Songs about San Francisco and the Bay Area:
"408 Funktion"Killa Sharks
"Back in San Francisco"The Orange Peels
"The Bay"Zion I
"Berkeley is My Baby and I Wanna Kill It"Blatz
"The Best in Me"Sherwood (band)
"The Blind Leaving the Blind"Punch Brothers
"Caldecott Tunnel"Something Corporate
"Campbell, CA"Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards
"Carlotta Valdez"Harvey Danger
"The Chapter in Your Life Entitled San Francisco"The Lucksmiths
"Christie Rd." (Berkeley)Green Day
"City Hall"Vienna Teng
"Cold Wind"Arcade Fire
"Come Back from San Francisco"The Magnetic Fields
"Condition Oakland"Jawbreaker
"Danville Girl"Woody Guthrie
"Deep Kick"Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Don't Gimme No Bammer Weed"RBL Posse
"Don't Marry Her"The Beautiful South
"Down in Oakland"Transplants
"Down on Mission Street"Lloyd Cole
"Eastside"Killa Sharks
"Fake Tales Of San Francisco"Arctic Monkeys
"Frisco Blues"John Lee Hooker
"Frisco Town"Memphis Minnie
"Gilman Street" (Berkeley)Mr. T Experience
"Golden Gate"Al Jolson
"Golden Gate Bridge"Rose Melberg
"The Golden Gate"John Vanderslice
"Grace Cathedral Hill"The Decemberists
"Grace Cathedral Park"Red House Painters
"Hazy SF"Six Organs of Admittance
"Hello, San Francisco"Buddy Guy
"Honeymoon in San Francisco"Of Montreal
"Hyphy"The Federation
"I'm Always Drunk in San Francisco"Carmen McRae
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco"Tony Bennett
"Into Action"Tim Armstrong featuring Skye Sweetnam
"If I Could Give All My Love (Richard Manuel Is Dead)"Counting Crows
"Josie"John Stewart
"Journey to the End of the East Bay"Rancid
"Jumpers"Sleater-Kinney
"K-L-M Line"The Fairways
"Left of the Dial"The Replacements
"Lights"Journey
"Linden Arden Stole The Highlights"Van Morrison
"Make Like Paper"Red House Painters
"Mean Old Frisco"Arthur Crudup, covered by Eric Clapton
"Mission Bells"The Aislers Set
"Mission Street"Vienna Teng
"Misty Mountain Hop"Led Zeppelin
"Moon over Marin"The Dead Kennedys
"My Side of the City"Beulah
"New Oakland"Mistah F.A.B.
"Oakland Stroke"Tower of Power
"Pacific Heights"Pep Love
"Palo Alto" Radiohead
"Perfect Blue Buildings" (Berkeley)Counting Crows
"Piazza, New York Catcher"Belle and Sebastian
"Planet Fillmore"San Quinn
"Rendez-Vous: Potrero Hill"Architecture in Helsinki
"Samba de Sausalito" by Santana
"San Franciscan Nights"Eric Burdon & The Animals
"San Francisco" from San Francisco,Walter Jurmann and Bronislaw Kaper, performed by Jeannette MacDonald, covered by Judy Garland
"San Francisco"Alkaline Trio
"San Francisco"The Dingees
"San Francisco"Hello Saferide
"San Francisco"Jill Sobule
"San Francisco"Kristin Hersh
"San Francisco"Maxime Le Forestier
"San Francisco"MU330
"San Francisco"Sarah RabDAU
"San Francisco"Ten Mile Tide
"San Francisco"Vanessa Carlton
"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)"Scott McKenzie
"San Francisco (You've Got Me)"The Village People
"San Francisco Anthem"San Quinn feat Big Rich and Boo Banga (Produced by Traxamillion)
"San Francisco Bay"Lee Oskar
"San Francisco Bay Blues"Jesse Fuller
"San Francisco Days"Chris Isaak
"San Francisco Fat"NOFX
"San Francisco Knights"People Under the Stairs
"San Francisco Night"The Animals
"San Francisco On The Water"Arik Einstein
"San Francisco Payphone"Catch 22
"Sausalito Summernight"Diesel
"(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay",Otis Redding
"Snow in San Anselmo"Van Morrison
"The Sound of San Francisco"Global Deejays
"Strawberry Wine"Ryan Adams
"Tania"Camper Van Beethoven
"Taxi"Harry Chapin
"Tenderloin"Rancid
"Vallejo"Mac Dre
"Welcome 2 Da Bay"Yukmouth
"When I Come Around"Green Day
"Who Needs the Peace Corp?"Frank Zappa
"Yay Area"E-40
There are some rappers on the list, but most San Francisco songs are stereotypically optimistic and uplifting. If you want more of a taste from the "real" San Francisco, gangster rapper Tupac Shakur was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. It isn't exactly easy listening, but it is an important part of the city's musical legacy.
Jerry Garcia also lived in San Francisco. So, anything from him would fit into the San Francisco playlist.
Another interesting sidenote is "California, Here I Come" (Phantom Planet adapted from an earlier song by Al Jolson). It is ironic that they'd use this as the theme song for OC because "driving down the 101" means they're actually coming into Northern California from Oregon. Orange County is in Southern California. And there's also no 101 Freeway in Orange County.