. Most years, California needs all the rain it can get, so this guy is welcome to bring as much as he can carry.

"The nights are long and the days roll into each other
In the City of Angels I can't get no sleep
I wish that I was sipping coffee in your kitchen
Yeah I'm stormy from the mountains to the sea

Left her standing
At the gate
Couldn't talk I was running so late
Thought I heard her say goodbye
Saw the sun fade in her eyes

I brought my rain to California
All the way from Philadelphia, PA
And on the way my tears fell for you
I brought my rain to Cali, oh Cali, California

Wandering down the Sunset Strip in the morning
6 a.m. is that a rainbow that I see?
I interrupt my own damn conversation
Yeah I'm talking to myself at the Whiskey

Left her standing
At the gate
Couldn't talk I was running so late
Thought I heard her say goodbye
Saw the sun fade in her eyes

I brought my rain to California
All the way from Philadelphia, PA
And on the way my tears fell for you
I brought my rain to Cali, oh Cali, California

Inside this heart that smiles no more
Lies the ghost of a love so beautiful
And all the time
The rain inside my mind
Goes on and on and on and on and on

I brought my rain to California
All the way from Philadelphia, PA
And on the way my tears fell for you
I brought my rain to California
(I brought my rain to California)
California
(I brought my rain to California)
I brought my rain to California"

Simon & Garfunkel

Cloudy

Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel met in elementary school in New York City in 1953 and went on to form a folk-rock duo that was one of the best-selling musical groups of the 1960s before they split up in 1970. This is from their third album "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" released in 1966.

"Cloudy
The sky is gray and white and cloudy,
Sometimes I think it's hanging down on me.
And it's a hitchhike a hundred miles.
I'm a ragamuffin child.
Pointed finger-painted smile.
I left my shadow waiting down the road for me a while.

Cloudy
My thoughts are scattered and they're cloudy,
They have no borders, no boundaries.
They echo and they swell
From Tolstoy to Tinker Bell.
Down from Berkeley to Carmel.
Got some pictures in my pocket and a lot of time to kill.

Hey sunshine
I haven't seen you in a long time.
Why don't you show your face and bend my mind?
These clouds stick to the sky
Like floating questions, why?
And they linger there to die.
They don't know where they are going, and, my friend, neither do I.

Cloudy,
Cloudy."

Simon & Garfunkel

Punky's Dilemma

This song from the album "Bookends" released in 1968 somehow uses breakfast foods to make fun of the movie industry. That's fine, though I prefer strawberry jam on my muffin. And I have to say that most Californians say "Southern Callifornia" not "South California."

"Wish I was a Kellogg's Cornflake
Floatin' in my bowl takin' movies,
Relaxin' awhile, livin' in style,
Talkin' to a raisin who occasionally plays L.A.,
Casually glancing at his toupee.

Wish I was an English muffin
'Bout to make the most out of a toaster.

I'd ease myself down,
Comin' up brown.

I prefer boysenberry
More than any ordinary jam.
I'm a 'Citizens for Boysenberry Jam' fan.

Ah, South California.

If I become a First Lieutenant
Would you put my photo on your piano?
To Mary Jane
Best wishes, Martin.
(Old Roger draft-dodger
Leavin' by the basement door),
Everybody knows what he's
Tippy-toeing down there for"

Simpletones

Simpletones were an L.A. rock band formed in the late 1970s. This pop punk song was released in 1979.

"Oooh, ooh, California
Oooh, ooh, California

They say the chicks are really nice
Ooh, California
And the cars, they go so fast
Ooh, California
And the beach, it's just the most
And the surf is really wild
I wish that I could stay here all my life
California
Oooh, ooh, California

They say the chicks are really nice
Ooh, California
And the cars, they go so fast
Ooh, California
And the beach, it's just the most
And the surf is really wild
I wish that I could stay here all my life
California
Oooh, ooh, California

They say the chicks are really nice in California
And the cars, they go so fast in California
And the beach, it's just the most
And the surf is really wild
I wish that I could stay here all my life
All my life

Oooh, ooh, California
Oooh, ooh, California

They say the chicks are really nice
Ooh, California
And the cars, they go so fast
Ooh, California
And the beach, it's just the most
And the surf is really wild
I wish that I could stay here all my life
California
Oooh, ooh"

Frank Sinatra

Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham

This big bombastic song is off "The Reprise Collection" recorded in 1963. It sounds like Sinatra is trying to make a new state anthem.

"I've known her valleys, I've known her mountains
Her missions and her courtyards and her fountains
The giant redwoods towering in the skies of her
That grow as though as they know they show the size of her

I've often wandered her farthest reaches
Her deserts and her snow and, yes, her beaches
A land that paradise could well be jealous of
That's California, California, blessed by heaven from above
That's California, land I love."

Frank Sinatra

L.A. Is My Lady

Maybe Sinatra was trying to corner the market on big city anthems when he added this one to his others - "Theme From New York, New York," "My Kind of Town (Chicago Is)," "I Love Paris," "London by Night, " etc. This is from his 59th and final solo studio album, released in 1984 - also called "L.A. Is My Lady."

"The music she moves to, is music that makes me a dancer
I brought her my wildest of dreams, and she came up with the answer
I leave behind a part of myself, whenever I leave her
But oh, when I'm back in her arms, she smiles and then, I am home again

'Cause L.A. is my lady,
She's always there for me
L.A. is my lady,
She knows how to care for me
No lady's sweeter
you know it the moment you meet her

I've been in love more times, than I care to remember
And love's kept me cool in July, and warm in December
It may not have lasted, but each time I thought it was heaven
You name it, I've been there and back
Lookin' for someone who
I'd be faithful to

L.A. is my lady,
She's always there for me
L.A. is my lady,
She knows how to care for me
She's good to me,
Yeah she's good to me
And that's why
L.A. is my lady
L.A. is my lady
And you're lookin' at a man
Who doesn't ever plan to
Kiss his lady bye-bye"

Frank Sinatra

The Lady is a Tramp

This is a Rogers and Hart song from the 1937 musical comedy Babes in Arms, and it is also used in the 1957 film version of Pal Joey. Watching the sleazy San Francisco nightclub singer played by Frank Sinatra sing this to a rich society widow who used to be a stripper, played by Rita Hayworth, is a great musical moment. The song features an ironic view of the usual image of sunny California.

This song has also been covered by many other singers including Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, and various Broadway Cast recordings. Most versions are sung by a woman, and in the stage play the character that sings the song is a woman, who sings it in the first person, using "I" instead of the third person "she" that Sinatra sings, which also changes the meaning from parody to self-parody.

"She gets too hungry for dinner at eight
She likes the theatre and never comes late
She never bothers with people she'd hate
That's why the lady is a tramp

Doesn't like crap games with Barons or Earls
Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
That's why the lady is a tramp

She likes the free fresh wind in her hair,
Life without care
She's broke and it's oke
Hates California, it's cold and it's damp
That's why the lady is a tramp

She gets too hungry to wait for dinner at eight
She loves the theatre but never comes late
She'd never bother with people she'd hate
That's why the lady is a tramp

She'll have no crap games with sharpies and frauds
And she won't go to Harlem in Lincolns or Fords
And she won't dish the dirt with the rest of the broads
That's why the lady is a tramp

She loves the free fresh wind in her hair
Life without care.
She's broke but it's oke
Hates California, it's so cold and so damp
That's why the lady... that's why the lady...
That's why the lady is a tramp"

Nancy Sinatra

California Dreamin'

Nancy Sinatra is a singer and actress from New Jersey, active 1961-2013. She's best known for her 1965 hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin" and for "Somethin' Stupid" a 1967 duet with her father Frank Sinatra. This is a slow and moody orchestral-acoustic version of The Mamas and the Papas 1966 classic, from her album "California Girl" which includes mostly cover versions of California songs:
"Hotel California"
"99 Miles From L.A."
"Hooray For Hollywood"
"San Francisco"
"California Man"
"Do You Know the Way to San Jose"
"San Fernando Valley"
"California Girls."

Nancy Sinatra

This is another song from the album "California Girl" released in 2002.

"Well I packed everything I own and I put it in a knapsack
I'm leaving Birmingham, yes, I am, ain't never gonna look back
I bought me a guitar and wrote me a song
I played it for the DJ on the telephone

Going out to Hollywood, feeling good, yes, I am
Hello L.A., bye, bye Birmingham

Riding on a Greyhound bus 'cross the Tennessee borderline
Eating from a Po' Boy sandwich, taking drinks from a quart of wine
I got to get off at the very last stop
My ticket's only good to Little Rock

Going out to Hollywood, feeling good, yes, I am
Hello L.A., bye, bye Birmingham

I got mixed up with a big city fellow in Little Rock
I spent two weeks one night in the county jail
I had to take a two-days job to get my boyfriend out of hock
But that's the way it goes when you ain't got the dough to make bail

I ran out of transportation funds, I had to hitchhike, yeah
I hitched a ride with a long haired tattooed dude on a motorbike
Now folks are gonna know when I'm in town
Heads are gonna turn when they hear my sound

I'm going out to Hollywood, feeling good, yes, I am
Oh hello L.A., goodbye Birmingham

Hello L.A., bye, bye Birmingham...."

Nancy Sinatra

How Are Things In California?

This is another song from the album "California Girl" released in 2002.

"How are things in California
Oh, your letter didn't say
Now that you're in California
Are you gonna stay?
Are you gonna stay?

When you left for California
How I begged you please think twice
But you thought that California would be paradise

But it isn't the place, it isn't the weather
What matters the most is being together
You may have the sun, the sand and the sea
But why must you be so far from me?

I'll come out to California
If you care the way I do
Wait for me in California
I'll come out for you
If you want me to

I'll come out to California
If you care the way I do
Wait for me in California
I'll come out for you
If you want me to
I'll come out for you
If you want me to
I'll come out for you
If you want me to"

Sincere Engineer

California King

Sincere Engineer is a pop punk band from Canada led by Danna Belos. This song was released in June 2023. Whenever I see the phrase "California King" I hope it's going to refer to a California Kingsnake, Lampropeltis californiae, because that's what people into snakes call them. But this is just another song about the larger than king-sized bed, not the snake, and not the state either. The singer does add a twist, saying that she could be her partner's "California Queen." But wouldn't a larger version of a queen bed just be a standard king bed?

"Can we move in together? Can we get a California King?
'Cuz I'm just so alone and I need a new box spring
Can we carve our initials in the blue vinyl siding?
I think once I get that I won't need another god damn thing

Can we move in together? I could be your California Queen
'Cuz I've just grown and lonely don't really suit me
I need somewhere to run to and you got me smiling
I think once I get that I won't need another god damn thing

Maybe everything around me is too slow
Baby, in this city I've been feeling so alone
Lately I've been thinking 'bout leaving Chicago

Can we move in together? I promise I can keep it clean
'Cuz I'm just on my own. I don't have much s**t to bring
New padlocks on the door, a new key for my key ring
I think once I get that I won't need another god damn thing

Maybe everything around me is too slow
Baby, in this city I've been feeling so alone
Lately I've been thinking 'bout leaving Chicago

The sun shining through the window on this Sunday afternoon
The sun spots on your shoulders were just dancing with the moon
Our broken crowns hit the pillow. I wanna move in with you
Somewhere to get older where we can dance under the moon

Maybe everything around me is too slow
Baby, in this city I've been feeling so alone
Lately I've been thinking 'bout leaving Chicago
Leaving Chicago
Leaving Chicago
Leaving Chicago"

William Singe (featuring Kennyon Brown & Cuuhraig)

California On You

William Singe is Liam Anthony Singe, a musician of Maori descent from Sydney, Australia, active since 2011. Kennyon Brown is a Samoan musician born in New Zealand, raised in California, and based in Sydney. Cuuhraig is a Samoan rapper who grew up in Compton. I've read that these guys are all Polynesian musicians in a field where there are few of them, so that's worth celebrating. This smooth melodic hip-hop track was released in June 2023. It's a song about girls and sex (like most songs.) I don't have the lyrics yet, but the chorus starts out something like this:

"Oh California on you
You feel the vibe that come through...."

Sinny & 7vvch

This 2022 release is a nicely slowed and darkened (phonk?) remix of the 2019 Night Lovell song which feels like a ghost of the original. I couldn't find out anything about Sinny or 7vvch except that they have some other collaborations on Spotify.

SIR

L.A.

Sir is Darryl Farris, a singer-songwriter from Inglewood, active since 2012. This song is from the album "Chasing Summer" released in 2019.

"Take me back to L.A.
Take me back to L.A.
Take me back to L.A., ohh

I've laughed and I've cried
I've lived and I've died
Stole from, gambled and cheated
Cut corners outside
I've tried and I've failed
Stood tall when they'd run
I've fought a cold war
In the dead of a hot sun

Now take me back to L.A.
Where the weather is good
Take me back to L.A.
Don't wanna give the road a second look

And I remember first time that I left
Pain had flooded the wells of your eyes
You said you'd never forgive me if I didn't make it back
But now I'm comin' home for some good lovin'

I've learned and I've taught
I've gained and I've lost
Made due with what I'm made of
Found out what love cost
Learned who I can trust
Learned that it's just us
I've learned to love mine
Even when it ain't much

Now take me back to L.A.
Where the weather is good
Take me back to L.A.
Don't wanna give the road a second look

And I remember first time that I left
Pain had flooded the wells of your eyes
You said you'd never forgive me if I didn't make it back
But now I'm comin' home for some good lovin'

Take me back to L.A.
Take me back to L.A.
Take me back to L.A., ooh...."

SIR (featuring Scribz Riley)

Life is Good

Sir is Darryl Farris, a singer-songwriter from Inglewood, active since 2012. Scribz Riley is Michael Orabiyi, a singer-songwriter-producer from London, England, active since 2012. This song was released in 2022.

"Life is good, ayy, car fast as f**k
Ain't got pulled over once while I was actin' up
Hundred-twenty while I'm headed to Sonoma
I ain't turnin' down no fades
No I don't need any soldiers, ayy, ayy
I might fly you down to Florida tonight
Miami where the water stays warm
Baby, we can do what we like
Baby, we can do what we want

Ha-ha, ah, ha-ha, ha-ah-ha-ah-ha-ah
Life is good, ayy, roll another blunt (Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah)
Life is good, ayy, we do what we want (Ayy, ayy)
Ayy, we do what we want (Ayy, ayy)
Ha-ha, ah, ha-ha, ha-ah-ha-ah-ha-ah
Life is good, ayy, roll another blunt (Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah)
Life is good, ayy, we do what we want (Ayy, ayy)
Ayy, we do what we want (Ayy, ayy)

Life is good, ayy, car fast as f**k
Ain't got pulled over once while I was actin' up
120 on my way to Calabasas, I ain't takin' any favors
I ain't givin' any passes, ayy, ayy
I may (Hey), fly you down Canada today
Maybe to Toronto where it's cold
Everything but the weather, girl, I got under control
And we could do what we want
Baby, tell me what you like
(Baby, tell me what you like)

Ha-ha, ah, ha-ha, ha-ah-ha-ah-ha-ah
Life is good, ayy, roll another blunt (Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah)
Life is good, ayy, we do what we want (Ayy, ayy)
Ayy, we do what we want (Ayy, ayy)
Ha-ha, ah, ha-ha, ha-ah-ha-ah-ha-ah
Life is good, ayy, roll another blunt (Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah)
Life is good, ayy, we do what we want (Ayy, ayy)
Ayy, we do what we want (We do what we want, ayy, ayy)

Had some problems yesterday but I feel good today (Yeah)
I'm on a different wave
And you ni**as don't float the same way
I be out in a maze (Maze)
Like look what a ni**a became (Became)
I'm from an old estate
Now all of a sudden, I'm switching lanes (Lanes, yeah, yeah)
Ain't no way that we 'bout to slow down (Down, down, down)
They ain't know who I was but they know now

Ha-ha, ah, ha-ha, ha-ah-ha-ah-ha-ah
Life is good, ayy, roll another blunt (Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah)...."

The Sir Douglas Quintet

Mendocino

In this 1969 rock classic, after thanking all his friends for all the beautiful vibrations, the singer pleads with his teeny bopper lover to stay with him in his love house by the river where life's such a groove you blow your mind in the morning. Can you dig it?
(Yes, they really sing "Can you dig it?" And it is dug.)

"Teeny Bopper, my teenage lover
I caught your waves last night
It sent my mind to wonderin'.
You're such a groove
Please don't move
Please stay in my love house by the river.
Fast talkin' guys with strange red eyes
Have put things in your head
And started your mind to wonderin'
I love you so, please don't go
Please stay here with me in Mendocino.
Mendocino, Mendocino,
Where life's such a groove
You blow your mind in the morning.
We used to walk through the park,
Make love along the way in Mendocino."

Sir Mix-a-Lot

Jump On It

Sir Mix-a-Lot is a rapper and producer from Seattle. This song is from his 1996 album "Return of the Bumpasaurus." The rapper brags about knocking dames and "Chasing the skirts like a playa supposed ta," in cities and area codes across the U.S.A., including California from Redding to the Valley to the TJ Border, and his favorite football team from Frisco. (Yes, he uses that forbidden city name, and not even because it rhymed with something.)

This song has an interesting genealogy: First there was the rock instrumental song "Apache" by The Shadows, released in 1960. It was covered as a rock instrumental a few times before it was turned into an instrumental dance song with lots of horns and percussion by The Incredible Bongo Band in 1973. The percussion break from that song was later sampled in a lot of hip hop songs, including The Sugarhill Gang's version of Apache in 1981, which kept the title and added rapped lyrics, including the words "jump on it. Then Sir Mix-a-lot sampled the melody of the Sugarhill Gang's Apache and the percussion of The Incredible Bongo Band and also used the words "Jump on it" in 1996, adding all new lyrics.

"Ho, Ho, Ho
(I know I ain't hear somebody say
nuthin about hoes up in here, sshhh, ooh lord)

What's up Dallas, what's up
What's up Dallas, what's up
Dallas jump on it, jump on it, jump on it
What's up San Antone, what's up
What's up San Antone, what's up
San Antonio jump on it, jump on it, jump on it
What's up Austin, what's up
What's up Austin, what's up
Austin jump on it, jump on it, jump on it
What's up Houston, what's up
What's up Houston, what's up
Houston jump on it, jump on it, jump on it (Ooh lord)

Welcome to the 2 1 4
Big B, D Texas
Let Mr. Sexes flex this Lexus
And this where the Cowboys play
They battle with my team from the Bay
Frisco
Now I'm from the Northwest
But I likes my soul food
So I'm calling up an old groove
And I'm a brother with a gut
So, hello Keana, can ya take us out to Poppa Doughs
And don't forget about San Antone
The last time I went thru
I took three broads home
And much love love to the brothers in Austin
And the 5 1 2
I'm flossin in Lawston
A state that's as big as hell
And I spot two bad ass girls in a Tercel
They said what's up? And I said whassup? (We're going to Houston)
And I said giddy up, U-turn

What's up Phoenix, what's up
What's up Phoenix, what's up
Phoenix jump on it, jump on it, jump on it
What's up Cali, what's up
What's up Cali, what's up
California jump on it, jump on it, jump on it
What's up Vegas, what's up
What's up Vegas, what's up
Las Vegas jump on it, jump on it, jump on it
What's up Sea-town, what's up
What's up Sea-town, what's up
Seattle jump on it, jump on it, jump on it (Ooh lord)

Welcome to the 6 0 2
It's a 105 in the shade
And I'm sippin on a lemonade
Phoenix Arizona puts the heat up on ya
I should warn ya
The girls as fine as California
Speaking of Cali
Check your mack daddy
He gots game, and knocks dames from Redding to the Valley
And I can pull'em on a TJ border
I even knock Mr. G's daughter
And come on up to the 7 0 2
Where it's legal to gamble, and hoing is too
The kinda city I could run wit
Las Vegas Na vi dad, I love it
Back to the 2 0 6
Double up my grits
And Sea-town giving po po fits
Chasing the skirts like a playa supposed ta
348 roasta HIT IT! (ho, ho, ho... ooh Lord)...."

Sister Sledge

He's the Greatest Dancer

Sister Sledge is a group from Philadelphia that formed in 1971 and had several big disco hits. This song is from 1979 from the "We Are Family" album. I don't know if this was the first song to rhyme "Disco" with "Frisco," but it certainly wasn't the last. It was a top 10 hit in 71, but the guitar riff became the best part of an even bigger hit in 1998 when it was sampled in "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," Will Smith's #1 hit.

"Oh, what, wow
He's the greatest dancer
Oh, what, wow
That I've ever seen
Oh, what, wow
He's the greatest dancer
Oh, what, wow

One night in a disco on the outskirts of Frisco
I was cruisin' with my favorite gang
The place was so borin' filled with out-of-towners tourin'
I knew that it wasn't my thing
I really wasn't carin', but I felt my eyes starin'
At a guy who stuck out in the crowd
He had the kind of body that would shame Adonis
And a face that would make any man proud...."

Luke Sital-Singh

Luke Sital-Singh is a folk singer-songwriter from the UK, active since 2012. This is a single released in 2022.

"I will meet you back here someday
After the storm
We can re-tell old stories
Oh the times we were younger
In love in a hurry
Why worry?
You’d say empty your questions out onto the floor
They’re only keeping you heavy

The light has this magic here
Watch how it slow glows
Through the windows

I’m waiting for ya
In California
I’ve saved a spot
Beyond the crowded parking lot
We can sit and wait
Til summer fades away

Only thousands of miles
Only no one I know
But I like when it’s raining

There is a smile in your voice
That you’re barely containing
And I’m changing

I’m waiting for ya
In California
I’ve saved a spot
Beyond the crowded parking lot
We can sit and wait
Til summer fades away

Past the burning tree
It should feel like nowhere
Beyond the golden beach
There’s a space for two there
A little further reach
Not nearly over
Wait for me In California

I’m waiting for ya
In California
I’ve saved a spot
Beyond the crowded parking lot
We can sit and wait
Til summer fades away
Til summer fades away"

Luke Sital-Singh

Los Angeles

This is a single released in 2019.

"I wake on Tuesday morning
And it's raining again
But it sounds a little like applauding
Like someone's cheering us on
I keep a small secret diary
Of every failure I've been
Oh, you look so beautiful this morning
While you're packing up all our things

Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh

Maybe
In the sands of Los Angeles
We'll find a new lease of life
Just stay close
'Cause you're so much more brave than me
But I'll be fine
If we know what we're looking for
Do we know what we're looking for?

We walk through Venice in the sunlight
And dream of a house on the canals
And you're floating higher up than ever
But I hear that distant booming sound
What if we fail? What if we fail?
You turn and pull my guard away
And throw that diary in the water
Assure me everything's okay

Oh, oh, oh

Maybe
In the sands of Los Angeles
We'll find a new lease of life
Just stay close
'Cause you're so much more brave than me
But I'll be fine
If we know what we're looking for
If we know what we're looking for
Do we know what we're looking for?"

Six Years Later

Six Years Later is a pop rock band from Pennsylvania. This song is from "The Christmas Album" released in 2016.

"The sun is shining the air is warm
But nothing here quite feels like home
When Christmas comes around
No angels laid out in the snow
No falling snowflakes or winter glow
When Santa comes to town
He'll have a California Christmas

I've got everything on your list
Like the palm trees with some lights
On those California Christmas nights
... ... ...
We'll have a California Christmas
A California Christmas
I've got everything on your list
Like the palm trees with some lights
On those California Christmas nights
A California Christmas
I've got everything on your list
Like the palm trees with some lights
On those California Christmas nights"

The Skatalites

Skalifornia

The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica that played from 1963-1965 then formed again in 1983. This song was released in 1993. It's instrumental with no lyrics mentioning California, but since it has such a great California song name, I had to include it here.

Sloane Skylar

Sloane Skylar is a singer-songwriter from Chicago, based in Los Angeles. She released her debut single a the age of 14. This electro-pop song was released in 2023.

"Why you only hit me up when it's late at night?
And why do I still come through just for a quick high?
Always thought that I was better than this
Never thought that I'd be scared to commit
Lately I've been on a different vibe

Cause I'm pullin' up past nine
Empty streets just headlights
I'll be there and back before the morning
Blowin' all the stop signs
Somethin' 'bout the nighttime
Driving through the hills in California

Why you mess me up with what you write?
Tell me to come through and then I slide
We do our thing and then I split
Hop in the whip down Laurel Canyon
Music up, window down on driver's side
I'm so tired of fu**ing girls that I don't like
They don't understand me, I guess that's fine
Looking for love but I settle for this
Rather have your body when I get that text
Put myself together and then I ride

Cause I'm pullin' up past nine
Empty streets just headlights
I'll be there and back before the morning
Blowin' all the stop signs
Somethin' 'bout the nighttime
Driving through the hills in California

Pullin' up past nine
Empty streets just headlights
I'll be there and back before the morning
Blowin' all the stop signs
Somethin' 'bout the nighttime
Driving through the hills in California"

Sloane Skylar

Tears from Cali

This song was released in 2024.

"Trying to find the words
Don't know what to say
All these different thoughts
Stuck inside my brain
I miss the way you talk
And I miss your face
I guess I make it hard
By jumping state to state
Always have to leave
But I just wanna stay
My nephew's growing up
Faster than I prayed
Used to acting tough
Cause I don't wanna break
Guess that's what it's like
Living in L.A.

But I still cry these tears from Cali
Down the 5 to the valley
I still cry these tears from Cali
Takes a toll on my body
These tears from Cali

Got lost a few times
Trying to find my way
Memories of home
Haunt me everyday
Chicago on my mind
Where I used to roam
Now I'm in a maze
That I navigate alone
Second guess myself
Of where I'm supposed to be
But I keep coming back
To my childhood dream
Caught up in the rush
Everybody in my ear
But I keep moving on
Cause I gotta be here

But I still cry these tears from Cali
Down the 5 to the valley
I still cry these tears from Cali
Takes a toll on my body
These tears from Cali
I still cry these tears from Cali
Down the 5 to the valley
I still cry these tears from Cali
Takes a toll on my body
These tears from Cali"

Skywind