Right Before Your Eyes: A Musical Tribute to Los Angeles

I lived in California for 20 years before my parents moved to Florida. It was between a 4-5 hour drive from Los Angeles, and my dad and I often made the trek down there for my doctor’s appointments. We had our regular restaurants and haunts we visited every time, like Johnny’s Pastrami and/or The Hat. But we were also constantly exploring, and he was always introducing me to new places. He showed me where he and his friends went biking as teenagers, and told me about planting flowers for Julie Andrews and Casey Kasem when he worked for a contractor. We went to Gladstone’s and Tommy’s Hamburgers, where he'd take my mom on dates back in the day. (Dessert for them was often hot chocolate sipped on UCLA’s rooftops.) He took me to the Hollywood Museum, and we'd make a point to drive by the Jim Henson Company building to say hello to the dapper-looking Kermit statue.

These adventures were always fueled by a fantastic soundtrack. Dad would hand me his cell phone and say “look up Sitting in the Park.”

I’d type in the name and confirm the artist. “The one by Billy Stewart?”

“That’s it!”

He’d introduce me to a couple of new tunes every trip, but like our favorite LA locations, we have the old reliables that we revisit every time. I usually don't hear them again until the next time we're in Los Angeles. Some remain constant, stirring up the same emotions after several years, while my relationships to others are constantly evolving. During our trip to the Rockford Fest last year, a song I didn’t particularly like in the past moved me to tears.

I want to share with you a small sampling of our playlist. This isn't exhaustive, but the quintessentials are here. While some of them are specifically about Los Angeles, others just fit the mood as we drove into the sunset (and the traffic). 

So here's to the City of Angels. My heart is with you.

L.A. Woman—The Doors

Ol’ 55—Eagles

The Boys of Summer—Don Henley

Sitting in the Park—Billy Stewart

Together—Tierra

Walking in L.A.—Missing Persons

Lullaby—Shawn Mullins

Riders on the Storm—The Doors

Valley Girl—Frank Zappa, Moon Zappa

I Do Love You—G.Q.

Sauvecito—Malo

Right Before Your Eyes—America

Tell Her She’s Lovely—El Chicano

I Love L.A.—Randy Newman

All Summer Long—The Beach Boys