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There are a few songs I love that I will never get sick of, like Kenny Chesney’s “Down the Road” or Taylor Swift’s “Ours”. One song that I can listen to over and over again, when I am sad or happy, is “La Cienega Just Smiled” by Ryan Adams. I originally discovered this song while reading “Love the One You’re With” by Emily Giffin. On her website, she talks about listening to this song on repeat while writing the book. After I read the book (the song is included in the book) I of course downloaded the song from Itunes and fell in love with it. During one particularly heartbreaking point in my life, days after my husband and I separated, I listened to this song on repeat for 3 hours at the LAX airport when my flight was delayed. I had never felt so sad in my life, and Ryan Adams’ song was strangely comforting. Now, whenever I hear “La Cienega Just Smiled”, the song takes me right back to that airport terminal, and I feel relief that I got through that period of darkness and sadness, and came out on top. Here is the audio so you can listen to it as you read this post.

Even years after I first heard it, I still wonder about the song – what is it about? One of the great things about this song (and maybe why it’s so popular) is that the meaning is up to your own interpretation, or maybe your imagination.  From SongMeanings.com, here are some of the top theories:

• this song is about addiction to drugs and how they are destroying him but he can’t stop. the drugs make him feel good for a while but they always end up leaving him feeling depressed when they wear off. in the first verse the drugs are wearing off, and he’s thinking “how’d i end up feeling so bad for such a little girl”. then there’s the element of addiction – “la cienega just smiled… see you around”. he feels helpless to his addiction and knows he’ll be back for more.

• I think La Cienega is a prostitute. a young one. maybe too young.
he never got her real name, so he named her after the street, where she was standing.

• Its about life and its uncertainty with its changes. he is torn with his decisions. and this girl is on his mind, and obviously affecting his decisions.

• I always thought it was about a girl he was sleeping with, but not committed to. She was in it for the fun of it too, but he’s beginning to fall for her.

• It can be expressive of any moment in which you realize the girl you care about doesn’t care about you anymore (and maybe never did). The “I’ll see you around” is that key phrase that lets you know.

• I feel the song is about a girl he has fallen in love with who lives in an area off of La Cienaga Blvd in LA. He’s fallen completely in love with her but she doesn’t feel the same way. He’s a mess because of it.

I personally feel that the song is about a girl that he is unsure of his feelings about, but she is definitely important to him. Maybe she’s too young, or for some reason they can’t be together. What do you think the song is about? And what are your favorite songs to listen to over and over again?