New Thoughts

My perception of both the song Dani California and the California Dream have changed a great deal since I embarked on this project. Whenever I listened to Dani California in the past, I rarely focused on the lyrics as much as  I did in these last 2 weeks. Initially I thought it was a very cheerful song about how cool California is. The truth is that this song is quite the opposite of that and now I see how much information it actually holds. What's more interesting however, is the fact that this song changed my thoughts on the California Dream as well. Early on I thought that it was the basic concept of going to California and getting rich fast. Through the dissection of this song I found that while surely some people go to California for that reason, more come here to find a new lifestyle. One where you are free to be whomever you want and not have to be afraid about expressing it.

Dani California

California and often times the California Dream is referenced to in a multitude of songs that many of us have heard. One such song is “Dani California” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. While it may not be initially clear, Dani California personifies the state of California as a female figure with a wild personality that lures you for reasons you can’t explain.

This song presents the California Dream in a darker light that goes beyond the superficial image of girls in bikinis on the iconic California Beach. What we are given is Dani California being rebellious and having to steal and run just to survive. Despite these less than ideal living conditions, we are drawn by the appeal of living fast. The singer does show remorse when Dani California dies however, because without her the inspiration for living free and getting by however you want no longer exists. 

The California Dream

The "California Dream" is a goal for the many people that escape to California, but in general it turns out to be nothing but a dream. It is the hope that by moving to a new place with different weather and lifestyles allows one to start their life again and thus be welcomed with new opportunities. While this is the case for some people like early miners finding the motherlode or the founders of the silicon valley , the majority eventually finds out that it takes just as much work to be successful in California as it does in any other part of the country. The California Dream is very much like the American Dream. In each there is hope at the end of the tunnel. What makes them different, is that the California Dream is for people that are already in America and haven't found success. Which brings up the question; "What do Californians dream?".

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