Randy Fucking Newman?!! Yes, Randy Fucking Newman!!!

I am a relatively young person. My parents have very varied taste in music. Basically my father hated what my mother liked and she was pretty OK with anything he was into. My father told me for most of my life that most of what was on the radio was "Pop Trash". I believed 99.9% of everything my father told me (and tells me for that matter). After all, this was that man who played my "Electric Ladyland" in the womb, the guy who showed me the Woodstock movie (or rather fast forwarded to Santana's performance of "Soul Sacrifice"). So, when I started getting into Pop Music in the general sense he was very critical. I can distinctly remember listening to Harry Nilsson and him telling me "I didn't even listen to this crap in the 70's".


Last night I had the pleasure of witnessing a taping of Elvis Costello's TV show "Spectacle" and the guest where John Prine, Lyle Lovett and Ray Lamontagne. No exactly a bill I'd run to go see, but I am interested in John Prine and fucking love Elvis Costello (and it was free, thanks Heidi & Mindy!). While Elvis was interviewing Lyle Lovett they discussed influences and Randy Newman came up.

I had had Randy Newman recommended to me by one of my favorite songwriters who I happen to know. Of course, being a relatively young person I associated Randy Newman with Toy Story and later that Family Guy skit. I basically wrote it off the way I wrote off Burt Bacharach (like an asshole because Burt Bacharach is a genius). I downloaded "Short People" a few months ago and enjoyed it thoroughly, but left it at that. It's too obvious that I would love a song hating on short people being a short person and hating myself more than most people can imagine.

This morning I remembered the song "Rednecks" and watched a clip of it on youtube. On the sidebar was another song from the same set called "God's Song". Expecting another comical satire I clicked on it and sat back. The next few minutes embarrassed me more for not having taken this amazing songwriter into account until just today. On every level this specific song knocked me on my ass.

Many people who have had the misfortune of hearing me speak about must extensively will hear me say "[insert album,song or performance] changed my life, it changed the way I walk the way I breathe etc etc". I don't think that this even happening several times makes it any less special. In fact, I feel lucky that I am changed and moved by so many things. "God's Song" is no exception.

I am listening to the full album "Sail Away" for the 5th time in a row right now on headphones while I type. Almost hoping the mystique and allure will wear off and I can delete all this and just write about Zappa, Beefheart or Mingus or Duke Ellington, but no... this shit is just amazing.

There's nothing wrong with having alley in my eyes, and biting, satirical, witty songwriting that is easily misunderstood is right up my fucking alley.

WOW, that was a lot to type out just to say "Give Randy Newman a chance, he's really worth it", I guess that why I called the blog "Music Ramble"