Randy Newman can probably write songs like this one in his sleep, but that doesn’t stop it from being freaking awesome. It’s amazing how much mileage he can get out of a jaunty New Orleans musical backdrop and some conversational lyrics.
For me, the genius of this song comes right in the first verse, when Newman says/sings “She may be hungry, but she won’t say. You better get a burger or something in her right away. If you don’t, you’re gonna pay.”
Here’s an odd little song from Randy Newman’s 1988 album Land of Dreams.
This album, the only studio record Newman released between 1983 and 1999, is a bit of a mixed bag. It starts off with his most autobiographical work — several songs that describe his childhood in New Orleans.
Better known are the late-album tracks ‘It’s Money that Matters’ and ‘I Want You to Hurt Like I Do,’ each with Newman’s typical satirical edge. Also featured is ‘Masterman and Baby J,’ Newman’s ill-advised parody (I think) of a rap song.
My next ‘Piano Man’ is one of the all-time greats… Randy Newman. Newman has had such a long and varied career, alternating between biting satire and Disney movie scores, that it seems silly to pin him down into specific categories.
But that’s not going to stop me.
Newman got his start in the Brill Building tradition, writing elegant, soaring pop ballads for the likes of Dusty Springfield and Peggy Lee.
Randy Newman is the first repeat artist on my 70s list (though he won’t be the last). As I said in my write-up of his 12 Songs album, this decade featured him at his finest.
And for my money, 1972’s Sail Away — Newman’s fourth album — remains his finest moment on record. Alternately biting, sweet and sad, this collection lifted the idea of popular songwriting to a whole new level. These songs feel more like literature.
Randy Newman has released just 10 studio albums over the past 44 years, and half of those were produced in the 70s. In subsequent decades he turned his attention to film scores (with 20 Oscar nominations to show for it) while putting out a brilliant, acerbic record every seven or eight years.
But his most lasting work comes from his most prolific decade as a singer-songwriter. And 12 Songs, his second album, is a resonant, understated glimpse of his genius at work.
Meet Me In Montauk 