A sharp, slightly weary portrait of Hollywood's hollow glamour from the band's 1977 album Deceptive Bends.
A sharp, slightly weary portrait of Hollywood's hollow glamour from the band's 1977 album Deceptive Bends.
The song doesn't moralize about Hollywood; it just lays out the details.
You get the backstage passes, the famous musicians, the 'tinseltown star' line, and it all adds up to a specific kind of exhaustion.
A sharp, slightly weary portrait of Hollywood's hollow glamour from the band's 1977 album Deceptive Bends.
L.a. smiles to hide the frown
The song doesn't moralize about Hollywood; it just lays out the details. You get the backstage passes, the famous musicians, the 'tinseltown star' line, and it all adds up to a specific kind of exhaustion.
The phrase 'L.a. inflatable, she never says no' does a lot of work here. That word 'inflatable' sticks with you, it's not just about a person, it's about the whole scene.
It's a simple, almost cliché image, but in this song it feels earned. That smile isn't happy, it's a cover, and the promise is that the frown is still there underneath.
The way 'L.a. curves that shouldn't be there' repeats with 'They really shouldn't be there' has a quiet, nagging quality. It's less a judgment and more a resigned observation.
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The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
Oh well her skin it was softer than velvet
And her eyes were as bright as a child's
Her lips were a promising picture
Warm and celluloid
But her words had me thinkin' too deeply
The meaning be-lying her face
Made me look just a little bit closer
Between the lines
L.a. smiles to hide the frown
L.a. promises to follow you down
L.a. teeth, and l.a. hair
L.a. curves that shouldn't be there
They really shouldn't be there
She said you've got to be seen at the roxy
The strippers will know who we are
But you've got to be seen to be happy
You're a tinseltown star
You're going upwards and downwards and sideways
Man you're really caught up in a dream
With your head burning under the starlight
From the studio scene
L.a. smiles to hide the frown
L.a. promises to follow you down
L.a. teeth, and l.a. hair
L.a. curves that shouldn't be there
They really shouldn't be there
L.a. inflatable, she never says no
L.a. insatiable, you don't have to go
L.a. charisma
Well she knows all the famous musicians
Sometimes she sees how they play
And when the back stage passes are going
She really knows how to pay
She's a product of rock `n' roll livin'
She's a victim of hollywood hate
She's a soul survivor
She's the midnight special
Gonna lay you to waste
L.a. smiles to hide the frown
L.a. promises to follow you down
L.a. teeth, and l.a. hair
L.a. curves that shouldn't be there
They really shouldn't be there
A sharp, slightly weary portrait of Hollywood's hollow glamour from the band's 1977 album Deceptive Bends. The song doesn't moralize about Hollywood; it just lays out the details. You get the backstage passes, the famous musicians, the 'tinseltown star' line, and it all adds up to a specific kind of exhaustion.
10cc performs "L.A. Inflatable", and this lyric page sits inside the 10cc catalog on LyroVerse.
Yes. The page carries the LyroVerse editor's note "10cc's L.A. Inflatable and the city's plastic promises", followed by the full lyric and related songs.
Yes. The related section below points to Channel Swimmer and Ships Don't Disappear In The Night (Do They) with a short reason for opening each page next.
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through 10cc's lyric pages.
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