By DAYNA DRUM | Reporter
If you had to capture the essence of Pacific Palisades in a song, Jimmy Dunne did it without a hitch.
Photos by Rich Schmitt
An upbeat rhythm with catchy lyrics playing as the backdrop to a slideshow of the Palisades’ best moments is what Dunne created on an inspired whim.
The longtime Palisadian wrote the lyrics and the music to express the heart of how he sees the community tucked away in the hills.
Dunne explained that he considers the Palisades a unique place that has a familial atmosphere among its residents. Seeing familiar faces on the sidewalk is just one of the many attributes that Dunne loves about his home.
As the president and founder of Inspire Entertainment, Dunne is no stranger to creating hit music. The singer-songwriter has had his songs recorded on 27 million records around the world and have appeared in more than 1,400 television episodes. He has written music for legendary artists like Whitney Houston, Kenny Rogers and Janet Jackson. Among his long list of songwriting credits, TV and movie soundtracks, he has also written and produced a number of well-known TV shows, like “Happy Days” and “Joanie Loves Chachi.”
Dunne’s Palisades music video went on social media at the end of last month and quickly gained attention from the community.
“Everyone loves it,” Dunne said.
The song’s chorus showcases Dunne’s feelings about the Palisades with the line, “I live in the greatest town, Pacific Palisades.”
Coming from an area just outside of Chicago, Illinois, Dunne found his community in his childhood church. In the Palisades, he has found it in a number of places. After moving to Los Angeles, Dunne happened to drive through the Palisades and witness the parade—that’s when he knew this is where he wanted to settle his family. Not only does he live in the Palisades with his wife and his two daughters, but he also runs his entertainment company out of an office in the Village.
The video uses still photos shot by Palisadian-Post photographer Rich Schmitt and renderings of the completed Palisades Village project by Caruso Affiliated.
Photos by Rich Schmitt
The photos depict moments from the Fourth of July Parade, annual 5k races and sports games. Because of the amount of similar photos that have been captured, Dunne sees the possibility of creating multiple music videos featuring the Palisades.
Photos by Rich Schmitt
In the middle of the average Palisadian’s busy life, Dunne explained, it’s easy to forget “how blessed we are to live here.”
The purpose of the videos is to remind people what a unique place the Palisades is and how fortunate people are to live here.
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