The United States of Songs: California
Friday, May 27, 2011
Every week I take a state and try to find the one song that perfectly captures what it means to be there; a song that when you hear it, regardless of where you’re at or where you’re from, you instantly feel like you’re in whatever state being praised. We call it The United States of Songs, and any song that has the state in the title and sings about the state itself, not a particular city/attraction, is fair game.
This week is particularly daunting, as we’ve got what I would assume is one of if not THE most sung-about state in the union.
The state: California
The song: “California” by Joni Mitchell
I’ve got to be honest; it was an uphill battle for any challengers to unseat this song in my head. The Ramones came close, but in the end their tune, “California Sun,” felt too SoCal even with the shout out to frisky Frisco girls. But as soon as you hear the dulcimer you can’t help but smile.
Sure, it’s hippy folk music, but it’s PRETTY hippy folk music. And when you hear Joni’s voice ring out “California” and reverberate through “I’m comin’ home,” you WANT to have that longing, you want to be headed home to a place as beautiful as the one in your head, because Mitchell gives you just enough imagery to form a framework of an idyllic paradise in your head where lilting dulcimers probably play ALL the time. Maybe it’s the scrubby, sun-washed mountainsides of Joshua Tree; maybe it’s the ocean-sprayed, redwood-shaded cliffs of Big Sur. Maybe it’s the harsh Mojave Desert or the Children’s Pool in La Jolla. A lot of states have one feature they’re known for: the plains of Kansas, the skyscrapers of New York, the mountains of Colorado, etc. But California’s got just about every environment you could ever find yourself at home in, and you can see yourself there while playing this song. Big city, small town, beach resort, farmhouse, and everything in between.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s the song I would play on my iPod while flying back home to Los Angeles from things like Christmas or weddings or whatnot. This song just triggers so many great memories that it perfectly encapsulates California to me. I had to pick it. It’s a great tune, and a perfect, loving ode to one of my very favorite states.
Runner up: “Going Back to Cali” by The Notorious B.I.G. (nsfw)
Most laughable suggestion: “Hotel California“ by The Eagles
Got a better suggestion? Think I missed the mark entirely? Want to suggest a song for next week’s state (Colorado)? Let me know in the comments!
Flickr photo Big Sur, California by the_tahoe_guy used under a Creative Commons License.
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