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The Official Song of LAX Was Actually a Hit

2003 Los Angeles City Proclamation of Official Song of LAX

2003 Los Angeles proclamation of the Official Song of LAX. Courtesy, Los Angeles World Airports.

Also see: Official Song of Los Angeles County.


In 2003, Los Angeles International Airport became the only airport with an official song that was actually a hit. The song, “L.A. International Airport,” was originally written by Leanne Scott and first recorded in Bakersfield in 1970 by David Frizzell. It reached #67 on the Billboard Country Singles chart that year. In 1971, country music legend Susan Raye made a second recording that propelled the song to #9 on the Billboard Country chart and #54 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year. It became a big country-pop cross-over hit and an international hit in Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand. The Flight Path Museum at LAX exhibits memorabilia from the 1971 song.

In 2003, for the 75th anniversary of LAX, the song received new lyrics and a new recording by Nashville country singer Shirley Myers. Susan Raye also came out of retirement to perform the song live at the August 6 LAX anniversary celebration that year. It was at that celebration that LAX received a city proclamation naming the song as its official song.

L.A. Video

L.A. Videos
L.A. International Airport by Susan Raye, 1971

L.A. Video: "L.A. International Airport" by Susan Raye.