Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The 91st Actual Worst Record, Ever
As substantial as a ghost in the tune departmentCalifornia is a rather lovely state in America, all sunshine, oranges and girls and boys wandering around dressed in a not exactly complete manner, so it comes as no surprise that various artists have been inspired to pen paeans to this not exactly unpleasant place, and that most of these songs too involve sunshine, oranges and girls and boys wandering around dressed in a not exactly complete manner. When Phantom Planet, on the other hand, decided to write about the state, they felt that full on whininess was a far more suitable style for their state song, and so it is that California is as enjoyable a listening experience as doing the dishes and fully deserves its place as the 91st actual worst record, ever.
Of course, we realise that not every song about California could be by the Beach Boys, no matter how much we might wish that they all could be California Girls, and we should perhaps give thanks that they aren't going on about how fake it is there, man, but even so it takes a certain perverse talent to take all the positivity and hippy happiness that can be found on the west coast and turn it into the musical equivalent of being a bit annoyed because your phone's run out of credit and you really can't be arsed going down to the garage for a top-up. And for managing to make a song about California which is worse than the Red Hot Chilli Peppers' 'effort' they perhaps deserve some sort of credit. Lyrically it's a bit more upbeat, with its chorus of "California! Here we come!" - the exclamation mark appears in the lyric website we're using as a reference, not in the singer blokey's own intonation - but performance wise you get the feeling the lead singer thinks we should consider ourselves honoured that he deigned to drag himself out of bed and get to the studio to record this.
This is probably best known as it's the theme tune to Rich Kids Arse Around Like Cunts, otherwise known as The OC, so we at least have the satisfaction of knowing that they'll have the same sort of long term career as other bands who've provided the themes to other American series of the past. Bands like Remy Zero, The Rembrandts, Nerf Header, etc. Though the less said about Dido and her Roswell theme, the better. And about Roswell too, for that matter.
music phantom planet
