"California Girls" is a song recorded by American country music artist Gretchen Wilson. The song was written by Wilson and John Rich and produced by the two and Mark Wright. The song was released on June 12, 2006, as the fourth and final single from her second studio album All Jacked Up (2005). In the song, AllMusic wrote that Wilson "thumbs her nose at Hollywood excess and body image."[1]
In a review for the Los Angeles Times, Robert Hilburn noted the song as the "radio highlight" and called it one of the most "irresistible singalong country choruses since Garth Brooks's "Friends in Low Places"."[2] In a overall negative review for the album for Slant Magazine, Jonathan Keefe said, "it's a endeavor to try to pick apart what’s wrong with songs like "California Girls," which includes an instantly-dated verse about how Wilson doesn’t care for New York native Paris Hilton."[3]Spin magazine's Jon Caramanica noted how although it celebrated one type of women, it brought down another type. "Class allegiance, it seems, trumps sisterhood," he said.[4]
The music video features Wilson and her band throughout the beach and in the amusement park inside the pier. The video also features a Paris Hilton look-alike. The video premiered on CMT on July 10, 2006.[5]
