been listening to this a lot lately. jj cale’s “downtown l.a.”
downtown l.a. is a depressing place. you can see young men with deep lines in their face. they could all be something if somebody cared. but nobody knows they’re even down there.
can’t stop thinking about this. it’s not just about l.a. you see this everywhere. people with real potential that nobody ever noticed.
he is right. we call it “failure” when someone doesn’t achieve success. but let’s be real, is success something everyone can get? or is it a privilege?
the usual story
we like to pretend everyone gets a fair chance. just work hard, learn something, put yourself out there. but that’s mostly bullshit.
most people don’t fail because they’re not good enough. they fail because no one was there when it mattered. they never get a chance to show their potential. the lucky ones get a chance, the others don’t. we only see the lucky ones, the others are just forgotten.
two songs, same city
remember california dreamin’?
I’d be safe and warm if I was in L.A. California dreamin’ on such a winter’s day
everyone knows this one. mamas & the papas tell you about the city where you can be safe, where you can be warm. very beautiful, but here’s what’s interesting. jj cale is singing about the exact same city.
in the inner city, it ain’t no good. it’s a long, long way from hollywood.
same city, but different reality. same people, different lives. and that’s actually true for most cities, l.a. is just an example here.
the gap
the mamas & the papas dreamed of l.a. from somewhere cold, but jj cale walked through the streets and saw what was actually there.
both songs are true. one is about the dream, the other is about the reality. one became a classic everyone knows. the other barely gets mentioned. i don’t say one is better than the other, it’s just sad we all ignore the reality.
jj cale just shows you something he saw, and lets you think about it. i love the way he does it.
anyway, he was a legend, and today is his anniversary. rest in peace jj cale (1938-2013).
the end
listen to both songs. i mean it, put them on back to back. let them sit with you for a while.
maybe next time you hear someone singing about california dreams, you’ll think about this one too.
they could all be something if somebody cared.