Beth Hart - LA Song
"LA Song (Out of This Town)" is a powerful and deeply personal song by American singer-songwriter Beth Hart that became her breakthrough hit and signature song. Released on July 20, 1999, as the first single from her second album "Screamin' for My Supper," the song propelled Hart to fame with its raw emotional intensity and soulful delivery. While it reached only No. 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100, it became a major success on adult contemporary formats, reaching the top 5 on the Adult Contemporary chart and top 10 on the Billboard Adult Top 40, and achieved No. 1 status in New Zealand in February 2000. The song captures Hart's personal struggles with depression and disillusionment during a dark period in her life, reflecting the emptiness and pain she experienced in Los Angeles. Hart explained that the song is ultimately about "emerging from depression and self-doubt to the realization that who you are isn't about where you are or what's around you but that 'THE GOOD LIFE LIES WITHIN.'" The song originally contained a controversial lyric about having a gun, which Hart later re-recorded with alternate lyrics out of respect for victims of tragic shootings, demonstrating her artistic integrity while preserving the song's essential message. With its blend of rock, blues, and soul, powered by Hart's piano playing and stunning vocal performance, "LA Song" remains one of her most celebrated tracks and the song that introduced many listeners to her extraordinary talent.
Beth Hart LA Song Lyrics
She hangs around the boulevard
She's a local girl with local scars
She got home late
She got home late
She drank so hard the bottle ached
And she tried
And she tried
And she tried
But nothing's dear in a bar full of flies
So she takes
So she takes
So she takes
She understands when she gives it away
She says
Man I gotta get outta this town
Man I gotta get outta this pain
Man I gotta get outta this town
Outta this town and outta L.A.
She's gotta gun
She's gotta gun
Shes got a gun she calls the lucky one
She left a note right bye the phone
Don't leave no message cause this ain't no home
And she cried
And she cried
And she cried
She cried so long her tears ran dry
Then she laughed
Then she laughed
Then she laughed
'Cause she knew she was never comin' back
She said
Man I'm gonna get outta this town
Man I'm gonna get outta this pain
Man I'm gonna get out of this town
Outta this town and outta L.A.
It's all she loves
It's all she hates its all too much for her to take
she can't be sure just where it ends or where the good life begins
So she took a train
So she took a train
To a little old town without a name
She met a man he took her in
Then fed her all the same bullshit again
'Cause he lied
'Cause he lied
'Cause he lied
He lied like a salesman sellin' flies
So she screamed
So she screamed
So she screamed
I'ts a different place
But the same old thang
It's all I love It's all I hate It's all too much for me to take
I can't be sure where it begins or if the good life lies within
So she said
Man I gotta get out of this town
Yeah I gotta get back on that train
Man I gotta get out of this town
I'm outta my pain
So I'm goin' back to L.A.