Just like Paris, California has been romanticized, rewritten and stereotyped, turning this iconic land of dreams into an extreme version of itself.
If stereotypes held any truth, Paris would be a city where people drank wine all day and everyone is stylish, blase and rude. And California, a place where everyone spends their days partying on the beach, and are all tan, happy and stupid. Having lived and worked in both places, I can say that none of these misconceptions are true and both cities encompass the seriousness, gusto and work ethic that New York has.
I moved to LA in 2002 expecting to hate it, after all, I was supposed to be a proud New Yorker. LA charmed me with its kitch and kook and ended up staying longer than expected. I look back fondly on my years here, the place where I started my adult life while still living out childhood dreams, the place where I met life long friends and the place where my father was from.
I still can't believe my laid back Angeleno father and my highstrung New York mother had anything in common, especially in the 70's when the two coasts couldn't be more different. What did they talk about on their first date?!
Here are some of my favorite songs that celebrate the Sunshine State.
Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do
311 - Champagne
Hole - Malibu
Joni Mitchell - California
Weezer - Beverly Hills
Phantom Planet - California
Rufus Wainwright - California
Air - Californie
Beulah - Gene Autry
Coconut Records - West Coast
Madonna - Hollywood
X - Los Angeles
Missing Persons - Walking in LA
Guns n' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
Tupac feat. Dr. Dre - California Love
Hole - Celebrity Skin
...and because I can't help it. I have smuggle a French song about California. Pourquoi pas?
Serge Gainsbourg - Torrey Canyon
To listen to the playlist in its entirety, click here.
