He's one of the most highly regarded songwriters in the last half-century of popular music. Yet, most people only know him for his throwaway numbers like his 1977 hit "Short People" and his 1983 hit "I Love L.A.", or for his songs for Toy Story, including the iconic "You've Got A Friend In Me". Ahead of his first Australian tour since 2011, we look at ten of the best from Randy Newman.
Rarely has the two sides of a musician's ancestry been as clearly present in his or her work as it is with Randy Newman.
Randy Newman was born to a non-observant Jewish family in LA in 1943 - three uncles on the paternal side of his family were noted composers for Hollywood movies. He spent part of his childhood in New Orleans – his mother's family were from Louisiana. Known for his satire and his ironic, sardonic and self-deprecating humour, he's had his greatest recent successes as a Hollywood composer with two Oscars, from twenty nominations, and his relaxed musical style is rooted in the music of the South.
Newman first appeared on the charts in Australia with the bizarre yet eminently hummable "Short People" back in 1977. The imposing, bespectacled singer was hardly Countdown material, but it was a Top 10 hit here regardless. Then came "I Love L.A." in 1983 – the ironic anthem for a city he at least partly saw as shallow and mean – and apparently another feel-good summer hit. After that – nothing. The pop world was done with Randy Newman.
But, Newman had been round for years before that first hit, and he would be around for years to come. He wasn't going anywhere, especially not when his Hollywood career took off. It wasn't a hit single, but "You Got A Friend In Me", Newman's theme song for the 1995 Pixar film Toy Story is as profoundly etched into the public psyche as any pop song of that decade. In addition to his hugely successful film work – he was also responsible for Cars, Monsters Inc and others, along with all their various sequels – he has continued to make non-soundtrack records. His latest, Dark Matter, includes his laugh out loud ode to Russia's favourite man of action, Vladimir Putin, which we'll show you below.
Newman began his career in the early 60s as a professional songwriter. Some of his earlier efforts were recorded by Eric Burdon, Dusty Springfield, Jackie DeShannon, Gene Pitney, Petula Clark, Harry Nillson and his old favourite from New Orleans, Fats Domino. In 1968 he released his first solo album on Reprise, and as the 70s rolled in, and singer-songwriters became de rigueur Newman was regarded as a recording artist of considerable significance. Some of his early albums like 12 Songs and Sail On, which featured accompaniment from the likes of Ry Cooder and various ex-Byrds and the like, are acknowledged classics of the era.
In anticipation of his Jan/Feb tour – his first Australian tour since 2011, ILYOS look as ten of the best from the incomparable Randy Newman.
I Think It's Gonna Rain Today
From Randy's 1968 self-titled debut, this song had already been recorded by Dusty Springfield, Bobby Darin, and Judy Collins. Covers by Bette Midler, Peggy Lee, Nin Simone, Joe Cocker, Neil Diamond, Francoise Hardy and UB40, to name but a few were still to come.
Sail Away
The title track from Randy's second album, which was cited as inspiration by Brian Wilson at the time. The song has also been recorded by Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt, Etta James and more recently Dave Matthews.
Political Science
Also from 1972's Sail Away, this song sounds like it could have been written last week. Love the verse about Australia. Newman is surely overdosing on political inspiration for his writing at the moment.
You Can Leave Your Hat On
A third track from Sail Away, and one of Randy's most famous songs, although most people don't know he wrote it. Joe Cocker's version is, of course, the best known, but Tom Jones and the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia are in the diaspora of other artists who've recorded it.
Rednecks
From Good Old Boys, the 1974 album in which Newman casts an eye on the Southern heritage that helped shape him. No, he was not impressed, but he doesn't resort to straight polemics, and he sees the Northern states as guilty as well, as you can hear in the opening verse. The album also includes the song "Guilty", later covered by Cold Chisel.
Short People
The big hit single. From 1977's Little Criminals, which also included a song about a child murderer. Surely Warren Zevon would not have got to make a record if Newman had broken ground for him.
I Love L.A.
From 1983's Trouble In Paradise. Sardonic and ambivalent, it was a hit in Australia and Nike used it in a campaign during the LA Olympics the following year.
You've Got A Friend in Me
From 1995's Toy Story, and undoubtedly one of the most recognizable film songs of the last quarter-century. The song "Strange Things", also sung from the perspective of the cowboy doll character Woody, is another wonderful song. Newman would score and write songs for all the Toy Story films.
Louisiana 1927
From 1974's Good Old Boys, this one looked at government deceit and negligence on the wake of the 1927 Mississippi River flood that devastated parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and it took on greater resonance – and received renewed attention - following the 2005 flooding of New Orleans.
Putin
A 2016 single that featured on 2017 Dark Matter. What can we say? It had to be written. I wonder how many of the 1 million-plus YouTube views were clocked up by President Trump?
Let's finish off with Randy's appearance on Family Guy!
For Randy's recent solo reworkings of a good number of classic songs from his repertoire, we suggest you listen to the three volumes of 2016's The Randy Newman Songbook, which have been collected for your listening pleasure.
