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Cover of [Led Zeppelin IV] by Led Zeppelin
Cover: [Led Zeppelin IV]

Song · Led Zeppelin

“Going to California” by Led Zeppelin

From the album [Led Zeppelin IV] (1971)

“Going to California” by Led Zeppelin appears on 89 radio countdowns from 32 stations between 1982 and 2026. It was first released in 1971 on the album [Led Zeppelin IV]. Its best result is #11 on the 99.1 PLR Led Zeppelin 50. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #414 indie & aaa song of all time and #57 of the '70s.

89countdowns
32stations
#11best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1982–2026years charted

Watch

Led Zeppelin - Going To California (Live at Earl's Court 1975) [Official Video]

Video from YouTube (Led Zeppelin). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Tucked onto Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album in 1971, "Going to California" drops the thunder for a folk ballad: Robert Plant's voice, Jimmy Page's acoustic guitar in a double drop D tuning and John Paul Jones on mandolin. Page and Plant wrote it, and the band never sounded gentler.

It began life as "Guide to California," a song about the state's earthquakes, and fate played along: when Page, engineer Andy Johns and manager Peter Grant went to Los Angeles to mix the album, a small quake rattled them. Writer Nick DeRiso hears Joni Mitchell in it as well, with a line that tips its hat to her "I Had a King". Rolling Stone later put it at number 11 among the band's 40 greatest songs.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 149 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1990 555 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1991 231 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 185 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 218 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 212 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1996 422 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 185 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1997 137 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1997 84 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 172 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 256 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2001 1472 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 203 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 275 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 284 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2004 318 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2004 274 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2007 300 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2009 481 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2010 207 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2010 94 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 316 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 334 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 318 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 376 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 746 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 35 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 11 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Led Zeppelin 50 50
2014 217 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2014 883 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 962 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 454 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 372 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 752 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 795 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 250 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 158 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2017 220 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 184 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 113 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2018 379 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 326 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 314 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 500 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 329 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 445 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2020 460 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 143 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 324 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 385 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 468 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2020 307 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2021 460 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 389 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 438 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 250 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 124 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2022 57 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 884 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time 1055
2022 641 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 376 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 372 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 433 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 292 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 296 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2023 123 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 58 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 486 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 855 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 389 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 231 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 156 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 312 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 113 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places 800
2024 339 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 406 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 63 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 299 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 351 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2025 320 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 364 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 458 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 343 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 64 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2026 282 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 357 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500
2026 201 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 273 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Going To California; Goin' To California.

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