"California" Rufus Wainwright

"California" is a 2001 pop song about California by singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright from the album Poses.

One of the more jaded, tongue-in-cheek songs recorded about the Golden State, Rufus Wainwright paints a picture of a sea of neon, mad traditions and disillusionment in "California."

It's good, though.

With a voice that sounds like he sang along with a lot of Mama Cass Elliot records throughout life, Wainwright gives a fantastic vocal performance amid a corny and rather cheesy music video (below).

Composed by songwriters Aron Erlichman, Jorel Decker and George Arthur Ragan, "California" is a bit of whimsical insanity, pulled together very well in a commercially catchy chorus...

...a little bit like California itself, perhaps, depending on one's perspective.

Bottom line, "California" by Rufus Wainwright is one of the good pop songs about California, mainly due to the singer's highly unique vocal style which remains popular after many years.

Rufus Wainwright | California