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Why Randy Newman Will Always Be Relevant
I think the first time I listened to Randy Newman I was in my early teens. After listening to a track or two, my Dad sat me down and had what I like to call the "satire talk." "The things that this man says in his songs, he doesn't necessarily mean," my Dad explained. "Most of the time, he means the opposite."
To me, this conversation was simply pointing out the obvious. Who would actually believe that we should simply bomb all other nations in the world, as Newman suggests in "Political Science?" However, a simple survey of youtube comments will present you with the depressing fact that a surprisingly large number of people don't seem to understand satire. Of course, not all of Newman's songs are satire; in fact, some of the best songs that he's written, such as "Marie" and "Feels Like Home," are anything but satire. But Newman's satirical songs seem to have taken on a life of their own, especially in recent years. It seems that as long as there are people who don't understand satire, Newman continue writing songs that will confuse and offend them.
The most recent offering from Newman certainly lives up to the high standard he has set for himself. I could describe it here, but I'd rather let the song speak for itself. I'm also curious what people think of it. Do you find it offensive (and why)? Does it live up to his older material?
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Comment by Bill Kuhn on September 20, 2012 at 4:32pm -
new track very nice. Old tracks, very nice. Disney/Pixar schmaltz, not so much. Sorry, but he lost me there for a looong time
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Comment by Easy Ed on September 21, 2012 at 1:18pm -
No...it certainly didn't offend me at all. Found it humorous for the first 90 seconds, and then got a bit bored to be honest. As a song goes, its not all that much in terms of anything else he's ever done. Same stylistic piano, same voice, same twist, same turns. The line about not believing in evolution threw me, because I'm not sure if he's in character or being the narrator. As far as relevancy, this may be four years late. On the other hand, at least Randy has balls and steps up. What disappoints me is the lack of other songs and musicians and writers and journalists to point out that at the core of a lot of the discontent with Barrack Obama, it is simply the color of his skin.
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Comment by Hazy Davy on September 25, 2012 at 8:23am -
This is probably an odd thing to have struck me upon reading your post, Alex, but can I just say kudos to your Dad for taking the time to talk to you about the subject matter, regardless of whether it was "stating the obvious" or not. I thought it was great that he was concerned about the message you were getting and took the time to actually have a conversation with you about it.
I think you need to give him a call and thank him for that.
As for Randy, I wish he'd be as offensive as he used to be. And the fact that there were people who didn't get it was half the fun.
Maybe more than half.
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Comment by SlimHadley on September 26, 2012 at 6:30am
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It's witty & cute, without being flat-out mean in it's approach. Well-done! Liked the video of some of the old presidents. Interesting to figure who some of them were, as I didnt always catch the lyrical references to them.
People's discontent with President Obama, re: Easy Ed's comment, is misguided. Ed's probably correct in pointing out, as does Mr Newman, that many people with less melanin n their skin are uncomfortable (or outraged) that a more-heavily pigmented person is the president. But it goes further than that. People seem to want politicians to do things for them, to give them things, to solve their problems for them so that they dont have to do it.
Good example: at work I heard a young white girl talking with a middle-aged black lady about importance of voting. Young white girl says: "What's he gonna do for me?" Older lady had perfect answer: "What are YOU going to do for YOURSELF?"
There's the problem in a nutshell. Rich want politicians to do them favors, poor want politicians to do them favors. Everybody seems to want something GIVEN to them,want their problems solved by someone else. No one wants to work to solve their own problems (whether self-created or otherwise), because if one someone ELSE tries to solve their problems & fails, then those people can be blamed & the person wth the problem doesn't have to take personal responsibility- they can be blameless!
There's still a vast racial divide in USA, & generally I see that whites think Obama is taking care of "his own". Just as I see that Romney would take care of "his own"- the Rich. I dont think Obama is that narrow in his focus. Romney doesnt seem to have shown me otherwise in his focus, however.
We all need to look to our own inner strengths, cultivate our abilities to solve our own problems & achieve what we want to achieve in this life. We need to stop thinking someone else is there to be a scapegoat for our own failings due to our own fears of failure, ennui & general laziness. We need to wake up to the fact that it's up TO US to better ourselves, if that is indeed what we want.
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Comment by Easy Ed on September 26, 2012 at 7:17am
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@Slim: I wish somehow we could all eliminate the word politician and focus on what the job responsibility is: public service. This concept you lay out of "no one wants to work to solve their own problems" is neither true nor speaks to the issue. We live in a society that relies on our government to keep the wheels moving, to represent the rights of all people, and to mediate disputes and solve problems and remove obstacles. We have morphed that concept into this notion that those in need are looking for handouts and favors, and that the Democrats support that and the Republicans are against it. At the core is money and power...how we manage it and who gets it. But I need to get back to your statement that "we all need to look to our own inner strengths, cultivate our abilities to solve our own problems & achieve what we want to achieve in this life." Tell that to the veteran returning from war who needs medical care. And the eighty-five year old widow who can't work anymore, who doesn't have a home to live in or a family that will take care of her. Or the woman whose partner of forty years is laying in a hospital bed but she can't visit her because their relationship is not recognized as legal. Or the inner city kid whose school doesn't have books, musical instruments, athletic gear, computers or heat in the winter. "We need to stop thinking someone else is there to be a scapegoat for our own failings due to our own fears of failure, ennui & general laziness" is a statement that gets cheers at rallies and thumbs up at the barbershop or bar, but it's not grounded into a workable reality nor is it very charitable. I'll admit to not being a religious man as I focus more on spirituality, but the Bible does often offer us wisdom. "Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor." Sounds like good advice to me.
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Public service. My wife pointed that out as the key to what you're referring to. There are indeed people who need help in our skewed, Capitalist, to-the-victor-go-the-spoils society. I was going to the personal (my own life experience), & missing your point that there are those among us who were born into no advantages.
My comments that you quote are what I live by. I look to myself to solve my problems-they are mine, after all! I cultivate my own inner strengths & abilities to achieve in life. I took it to the personal. You are looking at the public. I apologize for misunderstanding! I am not a Rich Man, nor a Conservative or a Republican nor a Tea Partier. Nor a religious or spiritual man. I do have great respect for your musical thoughts & views on Life.
Sorry for going to the personal when you were referring to the public.
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Comment by Easy Ed on September 27, 2012 at 7:37am
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@Slim: All's well. Keep on the sunny side.
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