Date
Joy feels less like something you can write about, and more something that you feel. It’s electrifying, and it reverberates through every fiber of your being. It comes from a particular place deep down inside elicited by a myriad of triggers that are specific to each person. What creates joy in you may not create joy in others. An example of this can be seen demonstrated when parents buy their children expensive toys, but the child is fixated on the box it came in.
Joy is inexplicable, really, at least to me, it’s something that you know when you’re in it, and something you miss when it’s gone. Because of its fleeting nature, it makes it hard to pinpoint how to recall it back, and that’s why when we’re able to harness it if even for a few moments, we need to bask in it much more than trying to “capture” it, because it cannot be captured.
When I listen to this song, I’ve always felt a tremendous sense of joy. It’s not about California in particular, but the spirit that comes with the carefree nature. The Diplo added remix that rounds out Marlena Shaw’s original piece works seamlessly with exemplifying the spirit she’s singing about. Though she’s singing specifically about the feeling which California creates, she’s also trying to convey the spirit and energy of the land. This is produced by a collective mindset of trying to achieve some state of ease and relaxation.
For me, ease and relaxation come in the form of creation. My mind is always thinking of new things to try and create, whether it’s illustrations, meal preparation, construction, photography, or light displays, it is still analyzing how to make a thought come into the real world. This sometimes because a lot to process, and I’m often left feeling disappointed that I can’t typically actualize the full breadth of my thought. However, when I can put some of those thoughts to creative execution, what comes out the other side brings me endless joy. I know lots of artists that will create something and discard it as soon as they are done, never to return to it. I have been guilty of this throughout my life as well, however when I do create something that I have been envisioning, the sense of pride and joy is incalculable, and something I will revisit as frequently as possible to keep a hold on that sensation.
I feel like that’s what the essence of “California Soul,” is getting at, and it’s in that vein of thought that I am continuously drawn to creating imagery with light displays. For me, it is the physical manifestation of this spirit.
Lyrics:
Like a sound you hear
That lingers in your ear
But you can’t forget
From sundown to sunset
It’s all in the air
You hear it everywhere
No matter what you do
It’s gonna grab a hold on you
California soul, California soul
They say the sun comes up every morning
And if you listen carefully
The winds that ride on the high time
Whistle a melody
And so the people started to sing
And that’s how the surf gave birth untold
California soul, California soul
When you hear the beat
You wanna pat your feet
And you’ve got to move
Cause it’s really such a groove
Puts a brand new kind of thinking in your mind
And you can’t go wrong
Cause you’re groovin’ all day long
California soul, California soul
They had the melody and the beat
But it still didn’t seem complete
Until they saw two lovers kissin’
They knew just what was missin’
So happy they were rockin’ and reelin’
Because they added that lovin’ feeling
To California soul, California soul
California soul
California
California
California