Beach Boys ( The ) - California Girls

First performance: 21/10/1999


Coverinfo

Bruce soundchecked the song once:
 
He never played it in the regular show
 
1999-10-21 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
 
 
  

Songinfo

"California Girls" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the Beach Boys, featured on their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). Wilson conceived the song during his first acid trip, later arranging and producing the song's recording, and incorporating an orchestral prelude plus contrasting verse-chorus form. The song is considered emblematic of the 1960s California Sound.
 
 
  

Other cover versions

Bruce on the artist

2020-07-15 SiriusXM Studio, New York City
Bruce plays the song during his "From My Home, To Yours… Part 8" on Sirius XM's E Street Radio, wrapping around theme "Summertime, Summertime". Bruce tells stories about Freehold, Manasquan, Asbury Park, Route 33, the Hazlet, Eatontown and Shore Drive-In theaters and other places. Plus he reveals he likes to go skinny-dipping. 
 
 
The 2019 studio album "Western Stars", released on June 14, 2019 is stated by Bruce as heavily influenced by "Southern California pop music" of the 1970s, including artists such as Glen Campbell and Burt Bacharach.
 
 
 
1973-04-07 Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, VA 
Bruce and band are opening for headliner The Beach Boys (minus Brian Wilson, who wasn’t touring with the group at the time).
 
 
 
1963-07-00 Springsteen Residence, Freehold, NJ 
The surf music craze, which had been largely confined to California during the previous year, finally explodes nationally in the U.S.A. during the summer of 1963, with four huge-selling singles released (and all charting top five or better) in rapid succession: "Pipeline" (May 1963 - The Chantays), "Surfin' U.S.A." (June 1963 - The Beach Boys), "Surf City" (July 1963 - Jan and Dean) and "Wipe Out" (August 1963 - The Surfaris). Springsteen is heavily influenced by these four singles, particularly over the course of the next twelve months.
 

Lyrics

Well East coast girls are hip
I really dig those styles they wear
And the Southern girls with the way they talk
They knock me out when I'm down there
The Mid-West farmer's daughters really make you feel alright
And the Northern girls with the way they kiss
They keep their boyfriends warm at night
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California girls
The West coast has the sunshine
And the girls all get so tanned
I dig a french bikini on Hawaiin island dolls
By a palm tree in the sand
I been all around this great big world
And I seen all kinds of girls
Yeah, but I couldn't wait to get back in the States
Back to the cutest girls in the world
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California girls
I wish they all could be California girls