You’ve heard it at Dodger Stadium. You’ve heard it after a Lakers win. Maybe you heard it in The Naked Gun or a random Ford commercial from the nineties. It’s that driving, piano-heavy anthem that feels like a top-down drive through Santa Monica. But if you’re asking who sings I Love LA, the answer is more than just a name on a record sleeve. It’s Randy Newman, the guy with the gravelly voice and the cynical smirk that you probably recognize from the Toy Story soundtracks.
Newman is a legend. Honestly, he’s one of the most misunderstood songwriters in American history. People hear the chorus of "I Love L.A." and think it’s a straightforward pep rally for Southern California. It isn’t. Well, it is, but it’s complicated. When the song dropped on his 1983 album Trouble in Paradise, it was actually a bit of a middle finger to the critics in New York and London who kept bashing Los Angeles for being "shallow." Newman, a lifelong resident of the city, decided to lean into every single stereotype. He threw in the Big Apple, the "stinking" Chicago wind, and then shouted about the 405 and the Imperial Highway. It's a masterpiece of irony that became a literal anthem.
The Man Behind the Piano: Randy Newman’s Complex Legacy
Randy Newman didn't just wake up and decide to write a sports anthem. By 1983, he was already a critical darling with a reputation for being bitingly satirical. This is the same guy who wrote "Short People"—a song that literally got him death threats because people didn't realize he was making fun of bigotry, not actually attacking short people. He’s always been the guy who plays a character in his songs.
In "I Love L.A.," he’s playing the role of a guy who is blissfully, maybe even aggressively, happy about his city's surface-level charms. Look at the lyrics. He mentions "Look at that mountain / Look at those trees." It’s basic. It’s almost mocking. But the music? The music is undeniably triumphant. That’s the "Newman Magic." He wraps complex, sometimes dark observations in melodies so catchy you can’t help but scream along.
The production on the track is pure eighties gold. It features some heavy hitters from the band Toto—Steve Lukather on guitar and Jeff Porcaro on drums. You can hear that polished, West Coast studio sound in every beat. It’s expensive-sounding music. It sounds like the sun feels. Even though he’s poking fun at the "bums" on the street and the vapid nature of the culture, the city of Los Angeles collectively decided, "Yeah, we’ll take it."
Why Does This Song Play at Every Game?
If you go to a Dodgers game and they win, you’re going to hear Randy Newman’s voice blasting through the PA system. It’s tradition. But why?
Music is weirdly tribal. Los Angeles is a city that often gets a bad rap for lacking "soul" or "history" compared to places like Boston or Philly. "I Love L.A." gave the city a defiant identity. It’s a loud, proud declaration. When Newman sings about "Century Boulevard" and "Victory Boulevard," he’s name-checking the grid that locals live on. It feels personal.
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The song's longevity is also tied to the music video. Directed by his cousin, Mick Newman, the video features Randy in a convertible, driving through the city with a beautiful woman (who happened to be his wife at the time). It was played constantly on MTV. It defined the "L.A. Look" for an entire generation. Now, decades later, it’s a nostalgic trigger. It represents a specific era of California optimism that survived the smog and the traffic.
More Than a One-Hit Wonder
For some, who sings I Love LA is the only trivia question they can answer about Newman. That’s a shame. This guy has twenty Academy Award nominations. He’s the "You’ve Got a Friend in Me" guy. He’s the "Short People" guy. He’s the guy who wrote "Sail Away," a hauntingly beautiful song about the slave trade written from the perspective of a salesman.
His range is massive.
- Toy Story (All of them)
- A Bug's Life
- Monsters, Inc.
- The Natural
- Parenthood
He has this uncanny ability to tap into Americana. Whether it's the schmaltzy heart of a Pixar movie or the gritty, satirical underbelly of 1970s rock, Newman is the architect. "I Love L.A." is just the most exuberant brick in that wall.
The Lyrics: Irony or Sincerity?
Let's look at the opening. He starts by bashing other cities. "Hate New York City / It’s cold and it’s damp." It’s a classic "us vs. them" setup. Then he pivots to the "redhead on his right" and the "beach boy on his left."
Is he being serious?
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Newman has admitted in interviews, specifically with Rolling Stone, that he actually does love the city. The irony is there, but it’s affectionate irony. He knows the city has flaws. He knows the "bums" are there—he literally mentions them in the song—but he’s choosing to look at the "big nasty redhead" and the "rolling down the Imperial Highway" part of the dream. It’s a song about the California Myth. We know it’s mostly fake, but we want to live in it anyway.
The Impact of the 1984 Olympics
Timing is everything in the music business. "I Love L.A." came out right before the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The city was under a global microscope. The song became the unofficial soundtrack of that summer. It was the "vibe check" for the entire world. It cemented the track as a permanent fixture in the cultural lexicon. You couldn't escape it. And honestly, nobody really wanted to. It’s a high-energy anthem that makes you want to drive fast, even if you’re stuck in 2 p.m. traffic on the 101.
Misconceptions About the Artist
People often confuse Randy Newman with other piano-playing singer-songwriters of the era. No, it wasn’t Billy Joel. No, it wasn't Elton John. It definitely wasn't Warren Zevon (though Zevon had that same cynical edge).
Newman’s voice is the giveaway. It’s a bit pinched, a bit "bluesy," and definitely not "traditionally" pretty. But it’s honest. It sounds like a guy sitting at a bar telling you a story. That’s why "I Love L.A." works. If a polished pop star like Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston had sung it, the irony would have been lost. It would have felt like a corporate jingle. With Newman, it feels like a local joke that everyone is in on.
The Technical Brilliance
Musically, the song is a powerhouse. The chord progressions aren't your standard three-chord pop fare. Newman is a classically trained composer. He understands theory. The way the horns kick in during the chorus is a masterclass in arrangement. It’s designed to elicit a physical response—a literal "pump your fist" moment.
If you listen closely to the bridge, the complexity of the orchestration is staggering for a "pop" song. This is what happens when a film composer decides to write a radio hit. You get layers. You get depth. You get a song that you can listen to 500 times and still find a new little piano lick in the background.
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Where to Experience the Song Today
If you want to feel the full weight of "I Love L.A.," you have to be in the city.
- Dodger Stadium: Wait for a home win. The second the final out is recorded, the speakers erupt.
- The Hollywood Bowl: Newman still performs. Seeing him play it live with a full orchestra is a bucket-list item for any music fan.
- Santa Monica Boulevard: Put the windows down, find the track on Spotify, and just drive toward the ocean. It sounds cheesy. It is cheesy. But it feels right.
Fact-Checking the Song's History
There are a few myths floating around. Some people think the song was commissioned by the city. It wasn't. Newman wrote it for his album. Some think it was written specifically for a movie. Nope. Its use in films came later because the song was already a hit.
Another common mistake: people think the backing vocals are just random session singers. While there are professionals on the track, the "I Love L.A." shouts in the chorus include contributions from Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac. That’s right—you’re hearing a bit of that Rumours magic tucked into the background of Randy Newman’s tribute to the City of Angels.
Wrapping Your Head Around the Randy Newman Paradox
So, who sings I Love LA? Randy Newman. But he also sings about the heartbreak of the American South, the ego of political leaders, and the innocence of childhood toys. He’s a walking contradiction.
The song remains his most famous solo work, eclipsed only by his later career as Pixar’s go-to composer. It’s a song that shouldn't have worked—a cynical satire that became a sincere anthem. But that’s L.A. for you. It’s a place where the fake becomes real if enough people believe in it.
If you're looking to explore more of this vibe, don't stop at this one track. Dive into the rest of the Trouble in Paradise album. It’s a snapshot of 1980s synth-pop and rock fusion that captures a very specific moment in time. Newman might be the guy who wrote your favorite childhood movie songs, but "I Love L.A." is the song that proves he’s the king of the West Coast.
Next Steps for the Music Fan
To really get the Randy Newman experience, you should check out his 1974 album Good Old Boys. It shows his ability to write from the perspective of characters you might not even like, which helps you understand the "character" he's playing in "I Love L.A." Also, watch the original music video on YouTube; it’s a time capsule of 1980s Los Angeles fashion and urban landscape that explains the song's visual legacy better than words ever could. If you're a vinyl collector, try to find an original pressing of Trouble in Paradise—the dynamic range on the horn section is significantly better on analog than on most compressed streaming versions.
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