Lost In Hollywood

"Lost In Hollywood" was written and sung by System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian, who grew up in Hollywood and later made it his home. In the song, he's telling a friend that people there lie and they shouldn't be trusted. This person goes anyway, and finds out the hard way that Hollywood is filled with broken dreams. Malakian has said it's the System song he's most proud of.

Hollywood was especially seedy in the '80s when Malakian grew up there near Vine Street and Santa Monica Boulevard. It had cleaned up by the time he wrote this song, but was still a place where many aspiring actors ended up on the streets.

System Of A Down all grew up in Hollywood and have a love-hate relationship with the area. It's where they were able to build a fanbase playing the many clubs in the vibrant music scene, but for those less fortunate (and less talented), it wasn't so kind. SOAD have often made the point that there is a dark underside to the city that is kept hidden behind the shiny lights. Their 2001 song "Toxicity" explores these themes, implying it's a "toxic city."