In 2023, he gained one of country music's crowning achievements when he was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
California Sunrise
Jon Pardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the taste of the wine and the buzz feel in my head
And the only wildfire was burning right beside me
And we had us a night I'll never forget
She was a 1960's Beach Boys song
And we're living that dream all night long, yeah
In that California sunrise
She took me to heaven and so much more
Like nothing I've ever seen before
In that California sunrise
Ohh, yeah
Pretty soon it was raining up in Seattle
And it sure was cold out in Colorado
Yeah, I was missing her kiss in the heat of Arizona
Been everywhere and nothing could compare
Yeah, to that one of a kind trip I was on
Everything about her felt like home, yeah
In that California sunrise
In that California sunrise
She took me to heaven and so much more
Like nothing I've ever seen before
In that California sunrise
Take me on back
Found her number in a pocket of my blue jeans
Picked up the phone and let it ring
Said "I'm counting down the miles back to you, babe"
Yeah, I'm heading west on a big old jet plane
Back to that California sunrise
That California sunrise
She took me to heaven and so much more
Like nothing I've ever seen before
In that California sunrise
Take me on back
That California sunrise
That California sunrise
That California sunrise, yeah
That California sunrise
Yeah
Take me on back
The lyrics of Jon Pardi's song “California Sunrise” are about a man who meets a girl in California and is completely enthralled by her. He paints a vivid picture of the moment and his intense feelings, describing the sounds of the ocean and the wine, and the warmth of the wildfire. The girl is compared to a 1960s Beach Boys song, creating a nostalgic and wistful mood for the already romantic moment. The singer claims that nothing compares to the one-of-a-kind trip he was on, and the girl feels like “home” to him.
The chorus of the song is an ode to the unforgettable moment he shared with this girl during the “California sunrise”. He claims that she took him to heaven and beyond. Later in the song, we learn that he had to leave California and travel across various cities within the US, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He found her number, picked up the phone, and let it ring, telling her that he's “counting down the miles back to [her].” In the end, he’s heading back to California, to that magical moment when the sun came up over the horizon, and he met the love of his life, in that California sunrise.
Line by Line Meaning
You could hear the wind howling across the ocean
The wind was very audible due to its howling noise, which was blowing from the ocean
And the taste of the wine and the buzz feel in my head
The wine had a distinct taste and caused a buzz in my head
And the only wildfire was burning right beside me
The only wildfire near me was burning beside me
And we had us a night I'll never forget
We had a memorable night that I'll never forget
She was a 1960's Beach Boys song
She reminded me of a 1960's Beach Boys song
And we're living that dream all night long, yeah
We were living that dream all night long
In that California sunrise
We were experiencing the beauty of sunrise in California
She took me to heaven and so much more
She made my moment feel extraordinary
Like nothing I've ever seen before
It was an experience unique and incomparable to anything else
Ohh, yeah
Exclamation of excitement
Pretty soon it was raining up in Seattle
It started raining in Seattle soon after
And it sure was cold out in Colorado
It was very cold in Colorado
Yeah, I was missing her kiss in the heat of Arizona
I was missing her kiss while in the hot climate of Arizona
Been everywhere and nothing could compare
I've been to various places, yet nothing was as good
Yeah, to that one of a kind trip I was on
Refers to the unique trip he had in California
Everything about her felt like home, yeah
Everything about her felt familiar and cozy
Found her number in a pocket of my blue jeans
Found her contact number in one of his pockets in blue jeans
Picked up the phone and let it ring
He answered the phone when it rang
Said "I'm counting down the miles back to you, babe"
Tells her he's coming back and can't wait to be with her
Yeah, I'm heading west on a big old jet plane
He's on his way back to her on a big jet plane
That California sunrise
Referring to the beautiful sunrise he saw in California
Take me on back
He wants to go back to the special moment he had with her in California and continue to experience it again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JONATHAN PARDI, LARRY MCCOY, BART BUTLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheBarnzilla
Bought this album last week. Jesus I’ve never had a song grow on me like this one. Every song on the debut album was FANTASTIC! This to end it? Perfection.
@theunderradarchannel6444
Nice!
@robertschreiber8099
After 5 years, it still sounds GREAT.
@davebrown7514
Jon, I just want to reach out and extend appreciation for your performance of California Sunrise.
Your gift made a difference in my life thru one of my toughest moments while enduring cancer treatments in 2020.
The cadence of the song, your voice and the pleasurable escape thinking of the ocean, the moment and the sunrise gave me an escape to endure some very hard times.
Your song gave me the strength to endure. Thank you.
@melissagladstone5968
I love that you can see Catalina Island so well in the background, good old Venice Beach... The city of the endless summer 😍
@richardhenderson2268
Hi Melissa hope you’re okay ✅
@JacquelineCody
This song makes me wish I was in California! I think I might be becoming a Jon Pardi fan ❤
@fastballfilms4214
Jacqueline Cody California born & raised 🤘🏿there really isn't a place like it
@bsmithdailyvlogs2589
California boy here and I love Jon Pardi but I live in mississippi
@glowinqlu
I’m from California! But Northern California not southern.