Alec Benjamin’s “Jesus in LA” Lyrics Meaning

The title of this Alec Benjamin song (“Jesus in LA”) is not based on the Biblical character Jesus per se.  Rather, just as Jesus is often referred to as the “savior”, Benjamin went looking for his own “savior” in Los Angeles. In other words, in this song, the titular “Jesus” is synonymous with self-realization, as in a person’s “truth” or place in the world. And what the phrase “Jesus in L.A.” actually alludes to is the fact that the singer went to the city of Los Angeles in pursuit of what he perceived as his life’s purpose, which is starting a music career and living a Hollywood life.

And at first he did achieve his goals. This is what “the devil” symbolizes in the track. To put differently, Benjamin insinuates that he made a deal with “the devil” in order to achieve his dream. However, once again he is not speaking directly of a supernatural entity. Rather this sentiment points to the fact that ultimately Benjamin considered it a wrong, even destructive decision to come to L.A. and establish a life there.

Indeed he portrays the city as one that is filled with temptations and vices. In fact what brought him out there in the first place was not so much an aspiration to be a singer as it was a ‘dream he was sold’ when he was just 16. In other words, he was young, naïve, ambitious and caught up in the lure of the highly-publicized Hollywood lifestyle.

So the song concludes with the singer (Benjamin) realizing that he “won’t find Jesus” in Los Angeles. And through a story he posted on Instagram describing the meaning of this track, we know that this sentiment ultimately led to him returning home (to Arizona) to his “true friends and family”.

Music Video 

The music video to this song was directed by Joey Brodnax. And interestingly enough, it was actually shot in the City of Los Angeles – the city Benjamin fled from!

Release Date of “Jesus in LA”

Benjamin officially released this song on 16 July 2019. However, he had started teasing it a while back via social media posts which he later deleted. 

Production and Writing of “Jesus in LA”

Alec Benjamin both wrote and produced “Jesus in LA”. Below are Alec Benjamin’s exact words about the meaning of “Jesus in LA”:

Benjamin shared the above with the world via Instagram.

FYI, this was the second single Benjamin released in 2019. His first for 2019 was “Must Have Been the Wind” (which came out in June).