Thoughtful Thursday: When Canyons Ruled the City

I’ve listened to Butch Walker’s ‘When Canyons Ruled the City’ more times than I am really willing to admit over the past few days.

It’s one of those songs where I would find myself singing along & not until recently really think about what the title and lyrics were all about.

So, since apparently I don’t have anything better to do on a Wednesday night, I hunkered down with Google & did a little research to attempt to better understand Butch’s lyrical genius.

Here are the lyrics:

Laurel was a girl I knew,
Made of dirt and stone
Pretty hip in younger times,
Now she sits alone
With a hundred thousand
Beat up architectural disasters
She calls homes
Beverly Glen was pretty
All the rich boys loved her curves
She tried to get the credit sometimes
More than she deserved
Like those cheesy 80′s movies
She epitomized all things
We’d come to know
Beachwood was a boheme
From the sexy 60′s scene
Grew up east of W. Hollywood
And somewhere in between
All the madness Laurel puts up with but
Somehow always tolerates a scene
Nichols had a lot in common
With performing arts
A and R guys having cookouts
On her back with super stars
But she had some nasty habits and some
Roadwork to repair, this drama queen
Sometimes Beachwood yelled at Laurel
On the terms of selling out
Then Laurel yelled at Beverly
For not knowing what life’s about
With her trust fund friends and family,
It felt just like an earthquake
When she’d shout
And Silverlake just stood there
With her nose up in the air
Pushing up her horn rimmed glasses saying,
I dont fucking care
Bout the drama all you idiots are buying,
Selling, leasing, up there
San Fernando was a struggling actor
Drove a deli truck to the sets of porno
Movies, just trying to make a buck
While his pilot sits in escrow, he dreams of
Dating Beverly one day

I learned a little in a short amount of time about the different canyons in LA’s surrounding areas.

From best I can tell, this song personifies the canyons with the stereotypical characteristics of each area.

Laurel canyon is known to have been a popular area in the 60′s for rockers to live.  ”Pretty hip in younger times, now she sits alone with a hundred thousand beat up architectural disasters she calls homes…”

Beverly Hills is very well-known affluent area full of celebrities, executives and the uber wealthy.  ”Then Laurel yelled at Beverly for not knowing what life’s about with her trust fund friends and family…”

Beachwood, the area around the Hollywood sign, was a hippy mecca at one time.  ”Beachwood was a boheme from the sexy 60′s scene…”  ”Sometimes Beachwood yelled at Laurel on the terms of selling out…”

Nichols is a favorite for joggers and cyclist.  ”Nichols had a lot in common with performing arts.  A and R guys having cookouts on her back with super stars, but she had some nasty habits and some roadwork to repair, this drama queen…”

Silverlake is hipsters area.  ”And Silverlake just stood there with her nose up in the air, pushing up her horn rimmed glasses saying, ‘I dont fucking care bout the drama all you idiots are buying, selling, leasing, up there…”

San Fernando, well, who isn’t familiar with The Valley?  ”San Fernando was a struggling actor, drove a deli truck to the sets of porno movies, just trying to make a buck.  While his pilot sits in escrow, he dreams of dating Beverly one day…”

I think I can see myself in all of them, well, except Beverly for obvious reasons.

But I think I honestly am somewhere between Laurel & San Fernando.

Do you relate to one of the canyons more than the others?

What similarities and/or differences do you see in each of the canyons/personalities?