This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Dupes of a Disney
Frozen stiff
Lost in the Hollywood hills
Where dreams as real as Fredericks
Are sustained on air by pills
Where all the red that's in the world
Bleeds into all the blue
Where film stars leave their footprints
And failed stars join the queue
Everywhere's a backdrop
To a scripted play
A film show of a preview
Of life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
In Laralay the custom is
For cash to call the tune
Usually a cabaret song
Sung to a neon moon
Down below the fairy lights
Twink on in tinsel town
Where everyone's in showbiz
And snowmen kick the downs
The palm tree shaded billboards
Advertise the style
That makes this fair land what it is
A money making smile
That dazzles as it razzles
The diamonds from your soul
Leaving you with nothing
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Frozen stiff
Lost in the Hollywood hills
Where dreams as real as Fredericks
Are sustained on air by pills
Where all the red that's in the world
Bleeds into all the blue
Where film stars leave their footprints
And failed stars join the queue
Everywhere's a backdrop
To a scripted play
A film show of a preview
Of life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
In Laralay the custom is
For cash to call the tune
Usually a cabaret song
Sung to a neon moon
Down below the fairy lights
Twink on in tinsel town
Where everyone's in showbiz
And snowmen kick the downs
The palm tree shaded billboards
Advertise the style
That makes this fair land what it is
A money making smile
That dazzles as it razzles
The diamonds from your soul
Leaving you with nothing
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Life in laralay
Lyrics submitted by monster36604
Life In Laralay Lyrics as written by David J. Haskins Daniel Ash
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Pretty self-explanatory, he's explaining the whole rocknroll/entertainment industry Laurel Canyone lifestyle. OK So life in Laralay is Laurel Canyone. like Laurel-LA. Clever. I understand what he's talking about here for sure. it's a very fairy funny life. Ending it with 'Leaving You With Nothing' is pretty fitting because that is how those people make you feel. 'a money making smile' wow, i've seen that a few times!