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I Love L.A. Lyrics

Hate New York City
It's cold and it's damp
And all the people dressed like monkeys
Let's leave Chicago to the Eskimos
That town's a little too rugged
For you and me, you bad girl

Rollin' down the Imperial Highway
With a big nasty redhead at my side
Santa Ana wind blowin' hot from the north
And we was born to ride

Roll down the window, put down the top
Crank up the Beach Boys, baby
Don't let the music stop
We're gonna ride it till we just can't ride it no more

From the South Bay to the Valley
From the West Side to the East Side
Everybody's very happy
'Cause the sun is shining all the time
Looks like another perfect day

I love L.A. (We love it)
I love L.A. (We love it)

Look at that mountain
Look at that tree
Look at that bum over there, man
He's down on his knees
Look at these women
There ain't nothin' like em nowhere

Century Boulevard (We love it)
Victory Boulevard (We love it)
Santa Monica Boulevard (We love it)
Sixth Street (We love it, we love it)

I love L.A.
I love L.A.
(We love it)
ETC.
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Cover art for I Love L.A. lyrics by Randy Newman

My quick theory is this. No doubt it will need revision and more thought, but the main character of the song seems to be some sort of L.A. Yuppie (maybe) who is living in a serious bubble and wearing a dark pair of rose tinted glasses. For example, he seems ecstatic that he saw a bum down on his knees and he is also thrilled by the fact that he has a big nasty redhead by his side. He seems to believe that every person in the city of L.A. is happy 24/7. I've loved and listened to Randy Newman for years and this was a song that never really put a good conclusion together about its meaning. Now that I've thought about it a bit and wrote some stuff out, I'm going to have to go with the theory that this guy is an ass. Just like the ass in "Rednecks", "Memo to my Son", "Short People", "Birmingham", "Guilty", "I Just Want You to Hurt Like I Do" and several others. That's one of the things I love about Randy is he uses some of his songs to call out and expose unpleasant folks. He even, at least for me, has given me cause to reevaluate my approach and/or attitude towards a few issues in my life. Newman can be very brash and also quite blatant at times, but you can always count on him to present the truth.

Cover art for I Love L.A. lyrics by Randy Newman

Everyone says this is a sort of attack on the city, but I don't really see it

Cover art for I Love L.A. lyrics by Randy Newman

The best song LA ever had - equivalent to New York, New York, Chicago etc - totally captures the great buzz.

Only idiots could say that!

Cover art for I Love L.A. lyrics by Randy Newman

I expected about at least 15 comments. But anyways, I hear this song on alot of films. It's good song, one of my favorites.

Cover art for I Love L.A. lyrics by Randy Newman

The 'bum on his knees' line is quoted in the novel 'American Psycho'.

Not 'American Psycho'- it's 'Less Than Zero' (also by Bret Easton Ellis), unless it's in both.

"The week before I leave, I listen to a song by an L.A. composer about the city. I would listen to the song over and over, ignoring the rest of the album. It wasn't that I liked the song so much; it was more that it confused me and I would try to decipher it. For instance, I wanted to know why the bum was on his knees. Someone told me that the bum was so grateful to be in the city instead of...

Not Valid
Cover art for I Love L.A. lyrics by Randy Newman

This song may be a parody of Los Angeles, but, WE LOVE IT!!!!

Cover art for I Love L.A. lyrics by Randy Newman

From what I've heard, outside of Beverly Hills and environs, L.A. is kind of a shithole.