1983 Songs: I Love L.A.

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RAIN!!!!! The weatherman said it’s been 17 days since there was rain measured at the airport. Between the smoke from the Canadian wildfires and the dry ground, I’m not complaining!! Hope you’re not complaining about today’s 1983 song, either, after the rough start we had. Here’s today’s song that’s now 40. I Love L.A. - Randy Newman The Y*nk**s have “New York, New York” for a victory song. The Cubbies have “Go, Cubs, Go” (which, granted, hasn’t gotten much use this year ). And the Dodgers play this song when they have a home victory. Of course, with Randy Newman, he’s not being totally serious. He pointed out on Letterman in 1983 that some of the streets he mentions aren’t in the most savory part of town. And a line like, “Look at those mountains, look at those trees, look at that bum over there, baby, he’s down on his knees” tells you that his tongue is firmly in his cheek….except when he sticks it out at the camera near the end of the video. Speaking of videos, the “big nasty redhead” is played by Laura Howard (and that’s her only acting credit that I can find). The role of hot guitar soloist is played by Toto’s Steve Lukather. And if you are TOTALLY bored with life, here’s one more piece of trivia: Tim Newman, Randy’s cousin, directed the video. He also directed Don Felder’s “Bad Girls,” in which Randy made a cameo. I didn’t have MTV for years, but I sure made up for lost time, didn’t I? I Love L.A. Written by Randy Newman Recorded by Randy Newman From Trouble in Paradise, 1983 Crank up The Beach Boys: