California English

Music by Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson and Chris Baio / Lyrics by Ezra Koenig / Produced by Rostam Batmanglij

Official Audio

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Lyrics

Wouldn’t ever gag you with a spoon, my only true love

Never really heard you speak that way, it’s unworthy of…

Funny how that little college girl called language corrupt

Funny how the other private schools had no Hapa Club

Someone took a trip before you came to ski in the Alps

Your father moved across the country just to sunburn his scalp

Contra Costa, contra mundum, contradict what I say

Living like the French Connection, but we’ll die in LA

Blasted from a disconnected light switch

Through the condo that they’ll never finish

Bounced across a Saudi satellite dish

And through your brain to California English

No one sits inside a freezing flat and stays there til May

Leafing through a stack of A-Z’s to surf the UK

Waiting with the wind against your face and gel in your hair

Shivering in little undershirts, but don't seem to care

Blasted from a disconnected light switch

Through the condo that they'll never finish

Bounced across a Saudi satellite dish

And through your brain to California English

Sweet carob rice cake

She don’t care how the sweets taste

Fake Philly cheese steak

But she use real toothpaste

Cuz if that Tom’s don’t work

If it just makes you worse

Would you lose all of your faith in the good earth?

And if it’s all a curse

And we’re just getting worse

Baby, please don’t lose your faith in the good earth

Blasted from a disconnected light switch

Through the condo that they’ll never finish

Bounced across a Saudi satellite dish

And through your brain to California English

27 live recordings

Oct

21

2019

Teatro Metropolitan

Mexico City, Mexico

Oct

8

2019

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Morrison, Colorado, USA

Sep

6

2019

Madison Square Garden

New York, New York, USA

Aug

23

2014

Leeds Festival

Leeds, England, UK

Aug

22

2014

Reading Festival

Reading, England, UK

Jun

13

2014

Bonnaroo

Manchester, Tennessee, USA

Jun

8

2014

Governor’s Ball

New York, New York, USA

Apr

6

2014

Lollapalooza Brasil

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Apr

2

2014

Lollapalooza Argentina

San Isidro, Argentina

Mar

30

2014

Lollapalooza Chile

Santiago, Chile

Dec

10

2013

Live from the Artists Den

New York, New York, USA

Nov

21

2013

Le Zénith

Paris, France

Oct

11

2013

Austin City Limits

Austin, Texas, USA

Sep

20

2013

Barclays Center

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Sep

15

2013

iTunes Festival

London, England, UK

Jan

25

2013

Big Day Out Adelaide

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Jan

18

2013

Big Day Out Sydney

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Jul

15

2012

Pitchfork Music Festival

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Jul

11

2010

T in the Park

Kinross, Scotland, UK

Jun

25

2010

Glastonbury Festival

Somerset, England, UK

May

23

2010

Radio 1’s Big Weekend

Bangor, Wales, UK

Feb

25

2010

L’Olympia Bruno Coquatrix

Paris, France

Jan

7

2010

KCRW

Los Angeles, California, USA

Jan

6

2010

Juan’s Basement

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Nov

21

2009

Oxford Art Factory

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Oct

23

2009

Soirée de Poche #12

Paris, France

Oct

21

2009

Album de la Semaine

Paris, France