We’re Adding New Songs to Our California Soundtrack

One of my favorite things about writing this newsletter is getting to hear from readers.

Nearly 40 million people live in California, and each of us has our own story of how we came to be here and what this place means to us. The diversity of those experiences, across geographies and decades, comes to bear in our California Soundtrack, a collaborative project of this newsletter that tries to capture all of the Golden State in music.

Today, I’ve added 19 tracks to our ever-evolving playlist, based on your recommendations. Among the most requested this round were “Dani California” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (2006), “Hollywood Freaks” by Beck (1999) and “Carmel” by Joe Sample (1979).

You can peruse the full list here (the latest additions are in bold) or listen here.

As always, the California Soundtrack is a work in progress. Email your own song recommendation and a few lines about why you think it deserves inclusion to [email protected]. Please include your name and the city where you live.

Here’s some of what you shared about your picks, lightly edited:

“Love Street” by the Doors (1968)

“As explained in a Los Angeles city historical marker, ‘Love Street’ was written about Rothdell Trail and the surrounding area in Laurel Canyon where lead singer Jim Morrison resided. The lyric ‘There’s this store where the creatures meet,’ refers to the Canyon Country Store in Laurel Canyon that’s still in business today.” — Dino Ladki, West Hollywood

“Best Kept Secret” by case/lang/veirs (2016)

“It is a lovely, bright song about someone who is feeling down, calls their love in Silver Lake, and is lifted up. This song never ceases to brighten my day.” — Lesley Golkin, San Francisco

“Grant Avenue” by Pat Suzuki, from “Flower Drum Song” (1958)

“California’s own Pat Suzuki, who was interned with her family during World War II, starred in the original Broadway production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Flower Drum Song’ (1958), which is set in San Francisco. One of the songs is ‘Grant Avenue,’ a boisterous dance number celebrating one of the oldest streets in the city’s Chinatown district. Dated, yes, but still an interesting relic of its time.” — Dan Humiston, McKinleyville

“Artesia” by Chris Gaffney (1992)

“This song recalls teenagers cruising through a then-rural part of Southeast Los Angeles County and includes the fabulous line, ‘Because now when the wind blows from out of Artesia, you can’t smell 1965’ — a reference to the cows that used to inhabit the area.” — Greg Johnson, Irvine

“405” by RAC (2014)

“This song is so poppy and light — and it touches on so many aspects of L.A.: the ubiquitous car culture/driving, the famous/infamous boulevards, the beach sunsets colored by smog.” — Andrea Lynch, Beaverton

“California” by O.A.R. (2019)

“In the summer of 2020, I was living outside of Philly. But in a world where the only thing that was keeping me sane was spending time outside with my friends, the idea of a frigid northeast ‘Covid winter’ was terrifying.

My family had a condo in Encinitas and I had a couple good college friends who lived in San Diego County, but most were in the Northeast. I was approaching 30, had been living in the Northeast since elementary school, and I had a job that would surely *eventually* require me to return to the area. Still, I wanted to flee to San Diego, but it just seemed so daunting!

I put together a pros and cons sheet, but still wasn’t decided. I went to shower and think it over. I put on Counting Crows Pandora and the very first song was O.A.R.’s ‘California.’ The chorus asked the very question on my mind: ‘Who said you can’t go where you wanna, California’ and replies, ‘Hey son, go to California. Dance with the angels, dress how you wanna.’ The timing was so perfect — and the words so powerful and direct — that it seemed foolish to ignore.

In the end, I did what I wanted. I packed my bags and moved to California. Now I love my life in Pacific Beach, and I’m never moving back east! It’s a life-changing song for me.” — Dan Montgomery, San Diego

Where we’re traveling

Today’s tip comes from Senya Lubisich, who lives in San Gabriel in Los Angeles County. Senya recommends La Laguna de San Gabriel playground:

“Tucked in the back of a municipal park, La Laguna de San Gabriel offers visitors a concrete wonderland of sea creatures. These whimsical structures are the work of the renowned Mexican concrete artist Benjamin Dominguez and have been a treasure in the city of San Gabriel since 1965. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are a delightful place to picnic, to slide down the back of a dragon, and clamber on an octopus. Of course, you can forgo the picnic and enjoy the amazing Chinese food in the city or a pizza at the equally historic Petrillo’s pizza!

Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to [email protected]. We’ll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter.

What we’re recommending

Today at 10 a.m., Christian Cooper and Amy Tan will discuss their shared love of birding in a free live virtual event as part of The New York Times summer birding project. Watch here.

Tell us

We’re almost halfway through 2023! What are the best things that have happened to you so far this year? What have been your wins? Or your unexpected joys, big or small?

Tell me at [email protected]. Please include your full name and the city where you live.

And before you go, some good news

Shirley Raines, 55, provides food, hygienic services and unconditional support to people without a home through her nonprofit in Los Angeles, Beauty 2 the Streetz. To her, they are all “kings” and “queens.”

Beauty 2 the Streetz, which became a registered nonprofit in 2019, feeds about 1,000 people a week, mostly on Skid Row. Raines also captures moments that she uploads to her social media accounts in the hopes that she can change the narrative on homelessness — and show others that, as she sees it, these are simply people who were dealt a bad hand.

“Homelessness is one of those very visual problems,” said Ben Henwood, director of the Center for Homelessness, Housing and Health Equity Research at the University of Southern California. “We see it all over the place, but actually seeing people for who they are, the humanity part, we often miss. These kinds of efforts that allow people to connect at a very individual level and be seen, I think, are hugely important for self-esteem.”

Read more in The Times.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Soumya

P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword.

Briana Scalia and Johnna Margalotti contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at [email protected].

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