Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Band of the Week: Bad Religion - Song #3: Los Angeles is Burning

Greetings.

Today's song selection is "Los Angeles is Burning." I love this song because it so blatantly points out the hypocrisy in the media and in the machine in general. Think about it. Thousands upon thousands of people are starving all over the world at any moment; there's genocide, the AIDS epidemic in Africa, human trafficking, etc; but when Malibu homes are in danger of burning down, it's a 24-7 media frenzy. It's also really a great song musically, so I guess it's a no-brainer that it would be among my 5 favorite BR songs.

Los Angeles is Burning

Somewhere high in the desert near a curtain of a blue
St. Anne's skirts are billowing
But down here in the city of the lime lights
The fans of santa ana are withering
And you can’t deny that living is easy
If you never look behind the scenery
It's showtime for dry climes
And bedlam is dreaming of rain

When the hills of los angeles are burning
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And los angeles is burning

This is not a test
Of the emergency broadcast system
Where malibu fires and radio towers
Conspire to dance again
And I cannot believe the media Mecca
They're only trying to peddle reality,
Catch it on prime time, story at nine
The whole world is going insane

When the hills of los angeles are burning
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And los angeles is burning

A placard reads
"the end of days"
Jacaranda boughs are bending in the haze

More a question than a curse
How could hell be any worse?

The flames are stunning
The cameras running
So take warning

When the hills of los angeles are burnin
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And los angeles is burning


No comments: