California sound

Not to be confused with West Coast sound.
A young couple watching the sunset on a Los Angeles beach with surfboard in hand

The California sound is a popular music aesthetic[nb 1] that originates with American pop and rock recording artists from Southern California in the early 1960s. At first, it was conflated with the California myth, an idyllic setting inspired by the state's beach culture that commonly appeared in the lyrics of commercial pop songs. Later, the sound was expanded outside its initial geography and subject matter[3][4] and was developed to be more sophisticated, often featuring studio experimentation.[5]

The sound was originally identified for harnessing a wide-eyed, sunny optimism attributed to Southern California teenage life in the 1960s.[6] Its imagery is primarily represented by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, who are credited for the sound's instigation via their debut single "Surfin'" in 1961.[7][8] Along with Jan and Dean, the Beach Boys encapsulated surfing, hot rod culture, and youthful innocence within music which transformed a local lifestyle into American mythology.[9] Other proponents included songwriters and/or record producers Gary Usher, Curt Boettcher, Bruce Johnston, Terry Melcher, and Roger Christian.

The California sound gradually evolved to reflect a more musically ambitious and mature worldview, becoming less to do with surfing and cars and more about social consciousness and political awareness.[10] Between 1964 and 1969, it fueled innovation and transition, inspiring artists to tackle largely unmentioned themes such as sexual freedom, black pride, drugs, oppositional politics, other countercultural motifs, and war.[11][12] It helped launch the 1960s folk-rock scene,[13] represented by groups such as the Byrds, the Mamas and the Papas, Buffalo Springfield, and Crosby, Stills, & Nash, who became associated with the Los Angeles neighborhood of Laurel Canyon.[14][15] The California sound eventually saw its commercial peak in the 1970s hits of the Eagles.[13] A derivative form of the California sound was later classified as sunshine pop.[16][17]

  1. ^ Michael, Roffman (June 2, 2015). "Film Review: Love & Mercy". Consequence of Sound.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mapes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Sanchez 2014, pp. 13–14.
  4. ^ Howard 2004, p. 61.
  5. ^ Howard 2004, p. 49–50.
  6. ^ Howard 2004, p. 49.
  7. ^ Howard 2004, p. 51.
  8. ^ Starr 2009.
  9. ^ Carter, Dale (2021-09-02). "Band of the Free: The Beach Boys as an American National Interest". Rock Music Studies. 8 (3): 187–204. doi:10.1080/19401159.2021.1983985. ISSN 1940-1159. S2CID 239604025.
  10. ^ Howard 2004, pp. 61–62, 83.
  11. ^ Shuker 1994, p. 35.
  12. ^ McAfee, Ward M.; R. Reginald (1 September 2007). Never an Island: A History of California. Wildside Press LLC. pp. 169–. ISBN 978-0-89370-909-9.
  13. ^ a b Morris, Chris (June 15, 1996). "Rhino Chronicles 'California Sound'". Billboard. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  14. ^ Vasudevan, Varsha (24 May 2019). "'Echo in the Canyon' chronicles the birth of the iconic California Sound in the Mecca of folk-rock music". Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  15. ^ Goggans & Difranco 2004, p. 358–59.
  16. ^ Wheadon, Bret. "The California Sound". The Beach Boys: The Complete Guide.
  17. ^ Howard 2004, p. 69.


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