AWOLNATION’s “California Halo Blue” Lyrics Meaning

“California Halo Blue” speaks to a real-life situation AWOLNATION frontman Aaron Bruno went through. He was directly affected by the Woolsey Fire, which is the name given to a wildfire that hit residential areas of California in 2018 and totally wreaked havoc. Or put more specifically, his home was in the direct path of the blaze. And whereas Aaron was not there at the time it struck, his wife was. 

In fact he was on the phone with her when she was evacuating. This transpired on the “9^th of November”, a date mentioned throughout the song. And that dialogue is what the first verse of this track is based on. 

Meanwhile the second verse details his emotional reaction to the incident. Of course he was a nervous wreck, unable to relax. But it also made him sympathize with “the tree and the birds and the families” affected and indeed the entirety of “humanity” who may be going through similar harrowing situations. And the title of this track, “California Halo Blue”, actually refers to an imaginary “halo around California made of water… that… could put out the fires”. 

So another way of looking at the primary sentiment expressed in “California Halo Blue” is as it being indicative of the powerlessness the singer was feeling at that time. For all he could helplessly do were the following:

• Worry about his family and neighbors
• Feel for his fellow man facing comparable disasters
• Imagine and pray that some type of miraculous event to put the California wildfires out

Facts about “California Halo Blue”

The music video to this song, which features actual firefighters who fought the California blazes, had Ravi Dhar as its director.

“California Halo Blue” was written and produced by Aaron Bruno.

Fortunately, Aaron Bruno’s wife and their dogs did escape from the fire unscathed. Moreover their house “miraculously” survived the blaze. However, the inferno did consume Aaron’s recording studio, which was also located on the property.

“California Halo Blue” was released as an official AWOLNATION single on 29 November 2019.