California has always been larger than life in music. From sunny surf rock and laid-back hip-hop to folk, pop, and country, artists keep returning to the Golden State for inspiration. Whether it’s about freedom, opportunity, heartbreak, or the West Coast lifestyle, these songs cover the many sides of California.
This list focuses on songs about the state itself rather than individual cities, since we already have a list of songs about Los Angeles.
Be sure to check out the Songs About California Playlist at the bottom of this page.
Best Songs About California
1. “California” – Joni Mitchell
Lyric Sample: “I’m going to see the folks I dig, I’ll even kiss a Sunset pig.”
Joni Mitchell wrote this folk favorite in the early ’70s while traveling abroad, daydreaming about returning to California. She frames the state as a place of comfort and creative energy.
Related: Best Songs About Homesickness
2. “California Dreamin’” – The Mamas & The Papas
Lyric Sample: “All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray.”
This iconic 1960s tune contrasts the cold winter of New York with the promise of warmth and sunshine on the West Coast. It’s easily one of the most popular songs about the state of California.
Related: “California Dreamin’” Song Meaning
3. “California Love” – 2Pac ft. Dr. Dre
Lyric Sample: “Now, let me welcome everybody to the Wild, Wild West.”
A cornerstone of West Coast hip-hop, “California Love” celebrates the state’s unique lifestyle and its party culture. With Dre’s production and Tupac’s delivery, it turned into one of the most iconic songs of the 1990s.
4. “California” – Phantom Planet
Lyric Sample: “California, here we come, right back where we started from.”
Known as the theme song for the TV show The O.C., this song became a hit in the early 2000s. It’s an indie-rock track all about driving toward new beginnings.
5. “Going Back to Cali” – LL Cool J
Lyric Sample: “I’m going back to Cali, shakin’ ’em, bakin’ ’em.”
This 1989 single blends humor and swagger as LL Cool J flips between temptation and hesitation about California’s nightlife. He raps about cruising in style, chasing fun, and questioning whether the scene is really for him.
6. “Going to California” – Led Zeppelin
Lyric Sample: “Made up my mind to make a new start, going to California with an achin’ in my heart.”
Led Zeppelin’s acoustic ballad shows California as a place for healing and escape. It touches on themes of love and the pursuit of a free-spirited lifestyle.
7. “California Soul” – Marlena Shaw
Lyric Sample: “Like a sound you hear that lingers in your ear, but you can’t forget from sundown to sunset.”
Soulful and uplifting, this late ’60s song ties the spirit of California to rhythm and joy. Shaw turned it into a classic that still gets sampled decades later.
8. “West Coast” – G-Eazy & Blueface
Lyric Sample: “Shake it Westside, throw ya hands up, let’s ride.”
“West Coast” is a newer hip-hop track that is all about the modern California lifestyle. G-Eazy and Blueface trade verses about success, money, and pride in their home state.
9. “Dani California” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Lyric Sample: “California, rest in peace, simultaneous release.”
The Chili Peppers tell the story of Dani, a rebellious woman whose life reflects the rougher side of the California dream. Dani also shows up in the band’s hit “Californication.”
10. “California Girls” – The Beach Boys
Lyric Sample: “I wish they all could be California girls.”
This surf-rock classic praises the beauty and style of women from across the Golden State. The song is a playful, upbeat snapshot of West Coast youth culture.
11. “California” – Childish Gambino
Lyric Sample: “She want to move to California, that’s how they get you every time.”
Gambino takes a cynical look at the dream of chasing fame in California in this unique-sounding track. He calls out the shallow side of the lifestyle, with failed promises, broken illusions, and people losing themselves.
12. “It Never Rains in Southern California” – Albert Hammond
Lyric Sample: “Will you tell the folks back home I nearly made it?”
This 1970s soft rock hit is about broken dreams and loneliness after moving west. Despite its sunny title, the song shows the struggles of chasing success in California.
13. “California Kids” – Weezer
Lyric Sample: “It’s gonna be alright, if you’re on a sinking ship, the California kids will throw you a lifeline.”
Weezer mixes humor and reassurance in this 2010s alt-rock track. It uses California as a backdrop for optimism, even in messy situations.
14. “Ventura Highway” – America
Lyric Sample: “Ventura Highway in the sunshine, where the days are longer, the nights are stronger than moonshine.”
America’s breezy folk-rock classic captures the feeling of freedom on the California coast. The lyrics tie road trips to a sense of open possibility.
Related: “Ventura Highway” Song Meaning
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15. “California Gurls” – Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg
Lyric Sample: “California girls, we’re unforgettable, Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top.”
This playful pop hit celebrates California women as the ultimate mix of beauty, confidence, and carefree fun. It’s a great summer song, celebrating the beaches, sun, and party atmosphere of the state.
16. “Heavy, California” – Jungle
Lyric Sample: “Heavy, California, on the levee, can’t afford you.”
“Heavy, California” is a modern funk track about escape and desire. California is described as a place of sunshine and temptation, where love and risk collide.
17. “California Sun” – The Rivieras
Lyric Sample: “Well, I’m going out west where I belong.”
This 1960s garage rock favorite is all about the excitement of moving to California. It became a go-to cover for punk and rock bands.
18. “I Am California” – John Craigie
Lyric Sample: “Wherever you roam, you’ll always want me.”
In this folk song, Craigie treats California like a living, breathing presence. He sings about drinking wine, smoking weed, and enjoying beaches, mountains, and springs.
19. “California” – Big & Rich
Lyric Sample: “‘Cause she’s in love with California, and that west coast sunshine dream.”
This country track is about a woman leaving for California while the singer stays behind. It’s about her chase for the West Coast lifestyle, from small-town roads to the dream of sun and opportunity, and the heartbreak it causes.
20. “California Stars” – Billy Bragg & Wilco
Lyric Sample: “I’d like to rest my heavy head tonight on a bed of California stars.”
A cover of an old Woody Guthrie song, this folk-rock track describes a man imagining a quiet night under California skies. It’s about simple, intimate moments and the calm, open feeling of the state.
21. “Surfin’ U.S.A.” – The Beach Boys
Lyric Sample: “If everybody had an ocean, across the U.S.A.”
One of the most famous surf songs, “Surfin’ U.S.A.” describes California as the hub of beach culture. It changed how the world saw the Golden State in the ’60s.
Related: Best Songs About Summer
22. “California” – Rufus Wainwright
Lyric Sample: “California, California, you’re such a wonder that I think I’ll stay in bed.”
This pop-rock track is a tongue-in-cheek take on California’s quirks. Wainwright’s wry tone stands apart from the more romantic and celebratory tracks about the state.
23. “Queen of California” – John Mayer
Lyric Sample: “Looking for the sun that Neil Young hung after the gold rush of 1971.”
John Mayer pays tribute to classic folk rock while reflecting on his own journey in California. The “Queen of California” is Mayer himself stepping back from the pressures of fame in the Golden State.
Related: Best Songs that Start with a Q
24. “The Only Place” – Best Coast
Lyric Sample: “We’ve got the ocean, got the babes, got the sun, we’ve got the waves.”
“The Only Place” is an indie rock song from the 2010s that celebrates living in California, enjoying the sun, ocean, and freedom to have fun. It’s a straightforward love letter to the state’s beaches and lifestyle.
25. “All the Gold in California” – Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers
Lyric Sample: “All the gold in California is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills.”
A 1979 country hit, this one describes the harsh reality of chasing dreams in California. It warns that while the state is associated with immense wealth, that fortune is often out of reach.
Related: Songs About L.A.
26. “California” – Lenny Kravitz
Lyric Sample: “I was converted to the other side.”
Kravitz sings about his move to California as a transformative experience. It’s about how he left his old life behind and found a new, carefree existence defined by surfing and skateboarding culture.
27. “I Love You, California” – State Song
Lyric Sample: “I love your redwood forests, love your fields of yellow grain.”
Adopted as the official state song in 1951, “I Love You, California” praises the state’s natural beauty and diverse landscapes. It’s less about fame and flash, more about pride in the land itself.
Conclusion
From folk daydreams and surf rock to rap songs and indie sing-alongs, California has inspired music across every decade and genre. Whether it’s longing for escape, celebrating the coast, or wrestling with big dreams, these songs show just how much the Golden State matters in music.
If you enjoyed this list, you might also like our picks for Songs About Los Angeles, Songs About Nostalgia, and Songs About Texas.
