:dubious: Tom Petty is from Florida.
Zep’s Going to California.
There’s a wiki page with a huge list:
Lots of good stuff here; allow me to throw in
“California” by Nantucket
“All The Gold In California” by Larry Gatlin
“The Beverly Hillbillies Theme” by Flatt and Scruggs
*San Francisco (be sure to wear some flowers in your hair)*Scott Mckenzie
*California Dreamin * The Mamas and Papas
Going to California Led Zeppelin
California Girls Beach Boys and David Lee Roth
Free Falling Tom Petty
Surfin USA Beach Boys
[del]California Girls, The Beach Boys[/del] Ninja’d
Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash
Surfer Joe, The Surfaris
Monterey, Eric Burdon & The Animals
“Straight Outta Compton” by NWA (NSFW)
Jimmy Buffett “Come Monday”:
Headin’ up to San Francisco
for the Labor Day weekend show,
…
I spent four lonely days in a brown LA haze
Wilco - “California Stars”
California Nights The Sweet
Stukas Over Disneyland, The Dickies.
“Pride of Cucamonga” - The Grateful Dead
Also “Mexicali Blues” by Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead has the line “Well I’m three days out from Bakersfield.” I am sure a lot of other Dead songs mention places in California too, but I can’t think of them at the moment.
“Laurel Canyon Home” - John Mayall.
“Kids in America” by Kim Wilde has the line “Goin’ out to east California” (prof positive, IMHO, that she had never visited California, or, probably, looked at it on a map).
Van Morrison’s “Almost Independence Day” is about watching fireworks over San Francisco Bay. His “Snow in San Anselmo” is about a rare snowfall in that Marin County town, and also mentions nearby San Rafael.
L.A.'s my Lady - Sinatra;
Warning - avalanche of cameos from early/mid-80s scene icons including DLR and MJ
(later sampled by Ras Kass)
Highway 101, Social Distortion
Stanyon Street, Glen Yarbrough
Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls are Coming to the Canyon) Mamas and Papas
Sunset Grill and The Last Resort Eagles
For What it’s Worth Buffalo Springfield
Singer/songwriter Terry Scott Taylor has written quite a few songs about various California locations, including
Hey John Wayne (addressed to the John Wayne statue at John Wayne Airport in Orange County)
Capistrano Beach
Papa Danced on Olvera Street
Rodeo Drive
Bakersfield
Salton Sea
Only One Bum in Corona Del Mar
“Ladies of the Canyon” - Joni Mitchell (that’d be Laurel Canyon)
“Estimated Prophet” - Grateful Dead (mentions California several times)
“Have You Seen the Saucers?” - Jefferson Airplane (mentions “California’s rainbow sky”)
“Love Rusts” - Starship (Grace Slick sings “But what about me boy, back in California?”)
“I Remember California” - REM
“California” - Rufus Wainwright
“Ride Captain Ride” - the Blues Image (“Seventy Three Men Sailed Up / In the San Francisco Bay…”)
I always liked California Jam by Klaatu
I’m surprised no one has mentioned L.A. County by Lyle Lovett- or did I miss it?
Hmm . . . well, to get more obscure: Neil Young’s “Revolution Blues” is about the Tate/LoBianca killings.