Palm trees, movies, surfin’, and skatin’; symbols of a city of wealth in the oasis that is Los Angeles. From Point Break to 500 Days of Summer there are some images of the city of Angels which forever stuck in the popular consciousness. The combination of year round warmth and the largest movie industry in the world make the influence of Los Angeles unescapable as the chili peppers say in Californication, “Space may be the final frontier, But it’s made in a Hollywood basement”. These influences also reverberate throughout the music industry and have led to a multitude of songs and albums about “La-La-Land”.
As a native Angeleno I always feel drawn towards towards these songs because they represent home and the image of California I have in my head. I remember leaving home after a perfect California summer and questioning what I had done and so I decided to make a playlist of my favorite songs about Los Angeles or about the idea of California. After nearly a year and a half of editing I have my idea of what Los Angeles would sound like distilled into a playlist.
First I have to start with a song by Tom Petty which references Ventura Boulevard, Mulholland, and the heartbreak that can be associated with LA as well.
Next a lesser known band gives a touching tribute to LA and while it doesn’t talk about the city itself it captures how the city feels when the highways sparkle in the night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE0m96Rrs24
The next song summarizes the idea that coming to LA can let you be the star as REM says, “You are the star tonight”.
This next song is about losing an angel in the City of Angels and then realizing that people are more important than places. “You shine brighter than the city love.”
Next the classic love song to Los Angeles from the Red Hot Chili peppers.
And the only new addition to to this playlist is a new song that throws it back to the 80’s and The Talking Heads with a great carefree beach vibe.
Ventura Highway is the old name for the Pacific Coast Highway which goes from San Diego to Seattle up the coast. It is one of the most gorgeous drives in the United States and this song captures the feel of this road along the beach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjgCqbPGq2A
2pac is an icon of West Coast Rap and he clearly loves California and Los Angeles. Also, it so much fun to sing along to “Cali-forn-I-A”.
Last and my favorite is “I Love LA”. It’s my favorite song about LA. From the saxophone at the beginning, to the crazy music video, to how he just starts listing streets of LA throughout the song. Randy Newman is my idol and I love him. Also watch out for the great 60’s cars and policemen he got to sing along in the video.
Let me know if theres any songs I missed or if you want to talk about Los Angeles some time because I’m always down to reminisce together.