Best song with 'California' or variant thereof in the title?

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aka Joni Mitchell vs. The Propellerheads vs. The Olivia Tremor Control vs. The Eagles vs. RHCP vs. The Mamas and the Papas

...not forgetting Gomez, of course. Of COURSE!

I vote OTC.

― Zeno Piston's Cruel Cartoon (Haberdager), Monday, 28 August 2006 19:21 (nineteen years ago)

and Quasi

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Monday, 28 August 2006 19:23 (nineteen years ago)

Those answers are all wrong. Better answers:

Cheap Trick - “California Man”
The Runaways - “California Paradise”
Roy Rogers & Dale Evans - “Out California Way”
Sweet - “California Nights”
Aberdeen - “Sunny In California”

Of these, I vote for "California Nights"

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 28 August 2006 19:32 (nineteen years ago)

and the dk's

...not forgetting led zep, of course!

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 28 August 2006 19:32 (nineteen years ago)

"California Love", Tupac/Dre
"California Home", Mark Eric
"Cold In California", Alison Moorer
"Goin' Back To Cali", LL Cool J

― hank (hank s), Monday, 28 August 2006 19:37 (nineteen years ago)

California Man is a Move song.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 28 August 2006 19:42 (nineteen years ago)

California Girls people.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 28 August 2006 19:42 (nineteen years ago)

Biggie's "Going Back To Cali"

― max (maxreax), Monday, 28 August 2006 19:43 (nineteen years ago)

Motorpscyho - Go To California

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X2oQQ7YXZ0

― Torgeir Hansen/MRZBW (MRZBW), Monday, 28 August 2006 20:18 (nineteen years ago)

good fucking god BEACH BOYS PEOPLE

Shakey OTM

sheesh

― PappaWheelie, Olives, Red Wine, Coffee, Scotch, and Me (PappaWheelie 2), Monday, 28 August 2006 20:25 (nineteen years ago)

Paul Stanley - The Last Show We Did...Los Angeles, California...It's All Right, It's Good to be PROUD of Where You're From, Portland

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Monday, 28 August 2006 20:27 (nineteen years ago)

Not that I think it should win, but there's also REM's "I Remember California".

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 28 August 2006 20:30 (nineteen years ago)

Low's recent song called "California" (IIRC) is really good.

― Cunga (Cunga), Monday, 28 August 2006 20:33 (nineteen years ago)

luna - california (all the way)

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Monday, 28 August 2006 20:56 (nineteen years ago)

Beach Boys thirded

― darin (darin), Monday, 28 August 2006 21:08 (nineteen years ago)

[(Mamas and Papas - "California Dreamin" vs. Bobby Womack - "California Dreamin") vs. (L.L. Cool J - "Goin Back to Cali" vs. Biggie - "Goin Back to Cali")] vs. [(Beach Boys - "California Girls" vs. Van Halen - "California Girls") vs. (Tupac - "California Love Remix" vs. Dr. Dre - "California Love")]

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Monday, 28 August 2006 21:22 (nineteen years ago)

The Decemberists - California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade

― Steve Go1dberg (Steve Schneeberg), Monday, 28 August 2006 21:24 (nineteen years ago)

further = "california bummer"

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Monday, 28 August 2006 21:28 (nineteen years ago)

"Beach Boys - "California Girls" vs. Van Halen - "California Girls""

first of al, its David Lee Roth that did the cover, secondly its a note-for-note cover, and third Beach Boys Carl Wilson does the vocal harmonies, so no contest there, really... (altho I love both versions and DLRs video is teh awesome of course)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 28 August 2006 21:31 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah I forgot - flipside was "Coconut Grove" I think? It felt like a Van Halen song to me at the time I must admit!

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Monday, 28 August 2006 21:35 (nineteen years ago)

lower california - jack nitzsche

― timmy tannin (pompous), Monday, 28 August 2006 21:39 (nineteen years ago)

Euai, if those are the quarter-finals, who wins the third-place play-off?

― Zeno Piston's Cruel Cartoon (Haberdager), Monday, 28 August 2006 21:48 (nineteen years ago)

time keeps on slippin' into the future...

― PappaWheelie, Olives, Red Wine, Coffee, Scotch, and Me (PappaWheelie 2), Monday, 28 August 2006 22:01 (nineteen years ago)

California is a beautiful word.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 28 August 2006 22:19 (nineteen years ago)

"California" - Rogue Wave
"Nevada, California" - the Jayhawks
"California Stars" - Wilco
"California Uber Alles" the DKs
"I Remember California" - REM
"Losing California" - Sloan

jeezus, I did a smart playlist on iTunes with "California" and had 45 songs.

― don weiner (don weiner), Monday, 28 August 2006 22:59 (nineteen years ago)

Phantom Planet - "California"
(is another song with a 'California' title)

― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 00:09 (nineteen years ago)

California Sun - Rivieras
California Nights - Leslie Gore (why the Go Go's didn't cover this I'll never know)

― jim wentworth (wench), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 01:36 (nineteen years ago)

Caulifornia

― PappaWheelie, Olives, Red Wine, Coffee, Scotch, and Me (PappaWheelie 2), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 01:38 (nineteen years ago)

Lower California, seconded. One of the greatest things I've ever heard.

"California" by Rufus Wainwright is an amazing song as well.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 01:43 (nineteen years ago)

albert hammond, "it never rains in southern california"

― My Little Ruud Book (Ken L), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 01:47 (nineteen years ago)

WORD

― el borracho (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 01:52 (nineteen years ago)

Thread seems to be missing
"Warm California Sun."

― My Little Ruud Book (Ken L), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 02:13 (nineteen years ago)

OK, I see it now, Jim Wentworth, no "Warm" in title.

― My Little Ruud Book (Ken L), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 02:17 (nineteen years ago)

X - "Los Angeles"

― 100% CHAMPS with a Yes! Attitude. (Austin, Still), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 02:17 (nineteen years ago)

Shocking Blue, "California Here I Come"

― mts (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 02:21 (nineteen years ago)

Hon. mention:
"Midnight Train To Georgia," for the line "L.A. grew too much for the man."

― My Little Ruud Book (Ken L), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 02:28 (nineteen years ago)

1. Mamas & Papas, "California Dreamin'"
2. Lesley Gore, "California Nights"
3. Morning Mist, "California on My Mind"
4. Albert Hammond, "It Never Rains in Southern California"
5. Wilco w/ Billy Bragg, "California Stars"

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 05:27 (nineteen years ago)

I second LL Cool J. More booty jazz please.

― Rodn y Greene (R. J. Greene), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 15:46 (nineteen years ago)

I was watching TV a couple of days ago and there was a music video being shown; the chorus centred around the word California and I thought "another California song?"

At the end of the video the title came up; it turned out the song was actually called "Another California Song"! This made my day.

― aaron d.g. (aaron d.g.), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

It's not in the title, but "I'm looking Califonia but feeling Minnestoa" remains the brighest witticism of the grunge era.

― bendy (bendy), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 16:36 (nineteen years ago)

More booty jazz please.

Florida is a whole nother sunhine state...

― PappaWheelie, Olives, Red Wine, Coffee, Scotch, and Me (PappaWheelie 2), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 16:40 (nineteen years ago)

Another one not mentioned:

Local H: California Songs

But my vote is with California Stars--Wilco

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 16:44 (nineteen years ago)

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell - "California Soul"

― g00blar (gooblar), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 19:40 (nineteen years ago)

this list is all the richer for not including:

"Californication"
"Dani California"

― hank (hank s), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 20:01 (nineteen years ago)

Read teh opening post carefully, hank.

― My Little Ruud Book (Ken L), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 20:06 (nineteen years ago)

Boring pick but "California Girls" soooo obviously.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 21:05 (nineteen years ago)

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell - "California Soul"

In a bizarro list, perhaps. A fun obscurity to come upon, but hard to call it "good" much less "best" of anything.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 30 August 2006 02:20 (nineteen years ago)

xxpost: Yeah, sry bout that. I don't actually like the song, it just sprang to mind... :S

― Obvious Ninja (Haberdager), Wednesday, 30 August 2006 02:28 (nineteen years ago)

Wax- "California"

― naus (Robert T), Wednesday, 30 August 2006 02:43 (nineteen years ago)

Marlena Shaw - California Soul

― tomp (tomp), Wednesday, 30 August 2006 11:37 (nineteen years ago)

David Lee Roth - California Girls

For the video alone, it wins.

― I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit (I say we take off and nuke the), Monday, 4 September 2006 08:07 (nineteen years ago)

elliott smith - la

(variant)

― Charlie Howard (the sphinx), Monday, 4 September 2006 12:03 (nineteen years ago)

Neighbor State Song Trying To Bum Rush This Thread: "Arizona," with the lyric "Arizona, take off your rainbow shades"(?), which is apparently by Mark Lindsay of the Raiders.

― Run Ruud Run (Ken L), Friday, 8 September 2006 22:44 (nineteen years ago)

I adore that song, but even I can't hear "cut off your Indian braids" without giggling. You've got the credit right.

(PS: This is the first thread I've seen you on in ages, Ken!)

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Saturday, 9 September 2006 00:02 (nineteen years ago)

The Geraldine Fibbers - "California Tuffy"

― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Sunday, 10 September 2006 02:24 (nineteen years ago)

here's one from my youth: youth brigade "sink with kalifornia"

― Godfrzej Ljang (godfrzej), Sunday, 10 September 2006 04:03 (nineteen years ago)

'California Cottonfields' Merle Haggard via Gram P

― sonofstan (sonofstan), Sunday, 10 September 2006 10:38 (nineteen years ago)

Sorry, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, you assholes can try a hundred MORE times and I wont let you in on this list.

― Period period period (Period period period), Sunday, 10 September 2006 19:01 (nineteen years ago)

I did appreciate that Local H song particularly, being from Massachusetts, the “and fuck New York too” bit.

― Adam S S (Zephery), Monday, 11 September 2006 02:38 (nineteen years ago)

NO votes for Joni??? Madness.

― Why does my IQ changes? (noodle vague), Monday, 11 September 2006 07:47 (nineteen years ago)

mr. bungle - california (best thing they did)

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 11 September 2006 07:51 (nineteen years ago)

oh SONG

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 11 September 2006 07:52 (nineteen years ago)

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