183 L.A. Songs
From the upbeat sounds of “I Love L.A.” to the classic strains of “L.A.’s My Lady,” Los Angeles has been the focus of countless musical tributes. Rock, country, blues and ballad artists have all taken their turn with an L.A. tune and the result is a songbook full of city anthems.
The recording capital of the world, Los Angeles is home to countless singer and songwriters. Some are home-grown artists like the Beach Boys, who imortalized Southern California beach culture, while others–even international icons like the Beatles–have been inspired by time spent in L.A.
As a result the airwaves are filled with songs that
celebrate Southern California. Some artists take a lighthearted look at the city with songs like “Valley Girl” and “Walking in L.A.,” while others capture “Hollywood Nights” and “Life in the Fast Lane.”
Here are just some of the songs to hum as you cruise
around L.A.:
26 Miles (Santa Catalina) The Four Preps
All I Wanna Do Sheryl Crow
Avalon Roxy Music
Blue Jay Way Beatles
Born in East L.A. Cheech & Chong
California Dreamin’ The Mamas and The
Papas
California Girls Beach Boys
California Here I Come Paul Martin
Celluloid Heroes Kinks
Coldwater Canyon Dory Previn
Coming into Los Angeles Arlo Guthrie
Creeque Alley Mamas and Papas
Dead Man’s Curve Jan & Dean
Do You Know the Way to San Jose Dionne Warwick
Free Falling Tom Petty
Heart of Gold Neil Young
Hey Hey L.A. Beverly Craveiro
Hollywood Dreams Thunderclap Newman
Hollywood Nights Bob Seger
Hollywood Swinging Kool & the Gang
Hooray for Hollywood Doris Day
I Love L.A. Randy Newman
In Hollywood (Everybody is a Star) Village People
It Never Rains in Southern California Albert Hammond
King of Hollywood The Eagles
L.A.’s My Lady Frank Sinatra
L.A. Freeway Jerry Jeff Walker
L.A. Woman Doors
La Bamba Richie Valens
Ladies of the Canyon Joni Mitchell
Life in the Fast Lane The Eagles
Little Old Lady From Pasadena Jan & Dean
Los Angeles X
MacArthur Park Richard Harris
Midnight Train to Georgia Gladys Knight & the
Pips
Postcards from L.A. Joshua Kadison
Route 66 Nat “King” Cole ( & others) Santa Monica Everclear
Sunset Blvd. (from musical) Andrew Lloyd Webber
Sunset People Donna Summer
Surfin’ U.S.A. Beach Boys
That’s Entertainment Judy Garland
Trouble Every Day Mothers of Invention
Under the Bridge Red Hot Chili Peppers
Valley Girl Frank & Moon Unit Zappa
Ventura Highway America
Walking in L.A. Missing Persons
Los Angeles on Film
As the world’s motion picture capital, Los Angeles
often serves as a giant movie set. Because so many productions film in L.A., local scenery has stood in for locations from Chicago to Korea.
Sometimes, however, Los Angeles gets to play itself. Movies set in Los Angeles take us behind the scenes in Hollywood, (Sunset Boulevard, Singin’ in the Rain, A Star is Born), to the beach, (Beach Blanket Bingo, Gidget), to school, (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless), or on a fast ride all over the city (Speed).
The wide variety of L.A. films is as diverse as the
city itself. Neighborhoods as different as South Central (Boyz N the Hood), East L.A. (Mi Familia) and Beverly Hills (Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills Cop) appear in films that give us a brief glimpse inside the many sides of life in L.A.
The following are just some of the films in which Los
Angeles stars as itself:
Once in a Lifetime 1932
Hollywood Hotel 1937
A Star is Born 1937, 1954, 1976
Boy Meets Girl 1938
Hellzapoppin 1941
Hollywood Canteen 1944
Abbott & Costello in Hollywood 1945
The Big Sleep 1946
Sunset Boulevard 1950
Singin’ in the Rain 1952
The Bad & the Beautiful 1953
Them 1954
The Big Knife 1955
Rebel Without A Cause 1955
Kiss Me Deadly 1955
No Down Payment 1957
The Goddess 1958
Gidget 1959
The Savage Eye 1960
The Errand Boy 1961
The Carpetbaggers 1964
Harlow 1965
Inside Daisy Clover 1965
The Loved One 1965
Beach Blanket Bingo 1965
The Oscar 1966
Divorce American Style 1967
Marlowe 1969
The Omega Man 1971
Cisco Pike 1972
The Long Goodbye 1973
Save the Tiger 1973
Chinatown 1974
Earthquake 1974
Shampoo 1975
California Suite 1978
1941 1979
True Confessions 1981
Fast Times at Ridgemont High 1982
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial 1982
Blade Runner 1982
Frances 1982
Valley Girl 1983
Beverly Hills Cop 1984, 1987, 1994
The Terminator and Terminator 2 1984, 1991
To Live and Die in L.A. 1985
Down and Out in Beverly Hills 1986
The Morning After 1986
Stand and Deliver 1987
Lethal Weapon 1987, 1989, 1992
Die Hard 1988
Miracle Mile 1989
The Big Picture 1989
Pretty Woman 1990
Boyz N the Hood 1991
L.A. Story 1991
Grand Canyon 1991
Scenes From a Mall 1991
The Player 1992
White Men Can’t Jump 1992
Falling Down 1993
Short Cuts 1993
In the Line of Fire 1993
Speed 1994
Pulp Fiction 1994
Mi Familia (My Family) 1995
Clueless 1995
Heat 1995
Strange Days 1995
Nick of Time 1995
Devil in a Blue Dress 1995
Mulholland Falls 1996
L.A. on TV
This is the city…where our favorite characters
cruised the freeways, biked at the beach, or took a glamorous turn in Beverly Hills.
Los Angeles images seem familiar to people who have never set foot in Southern California thanks to its continuous television exposure. From the beaches of “Baywatch” to the dramatic skyline of “L.A. Law,” Los Angeles finds its way into homes all over the world.
Here are just a few of the countless television shows
that have been set in L.A.:
77 Sunset Strip Moonlighting
Baywatch Mr. Ed
Baywatch Nights My Mother the Car
Beverly Hills 90210 Perry Mason
The Beverly Hillbillies Police Story
The Burns and Allen Show Police Woman
Cannon The Real McCoys
Charlie’s Angels The Rockford Files
CHIPs The Rookies
The Courtship of Eddie’s Sanford & Son
Father Three’s Company
Cybill
Dragnet
Emergency
The Fresh Price of Bel Air
Gidget
Here’s Lucy
I Married Joan
L.A. Law
Malibu 2000
Mannix
Marcus Welby M.D.
Markham
Medical Center
Melrose Place
The Mod Squad
Moesha
