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Randy Newman Sells Himself 'Short'

If you had to pick a musical voice of America, you could do an awful lot worse than the orchestral-pop composer Randy Newman. While few were looking, this acquired taste quietly dug himself in as an American songwriter for the ages. His catalog of notable songs, and their extended reach into the movies, pop culture and the repertoires of other artists, practically qualifies him as a national treasure.

For a guy who's only clambered into the pop Top 40 once in his long career, Newman's successes are many. 'Louisiana 1927,' which he recorded in 1974, was revived as a communal ode in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His saucy song 'You Can Leave Your Hat On,' covered by Joe Cocker, provided the most memorable scene in the softcore hit '9 1/2 Weeks.' Newman's 'Mama Told Me (Not to Come)' was the first of three No. 1s for the huge early-'70s rock act Three Dog Night. And as a film composer he has defined a certain brand of unabashed Americana, from the theme to 'The Natural' to signature Pixar songs such as 'You've Got a Friend in Me' (from 'Toy Story') and 'If I Didn't Have You' ('Monsters, Inc.').

But despite his genuinely heartfelt film music, Newman is a satirist to the core. And as Jonathan Swift and Stephen Colbert would tell you, satire is a tough business. The satirist is bound to offend someone, somewhere. Invariably, it's someone who's missed the point completely. Newman's one true hit record marked him for life.

Having already condemned slavery ('Sail Away'), war-mongering ('Political Science') and blind religious faith ('God's Song') -- in each case writing from the point of view of the guilty party -- for his 1977 album 'Little Criminals,' Newman recorded the most absurd example of stereotyping he could dream up. 'Short People,' backed in the studio by members of the Eagles, comically exposed the stupidity of hating someone for their genetics: "They got little baby legs, they stand so low/You got to pick 'em up just to say hello."

The insidiously catchy song became a surprise smash for the cult-favorite singer, blocked from the No. 1 spot only by Debby Boone's 'You Light Up My Life.' At the height of the song's popularity, it was expelled from oversensitive radio playlists, and Newman received threats about it. The legislature in the state of Maryland considered a bill that would have banned all airplay for the song. (It didn't pass.)

Twenty-five years later, when Newman re-recorded his greatest hits for 'The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol.1,' his biggest commercial payoff by far was nowhere to be found. It had been reduced, he lamented in one interview, to nothing more than "a novelty record, like the Chipmunks."

He'll be hearing from the Chipmunks' lawyers shortly.

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tomatah1

I love Newman's stuff since I was a young girl. His humor and musicality really impacted me. Currently I'm a Producer Engineer in Mexico and everything that comes out of the studio has a little touch of Newman (and Nilsson.) Unfortunately the only Randy Newman song I've covered was a live recording from the 1960s Music Festival when I had double pneumonia and not exactly singing my best. Even with my croaks "Feels Like Home" has good ratings on YouTube. He'the one person in the world I've always wanted to meet. My Mom first heard and introduced me to "He Gives Us All His Love" in the film "Cold Turkey." I was hooked and over the years wore the grooves off every album he gifted his fans. Many years later my son and I saw Newman at the Paramount Theater in Austin. It was our first visit to the historical theater and my son's first live concert Both of us fell out of our chairs laughing when Newman previewed his "Faust." Brilliant. Later I was hired as House Manager for that amazingly beautiful theater in the Texas capital. Best "day job" I ever had!

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September 12 2008 at 9:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to tomatah1's comment
Thomas Edison Thanes

Bravo . . . Just read your comments about Randy Newman from 2008 . . . I can't believe that no other comments were posted since then . . . I have every cassette, album, and CD of his entire library. Singers / Song Writers / Story Tellers are the best . . . Steve Goodman, John Prine come close. Listen to the words and the humor takes care of itself . . . "I LOVE L A" and Randy Newman.

June 18 2010 at 12:18 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply