I Love L.A.

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"I Love L.A." is a satiric song about Los Angeles, California written and recorded by Randy Newman. It was originally released on his 1983 album Trouble in Paradise. The hook of the song is its title, repeated, each time followed by an enthusiastic crowd cheering, "We Love It!"

History

This song is an example of Newman's ambivalence toward the American Dream, as it celebrates living the dream ("look at that mountain, look at those trees"), while giving a nod to those who have been unable to fulfill the dream ("look at that bum... he's down on his knees"). Newman also presents this dichotomy by incorporating the names of L.A.'s Century Boulevard, Victory Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, Imperial Highway and 6th Street into the lyrics of the song. Traversing any one of these roadways from end to end will reveal some of the wealthiest and some of the poorest areas of the city. In the video, after Newman says the name of each street, a crowd shouts "We love it!"

Notwithstanding the primary message of the song, Newman confessed an affection for his hometown: referencing more of the song's lyrics in a 2001 interview, he explained, "There's some kind of ignorance L.A. has that I'm proud of. The open car and the redhead, the Beach Boys... that sounds really good to me."^[1]

In popular culture

"I Love L.A." is played following major sporting events in Los Angeles if the home team has scored or won. This occurs notably when the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Los Angeles Galaxy win, and when the Los Angeles Kings score a goal. In 2001, the XFL's Los Angeles Xtreme would play the song after they scored a touchdown, as well as when they won a home game. A Nike ad with the song was broadcast during the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. A modified version of the song was used for the 1985-86 TV season image campaign for ABC. The song was also featured prominently in 1988's The Naked Gun, in a scene featuring a baseball game. During the 2008 NLDS and NLCS, TBS or FOX would play the song at the end of any half-inning where the Dodgers produced a run. The song was also played over speakers when the Lakers arrived at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum following their 2009 NBA Championship parade.

The song has been frequently parodied, including "I Love D.C." (Washington, D.C.), "I Love D.M." (Des Moines, Iowa), "I Love Padres" (San Diego Padres), "I Love Elway" (John Elway), "I Hate L.A." (Underground Comedy Movie), and in the film Run Ronnie Run the song "I Loathe L.A." is heard on the radio performed by Daffy Mal Yinkleyankle. In the 1985 movie Gotcha!, Anthony Edwards plays an American teenager, fugitive in Europe, who teaches "I Love L.A." to a German punk rock band that smuggles him to safety. The song also appears during the ending credits of the 1997 disaster film Volcano, which depicts a volcanic eruption in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, as well as during the end of Mr. Bean: The Ultimate Disaster. The song briefly appears twice in the movie Escape From L.A.. In 2008 part of the song and its video were featured on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on the Comedy Central channel. The segment dealt with the "plight" of L.A. area residents of Beverly Hills due to the failing economy, in which the millionaires profiled had to decrease the amount of plastic surgery they were getting.

The sequence of streets in the song was parodied in the song "Born in East L.A." by Cheech & Chong. But instead of listing the streets sung by Randy Newman, he lists Soto Street, Brooklyn Avenue, City Terrace, and Whittier Boulevard, all streets of East Los Angeles.

Chart Positions

1. 10 Bubbling Under Hot 100

See also

Los Angeles portal

• Theme from New York, New York by Frank Sinatra
• I Love New York

References