“This is home, now I’m finally where I belong, yeah, this is home, I’ve been searching for a place of my own, now I’ve found it, yeah this is home”.  The song, “This is Home” by the San Diego band called Switchfoot, celebrates the California dream of security and belonging. The song’s tones inspire and uplift the listener as one can hear both the passion and nostalgia in the artists’ voices. To them, this is home—a place they can call their own—where they first tasted freedom to express, love, and become who they are. The song beautifully paints an image of California as almost a sort of nurturing mother, proud of her children, (in this case the band) and is always inviting them with open arms to return back home—to where it all began.  “And now after all my searching, after all my questions, I'm gonna call it home”. This song suggests man as an aimless wanderer, weary from travels and finished with adventure. Contrary to Polan’s depressing ideas about California as simply crushing any dreams of peace and settling down, this song beautifully ignites hope in that weary soul looking for a place to rest—to call home. (Polan 141)

 

Polan, Dana. “California through the lens of Hollywood. Reading California”: Art, Image, and Identity 1900-2000. eds.Stephanie Barron, Sheri Bernstein, Llene Susan Fort.Berkeley:university of California Press, 2001. 339-352 

Comments

[Ruben Iniguez]

This post parallels mine on not only the dream, but also the message that is being projected into the minds of its listeners. Although I excluded the California of security and belonging, and instead incorporated the California dream of emotional stability-both of these dreams have very close ties which each other. My blog speaks of the comfort the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers embraces in Los Angeles to cure his drug addiction. The only difference though, is that the outcome of his battle is undefined, in other words, hard to witness whether it was won.

[Sean Dembrosky]

california is sceen by many famous artist as their home place. the ones who pay omage to their felt homeland often make many variable songs to romanticly embelish it. the variation in genre is as vast as the people who comment on its homeland like atmosphere. biggie smalls for one, wrote an entire hip hop song about his returning to california in as a joyious occation. ironicly he actually found his lifes end when he did come here. none the less, the draw of california as a homeland is gripping enough to enitice members of all genres.