I cannot believe I’ve never posted a Randy Newman song. I first heard of him through Short People, and that is not counting the countless covers I’ve heard of his songs covered by other people.
Being a Dodgers fan, I get a little extra kick out of hearing this song. The Dodgers play I Love L.A. after they win at Dodger Stadium, so when I hear those opening notes, I automatically associate it with something good happening. It’s hard for me to separate the song from baseball now. A Dodgers win followed by Randy Newman is a pretty good combination.
Randy Newman released this song in 1983 on his album Trouble in Paradise. Newman grew up in Los Angeles, but this being Randy Newman, the song isn’t quite the straightforward love letter that the title suggests. He genuinely loved the city, but he was also poking fun at it. The beautiful weather, convertibles, and palm trees are all there, but so are the less glamorous parts of Los Angeles. Newman was always good at writing from the viewpoint of a character who might not completely understand what he was revealing about himself.
The song reportedly grew partly from a conversation Newman had with Don Henley. Henley suggested that Newman should write a song about the city. Newman also had an earlier unreleased song called Something to Sing About that dealt with some of the same ideas about wealth and the Southern California lifestyle. Those ideas eventually helped develop into I Love L.A.
There is some serious talent playing on the recording. Steve Lukather plays lead guitar, Jeff Porcaro is on drums, David Paich plays organ, Nathan East is on bass, and Waddy Wachtel plays rhythm guitar. Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie are among the backing singers. That’s quite a collection of musicians for a song that sounds so loose and simple when you first hear it. Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman produced it.
I Love L.A. wasn’t a big hit when it was originally released. It didn’t even make the Billboard 100, although the video received plenty of airplay on MTV. The song gradually became much bigger than its original chart position. It was used in connection with the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and eventually became something close to an unofficial anthem for the city.
The video helped sell the song. Newman cruises around Los Angeles in a red convertible while the scenery mentioned in the song passes by. Like the song itself, it’s difficult to tell exactly where the celebration ends and the joke begins. I think that’s part of the reason it has lasted. You can hear Newman having some fun with the place he loves. And…
I love L.A.
Especially after the Dodgers win.
I Love L.A.
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 bit too rugged
For you and me you bad girl
Rollin’ down the Imperial Highway
With a big nasty redhead at my side
Santa Ana winds blowing hot from the north
And we as 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)
We love it
Look at that mountain
Look at those trees
Look at that bum over there, man
He’s down on his knees
Look at these women
There ain’t nothing 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)
We love L.A.
I love L.A. (we love it)
I love L.A. (we love it)
I love L.A. (we love it)
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Fun! Do you think the Dodgers can win it again?
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I never think they can win…I watch them all year and I see the weaknesses but they have shocked me in the past two years…so I’m gonna say yes…and cross my fingers.
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I’ve always liked Randy Newman’s songwriting better than his solo act, but I Love LA is the exception. I love everything about it.
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That is me as well…I love how he compliments and then jabs in his songs.
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It’s no Alvin Lee and George Harrison but I always liked this song!
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i always really liked him, he had a distinctive voice and enjoyable songs!
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Yes he does Beth…thank you.
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Fun song that was new to me.
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It’s music to my ears Jim…in more ways than one because of the Dodgers tie in… really before this one…Short People is the only one I knew…then I started to find out all the songs he wrote that other people covered…which is a great many.
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I spent a night in LA on a layover on my way to Hawaii.
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That beats me…I’ve never been there. I go see the Dodgers when they play the Braves and Reds….one day I want to make it there to Dodger Stadium for one game.
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It’s an interesting song because it sounds like a tourist board jingle but it and the video have enough snark to make you think maybe he’s being just a tad sarcastic. Then again his one real hit, ‘Short People’ was meant as social satire but few got that.
I think most younger people only know him from ‘Toy Story’ music
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Yes…a good comparison would be Short People…man that made people mad back then LOL…but he sings in the bridge:
Short people are just the same
As you and I
(A fool such as I)
All men are brothers
Until the day they die
(It’s a wonderful world)
But everyone ignored that!
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i am a Randy Newman fan, have been since his second album was released. And I love “I Love LA.” I am amazed at the information you have about it. I’ve never known who was playing on the track, and it never mattered. Now that I do know, I merely nod my head. I didn;t know about the other song you mention when talking about him and Henley.
I think my favorite Randy Newman album is the third one, Randy Newman live at I believe the Bitter End in NYC. Just Randy, the piano, the snarkiness and some of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard. Some are hilarious, such as Maybe I’m Doing It Wrong (“Maybe I’m doing it wrong/I don’t seem to be getting what everyone’s getting/Maybe I’m doing it wrong.”) Bet No One Ever Felt this Bad, which I believe was recorded by both Linda Ronstadt and Three Dog Night, is one of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard. You Got A Friend In Me is an anthem to the bright, professional happy song that Randy (and Lyle Lovett) are capable of, but there’s a miraculous dark side equally as powerful in many of his songs. I never cared for, but always loved (if that contradiction makes any sense) Mama Told Me Not To Come. But when Nilsson sang “Simon Smith and his Dancing Bear” it bares open the soul. And literally hundreds of other great songs.
I got a pair of tickets to see Randy and James Taylor at what was then called the Universal Ampitheatre. I got a guy to work to provide transportation. He was somewhat short in size. That was the first time I heard “Short People.” He ragged me about it all the way home.
There is a cabaret show that puts his songs together, long before Toy Story and I Love LA. I don’t remember the title, although I think it might have been called Maybe I’m Doing It Wrong. It played at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip for a month or so. My wife and I had the delight of taking my parents. A wonderful time for all of us.
Randy has a long and great history. There are a tremendous number of great songs penned by Mr. Newman. Much more than I Love LA. or You Got A Friend In Me. Well worth investigating.
Thanks Max
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Yes he has better songs than this…but you know exactly why I picked this one first…I just watched them win last night!
OH that is great about the short guy! I’m not a giant either…5.7 on a good day. That had to be a good show and the cabaret show sounds great.
I think it’s interesting how he compliments and then jabs…
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By the way, the video for the song is in itself, absolutely perfect. Not the Dodger victory lap, that has nothing to do with the song although the idea that I Love LA is a victory lap for anything shows how the song has taken on a life of its own.
Yes, all those places shown in the video exist. That is Victory Boulevard, Century Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard. Tim Newman directed the video, and it is clear that every single shot was thought out before being done. Some of it is impossible, such as the motorcycle cops singing “I Love LA.” But it is the same realism as the various shots of pretty girls’ boobs where there is obviously no silicon involved.
That’s what makes the video so great.
By the way, it isn’t just the Dodgers that have taken on the song. That’s Max’s take on it, and not inappropriate. But you’ll notice there are no sports in the video. Sports is a different part of LA, not excluded, just not the part of LA that Randy is taking aim at.
Again, Max, thanks.
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I agree….it was years before the Dodgers took this song on. You were right about contrasts….that is what Randy does…
I need to check out his albums…the one I remember the most is Born Again…when he does a parody of KISS on the cover and the song about an ELO fan…
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