25 Songs About California

Last Updated on January 1, 2026 by Christian Adams

You’ll be disappointed if you clicked on this post expecting to see “Hotel California” by the Eagles anywhere on the list. The best-selling rock hit of 1977–78 isn’t even among my top 50 songs about the Golden State.

Why?

Of the 50 United States, only two, maybe three states come close to California in terms of musical mythology: New York, Texas, and maybe Hawaii. Having lived in San Francisco for nearly a decade, I can say that California is the most magical place I’ve ever been. It’s the land of dreams, a country of its own. And that’s why artists and musicians love it so much. Anything is possible in California.

John Cougar Mellencamp and Sufjan Stevens were the only guys writing songs about Indiana. Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi rhapsodized about New Jersey. Florida had Jimmy Buffett. West Virginia got a shout-out from John Denver. I had to Google whether any great bands or songs have come out of Utah. [If you think The Used and Imagine Dragons are great bands, the answer is yes.]

Anyway, “Hotel California” doesn’t make the list because the competition is too strong. Have you ever wondered how many great songs have been written about California or with California in mind? Thousands of songs. Likewise, bands like The Beach Boys, Sublime, and Red Hot Chili Peppers built multi-platinum careers on their association with California.

All songs about California on my list are explicitly about, set in, or heavily influenced by California. I tried to avoid songs that merely mention the state (or a city or a town, e.g., “Outshined” by Soundgarden). You’ll notice heavy favoritism for Los Angeles, Hollywood, and Southern California because, let’s face it—never mind New York, London, or Paris—L.A. is the center of Western civilization.

Otherwise, you’re not gonna find “California Dreamin’” or “Lodi”, either.

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California Uber Alles – Dead Kennedys (1980)

You can’t argue with Jello Biafra. Well, you could try, but I think you’d regret it. Who knew I needed apocalyptic surf punk in my life? Forget California for a moment. It’s one of the greatest songs of all time, from one of the greatest albums of all time, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980).

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California Girls – The Beach Boys (1965)

This should be #1 because nothing says “California” like the opening minute. The David Lee Roth version could also easily make the list.

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Los Angeles – X (1982)

You wouldn’t know it from a casual listen, but this jam contains some highly controversial lyrics that almost certainly wouldn’t fly for a Caucasian punk band in 2025.

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California Love – 2Pac ft. Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman (1995)

Several interesting facets to this cut. First, almost nobody outside the hip hop community knows about Roger Troutman and Zapp Band, but that’s Roger singing, “California knows how to party,” and he’s known for the distinctive talkbox vocal effect.

Second, 2Pac only appears for a 16-bar spot in the middle of the song. It’s not Pac’s most coherent rap, but he definitely mentions Oakland. Bay Area, represent or some bullshit like that.

Third, the track was originally produced by Dr. Dre for Chronic 2001 (aka The Chronic 2), but Suge Knight wanted it for 2Pac’s comeback single after his release from prison in 1995. The original version is featured on the U.K. version of 2Pac’s fourth album, All Eyez on Me (1996).

And finally, the groove is from EPMD’s “Knick Knack Patty Wack” (1989). The chorus, “California knows how to party,” was lifted from the 1982 song “West Coast Poplock” by Ronnie Hudson & The Street People, which was written by Ronnie Hudson and Mikel Hooks and was itself a reworking of Troutman’s 1981 song “So Ruff, So Tuff.” The “shake it, shake it baby” riff is from the 1982 Zapp single, “Dance Floor”.

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California Sun – Joe Jones (1961)

The Rivieras’ 1963 cover version was the big hit, and next-generation listeners may associate this jam with the Ramones, but I like the original Joe Jones version. Though he’s considered a New Orleans R&B singer, I don’t think singing was Joe’s core strength. Just listen to him on his biggest hit, “You Talk Too Much” (1960).

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It Never Rains in Southern California – Albert Hammond (1972)

I could only pick one late 1960s–early 1970s soft rock AM radio staple out of a hat: “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”, “California Dreamin’”, “If You’re Going to San Francisco”, and this jam by Albert Hammond.

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Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A. (1987)

I don’t care if a big part of gangsta rap is bluster and hyperbole because it sounds fuckin’ real to me.

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Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty (1989)

Honestly, I didn’t want to include this song on the list until I re-listened, considering the subject matter, and yeah, Tom Petty nails it.

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L.A. Woman – The Doors (1971)

I’m on record saying that I like the drunk Jim Morrison better than the LSD version. There’s just something so sloppy-good about his performance here, and it’s impossible to say if it was intentional. At 7 minutes and 51 seconds, it’s the kind of song you can put on and forget about until Morrison remembers where he is and yelps, “Yeah, come on!” My favorite line comes around the 6:21 mark: “Are you a lucky little lady in the City of Lights / Or just another lost angel?”

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The Air-Conditioned Nightmare – Mr. Bungle (1991)

I’ve never slept on a band as hard as I did Mr. Bungle, and man, I sorely regret dismissing them back in the 1990s as a poor man’s Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’m sorry, I have never been so wrong in my life. Today, I’m a solid Mike Patton fanboy. I’ll listen to him sing in Italian cuz he’s just that fucking good. The rest of the band is amazing too.

Now, Mr. Bungle is from Eureka, California, which means, theoretically, just about any song they’ve ever recorded could make the list. But the selection here runs much deeper than that. You may notice the heavy Pet Sounds reference? These guys loved Brian Wilson.

Next, the song is named after The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (1945) by Henry Miller, a chronicle of a year-long trip across the U.S. in a 1932 Buick with the painter Abraham Rattner. Their journey ended in Hollywood, where Miller sat down and wrote the book. And the jam is on an album called California.

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History Lesson, Part 2 – Minutemen (1984)

We learned punk rock in Hollywood
Drove up from Pedro
We were fucking corn dogs
We’d go drink and pogo

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“Dirty Movies” – Van Halen (1981)

If you want to talk about the sleazy underbelly of Hollywood, California, this cut is “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City” rolled into one. It’s the quintessential “good girl goes to L.A. to make it as an actress and winds up doing porn” narrative. And the chorus is among Van Halen’s catchiest tunes.

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Midnight – Ice-T (1992)

Kudos to the producer who said, “You know what would really be cool? Let’s take the riff from ‘Black Sabbath’ by Black Sabbath and put it over the drums from ‘When the Levee Breaks’ by Led Zeppelin, and have Ice-T do a six-minute monologue about a harrowing night of gangster chaos in South Central.”

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Walking in L.A. – Missing Persons (1982)

Seems to me like Dale Bozzio had to walk so Gwen Stefani could run.

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I Love L.A. – Randy Newman (1983)

I have a buddy who adores Randy Newman, and one time, I wanted to rattle his cage, so I said, “’I Love L.A.'” is a sneaky rewrite of [Newman’s 1979 hit], ‘Short People.’” Oof, that got him going.

This cut has so many good lines, but I’ll nominate “Let’s leave Chicago to the Eskimos” as lyric of the year in 1983.

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Christmas in L.A. – Vulfpeck (2015)

I didn’t want to know what would happen if Frank Zappa and Michael Jackson collaborated on a Christmas song, but now I do, and we’re all better off for it.

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Hollywood Nights – Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band (1978)

I’ll get over the fact that Bob Seger was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist (without the Silver Bullet Band), but it won’t ever sit right with me, even though Seger thanked them in his HOF acceptance speech. Most (not all) of Seger’s biggest hits were with the Silver Bullet Band, and certainly, the SBB were with him during his 1976–1985 peak. However, on deeper inspection, Seger used the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on a few of his bigger hits (“Fire Lake”, “Old Time Rock n’ Roll”).

At any rate, “Hollywood Nights” is one of those songs about California I’ve heard a million times, but one more wouldn’t hurt.

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Golden State – Aztec Hearts (2005)

Sort of a self-serving choice. I happen to know the guy in Aztec Hearts.

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California – Phantom Planet (2009)

Gotta be blunt here. If Jason Schwartzman isn’t in this band, we never hear about them. I’m actually somewhat of a Phantom Planet fan, but if you listen to this song without watching a video, the chorus gets tiresome. It’s still a great song and certainly representative of the list.

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Streets of Bakersfield – Buck Owens (1973)

The original version released in 1973 didn’t make much of an impact, and the song languished in obscurity until Dwight Yoakam approached Buck Owens about a duet in 1988. The remake was Owens’ first #1 record since 1972.

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Valley Girl – Frank Zappa feat. Moon Unit Zappa (1982)

It’s ironic and somehow fitting that Zappa’s only mainstream “hit” is a sardonic, backhanded epigram about Southern California culture or lack thereof.

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Going to California – Led Zeppelin (1971)

A perfect example of what I’m talking about in Robert Plant Didn’t Ruin It For Anybody. Led Zeppelin could be tuff, and they could be tender. This is just a beautiful song about California, no matter how you hear it.

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Los Angeles – Frank Black (1993)

From Frank Black’s 1993 debut solo album, this song was such a revelation when it came out.

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California Man – The Move (1967)

Cheap Trick’s version is great, too, but The Move is one of the most underrated and overlooked rock bands of the late 1960s. Being a California Man is all about dancing to Little Richard. Otherwise, there’s no West Coast connection except for “I’m a California man.”

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San Francisco – Alkaline Trio (1998)

It took me several listens over a month to appreciate what they’re doing here. It’s a song about a guy who’s flying back to Chicago from San Francisco, which is most likely a euphemism for a romantic interest, and my man is bummed out.

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Honorable Mention for My Grateful Dead Friends, et. al

I can ignore the Eagles with impunity, but people get upset when I purposely leave the Grateful Dead off these listicles. And every list needs a forgettable R.E.M. song.

I Remember California – R.E.M. (1998)

I remember R.E.M. before they made “Shiny Happy People.” This is it, right here, basically.

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Estimated Prophet – Grateful Dead (1977)

I just don’t get it, man. I just don’t.

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Did we miss any great songs about California that aren’t “Hotel California”? Let us know in the comments!