California (The Way I Say I Love You)

Album: Generation Rx (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Good Charlotte vocalist Joel Madden married Nicole Richie in 2010; they had two children together: daughter Harlow and son Sparrow. They split their time between Los Angeles and Sydney.

    Madden told the BBC that this upbeat track, which concludes Good Charlotte's Generation Rx album, is a "love letter" to his two children. It's also an attempt to end the album up on a "hopeful" note, after talking on most of the album about inner struggles and the desire to kill the pain that's in all of us.

    "It stuck with me and [I thought] if there's going to be a message that I'm going to give up my kids," he said, "if you summed all this up and the pain of being a human, is there a positive ending?"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Victoria Williams

Victoria WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

Despite appearances on Carson, Leno and a Pennebaker film, Williams remains a hidden treasure.

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of WayneSongwriter Interviews

The guy who brought us "Stacy's Mom" also wrote the Jane Lynch Emmy song and Stephen Colbert's Christmas songs.

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."