Tuesday, August 30, 2011
California in Comparison
An official music video is not provided.
The song "Gone to California" by PINK, entirely depicts the California Dream compared to the reality of life in other states of America. Particularly in this song, the speaker has experienced anguish in the city of Philadelphia. The song includes the ironic description of the "Philadelphia freedom" to be the "city of brotherly love" that is "full of pain and hurt." To seek a new life, the speaker plans to escape to California where the sun is shining and the "streets are made of silver." Expectations of stardom, success, and overall satisfaction of life are portrayed in the speaker's vision of the extravagant, carefree California life. However, the speaker is aware of the notion that her anticipation is nothing more than what she has only heard about. While devoid of certainty and full of possible fallacy, the speaker flees from her mournful life to a place of fresh opportunities. The melody and rhythm of the song adds to the paradoxical idea of grieving over the old life, discovering the path to new life, and still being doubtful of what the California truly has to offer. The beat of the song is slow, which emphasizes the reluctance to commit to the California Dream; whereas, the California Dream is supposed to convey excitement and bliss.
I chose this song mainly because of the complexity of the lyrics. Rather than candidly illustrating the factors of the California Dream, the song works around one main theme. Moreover, that theme is more challenging to uncover as the overall idea over an array of images of the California Dream. The verses seem to include hidden ideas that altogether function to support the notion that the California Dream relies on expectations of a new beginning without evidence. I was interested in not just the factors of the California Dream, but also how the dream is compared to the expectations in other areas of life.
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| A view of the beach in Los Angeles, California |
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| Philadelphia |
Lyrics:
Goin' to california,
to live in the summer sun
the streets are made of silver
I'm like a rabbit on the run
Philadelphia freedom
well, it's not like you have heard
the city of brotherly love is full of pain and hurt
goin' to california
to find my pot of gold
corruption on every corner
hustlers selling sweets
baby is home crying
while her momma's on the street
everybody's dying
have you heard the news today?
a woman in north philly is mourning
the bullet took another son away
i'm goin' to california
I'm going far, far away
I'm going to california; yes
to resurrect my soul
the sun is always shining
or at least that's what I'm told
going to california
there's a better life for me
goin' to california
I'll write and tell you what i see
goin' to california
somebody say a prayer for me
to live in the summer sun
the streets are made of silver
I'm like a rabbit on the run
Philadelphia freedom
well, it's not like you have heard
the city of brotherly love is full of pain and hurt
goin' to california
to find my pot of gold
corruption on every corner
hustlers selling sweets
baby is home crying
while her momma's on the street
everybody's dying
have you heard the news today?
a woman in north philly is mourning
the bullet took another son away
i'm goin' to california
I'm going far, far away
I'm going to california; yes
to resurrect my soul
the sun is always shining
or at least that's what I'm told
going to california
there's a better life for me
goin' to california
I'll write and tell you what i see
goin' to california
somebody say a prayer for me
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Thank you for providing the lyrics! I find it fascinating that such a song exists that relates traveling to California as a journey into the unknown. I cannot imagine how harrowing it may be for some newcomers, but your observation that the allure of California as a promised land and as a dream as a whole likely can serve as the impetus and the comfort in the adventure. Do you believe that the speaker may find what he or she seeks in California? Your song is open-ended enough to theorize, unlike mine.
ReplyDeleteI put the lyrics up because they were so open-ended, like you said. I am glad you noticed, and I believe the speaker will be able to find what she is searching for. Because she is more concentrated on the thought of escape, I am not sure if she will discover her path and find her solutions in California necessarily. However, it is the California Dream that is not the answer to life's problems, but a state of mind that life elsewhere is more favorable.
ReplyDeleteAs aforementioned, I also like your choice of an open-ended song. I find it interesting that California was compared to Philadelphia as well. In the song, the speaker reveals that she is off to find her "pot of gold" in California. From the context of the lyrics, do you believe she is searching for merely wealth, happiness, love, or a combination? In your own opinion, do you also believe that California is really that different from the speaker's description of Philadelphia?
ReplyDeleteI remember trying to understand the lyrics of this song and having a really tough time hashing through them. Your description of the meaning seems to really have depth to it, and I think it is extremely interesting how the song shows two sides of the California Dream--one of aspirations and warmth, while at the same time demonstrating the hesitation we all have experienced while leaving home to come to USC. I still am a little confused as to Pink's perception of California, and whether or not she really believes California is a better place for her to live. Can you relate to her lyrics? I think that would make for a really interesting essay.
ReplyDeleteTo NB:
ReplyDeleteI actually believe that the speaker is expecting that a pot of gold made specially for her is waiting in California. She is not only searching for wealth, happiness, and love, but an unattainable combination of all three factors of life. This goal is the reason for her disillusionment and source of her desperate fantasies that the California Dream characterizes.
In my own opinion, California is not much different from Philadelphia. The locations play only a minute role in determining the success of an individual, and it is the state of mind that forces one to believe that he or she will be more successful and happy in a specific place.
To CS1414:
ReplyDeleteThe question of whether Pink believes California is a better place to live for her is, I believe, the purpose of this song. Similar to what you have mentioned, the speaker strongly believes that California offers the future and experiences she is hoping to achieve. At the same time, however, she is hesitant to leave Philadelphia and search for a new, expected life of happiness and success in California. The aspect of expectations and anticipating towards a dream that is only heard of and spoken about is emphasized in the lyrics of this song. The speaker plans to escape her old life in Philadelphia and discover who she is meant to be in life. In doing so, she is only once removing herself from reality and working towards a distant, indefinite fairy tale that is the California Dream.