Randy Newman and Humor That Hurts

Aug 15, 2006 12:10 AM Filed in: Now Playing
RandyNewman
These days most people know Randy Newman for his Academy award winning cheery, lovely, and sometimes wistful soundtracks to cartoons such as Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. and nostalgic movies such as Seabiscuit. But Randy has been writing music for many, many years now, and one shouldn't be fooled by his nice guy, child friendly, cartoon persona. His gentle and loving humor can quickly turn into biting sarcasm, and his music often drips with a harsh and sometimes brutal social commentary that has rarely (if ever) been matched in American pop music. Just ask the good citizens of Cleveland, Ohio who have spent decades being embarassed by a song Randy Newman wrote concerning the night of June 22, 1969 when the badly polluted Cayahoga river caught fire and burned. He is not a great singer, and he may not even be that great a piano player, but Randy Newman is a poet and an artist. He has the bothersome habit of seeing us as we are, and, whether we like it or not, his small jewel-like songs filled with those simple, haunting, and beautiful melodies hold the mirror up to us and force us to see ourselves in the harsh light of day.

It's difficult deciding where to start, but here are a handful of Randyisms for you to listen to for yourself. Don't be afraid to laugh, even if it hurts a little.
TheRandyNewmanSB1
When She Loved Me
Sail Away
The Great Nations of Europe
Political Science
I Think It's Going To Rain Today
The World Isn't Fair
Old Man
Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear
Louisiana 1927
Burn On
Avalon
He Gives Us All His Love