I Love L.A.

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"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 titular lyric, repeated, each time followed by an enthusiastic crowd cheering, "We Love It!"

[edit] 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 the social expense at which the dream comes ("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, 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. After Newman croons the name of each street, the crowd shouts "We love it!!"

Notwithstanding the primary message of the song, Newman confesses a genuine affection for his hometown. Referencing more of the songs 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."

[edit] Appearance in popular culture

The song is also played at major sporting events in Los Angeles after the game if the home team scores or wins (notably when the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Galaxy win and when the Los Angeles Kings score a goal during home games). 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 the scene when the baseball game is played.

The song is frequently parodied, including I Love D.C. (Washington, D.C.), I Love D.M. (Des Moines, Iowa), I Love Padres (San Diego Padres), and I Hate L.A. (Underground Comedy Movie). 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. It was also the end credits theme of the 1997 disaster film Volcano, which depicts a volcanic eruption in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, and of Mr.Bean: The Ultimate Disaster.

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 (which are all streets in East L.A.).