hearts don't break in LA
Julian Lyrics


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She's in a secondhand dress
Hair's all messed
Up from the 3 am backseat sex
And she's driving west up Angeles Crest
Till there's nothing left
Till there's almost daylights
Only pink skies
Tries to catch her breath on a cigarette
In the red corvette she stole from her dad
And she's out of gas
She'll just dance for cash
Till the businessman gets her just a couple miles
She looks into my eyes

Telling me "Hearts don't break in LA" (LA)
Everyone's dancing the pain away (away)
This ain't a place for a love song
'Cause all of the angels are long gone
And hearts don't break in LA
(LA, LA)

I went, "This was fun
We should do it again"
And she drop me off close to where we met
She said "Try your luck with some college breadth"
And she fixed her hair so I missed her crying eyes
She put it in drive

Telling me "Hearts don't break in LA" (LA)
Everyone's dancing the pain away (away)
This ain't a place for a love song
'Cause all of the angels are long gone
And hearts don't break in LA
(LA, LA)

It's better to run than to fall in LA (LA)
So you're telling me why were you not okay (okay)
This ain't a place for a love song
'Cause all of the angels are long gone




And hearts don't break in LA
(LA, LA)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Hearts Don't Break in LA" by Julian depict a story of a girl living a reckless lifestyle in Los Angeles. The song paints a vivid picture of her through the description of her appearance and behavior. She is wearing a secondhand dress and her hair is messy from an encounter she had in the backseat of a car at 3 am. Despite her wild lifestyle, she is driving west up Angeles Crest, seemingly trying to escape and find something more meaningful.


The girl's reckless behavior continues as she steals her father's red corvette but runs out of gas along the way. Undeterred, she resorts to dancing for cash to continue her journey. It is during this encounter that she locks eyes with the singer, who becomes captivated by her. She tells him that hearts don't break in LA, implying that the city is too chaotic for love and emotions.


As the song progresses, the singer hints at a possible romantic involvement with the girl, suggesting they should see each other again. However, she drops him off close to where they initially met and advises him to pursue other romantic opportunities, referring to "college breadth" as a metaphor for exploring other relationships. She fixes her hair, possibly to hide her tears, and drives away.


The overall theme of the song suggests that Los Angeles is not a place for love or emotional connections. The city is portrayed as a transient and volatile environment where people try to escape their pain through dancing and superficial pleasures. The lyrics depict a sense of disillusionment and a realization that hearts don't break in LA because love is rare and fleeting in such a chaotic setting.


Line by Line Meaning

She's in a secondhand dress
She's wearing a dress that's been previously owned by someone else


Hair's all messed
Her hair is disheveled


Up from the 3 am backseat sex
Her hair is messy because of the sexual encounter she had in the backseat at 3 am


And she's driving west up Angeles Crest
She's driving towards the west on Angeles Crest, a road in Los Angeles


Till there's nothing left
She's driving until there's nowhere else to go


Till there's almost daylights
She's driving until it's almost morning


Only pink skies
The sky is only filled with pink hues


Tries to catch her breath on a cigarette
She's trying to catch her breath by smoking a cigarette


In the red corvette she stole from her dad
She's driving a red corvette that she took without her dad's permission


And she's out of gas
She runs out of fuel


She'll just dance for cash
She'll work as a dancer to earn money


Till the businessman gets her just a couple miles
She'll dance for a businessman for a short distance


She looks into my eyes
She makes eye contact with me


Telling me 'Hearts don't break in LA' (LA)
She expresses the belief that people's hearts don't get broken in Los Angeles


Everyone's dancing the pain away (away)
Everyone is using dancing as a way to escape their emotional pain


This ain't a place for a love song
Los Angeles isn't a suitable environment for love songs


'Cause all of the angels are long gone
The pure and innocent people are no longer present


And hearts don't break in LA
According to her, hearts don't experience heartbreak in Los Angeles


(LA, LA)
Referring to Los Angeles


I went, 'This was fun
I express my enjoyment of the situation


We should do it again'
I suggest doing it again


And she drop me off close to where we met
She leaves me near the place where we initially met


She said 'Try your luck with some college breadth'
She advises me to pursue other opportunities in college


And she fixed her hair so I missed her crying eyes
She adjust her hair in a way that hides her teary eyes


She put it in drive
She starts the car and begins driving


It's better to run than to fall in LA (LA)
It's preferable to escape rather than experience failure in Los Angeles


So you're telling me why were you not okay (okay)
You're explaining why you weren't feeling fine


This ain't a place for a love song
Los Angeles isn't suitable for love songs


'Cause all of the angels are long gone
The innocent and pure individuals no longer exist


And hearts don't break in LA
According to you, hearts don't experience heartbreak in Los Angeles




Writer(s): Julian Vahle

Contributed by Caleb T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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