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They tell me: "You'll have to wait a month to get it" - I say: "Ok."
A month later, the imported disc arrives at my home. I remove the annoying ultra-adhesive tab typical of imported CDs and open the case. I put the disc in the stereo and imagine scenes from the movie.
I'm talking about the soundtrack of 'To Live and Die in L.A.,' created by Wang Chung and released by Geffen Goldline Records in 1985.
Do you remember Wang Chung? 'Dance Hall Days,' the legendary hit anthem in pure '80s style.
'To Live and Die in L.A.,' do you remember it? Willem Dafoe, John Turturro, in a detective story that definitively set the standards for the genre.
You've probably seen it over and over again, but it's not the film that I want to talk about.
Wang Chung made this album as the third of their career, reaching the 41st place on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1985.
Starting from the artwork on the cover and back, it's almost impossible not to be intrigued. From the tracklist, we notice there are too few tracks for a soundtrack of a rather lengthy film. We like the title track; it gives us that lighthearted and carefree new wave taste that frames the introductory shots of Los Angeles.
The second track, 'Lullaby,' is a sappy pop hit that probably, if sung in Neapolitan, would cause us pain, but as it is, we accept it gladly.
'Wake Up, Stop Dreaming' is the epitome of the perfect song for every action film. Just as 'Angel of the City' by Robert Tepper in 'Cobra' with Stallone and 'On My Own Alone' by Stan Bush in 'Bloodsport' with Van Damme, here we have 'Wake Up, Stop Dreaming.' Pulsing, with a synth-bass riding the waves and an oriental melody, it can't help but move us when associated with Friedkin's film images. Perhaps listening to it separately from the film doesn't give the same feeling, but it certainly doesn't lose its power.
The vocals in 'Wait' duet with keyboards and bass in a fast car chase on the L.A. highways, while 'Black Blue White' naturally continues the chase with more pressing tones. The frenzy, the rhythm, the speed are the main matrices of the soundtrack, essentials for an engaging effect and a good parallel between image and sound, in constant dialogue.
The advice is to listen to this album in the car, with the risk of pressing the accelerator too hard due to identifying with the protagonists.
If you were to listen to it at home, I couldn't tell you the best time of day to put it in the stereo. Probably, looking at the cover again, I'd say at sunset.
Personally, I've never regretted the purchase. As a lover of album covers, just looking at it from the outside makes me believe it was a good deal.
Maybe someday I'll frame it, next to the movie and the poster.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 To Live and Die in L.A. (04:53)
(Jack Hues)
In the heat of the day
Every time you go away
I have to piece my life together
Every time you're away
In the heat of the day
In the dark of the night
Every time I turn the light
I feel that God is not in heaven
In the dark of the night
The dark of the night
I wonder why I live alone here
I wonder why we spend these nights together
Is this the room I'll live my life forever
I wonder why in LA
To live and die in LA
I wonder why we waste our lives here
When we could run away to paradise
But I am held in some invisible vice
And I can't get away
To live and die in LA
If I let myself go
And for where I just don't know
I'd maybe hit some cold new river
That led out to the sea
An unknown sea
I'd either swim or I'd drown
Or just keep falling down and down
I think its that, that makes me quiver
Just to keep falling down
Down, down, down
I wonder why I live alone here
I wonder why we spend these nights together
Is this the way I'll live my life forever
I wonder why in LA
To live and die in LA
In every word that you say
I feel my freedom slip away
I feel the bars come down around me
And I can't get away
I can't get away
I wonder why I live alone here
I wonder why we spend these nights together
Is this the room I'll live my life forever
I wonder why in LA
To live and die in LA
I wonder why we waste our lives here
When we could run away to paradise
But I am held in some invisible vice
And I can't get away
To live and die in LA
I can't get away
To live and die in LA
I can't get away
To live and die in LA
I can't get away
To live and die in LA
I can't get away
To live and die in LA
04 Wait (04:25)
(Jack Hues)
Streetcorners seem designed to lie in wait
For a chance to get involved in lovers' fate
And this one seems as good as any I've seen
So wait here with me until six-fifteen
Chorus:
I'm waiting for you
But you're very late
I know you'll come anyway
And I can hardly wait
Evidently
There's a difficulty
I know you'll come anyway
And I can hardly wait
Wait
I see you approaching you're the eyes of the crowd
The traffic and people, God they're all so loud
But in a couple of moments they will all disappear
Because we're ever so close when we're ever so near
Repeat Chorus
Punctuality
Was never much to me
Being yourself is the main thing
Forget about the time
Forget about the time
Being yourself is the main thing
The main thing
The main thing love
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