100 Classic, Chill, and Fabulous Songs About California
E. A. Wright particularly enjoys exploring the California coastline and photographing the trails of the Sierra Nevada—a west coast lover.
Here's a selection of 100 wonderful songs about the Golden State or that have "California" in the title!
Picking the Best California Songs: The Top Songs With "California" in the Title and Many More!
So many songs have been written about California over the years, and many, more are sure to come in the future. Even with 100 entries, this list is far from exhaustive, so please feel free to leave a comment noting any overlooked favorites.
Top 10 Best Songs About California
- "Hotel California" by the Eagles
- "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow
- "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" by Scott McKenzie
- "California Dreamin'" by the Mamas and the Papas
- "Beverly Hills" by Weezer
- "Summer '79" by the Ataris
- "California" by Phantom Planet
- "California Love" by 2Pac and Dr. Dre
- "Dani California" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
- "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash
1. "Hotel California" by the Eagles
Album: Hotel California
Release Date: December 8, 1976
"Hotel California" is an iconic track from one of the best-selling albums of all time. Its long build-up to the sweet, two-minute guitar solo at the end was a far cry from the three-minute-long typical hit song of the '70s, but nonetheless, it went on to become one of the all-time best songs about California.
Iconic Lyrics
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here
2. "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow
Album: Tuesday Night Music Club
Release Date: April 4, 1994
Sheryl Crow's breakthrough hit "All I Wanna Do" is a sweet and friendly Grammy-winning track about having a good time in L.A. The song lyrics are based on the 1987 poem "Fun," written by American poet Wyn Cooper.
Iconic Lyrics
'Cause all I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling I'm not the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling I'm not the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
Until the sun comes up over
Santa Monica Boulevard
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3. "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" by Scott McKenzie
Album: The Voice of Scott McKenzie
Release Date: May 13, 1967
"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" was a top-selling single of the '60s that was referred to as "the unofficial anthem of the counterculture movement of the 1960s." The song was peaked on charts worldwide and has been featured in several movies and covered numerous times.
Iconic Lyrics
If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there
For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair
4. "California Deamin'" by the Mamas and the Papas
Album: If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
Release Date: December 8, 1965
"California Dreamin'" was written by John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas as they dreamt of the warmth of California during a bitterly cold New York winter. This hit track is referred to as a "counterculture anthem" of the '60s that has been covered by many artists, including the Beach Boys.
Iconic Lyrics
All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown)
And the sky is gray (and the sky is gray)
I've been for a walk (I've been for a walk)
On a winter's day (on a winter's day)
I'd be safe and warm (I'd be safe and warm)
If I was in L.A. (if I was in L.A.)
California dreamin' (California dreamin')
On such a winter's day
5. "Beverly Hills" by Weezer
Album: Make Believe
Release Date: March 28, 2005
"Beverly Hills" is by far Weezer's most popular and recognizable song and is known for its music video, which was filmed at the Playboy Mansion. The song is about being an outsider in the fast-paced world of celebrities in L.A.
Iconic Lyrics
Look at all those movie stars
They're all so beautiful and clean
When the housemaids scrub the floors
They get the spaces in between
I wanna live a life like that
I wanna be just like a king
Take my picture by the pool
'Cause I'm the next big thing
Beverly Hills
That's where I want to be
(Gimme gimme, gimme gimme)
Livin' in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills
Rollin' like a celebrity
(Gimme gimme, gimme gimme)
Livin' in Beverly Hills
6. "Summer '79" by the Ataris
Album: So Long, Astoria
Release Date: 2003
"Summer '79" references the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as California State Route 1, which runs the length of the California coastline, passing through major coastal cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. This pop-punk track is the perfect California anthem for reminiscing about the long days and even longer nights of the summers of your youth.
Iconic Lyrics
We are the champions playing loud on the radio station
Everyone sing along with these anthems of our generation
Cruising down Pacific Coast Highway
Put the top down, crawl into the back seat
Let's create anthems of our own tonight
7. "California" by Phantom Planet
Album: The Guest
Release Date: February 2002
"California" is perhaps best known as the theme song to the 2000s show The O.C. The band released a mellower version of the song, known as "California 2005," three years later. Like many others on this list, "California" has references to the sun and driving down the coastal state's highways.
Iconic Lyrics
We've been on the run
Driving in the sun
Looking out for number one
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
8. "California Love" by 2Pac and Dr. Dre
Album: All Eyez on Me
Release Date: December 3, 1995
Grammy-nominated "California Love" was one of 2Pac's biggest hits. It's a funky hip-hop track that refers to California as the "Wild Wild West" and the state that "knows how to party." The concept for the original music video was designed by 2Pac's longtime friend, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Iconic Lyrics
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'
9. "Dani California" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Album: Stadium Arcadium
Release Date: April 28, 2006
The Red Hot Chili Peppers is one of the quintessential "California rock" groups, and "Dani California" is one of the band's most successful songs. "Dani California" is a narrative tale about a girl named Dani who comes from the South to live in California, and the ending features a minute-long guitar solo based on the intro to Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze."
Iconic Lyrics
California, rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California, show your teeth
She's my priestess
I'm your priest
Yeah, yeah, yeah
10. "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash
Album: Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!
Release Date: December 15, 1955
Johnny Cash was inspired to write this Grammy-winning country and rockabilly track after watching the film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison while serving in the U.S. Air Force. He played the song live at Folsom Prison in 1968, and the recording of that performance also became a hit single. The song was pulled from the radio for a time after John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 due to the lyrics "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die."
Iconic Lyrics
Well, if they freed me from this prison
If that railroad train was mine
I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line
Far from Folsom Prison, that's where I want to stay
And I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away
The Ultimate California Playlist: Songs About California, From Classic to Quirky
11. "Heads Carolina, Tails California" by Jo Dee Messina
12. "Catalina" by Seven Foot Wave
13. "California Nights" by Lesley Gore
14. "The Lights and Buzz" by Jack's Mannequin
15. "Miss California" by Jack's Mannequin
16. "101" by Albert Hammond Jr.
17. "From California" by The New Amsterdams
18. "California Day" by Starland Vocal Band
19. "Go to California" by Motorpsycho
20. "I Remember California" by R.E.M.
21. "California Soul" by Marlena Shaw
22. "California's Burning" by Augustana
23. "California Sun" by The Ramones
24. "Back to California" by Carole King
25. "(More Bounce In) California" by Soul Kid #1
26. "California Rain" by Silvertide
27. "San Francisco Days" by Chris Isaak
28. "California" by The Simpletones
29. "California" by Lenny Kravitz
30. "California" by The Kooks
31. "California" by Georgia Prophets
32. "California" by Atherton
33. "California" by The Beach Boys
34. "California" by Bag of Toys
35. "California" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
36. "Los Angeles, I'm Yours" by The Decemberists
37. "California One / Youth and Beauty Brigade" by The Decemberists
38. "California Sky" by Unwritten Law & Blink 182
39. "California" by Weezer
40. "Going to California" by Led Zeppelin
41. "Back Home" by Yellowcard
42. "California" by Eddi Reader
43. "California" by Rufus Wainwright
44. "California Girls" by The Beach Boys
45. "California Calling" by The Beach Boys
46. "Malibu" by Hole
47. "Big Sur" by The Thrills
48. "California" by The Weekend
49. "Santa Monica" by Everclear
50. "Holiday from Real" by Jack's Mannequin
51. "Mendocino" by The Sir Douglas Quintet
52. "A Long December" by Counting Crows
53. "California Love" by 2Pac
54. "Meet Me in California" by The Plain White T's
55. "New York to California" by Mat Kearney
56. "San Diego" by Parmalee
57. "Siren On the 101" by Over It
58. "San Simeon" by Goldfinger
59. "California Soul" by The 5th Dimension
60. "California" by Joni Mitchell
61. "California Bound" by Carolina Liar
62. "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" by Dionne Warwick
63. "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)" by Jan & Dean
64. "Bakersfield Bound" by Chris Hillman
65. "Orange County" by Stefy
66. "Hollywood" by Daniel Powter
67. "Goodbye Hollywood" by JET
68. "Pacific Coast Party" by Smash Mouth
69. "Los Angeles" by Counting Crows
70. "Los Angeles" by Sugarcult
71. "Los Angeles Is Burning" by Bad Religion
72. "L.A. Freeway" by Jerry Jeff Walker
73. "Lodi" by Credence Clearwater Revival
74. "Pasadena Girl" by Nellie McKay
75. "Ukiah" by The Doobie Brothers
76. "Sutter's Mill" by Dan Fogelberg
77. "Monterey" by Eric Burdon & The Animals
78. "Venice, USA" by Red Elvises
79. "Santa Monica" by Theory of a Deadman
80. "California" by Hawk Nelson
81. "Palo Alto" by Radiohead
82. "Sausalito Summernight" by Diesel
83. "Ventura Highway" by America
84. "Parallel Universe" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
85. "House In California" by Keb' Mo'
86. "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & The Pips
87. "California" by Metro Station
88. "California" by Dan Zanes
89. "Sausalito" by Conor Oberst
90. "Back to California" by Sugarcult
91. "California Nights" by Sweet
92. "Not California" by Hem
93. "California" by Low
94. "Late Great Golden State" by Mike Stinson
95. "California Grace" by Long Beach Shortbus
96. "It Never Rains In Southern California" by Albert Hammond & M. Hazelwood
97. "Talk to Me of Mendocino" by Kate & Anna McGarrigle
98. "Back to California" by The Wallflowers
99. "California" by Semisonic
100. "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding
© 2010 E. A. Wright
Comments
Mitch-1 on November 24, 2019:
what about San Diego by Blink-182?
Northern California on June 01, 2019:
Lot of LA songs here, but if you're from northern California, Train's got a whole album, none of which are on this list, sooo
Lana Adler from California on June 26, 2014:
Great hub! I never knew there were so many California songs :-)
Rory Murray on November 21, 2013:
Pico & Sepulveda-Felix Figueroa
San Fernando Valley-Bing Crosby
Los Angeles, Los Angeles-The Zanies
San Berdino-Frank Zappa
San Bernardino-Christie
San Bernardino-Los Hobbies
hally smith on September 07, 2013:
you missed an oldie, but classic California song, and some others:
Mission Bells by Donnie Brooks, (LA born and bred)
Santa Monica by Savage Garden
Going Hollywood by Super Tramp
Hollywood Nights by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
Tony C on March 05, 2013:
Surfin' USA - The Beach Boys -- my vote for the greatest rock n roll song written about California
LA Woman - The Doors
Freefallin' - Tom Petty
Missing the Bay on June 22, 2012:
Where's "15 songs about being hella homesick"? ;P
hmki on January 22, 2012:
ur missing Tony! Toni! Toné! - It Never Rains (In Southern California)
cheapestinsurance from California, USA on December 17, 2011:
What a list! I'll have to plug them into Spotify and give a listen.
Music lover on September 29, 2011:
Hi ! Nice site mate. But I really have to
say California Girls and Hotel Californie should
really been higher... MUCH higher ;)
henge on August 08, 2011:
aren't 88 and 53 the same thing?
Hildamari on May 28, 2011:
"California Gurls" by Katy Perry
leeroper from UK on May 11, 2011:
It's amazing how many people have named a song California, I just did a Spotify search and found 27 tracks all named after the sunny Cali.
Mark from Alabama,USA on May 05, 2011:
Nice Hub - I love Hotel California by the eagles it took me a month to learn the guitar solo on it.
Barbara Radisavljevic from Templeton, CA on April 14, 2011:
I'll have to come back when I really have some time to listen -- after I finish my taxes. I missed "26 Miles across the Sea, Santa Catalina is Waitin' for Me" (unless I just don't know the title.) I also missed, as someone else did, "California, Here I Come." Maybe they are on some of your other California song lists.
cali on March 30, 2011:
California Dreamin' by The Mama's and Papa's! i can't believe this isn't on the list!
Shadowblack from England on March 06, 2011:
"Flower Punk" - The Mothers of Invention
bwreed66 on February 21, 2011:
"Petaluma" or "California Earthquake" from Norman Greenbaum
asleeemdsfdsf on February 03, 2011:
500 miles by the proclaimers! Amazing roadtrip song!
Brian Smith on December 26, 2010:
California Man-Cheap Trick, Come To California-Matthew Sweet, California Here I Come-Al Jolson, California Uber Alles-The Dead Kennedys, Estimated Prophet-Grateful Dead, Californication-Red Hot Chili Peppers, Big Sur-Jay Farrar & Benjamin Gibbard, Barstow-Jay Farrar, Santa Cruz(You're Not That Far)-The Thrills, I Left My Heart In San Francisco-Tony Bennett & California Stars-Wilco.
m.tariq your deer on December 12, 2010:
Nice hub, I was thinking about starting guitar as a hobby since I don't really have any you know. :)...thnx for the info and great hub.
Paula from The Midwest, USA on December 02, 2010:
The song about California, by Paper Tongues is my new latest favorite song about California. If you haven't heard that one, you have to listen to it a couple of times, love it! Great hub of fun songs.
Da guy on November 01, 2010:
California Flight Project song California Flight
might be the greatest of them all. It touches on Northern California the State of California. Including Southern California. A breezy smooth , laid back Cali style cut.
it only been out for a few years. And not many radio stations have heard of it but the underground mix DJ's world wide discovered a California gem of a song. By California Flight {Project} Song California Flight. What a classic.
ashman on October 10, 2010:
what about im going back to cali by biggie smalls
Drew on October 05, 2010:
One HUGE omission. Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." has been used in countless movies and CONSTANTLY makes me think of Southern Cal.
kel on September 16, 2010:
going on vaca to ca and needed a good playlist...thanks!
The Lanks on August 29, 2010:
This is a great list! But I think that the song listed as 'California - Weezer' is actually by The Rentals. It's a really common mistake though, The Rentals not only sound a lot like Weezer, but they also have a former member of Weezer.
Again, I LOVE this list, lots of really great songs!
jeff in sydney on August 28, 2010:
2 crucial omissions -
Linda Rondstadt's "Adios" with Brian Wilson's gorgeous backing vox, written by Jimmy Webb
"Ran away from home when I was just 17
To be with you
On the California Coast
Drinking margaritas all night in the old cantina"
"And I miss the blood red sunsets...Adios"
And Belinda Carlisle's "California"
"it took a lot for me say
To walk away, LA
From the shops and the chardonnay"
kachis from Lagos, Nigeria. on May 29, 2010:
You remind of the legendary 2paq. Thank you.
pete on May 28, 2010:
mi chota!
PhotoShowMan4U from United States on March 27, 2010:
Nice Hub, Great List! Some months back I was searching for some California related songs for a Photo Show I was making, but I couldn't get a list like yours.Lucky, I came across yours now.I am bookmarking this Hub.