The writer Bertolt Brecht saw life in Hollywood as one dominated by consumer goods and money. He had never experienced capitalism, which he fought against in Germany, in this form before. In an unpublished typescript from 1942, which can be read as a study for the Hollywood Elegies, he wrote: “The stones look like bread, the puddles like natural springs. But it is banknotes that are eaten and sweat that is drunk here.” (Brecht, 1976, Vol. 12, p. 399 (ed. trans.)). The response of Brecht’s friend, the composer Hanns Eisler, who thought the writer seemed to be tired and a little depressed: “It is the ideal place to write elegies.” Only a short time after, this is exactly what Brecht gave him: “He (Brecht) … gave me an envelope with around 30 poems in it and said: ‘Take a look, maybe you’ll find something worth using in there.’ And so, Brecht obviously intended them to be set to music. The envelope contained some yellow typewritten pages. I had a look, then went to Brecht and said: ‘Hey, Brecht, these are brilliant!’ His reply was, ‘Really? Do you think they’re workable?’ That’s all he said, ‘workable’, that’s the word he used… I immediately composed the music for them and played it to him. He liked it.” (Eisler, 1975, p. 143 (ed. trans.))

In addition to a general critique of capitalism, the Hollywood Elegies also contain some thoughts about the difficult conditions in exile.