Randy Newman, 71 today, mocked discrimination in his most popular song “Short People”
By Stephen Pate – Randy Newman is 71 today, born November 28, 1943 to modest parents but illustrious film composer uncles Alfred Newman and Lionel Newman.
In “Short People” after seemingly picking on people with the physical distinction of being “short”, Newman breaks into a chorus of love and inclusion.
“Short people are just the same
As you and I
(A fool such as I)
All men are brothers
Until the day they die
(It’s a wonderful world)”
Newman sang the virtues of tolerance then followed immediately with a reversion to intolerance. It was easy to get confused by the song’s message.
“Short people got nobody
Short people got nobody
Short people got nobody
To love” (“Short People” by Randy Newman copyright)
His attempts are rock stardom were blocked by his wry intelligence, musical, and satirical songs delivered with an idiosyncratic style. Newman used humor to point out discrimination, racism, bigotry and the divide between rich and poor.
Randy Newman is an enigma who created great music his own way and with it a cult-like following.
Randy Newman earned more success composing film scores with 2 Academy Awards and 20 nominations. He won for 2011 Best Original Song “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3 and 2002 Best Original Song “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters, Inc although even here his humor mocked his own win to loss ratio.
Randy Newman won Grammy’s for the music in Toy Story 3, Cars, Monsters Inc., Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life and The Natural. Odd how he has won so many awards for animated movies but that is Hollywood. He also has Emmy’s for Cop Rock and 2 for Monk.
Obviously film and video composing is his career but popular music, recording and performance are his passions that he carries out with singular independence. We always count on Randy Newman for something different, sardonic, sarcastic and witty.
Randy Newman just completed a month of touring in the United States.
Randy Newman’s greatest hit was Short People off the Little Criminals
Sail Away
Sail Away is a fantasy look at America as pitched by a slave trader to slaves coming from West Africa. The song sounds like a ballad until you listen to the lyrics.
I Love L.A.
In I Love L.A., Randy Newman is one part LA lifestyle critic and another part passionate local boy celebrating the joys of the West Coast.
This is one of my favourite songs demonstrating Newman’s ambivalence towards the luxury and grime of Los Angeles. The song plays both side of the fence, always rocking out.
It was one of the first 5 CDV’s I bought with my laserdisc player in 1988 and the video glistens.
Laserdiscs were a big improvement over VHS tapes. A Laserdisc has 420 lines of vertical resolution which took a decade to better with the 480 line DVD. Laserdisc sound is still better than most DVDs since they have an uncompressed analog track.
I love the line “big nasty redhead by my side” – my wife is a redhead. She gets the joke. The video for the song portrays an inviting lifestyle while driving in a convertible with the redhead listening to The Beach Boys. Ah, the good life!
Randy Newman to collect
Other than Little Criminals
- Trouble in Paradise
– (Amazon.ca Canada)
has “I Love L.A.” among other songs. - Best of Randy Newman
– (Amazon.ca – Canada)
on Rhino is a good choice if you don’t want to get in too deep but want the hits.
- An interesting choice is
Nilsson Sings Newman: 30th Anniversary Deluxe Ed– (Amazon.ca – Canada)
where Harry Nillson covers Newman.
- Randy Newman wrote plenty of hits for other artists with 26 early songs on On Vine Street: The Early Songs of Randy Newman
– (Amazon.ca – Canada)
.
I can never hear enough Randy Newman. Life may suck sometimes but Randy Newman remembers to put the humor back into life. We need that to survive.
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