"City of Angels" is a song by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, featured on their fourth studio album Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (2013).

Jared Leto directed the music video for the song, which features several personalities joining the three members of Thirty Seconds to Mars in sharing their visions about Los Angeles.

After the first verse, the chorus follows, with Leto singing, "Lost in the City of Angels / Down in the comfort of strangers / I found myself in the fire burned hills / In the land of a billion lights".

[6] In a preview of the record, Jeff Benjamin from Fuse acknowledged the 1980s influences that resonated throughout the track and noted that "hard rock guitars and percussion come crashing in on the chorus.

"[2] Sarah O' Hara, while reviewing Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams for Lowdown, compared the song to "Kings and Queens", a track with a similar structure included on This Is War featuring sparse verses and slow atmospheric builds to the chorus.

[11] Mary Ouellette, writing for Loudwire, felt that the song "tells a passionate tale of finding comfort in calling the city of Los Angeles home.

"[12] In the United States, "City of Angels" was sent to rock music radio as a promotional single from Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams on July 30, 2013.

[22] In Portugal, it reached a peak of number 17 and was later certified gold by the Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa (AFP), denoting sales of over 10,000 units throughout the country.

[29] Dan Slessor of Alternative Press named it a stand-out track from the album and found it "compelling from start to finish, building from ethereal beginnings to an enormous, drum-heavy climax".

[31] Markos Papadatos, writing for Digital Journal, stated that the song proves that Jared Leto is one of the finest vocalists and songwriters in the modern rock genre of music.

[32] Johan Wippsson from Melodic chose the song as a highlight on Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams, and commended its "bombastic and huge choruses".

[33] John Gentile from Rolling Stone was impressed with the song, noticing that it is built in volume and complexity until Leto "was yelling at the top of his lungs."

'"[34] Alex Lai from Contactmusic gave the song a positive review, finding the band in a "less aggressive mood" as they move toward "U2-style stadium rock" and Leto tones down his vocal delivery.

She considered it "a major leap forward in terms of Jared Leto's song writing", saying that the lyrics "lay the often enigmatic frontman bare" as he pays homage to Los Angeles.

She also felt that "Leto's love of U2 is no secret and displayed to full effect in this uplifting song with the piano, electronics, vocals and drums all weaving together effortlessly.

"[39] Chris Maguire of AltSounds criticized the influences of U2 featured in the track,[40] while Andy Baber from musicOMH called it a "corny ballad" which makes Thirty Seconds to Mars a "love-them-or-hate-them band".

The short film included commentary from Kanye West, Christopher Lloyd Dennis, Juliette Lewis, Heather Levinger, Haywood, Lindsay Lohan, Olivia Wilde, Steve Nash, Ashley Olsen, Lily Collins, James Franco, Selena Gomez, Alan Cumming, Anthony Warfield, Jovan Rameau, Holly Beavon, Shaun White, Corey Feldman, and Yosh.

Upon the video's premiere, Mary Bonney from LA Music Blog predicted that the short film "will surely be praised by every city-dwelling dreamer.

[12] Individual clips featuring previously unseen interview footage of Kanye West, James Franco and Selena Gomez debuted in the following months.

"[46] The short film begins with Kanye West relating objects and people with Los Angeles, including James Dean and Howard Hughes as well as architecture, Walt Disney and Marilyn Monroe.

Clips of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor are shown before the music stops with Christopher Lloyd Dennis, a Superman impersonator, who proclaims, "Hollywood is a land of dreams.

Jovan Rameau, a Michael Jackson impersonator, talks about coming to the United States on a boat as a Haitian refugee hoping to achieve the American Dream.

It isn't merely the roster of A-listers Leto scored (though that's impressive) or how candid some of the interviewees are about their struggles, it's the sense of inspiration the video leaves in its wake.

'City of Angels' is no ordinary music video; it's an eleven-and-a-half minute ode to a city where the line between success and broken dreams is razor thin."

[59] Markos Papadatos from Digital Journal rated it an A+ and wrote, "Just when you thought that Jared Leto and Thirty Seconds to Mars cannot possible [sic] get any better, they prove us wrong" with their music video for "City of Angels".

[63] Anna Job from GoldenPlec commented that the "cinematography is notable, featuring panoramic shots of Jared Leto serenading the city from the same perch they used in 'Kings and Queens'.

"[64] Niki Crux from The Inquisitr gave a positive review and wrote, "Showcasing mini profiles on Hollywood's largest icons, and lowest casualties, Jared Leto shines his camera on every facet that makes up Los Angeles.

She wrote, "As an ode to Los Angeles, the band brought together what is most simply described as a diverse group of people to talk about their feelings towards the famous city.

From street performers to homeless youth to some of the most famous celebrities in the world, Thirty Seconds to Mars compiled a panel that concisely and visually demonstrate the extreme highs and lows of Los Angeles in eleven minutes.

[81] A Digital Journal writer commented that the band delivered an "exceptional rendition" of the song and displayed "a great deal of charisma and energy that was equal in excellence to a live U2 performance".