This is a semi-autobiographical song, and it was written while Albert Hammond was still in London.
Here's my interpretation of the song:
1st verse:
The author gets onboard a 747 to LAX without thinking about it too much. Think's he'll become a star just like so many others who have moved to LA, without considering the people who moved there and didn't make it (Read about Survivorship bias)
2nd verse:
He's now down on his luck in LA, doesn't have work, doesn't have money for food, and he wants to go home.
3rd verse:
At this point it sounds like he ran into someone he knew (mirroring a friend who found him quite destitute while he was in London). The phrase "nearly made it" is a good one to tell parents to cover up his predicament, as there's often a fine line between becoming successful and not making it.
The line "Had offers but didn't know which one to take" is funny to me, as people often brag about being too successful and therefore not knowing what to do. Moral of the story here is that ANY decision is better than being homeless from inaction.
Lastly, he begs his acquaintance not to tell his parents how they found him. The line "give me a break," I think, has a double-meaning: he wants his friend to give him a "break" by not telling his parents, and I think he ALSO wants his friend to help him out, maybe by writing a song, i.e. a Musical Break :)
Chorus:
The phrase "When it rains, it pours" usually means that when something bad happens, something else bad follows it. Like your car breaks down, and since you can't afford to pay to fix it you end up late for work and getting fired. And if you can't find a job real soon, you could lose your house, etc.
BUT, I also think that the opposite is true. Someone like Albert Hammond wrote a great hit song, and boom all of a sudden he's selling records, has videos, is touring, on radio/TV programs, etc. In his case he finally made it and it happened really quickly, and he had a steady career for pretty much the rest of his life, either writing for himself or other musicians.
And it's the same for lots of other people: you have a good interview, get a good job, all of a sudden other companies want you to work for them, you move up, move to a better area, get a better job, etc.
Ultimately I think this is a great song: a cautionary tale about taking risks, which ends in a positive light if you interpret it that way :)
This is a semi-autobiographical song, and it was written while Albert Hammond was still in London.
Here's my interpretation of the song:
1st verse:
2nd verse:
3rd verse:
Chorus: The phrase "When it rains, it pours" usually means that when something bad happens, something else bad follows it. Like your car breaks down, and since you can't afford to pay to fix it you end up late for work and getting fired. And if you can't find a job real soon, you could lose your house, etc.
BUT, I also think that the opposite is true. Someone like Albert Hammond wrote a great hit song, and boom all of a sudden he's selling records, has videos, is touring, on radio/TV programs, etc. In his case he finally made it and it happened really quickly, and he had a steady career for pretty much the rest of his life, either writing for himself or other musicians.
And it's the same for lots of other people: you have a good interview, get a good job, all of a sudden other companies want you to work for them, you move up, move to a better area, get a better job, etc.
Ultimately I think this is a great song: a cautionary tale about taking risks, which ends in a positive light if you interpret it that way :)