I Love L.A.

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Lore & Background

After releasing Born Again in 1979, Randy Newman spent four years relaxing at home with his family, joking that the gardener had to water around him as he lounged by the pool. To break this cycle, he rented a studio in Los Angeles in 1983 without telephones to avoid distractions. There, he initially recorded "Something to Sing About," a track producer Lenny Waronker rejected for its arrogant tone, though it inspired "I Love L.A." Another key inspiration came from an airplane conversation with Don Henley, who noted he could no longer afford Learjets; Newman sarcastically replied, "Jesus that's tough...you can't live on a million a year anymore," before Henley suggested he write about Los Angeles. These interactions shaped the themes of delusion and hedonism found in Trouble in Paradise. The song was recorded with Waronker and Russ Titelman producing, featuring groove instrumentation by members of Toto and rhythm guitar by Waddy Wachtel.

In Their Own Story

The composition begins with a soft verse borrowing the melody from Rodgers and Hart's "The Lady Is a Tramp," deriding New York City as a place where "people dressed like monkeys" and Chicago for the "Eskimos." The music then shifts to an upbeat pop-rock style influenced by the Beach Boys, whom Newman name-drops while alluding to their 1963 song "Surfin' U.S.A." In this section, the narrator drives down Imperial Highway with a "big nasty redhead" at his side, rolling down windows as Santa Ana winds brush against him. He lists regions like South Bay, the Valley, and the Westside before the chorus hits, where Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac respond to Newman's "I love L.A." with "We love it." A synthesizer-heavy bridge follows, listing objects from Matterhorn Bobsleds to homeless people, before Newman name-drops Century Boulevard, Victory Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, and the Sixth Street Viaduct, each time met by the same crowd response. The track concludes with a guitar solo played by Steve Lukather of Toto.

Reader's Guide

To understand the song's depth, listeners must recognize its sardonic nature, where Newman mocks the character's arrogance while highlighting Los Angeles' dark underbelly. Nicholas Pell of LA Weekly noted that the Santa Ana winds are actually unpleasant, blowing furniture around with hot dry weather, and the four streets listed at the end were considered "must avoid" in 1983 due to gang violence. Despite this, Newman described the lyrics as ambiguous, confessing an affection for his city's "ignorance," stating, "The open car and the redhead, the Beach Boys... that sounds really good to me." The music video, starring Newman and model Laura Howard, depicts them driving a red 1955 Buick Super convertible through Echo Park, Disneyland, and Century City. While initially a flop on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching only #110 on the Bubbling Under chart in April 1983, the song gained worldwide exposure during the 1984 Summer Olympics via a Nike ambush marketing campaign featuring athletes Mary Decker and Carl Lewis.

Did You Know?

• The song's chorus features Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac responding to Newman with "We love it."
• A conversation on an airplane with Eagles drummer Don Henley, who complained about affording Learjets, directly inspired the song.
• The music video stars model Laura Howard driving a red 1955 Buick Roadmaster convertible owned by a car collector named Bob.
• Newman rented a studio without telephones to avoid distractions while recording, but the specific track "Something to Sing About" and its rejection by Waronker is not a well-documented part of the song's canon.
• The song reached #110 on Billboard's Bubbling Under chart in April 1983 after failing to enter the Hot 100.