Mel Tillis' "Ain't No California"

By Maëve Jacquet & Valentina Borodina

Well I live my life on highways, from sea to shining sea
So listen to my story, save yourself some agony
Forget that urge to wander, like a shadow on the ground
Find yourself a woman, get a job and settle down

Cause there ain't no California, where the water tastes like wine
Ain't no Big Rock Candy Mountain, where you feel good all the time
I ain't found that old blue bayou, thou I roamed my whole life long
Searching for my blue heaven, heard somewhere it's called home

So don't you listen to those freight trains, let them scream into the night
Don't watch those greyhound buses, semi-trucks and airplane lines
Let someone else be lonely, let someone else be cold
Let someone else make sure those lies and stories all get told

Cause there ain't no California, where the water tastes like wine
Ain't no Big Rock Candy Mountain, where you feel good all the time
I ain't found that old blue bayou, thou I roamed my whole life long
Searching for my blue heaven, heard somewhere it's called home

Cause there ain't no California, where the water tastes like wine
Ain't no Big Rock Candy Mountain, where you feel good all the time
I ain't found that old blue bayou, thou I roamed my whole life long
Searching for my blue heaven, heard somewhere it's called home

We decided to do our project on Mel Tillis’ song Ain’t No California because it shows California in unusual, unpopular way. Unlike the ballads about California being practically heaven on Earth Ain’t No California expresses disappointment although it is sang in a cheerful way.

Mel Tillis or Lonnie Melvin Tillis was born on August 8, 1932 in Dover, Florida. After enduring malaria as a child, he developed a stutter. It did not stop him from wanting to be a musician, he learned the drums and guitar. When he was a young man, he formed a band called The Westerners which performed at local nightclubs. His carrier started around 1957 with the hits such as I’m Tired, The Violet and a Rose, Sawmill. He became quite famous in the 70’s with songs I Ain’t Never, Good Woman Blues and Heart Breaker. Ain’t No California is the second single from his album I Believe in You released in 1978. Mel Tillis has awards such as Entertainer of the Year and Comedian of the Year for 6 years in the 70’s and many more.

Today Mel Tillis is an old man but he is still remembered. On February 13, 2012 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama for contributing to country music. His daughter, Pam Tillis, is also a successful country music singer.

The style of his music is more honest than modern popular culture. It tends to show the life of a person “like you and me”. With this song Mel Tillis breaks all our dreams or at least tries to lower our expectations. The idea 5 out of 10 have is to leave everything for a good old road trip in California. It seems like the solution to our need of freedom is to leave, get a backpack and see the world: California. But with a few statements the singer manages to remind us all that it’s not that green outside, all that glitters is far from being gold. The songs starts with some advices, clearly telling us to keep our feets far from that ground we’ve been dying to fool since we are able to understand what the City of Angels is and since we started to be mesmerized by its legends. Mel Tillis explains to us he’s a man of experience, he dealt with so difficult situations that’s why we should listen to his message, to «save ourselves some agony», instead of following «that urge to wander». The last sentence of the first paragraph is the moto of each disappointed adventurer «Find yourself a woman, get a job and settle down».

The next paragraph is repeated 3 times in the song it’s the chorus and as joyful as it sounds, it starts with this statement «there ain’t no California», the rest emphasizes that what we’ve heard or believed so far is not true. What makes us think California is the place to be might be a huge lie, Mel wants us to think twice. This urge to go to California where everything shines brighter is the wish of the youth willing to find what can supposedly not be found here. It’s like a perpetual gold rush: Beauty and Fame, Money or Glory.

But as the singer says, what we are looking for, this «blue heaven» might be just in front of us, it might be home.