California is a (musical) state of mind

Am I the only person for whom music can really powerfully conjure up locations? It works for a lot of places (Britpop is quite obvious... Just hearing the opening beats to MC Solaar's Obsolète and I'm in Paris at the end of that one hot summer day... Some music even has a New York feel for me, and I'm not talking about Sinatra here... It's hard to explain, but it has a gritty, slightly intellectual vibe to it (like Luscious Jackson, the Beastie Boys, Moby...)

Anyway for me it never works more than it does for California. Here's my ultimate Cali soundtrack. Yes, it's a little more mainstream than my usual taste, but the truth is underneath my indie, deeper-level surface I'm just a sucker for an honest, catchy pop song (I guess I need both sides, how Mini-Wheat of me). Play any of these and here I am floating up in the air, in an altered state of mind, a long, long way from here. Funny how this wildly differs from person to person, even for people you think you know well. During our last trip to California three years ago, I had asked M to assemble a soundtrack we could listen to on the iPod while in the car. I was certain that he would come up with pretty much the same stuff I would have put. Then upon landing he presented me with his work: Guns'n'Roses' Paradise City? WTF??? The Brazilian Girls' Die Gedanken sind Frei? (What does this EVER have to do with California?, I asked, utterly baffled. "Well, you know, hmm, I thought you would like it since you understand German...")

-Sugar Ray, "Every Morning"
It's all in the haunting background chorus, sampled from Malo's "Suavecito."

-Bran Van 3000, "Drinking in LA"
I will never, ever get tired of this song... The video is quite bad though...

-Sugar Ray, "Someday"
This time it's the beachy catchy guitar riff...

-Good Charlotte, "Girls and Boys"
"Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money..." Need I say more?

-Phantom Planet, "California"
Yes, it was a real song (and I believe a pretty powerful anthem) before it became the soundtrack of The O.C.

-No Doubt, "Sunday Morning"
"Just a Girl" kinda works too, but it's been so popular it's hard to listen to it in the same way now

-Martha and the Muffins, "Echo Beach"
Yes, there's space for some oldies '80 stuff in there... I know it's a Canadian band and a place that don't even exist but really it doesn't matter!

-Pretty much anything by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
There's "California", "Californication", "Under the Bridge," and so many more...

-Everclear, "Santa Monica"
Another band that has such a SoCal sound...

-Third Eye Blind, "Never let you go"
I think it was even written for Charlize Theron...

-The Go-go's, "Our Lips are Sealed"
Works so well, I feel nostalgic about this era even though I was much too young to experience it! "Vacation" too...

-The Foo Fighters, "Big Me"

-The Beach Boys, either "Wouldn't it be nice" or "Don't Worry Baby"
The innocence and "unspoiledness" of this music still floors me completely...

-Plus 44, "155"
Even Blink had a distinct California sound but I like the newer stuff better, it's just more adult.

-LEN, "Steal my Sunshine"
Somewhat corny, but admit it, you like it too. And it's a local Montreal band (video was shot in Miami though)!

-Geggy Tah, "Whoever you are"
Because it's an irresistible weird-ish wild card, and California is such a car culture...

-Smash Mouth, "Pacific Coast Party"


Did I forget anything? I would love to read suggestions.