Released 1983 (1983) Length 03:29 Writer(s) Randy Newman | Genre Rock, Pop Rock Label Warner Bros. | |
Producer(s) Russ Titelman, Lenny Waronker | ||
"I Love L.A." is a 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!"
Contents
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 over there; man, 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 streets of the city. In the video, after Newman says the name of each street, a crowd shouts "We love it!"
Notwithstanding the arguably satirical message of the song, Newman confessed an affection for Los Angeles: 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."
Covers and parodies
In popular culture
"I Love L.A." has been used in the following feature films:
A Nike ad with the song was broadcast during the 1984 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles.
"I Love L.A." was the first (and the last) music video aired on Cable Music Channel. The song was also used in some of the network's IDs and commercial promos.
A modified version of the song was used as part of the "You'll Love It!" 1985-86 TV season image campaign for ABC.
"I Love L.A." is played following major sporting events in Los Angeles if the home team has scored or won, notably when the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Los Angeles Galaxy win, and when the Los Angeles Kings score a goal. The Dodgers adapted the title to "We Love L.A." as a marketing slogan for the 2015 season, prompting Los Angeles Times writer Steve Dilbeck to quip, "It's not 'I Love L.A.' like in the song, but we love L.A. Guess they wanted to save paying royalties to Randy Newman."
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 was one of many California related songs played throughout "Sunshine Plaza" in the original Disney California Adventure.
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.
During the 2008 National League Division Series and 2008 National League Championship Series, TBS or Fox Network would play the song at the end of any half-inning where the Dodgers produced a run. It was also played over speakers when the Lakers arrived at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum following their 2009 NBA Championship parade and the winning of the second of their back-to-back titles when the Lakers beat the Celtics in Game 7.
The sequence of streets in the song was parodied in the 1985 song "Born in East L.A." by Cheech Marin. But instead of listing the streets sung by Randy Newman, listed are Soto Street, Brooklyn Avenue, City Terrace, and Whittier Boulevard, all streets of East Los Angeles.
The song is referred to in the Bret Easton Ellis novel Less Than Zero, when the main character laments about the "bum on his knees" in a song about L.A.
In June 2014, as part of losing a bet on the National Hockey League finals between the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings with Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio sang the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, wearing an "I Love L.A." T-shirt and accompanied by disadvantaged youth from the 52nd Street Project.