WELCOME TO L.A. (2002)
It's funny, this is one of my most popular songs, and I can't remember anything about the actual process of writing it. I was probably just screwing around in that particular tuning (DADFAD) and came up with chords, then wrote the melody, then wrote the words. That's the usual process. I can't remember if the Mickey Mouse intro to the chorus was consciously thought out or subliminal. The song is, of course, aimed at the entertainment industry in Los Angeles and not the entire city. This town gets a lot of disrespect as a result of harboring the entertainment industry, but the town itself is really a pretty cool place to live. I told a paddling bud of mine, who is extremely classically oriented, that I would put something classical into the piece and so I wrote the entire lengthy intro to incorporate the slight section of "Carmine" at the end of it. .
WELCOME TO L.A.
VERSE 1:
DON’T BE SO HESITANT WE’RE GLAD THAT YOU’VE ARRIVED
IS IT SO WRONG TO SEEK DEVOTION?
THESE DREAMS THAT DROVE YOU HERE
IF I MAY BE SINCERE
THEY RISE ABOVE THE WORST OF US
SO LET ME BE THE FIRST OF US TO SAY:
CHORUS 1:
HEY THERE, HI THERE, HO THERE, WELCOME TO L.A.
I'LL BE GLAD TO SHOW YOU WHICH IS WHICH
BUT FIRST LET'S STEP OUTSIDE AND FEEL THAT SUNNY DAY
‘CAUSE THAT AIN'T NEVER EVER GONNA SWITCH
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THIS RIVER, IT FLOWS DOWN TO THE BAY
AND LIKE OUR LIFE IT FLOOOOOWS WITHOUT A HITCH
YOU SAY YOU’VE GOT THIS HUSTLE'S GONNA PAVE YOUR WAY
I'M CONVINCED IT'S GOING TO MAKE YOU RICH
SO IF YOU TRULY CAME TO PLAY
WELCOME TO L.A.
VERSE 2:
HELLO AGAIN, I SENSE SOME SADNESS IN YOUR SMILE
AS IF TRANSCENDENCE MET TRANSGRESSION
BUT NO ONE’S BLAMING YOU
THAT'S WHAT THIS TOWN WILL DO
IT DESTITUTES THE BEST OF US
COME DOWN HERE WITH THE REST OF US AND PRAY
CHORUS 2:
HEY THERE, HI THERE, HO THERE, WELCOME TO L.A.
I CAN SEE THAT YOU BELIEVED THE PITCH
BUT WHEN YOU STEP OUTSIDE YOU SMOKE A PACK A DAY
FROM SNIFFING SMOG THAT MAKES YOUR EYEBALLS TWITCH
YOU HEARD WE'VE GOT THIS RIVER FLOWING DOWN TO THE BAY
‘CEPT IT AIN'T NOTHING BUT A CONCRETE DITCH
AND YOU BROUGHT THAT HUSTLE'S ‘SPOSED TO PAVE YOUR WAY
WELL SO DID EVERY OTHER SON OF A BITCH
AND IF YOU'VE GONE A BIT ASTRAY
WELCOME TO L.A.
VERSE 3:
DON’T PLEAD THAT TIRED DEFENSE YOU KNOW THE REASON WHY
YOU’VE WATCHED YOUR RIDE ROLL RIGHT PAST REDEMPTION
YOUR COUNTLESS CRIMES INCLUDE
THAT F**KING ATTITUDE
YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE A GUEST OF US
BUT NOW YOU’VE JOINED THAT NEST OF US TO STAY
AN ACTOR IN THIS BARGAIN MATINEE
CHORUS 3:
HEY THERE, HI THERE, HO THERE, WELCOME TO L.A.
I’M SURPRISED YOU DON’T ENJOY YOUR NICHE
‘CAUSE WHEN YOU STEP OUTSIDE THERE’S SOMEONE TO BETRAY
SOME OTHER NEW ARRIVAL YOU CAN BEWITCH
YOU SOLD YOUR SOUL DOWN THAT RIVER TO KEEP REAL LIFE AT BAY
WHATEVER DIDN’T STROKE YOUR MYTH YOU’D DITCH
AND NOW YOU SPENT THAT HUSTLE MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY
ON HOW TO BUILD A BETTER “BAIT AND SWITCH”
STILL, YOU’RE SUCH A SPECIAL PART OF THIS DECAY
AND SINCE YOU AIN’T NEVER EVER GONNA BREAK AWAY
WELCOME TO L.A.
