Los Angeles is Burning

Los Angeles Is Burning is a single by the punk rock band Bad Religion from their 2004 album The Empire Strikes First. "Los Angeles Is Burning" was released to radio on April 27, 2004. According to bassist Jay Bentley, the lyrics argue that the media is sensationalistic. The music video features men with television cameras replacing their heads firing flames into the animated landscape of Los Angeles. Although the song was written at a time when there was a major wildfire nearby, the late 2003 Cedar Fire, Bentley makes clear that the song was using the fire as a metaphor. It is maybe about the Los Angeles riots of 1992, which were sparked by the acquittal of four police officers who had been videotaped beating Rodney King.

Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz wrote the song in response to what he saw as the systematic racism exhibited by the police and the judicial system during the riots. He later said, “When I saw those cops beating Rodney King, it just cooked my brain. I thought, ‘This isn’t some random act of violence – this is a lynching.’ And that’s how the song started.” Los Angeles Is Burning is really great lyrics, great music, and great attitude. The song reached number 40 on the Modern Rock Tracks in July 2004.

• Released: 2004
• Songwriter: Brett Gurewitz