January 29, 2008
Young girls are coming to the canyon
Though I had a variety of things to get done tonight, none of them seemed to take precedence over compiling a San Francisco/California/USA Mixtape for our upcoming vacation. Actually a playlist, as follows:
1. We Built This City by Starship
2. Big Sur by The Thrills
3. America by Simon and Garfunkel
4. California Stars by Billy Bragg and Wilco
5. (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
6. Surfin’ Safari by The Beach Boys
7. California by Joni Mitchell
8. Twelve Thirty by The Mamas and the Papas
9. Surfin USA by The Beach Boys
10. Long December by Counting Crows
11. America by Razorlight
12. California Girls by The Beach Boys
13. Drinking in LA by Bran Van 3000
14. California Dreaming by The Mamas and the Papas
15. Feel Flows by The Beach Boys
16. California by Phantom Planet
17. San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers in Your Hair) by Scott Mackenzie
18. Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys
Some selections sure to drive the purists mad, but alas. Dreams come true often have cheesy soundtracks.
Bonus tracks – Rufus Wainwright’s California, which name-checks Bea Arthur. Also, Josh Ritter’s California which simultaneously hones in on and voids the ‘California trip’ cliche. “Don’t say the trip’s been done a hundred thousand times cause this one is mine”.
I hate to be a “purist,” but…
We Built this City was actually written about Cleveland. May I recommend replacing Starship with:
San Francisco Days – Chris Isaak (awesome)
I Remember California – R.E.M.
Fake Tales of San Francisco – Arctic Monkeys
Lights – Journey
Streets of Bakerfield – Dwight Yoakam
And if the situation calls for punk anthems:
California Sun – Ramones
California Uber Alles – Dead Kennedys
Los Angeles – X
But Wikipedia says it was actully about LA!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Built_This_City
Wikipedia also says that just this morning Grace Slick proclaimed this was one of the stupidest songs ever (how current!)
But regardless of what “this city” actually is, they do reference the Golden Gate Bridge and none of that bumper to bumper traffic, the city by the bay, the city that rocks, the city that NEVER sleeps…
Well, not burdening myself with the facts, I threw that Cleveland thing out there based upon something that I had heard once somewhere and can’t reference. However, I think that Grace Slick’s assessment of the song is pretty accurate.
San Francisco Days is not even close to the stupidest song ever and will make you feel very “California.”