If you've ever visited Hollywood, California, it's a rundown, trashy place with nothing but a bunch of tourist shops. I always thought the song was literally about visiting the city for the first time and being disappointed.... how you can hear about something your whole life and then it is nothing like you pictured. In other words, not about "Hollywood" to represent "the entertainment industry" but about the physical city.
If you've ever visited Hollywood, California, it's a rundown, trashy place with nothing but a bunch of tourist shops. I always thought the song was literally about visiting the city for the first time and being disappointed.... how you can hear about something your whole life and then it is nothing like you pictured. In other words, not about "Hollywood" to represent "the entertainment industry" but about the physical city.