Top 10 Songs About California

Kicking off our list is one of the biggest hits off of Biggie Smalls’ posthumously released album, Life After Death. Referencing the ongoing rivalry between rappers from the East and West Coast, Smalls hits us with a head knocker of a rhythm while delivering rhymes of hard strung street wisdom. Although honoring his home turf, Smalls is not short of praise for the beauty of California. Tragically, a few weeks before the album’s release, Biggie was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles.

It was the late ‘60s, and a time of social unrest in the United States. McKenzie’s ode to the west coast describes the mayhem the rest of the country witnessed, but paints California as a paradise of never ending summer. Wearing flowers in your hair is a reference to the hippie movement, and before long, youth from around the world had adopted this song as an anthem of freedom. Its melancholy tone reminds us of the darkness on the horizon, but at the same time has us falling in love with the beauty that is San Francisco.

Where are the hottest girls in world from? Well, if we’re taking Katy Perry or Snoop Dogg’s word for it, you better believe it’s California. With just enough innuendos to heat up the room, this song delivers dreams of tanned beauties with daisy dukes and bikinis. As if that wasn’t enough, the fresh melody just begs you to blast this tune through the speakers of a convertible. And with that video… yeah, our popsicles just melted.

We always think of Cali as the place where dreams are made, but just as many dreams are broken there, and this classic Chili Peppers track does not shy away from that. Instead, it embraces the cold reality of the smoking hot state. Referencing the cities apparent surface value, the lyrics describe the state as being flawed but full of certain undeniable magic. The clichés, the movies, the music, it all adds up the experience that is the American west coast.

Many musicians have called California their home. While some are born there, others trek from across the United States and the world in an odyssey to get to the promised land of music. This low key Zeppelin tune follows the band as it tells a story of making that mythical journey, with intricate lyrics written by frontman Robert Plant. Off the band’s fourth effort, the band experimented with folk music, which caused to song to sound more like an acoustic dream than a track from the Godfathers of hard rock.

Back to the women of California, Jim Morrison had his own opinion on the state’s female population… Unlike other songs, this isn’t rhyme after rhyme of straight praise, but instead he suggests the mystery behind the women of Los Angeles is their greatest attribute. It goes without saying that they’re beautiful, but the question is: are they the work of the devil or angels in disguise. Who knows? But finding out is the best part.

This rap track, on top of being irresistibly groovy, is the ultimate in west coast rap anthems. A thumping beat coupled with hard hitting lyrics from rap icon 2Pac and guests Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman bring the song to legendary status. Laced in are shout-outs to a myriad of cities from across the state in a clear effort to unify all 38 million Californians. If that isn’t serious California love, then we don’t know what is!

The women of California are too hot to not get mentioned a third time. This classic pop rock track from The Beach Boys family emblazoned itself into the hearts of young Americans, as it came to represent the ‘60s California rock sound. In an effort to be inclusive, the lyrics do praise all the women of the United States, but in case you haven’t been paying attention to the list so far, the women of the west coast are really something special.

Melancholy in its tone and lyrics, “California Dreamin’” expresses a sentiment felt by many Americans: It’s better out west. With an addictive melody and a strange mysterious quality, this track has us dreaming of packing up and heading out to California, leaving our dreary lives behind. Listen at your own risk, we can’t guarantee that you won’t be chasing sunsets in a convertible by the time it’s done.

Before we hit play on our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“California” (1971)
Joni Mitchell

“California Über Alles” (1979)
Dead Kennedy’s

“Going Back to Cali” (1988)
LL Cool J

“Straight Outta Compton” (1988)
N.W.A.

“California Stars” (1998)
Billy Bragg & Wilco

“West Coast” (2014)
Lana Del Rey

Unlike most songs on this list, this Eagles track does not paint California as a paradise, but rather takes a look at the state's treachery, through the imagery of a nightmarish hotel. This song has us in a trance, not unlike its subject, who finds himself subjected to the burdens of temptation, encountering courtyard dancing and pink champagne on ice. Several interpretations of the song suggest that it is as an allegory for the greed of the music industry, particularly in Los Angeles. Dreams may be broken, but this song will never die.

Did you agree with our list? What songs about America’s west coast did we miss? For more Top 10s about your favourite songs, subscribe to WatchMojo.com.