Sail Away

How? How is there more than one Randy Newman album on this list? I haven't gotten a single John Coltrane album, not a single Charles Mingus album, but I have now gotten two Randy Newman albums. Fuck Randy Newman. His voice sounds like an inflatable bear with a slow leak. It sounds like Satan talking after inhaling helium. It is the auditory version of sitting down too long until your sciatic nerve falls asleep. The worst part of any Randy Newman song is all of the fucking Randy Newman. 2/5. The only reason this is not a 1 is because I kinda like You Can Leave Your Hat On. Fuck Randy Newman

RaNdY NeWmAn DoEs DiSnEy SoNgS. What a weak, embarrassing take.

Not bad, but I just couldn't escape the feeling that I was listening to a Disney soundtrack.

He may not be the greatest singer, but Randy Newman is a brilliant songwriter and I think his voice works incredibly well with his writing style. At this point in his career, he's probably thought of mostly as a movie score/song composer. His ascerbic wit is on full display on this album. I think it's great even though my 2 favorite songs of his (Mama Told Me Not to Come and I Love LA) aren't on this record.

This was such a solid album. I was actually surprised with how much I enjoyed it and I look forward to listening to it again later. From the lyrics along, I really couldn't figure out if Mr. Newman was for or against religion, or perhaps specifically against organized religion? I really started to questions things at God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind). I may have to listen to the album a few times before I understand.

Sail Away is another addition to the long list of songs that could be a genre labeled "Talking to Americans" if Rick M didn't already own that title. It reminds me of seeing Springsteen and the biggest US flag imaginable dropped as he opened with Born in the USA. Of course if you just saw the flag and listened to the chorus, you might think the song was pro USA. Hell, Reagan invited Bruce to the White House to perform it. Sail Away contains a similar facade of the wonderful USA and if you don't know either the relevance of Charleston Bay or what the word "wog" means, you might replace your poppy with a Stars and Stripes lapel pin, put on your MAGA hat and go about about your day with blissful ignorance.

I’m not too familiar with Randy Newman and didn’t know what to expect. This album was a biting satire that sent up American exceptionalism and even flirted with the absurd. I’m also quite partial to Los Angeles orchestral pop so this album appealed to me musically as well. Overall this was a perfect album for me.

Yusss. It can take a while to ‘get’ Randy Newman or take him seriously, but once it clicks it’s worth it. There’s humour. There’s satire. There are piercing home truths and humdrum observations side-by-side. There’s a blend of orchestral/New-Orleans-y ragtime pop that you don’t really get from anyone else. I think what I like most is that while his default position might be mockery, I reckon there’s plenty of affection and sincerity too. There are enough classics here to guarantee a 4. Does the rest of the album push it into genuine 5-star territory? I’m not sure; but as a devout Randy fan there was always going to be some rounding up involved. Wish he’d stop cancelling gigs I’m supposed to go to though.

I love this album. Randy Newman is such a clever songwriter. Favorite song is Political Science

Singer/song-writers are not always the favorite for this reviewer. There is no exception here with Randy Newman. While the talent of putting music and words together is an oversimplification of what Randy Newman does here, the bottom line for this review is the question of "Why?" Why is this important? This album is track after track of walking into a conversation that has been happening for some time, no context, no circling back, each song having its own self-contained continuity stoking zero interest as to whether or not the listener should care to listen. Truthfully, the mindset going into this album was one of open-minded and intentional patience, but that only asked the second question: "How?" How is this important, and to what degree of impact did this have on the world of music? No denigration of Mr. Newman or his music is intended here, a limited number of humans have his talent to tell a story and play the piano at the same time. In terms of an album though, this would probably have more appreciation at a dive bar, or lounge, complete with spirits and smokes. By all means, this should not discourage someone else from listening to the album, it was simply not for this listener.

Randy is fun. I like when he observes things as they happen, or just says whatever comes to mind. A lovely “ear wash” after goddamn Slipknot

Randy Newman is a genius.

I really like this one! I would consider downloading this one for listening again.

Taken by complete surprise. The writing on here is just so ridiculously good. A real treat.

My first memory of Randy Newman was as a little kid and "Short People" was being played all over and I just didn't get it - why was this guy so mean to short people? Of course my dad had to explain the satire to me and once I got it, I loved it. That was pretty much the last I'd heard Randy Newman outside the random cut (e.g. "I Love L.A.") as he would never really again be played on my rock radio stations. So when I discovered this album "Sail Away" only a few years ago it blew me away. Starting off with the title track "Sail Away" is pure genius - one of the saddest songs I've ever heard for obvious reasons when you quickly realize what it's really about. I'm not sure I would have been able to appreciate this album when I was a little younger but I'm a huge fan - the music is tremendous; occasionally to me sounding like Broadway tunes for people who really don't like Broadway tunes (mea culpa). I enjoy the *sound* of this record - the clarity and simplicity of the production centered around Newman's piano and voice while accented by perfect accompaniments - of particular note is Ry Cooder's slide guitar on "Last Night I Had a Dream." And Newman is the rare songwriter who just through his unique voice actually makes me listen to the lyrics which are most often brilliantly satirical - poking fun at religion, nationalism, exceptionalism - fits comfortably in with my worldview :) As one who is mostly a rock fan first and foremost, I absolutely love everything about this album - perhaps because it gives me a curveball in my listening habits - and there are no missteps in this whatsoever. 9/10 5 stars.

God's Song nets this baby a 5 alone. Randy is the GOAT there are half a dozen classics on here

Unexpectedly Great!

I have lived with these songs since I was a kid. Part of the soundtrack of my life.

A songwriting masterclass. On the surface, it feels bright and smiley but there's darkness and shadows everywhere. This is what I want from a 70s LA record.

I’ve always thought that Randy Newman must have an incredible amount of hubris to sing his own songs. His voice sounds like he’s singing through a wad of cotton and marbles. Curious about who actually … like genuinely … likes this artist? Are you out there?

I love Randy Newman, probably one of the sharpest, cynical, funny songwriters in American popular music. That he can combine drollery with poignancy, often in the same song, is impressive; married to lovely, jazzy piano arrangements, it's stellar. Sure, he's got a funny voice. It fits the music. Would a song about the slave trade like 'Sail Away' fly today? It's probably too glib to suit today's climate, despite its brilliance. A great collection of characterful songs by one of the best to ever do it.

Oh I know this song. And this one. Oh he wrote this one too? Wowsers. I feel poorly educated for not knowing Randy Newman's catalogue. My bad. And having such a unique voice, what a talent. No need to keep your hat on Randy, go flaunt it.

I absolutely loved this album, and I had never heard it before. The arrangement was so clever, the lyrics were so wonderful and touching and thought provoking. I will definitely add this to my rotation.

This album is amazing, Randy Newman has such a talent at writing these beautiful, emotional pieces that’s probably why disney had him write so many soundtracks 10/10

Great lyrics, great mood, so chill, one of a kind voice

I had a previous Randy Newman album that kind of rubbed me the wrong way - felt like a cabaret Elvis Costello - so I was reticent when this came up - but this is a hooter of an album - clever witty fun - with my favourite song of the month Political Science firmly setting the scene. Loved it.

If you could take a New Yorker cartoon and turn it into music, it would be this.

This is not a great album but it is really funny because of how bad it is. He literally just observes things in his lyrics and it is so stupid. After listening to his other album on the list it made me dislike him and this album didn't do him any favors. Hopefully there are only 2 of these albums and I'll only hear him in Toy Story (WHERE RANDY BELONGS!).

Well, they say the world's your oyster Man, but oysters ain't for me You're the belle of the ball But you ain't my cup of tea They always vote you Best in Show But this doggie disagrees 'Cause I like life in Paddy's Pub... There's a place for me, it's the place I go Where the beer is cheap, and the lights are low It's Paddy's Pub I like Paddy's Pub Let the record show The greatest place to go Is that bar called Paddy's Pub... [Harmonica Solo] I like life in Paddy's Pub...

Have never been able to get into Randy Newman. All his songs sound exactly the same to me.

Can’t stand Randy Newman. He’s ruined most of Pixar.

Oh no not this MF again. Here we go toy storying again. I don’t like this guy, i gave his last album a two and i will give this one a 1. please stop putting this guy in front of me. my patience are starting to run thin

I’ve been a big fan of this album for years. As a nascent cynic, this one spoke to me when I first found a used copy. Memo to My Son is probably my favorite Randy Newman song.

A career best album. Political science is still an appropriate song now. Sail away is a beautiful lilting song. Simon smith and the dancing bear is funny and melodic. God's song is interesting especially in these heightened times when the regard for human life is so miniscule. Nearly all of newmans best songs on this album.

His voice is a little annoying, but the songs are absolute genius. You can't have everything. Political Science - prescient. It is a 5.

"Sail Away" is the third studio album by American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator Randy Newman. Orchestral pop and rock are the Wiki-listed genres. Yeah, it's somewhere near those two. Newman wrote all the songs and several of them had already been recorded by other artists and himself. The album was produced by Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman. Newman was lead vocalist and pianist and had a host of other musicians contribute. Commercially, the album reached #163 in the US and, critically, it was very well received. Strings and Newman's nasally vocals open "Sail Away." Piano and a melancholy vibe. A satirical take on presenting the American dream of a promised land to Black Africa in the slave running days. Newman originally wrote "Lonely at the Top" for Frank Sinatra but it actually applies to him as well. This time it's a variety of horns and circus-type music as the narrator repeats it's lonely at the top as he looks down on everybody else. Newman delivers a heartfelt song in "Old Man." The music is lavish with the strings. A sad tale of a son, his dying father and their inability to successfully say goodbye due to their lack of compassion. In "Political Science," Newman takes the point of view (POV) of America where he imagines that no one likes him and pokes fun at foreign countries and cities. So, let's just drop the big one. Unfortunately, there appears to be a number of current politicians who are taking this song at face value. It's hard to hear "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and not hear the Joe Cocker version. Well, this version is the most rocking song on the album with a traditional guitar, bass and drum band. And, of course, that repeating piano note. One of the few lyrically straightforward songs about desire/love/sex. The album closes with "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)." Stark with a piano and Newman's whispering voice. It's told from the POV of God as he hits mankind with plagues, squalor and misery and, yet, they continue their devotion and faith toward him; That's why he love mankind. This is a fantastic album. It has brilliant and mostly satirical lyrics told from a variety of points of view: Funny, sad, serious, heartfelt and, strangely enough, sometimes optimistic. The production and musical arrangements are excellent with the music matching the lyrical tones: strings, horns, piano and standard rock band instruments. The songs are short with the lyrics grabbing your attention from start to finish. The lyrics are some of the best that I've come across; Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello also come to mind. And with that, yes, a very high recommendation for a listen.

I love his biting tongue in cheek commentary. The way he puts down the American establishment's illusions of grandeur is both humorous and astute. There are also several very touching moments like the songs he dedicated to his father and a newborn son. Randy is a treasure.

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I guess I'd forgotten that Randy Newman did anything but Pixar movie music and "Short People," and that's too bad. These were songs to listen to again and again, each time finding those brilliant little hidden gotchas that lurk under the affable, delightful surface.

This is very fine storytelling. And not just in the lyrics. The music itself tells a story. It is no surprise that Newman has been so successful as a film composer. His songs themselves are cinematic. The opening and closing tracks are deviously beautiful: lovely melodies bring you in and then the lyrics kick you in the teeth. I'm sure I knew it at some point but maybe I'd forgotten that Newman wrote "You Can Leave Your Hat On." Listening to this album, it struck me how similar Randy Newman and Tom Waits are. I would love an album where they cover each other's tunes.

I think I've probably only heard Randy's music because of Toy Story, but this wasn't at all what I expected. Loved the satire.

Today I learned that Randy Newman wrote the song Mama Told Me Not to Come, which was a number one hit for Three Dog Night in 1970. However, the first recording of Mama Told Me Not to Come was on an Eric Burdon and the Animals release in 1967 called Eric Is Here. Besides Newman, Eric Is Here included songs written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King as well as Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. They would all later have songs on Dusty Springfield's Dusty In Memphis. It appears that when Sail Away was remastered and re-released in 2002, that someone decided to rotate the cover image 90 degrees to the right--so that Newman is looking left--and tint the entire thing red. Prior to that, the cover was tinted normally and Randy Newman was looking down. The change, to me at least, made the album look like Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. Blood on the Tracks, this is not. But it is a brisk, jaunty disk worth a listen. I know this is a well regarded album and appears on many best of lists. However, it was not a hit record. It looks to me like Randy Newman never had a hit album despite having hit songs. That, to me, is why he now has to slave away on Pixar soundtracks for Disney into his 80's. Poor guy.

4/5 - I needed to hear this so I could hear Randy Newman beyond animated soundtracks and "I Love LA," as well as pay attention to his smart, biting lyrics. You can just see the sideways grin he's giving with songs like "Political Science" and "Burn On.” I don't love his voice, but I'm jealous of his songwriting talent.

This guy is like if Weird Al Yankovic decided he hates the US. He's a really good songwriter with an almost painfully witty since of humor that rides the line between being too corny for its own good and being too real for its own good. I love the really Vaudeville or Cabaret-ish tracks like Lonely at the Top or Political Science. The best part is how well the album aged despite being from 1972. Much like all punk, funk, or anything else anti-establishment, a 53-year-old message is still just as real and relevant as it was 53 years ago.

I enjoyed this. Plinky plonky storytelling.

I might enjoy Mr Newman’s music during a panel discussion at the 92nd st Y, but I don’t ever need to listen to an album of his again.

Sail Away I think I preferred this to Good Old Boys, although I broadly feel the same; on some listens and with some songs it’s really engaging and with others it seems to pass me by. The comparisons with Nilsson are more apparent on this than Good Old Boys, and not that I need to prefer one to the other but I do find Nilsson’s version of vaudeville-pop-rock generally more engaging. Although Newman is probably more interesting lyrically, Nilsson is more interesting and varied musically and melodically, which helps the songs stick a bit better. There are some great songs on here though, probably more than on GOB. Sail Away is a real grower and a great track with a great sardonic lyric, He Gives Us All His Love has a lovely downbeat feel. Last Night I Had a Dream is a nice bluesy bit of rock pop, building and falling very nicely. Burn On (Major League!) and Dayton, Ohio 1903 are both great tracks along a similar theme. Memo to My Son has nice jauntiness and God’s Song is an excellent religious take down. Maybe I need more time to get into Randy Newman, there’s lots I do like and I could see myself getting into him, but I still can’t quite help zoning out from time to time and after 4 runs through I was keen to listen to something else. Although I preferred this to Good Old Boys I’m not sure it crosses into the 4s, so I’ll say a high 3. ⛵⛵⛵ Playlist submission: Burn On (because of Major League)

Un excellent album de la part de notre ami Randy. Mention spéciale à l'interlude précédant You Can Leave Your Hat On au cours duquel on entend Jean-Luc Reichmann s'écrier "C'est la question COOO... C'est la question IIIIIIIINE..... C'est la fameuse question coquine...." sous les applaudissements rythmés du public.

i want so badly to like randy newman but i think the best i can say is that this is less annoying than billy joel.

Not sure how to feel about this album. Randy’s a superb songwriter. This has been proven over and over again. Unfortunately, his voice is just subpar and listening to a whole album of him is clearly not for me. There’s some decent songs on here: Last Night I Had a Dream for one. Political Science is very cheeky, as is You Can Leave Your Hat On. Memo To My Son was cute and well constructed. But his voice!!!! Ugh, I don’t need to listen to 40 minutes of songs that sound like the bears from Splash Mountain. Just not my thing.

Well, musically it’s not a bad album when it comes to theatrical baroque pop, but I just don’t like Randy Newman or everything he represents.

Reminded me of a drunk guy singing to himself at a urinal. The instrumentals were decent but could not carry it; lyrics were funny at times. 3/10

I can only listen to someone sing about Ohio for so long.

I can't do it. He sounds like Spongebob drunk off ice cream at Goofy Goober's. 2 stars though because of Toy Story.

It definitely sounded like your drunk uncle performing on open-mic night with a bunch of songs he's "workshopping" as well as some tunes he seems to make up as he goes. Also, your uncle is finding his spirituality right now, so he's got faith and god in his heart and he just needs to share it with you. Sorry Unc. Didn't love it.

i don’t like songs about american patriotism, and i don’t like songs about god. fortunately for me, this album had both!

Really good resource to have on hand in case of serious insomnia.

Maybe it's the times we're in but I did not enjoy such an aggressively American album.

Toy Story Ass Music

+1 star because imagined it was Eric Cartman singing <3

So confused by this album, talks about serious adult stuff but sounds like I’m at a children’s fair.

croonalong

I cannot take an album by Randy Newman seriously.

I enjoy Randy Newman in small doses. This exceeded my USRDA serving for one sitting.

This sounds like the type of music you'd hear in a hotel lobby while you're checking out. Some dude in the corner playing the piano and "singing" songs that all sound the same. Randy Newman will forever be GOATed for his Toy Story soundtrack, but this album just ain't it.

In a parallel universe, where Randy Newman was never born, people never kept their hats on when having sex. The "hat" section of PornHub remained empty. The hat fetishists suffered greatly. It was, by all accounts, a miserable way to wank. Two permissions to wear a hat out of five 🎩🎩

I don’t understand Randy Newman. Is it actually music or is it a parody of music? A satire of music? It’s not Weird Al. It’s not Mark Russell. But it’s also not, not those things. Is Randy Newman a comedian? Is he a singer? What am I supposed to do with these “songs”? Am I supposed to go, “oh, what a clever turn of phrase” and chortle. Is listening to this “music” supposed to make me feel smart? Are these like MadTV sketches set to music? Is this a music review or a clever parody of a music review? Is this cynical social commentary on the absurdity of music reviews? Maybe it’s a loving homage to music reviews that satirizes their cliches but also exemplifies what they do best? Do you feel smart reading this? Call me Pixar, I hope I’ve passed the audition.

The “She's So Crazzzzzzzy, Love Her” meme, but in reference to your quirky Dad who tucks his t-shirts into his jorts, makes an exhausting number of puns, has a big love for a mid-tier game show like Deal or No Deal or Wheel of Fortune, and is probably on the spectrum, but we’ll never know, because he doesn’t believe in “that millennial crybaby shit.”

When I was a kid I genuinely believed that Randy Newman was mentally challenged, because of the way he sang. He sounded just like the Down’s syndrome kid down the street. I have never been able to shake this impression of Newman. No matter how well written and composed his music might be, to me he will always be ‘that special needs guy’.

I just can't get past my distain for Newman's singing voice

As a God fearing American, this was pretty g— Just kidding, this was boring and weirdly religious. Uncle Randy with the increasingly common L

I might have enjoyed this album more if I was not snowboarding. It was too slow for snowboarding

Sponsored by Disney

Randy Newman's songs are the music equivalent of a cartoon in the New Yorker. A slight sketch with political or social commentary that makes you go "hmm." They're all witty but sometimes they lack a fully fleshed out feel. Enjoyable but not fully satisfying in my opinion. Some topics he covered are probably a little poor in taste for a white man to sing about.

Newman and his honky-tonk, Ray Charles-dreaming piano, off-beat lyrics, drinking songs to intricate to drink to. Aiming for a wry smile.

Utter crap. Didn’t enjoy a single track. Sounded like it was a cartoon character or someone putting on silly voices.

this sucks! randy newman sucks! why were we inflicted with randy newman for so long! everyone's reaction to randy newman is always "oh yeah... randy newman.. huh" like he's just there by default. he doesn't have to be!

First song his voice sounded retarded. Second song better but why listen to this when tom waits exists? Ended up being not great. Some interesting songs, overall probably a 1.5.

Nothing randy about this album

Kinda boring at best. Maybe I would appreciate it more if I was a God-fearing American

I'm going to be honest, I have no clue who Randy is. It sounds like a demo tape for a dreary musical, penned and perfromed by a frustrated accountant in highly paid, but soul destroying day job. The musical is a one man show about a miserable dude stuck in a highly paid, but soul destroying day job. It is delivered by a man that is absolutely living that role. Because he is. It inludes the original version of "You can leave your hat on" which sounds like a really miserable, midi backed tribute. Miserable. It's all miserable.

Gotta 😆 in the first 10 seconds I heard “you Got a Friend “ in my mind and BAM it is the same artist!!

F'n Randy Newman... just... no. Even I have some standards.

Some musicians you can spot from hearing the tone of their instruments, Randy Newman you can tell by reading the premise of his songs: 1. The pitch of an American slave trader to Africans in Bonny, off the west coast of Nigeria. The slaver sings a song about the wonderful life to be had in Charleston. 2. The final farewell of an atheist father to his atheist son. 3. American politicians gleeful discussing "dropping the big one" and remaking all countries in America's image.  4. The beauty of Cleveland - especially when the Cuyahoga River catches fire from pollution. 5. A disappointed dad who doesnt understand why his dumb son doesnt listen to his advice...only to reveal that all of his advice are just cliche'd platitudes.  6. A song where God tells humanity that they are suckers for putting their faith in him.  You don't have to know much, but if I tell you those premises, you have a good shot at guessing those are Randy Newman tunes. I think the guy is retroactively getting some love these days, but I think this album remains underrated. 

Again an example I have had in my closet for fifteen years or so and never liked a lot. I was wrong. It's full of gems, the songwriting is incredible and the performances sometimes beautiful. I love the obvious jewish influences, most of all on 'It's lonely at the top'. But the absolute highlight for me is the wonderful 'Memo to my son' - what an astonishingly beautiful melody, however simple (it's an E-chord). I can understand why I never really liked it. Newman is obviously a better songwriter that a singer, and 'You can leave your hat on' for me has been totally f**cked up by the horrible Joe Cocker. But this is first class songwriting.

I enjoy Randy's biting satire set to music. While this style of music isn't everyday listening type stuff for me it's obvious how talented he is. Lots of really great tunes on this one.

Having a little chuckle while the orchestra swells

I loved the nostalgic feel, the lyrics had meaning and the vocals where wonderful. I loved every song for many different reasons.

I was not familiar with Randy Newman's game

Have and love this album

This album blew my socks off back in 1972. Still does. Such brilliant and unique songwriting and arrangements. Newman’s wicked and biting sense of humor floors me. The best.

the first song and title of the album........................................oof Drop the big one is darkly funny

I really liked this album..it's awesome ! I mostly knew randy newman because of movie music but this is a great album of singer/songwriter with some awesome orchestral passages. I also really love his voice. Has some.tom waits vibes to it very good !

Here's a line that won't surprise you: for most of my life, I knew Randy Newman exclusively as the guy who wrote songs and score for early Pixar movies. If you were to try to talk to me at all about Randy Newman and sailing, I'd immediately think of Buzz Lightyear. That's not an uncommon association for someone of my generation and beyond to have. (There's also the more embarrassing fact that I also knew Randy Newman from the Nostalgia Critic's jokes about him, which, from what I later heard, were stolen from FAMILY GUY: "Foxes / They like lookin' at bags / Then they walk away / So their tails are gonna wag / YoupayRandynow.") But of course, there's way more to Randy Newman than writing music for movies about toys. At some point in my life, I'd learned that if you knew Randy Newman at all, you'd know his **real work** was **nothing** like what he did for Pixar. Musically, no; but lyrically? Oh, no. No, no, no. Randy's pen was **way** sharper and satirical than "You've Got A Friend In Me" would give him credit for. I mean, gawd, "Political Science" from this album is about American politicians wanting to nuke every other country on the planet (besides Australia) because none of them like America. "Sail Away", I'm pretty sure, is about the lie white people tried to sell black people in the slave trading days, and I didn't even realize that until the closing seconds. And those are the most extreme examples, sure, but even on a subtler level, on a song like "He Gives Us All His Love" — that's a song about how awful things happen on Earth, and how people pray to God to try to get Him to do something about it, but all He offers is "His love." (It's on such a subtle level, even, that there's people've covered it sincerely and unironically — though if they'd heard "God's Song" at the end...) And this is a lot about the lyrics already, far more than I normally write. I've expressed many times before that, thanks to being AuDHD, I am not a lyrics person. Most lyric-driven albums bounce right off me, leaving more often than not to just kinda shrug about how the backing instrumentation is fine — or, worse case, it's a singer-songwriter folk album and the backing is just a single guitar doodling along in a loop. So, what is it about this album, exactly, then, that got me to pay so close attention? Let's compare this stuff to the average Bob Dylan recording — specifically, the generic idea of a Bob Dylan recording. On a Dylan song, the lyrics are usually dense as hell. Often, they seem to require a literary degree to even come close to understanding them. These aren't lyrics for doing; they're lyrics for sitting down and pondering, and that's why I've always struggled with them. Meanwhile, Randy Newman's lyrics aren't complex. They're poetic, yes, but they never go so deep with the metaphor that they burrow right under me. It's **understandable**. And again: they are **sharp** lyrics, and **very** witty. Well, OK, maybe not **all** the time; "You Can Leave Your Hat On" didn't do much for me. But the songs I mentioned earlier, and something like "Old Man"... Now **those** are lyrics that'll leave an impact on me, way more than any gobblegook Dylan's thrown at me. Seriously, "Old Man" is a kinda track where you gotta take a pause afterwards like "DAMN..." Then there's the other side of things, the one I normally focus on: the music and instrumentation. It's another area where your typical Dylan song has done me wrong: more often than not, it's a single acoustic guitar with **maybe** a harmonica coming in to squank between verses as a break. **Very** not interesting if you respond better to melody. Like, even Dylan's electric stuff, though imbued with more energy and melody than his strictly acoustic stuff, doesn't really hit as well as I'd want it to; it's still just meant as backing for the lyrics. And that's not to say that the stuff on Newman's album isn't just meant to be backing, either; it can be just as sparse as a Dylan song generically is. But I'll say it: I like the piano better. The piano is a more melodic instrument, and Newman plays it beautifully. Plus: the orchestration. Oh, lordy me, the orchestration. I am such a sucker for orchestral music in pop (or whatever you'd call what Newman does), and this hits all the right spots for me. **This shit** elevates the lyrics and then some. Jus'... Ah, if a lot of it just don't leave me in a quiet state of ponderation. Goodness. I suppose I shouldn't be as surprised as I am that I liked this album so much: I think I kind of always figured that I'd find his music as good as this whenever I did check it out. But to the extent that I did like it? Damn. I still wanna say so much more about this album, but I think I've pretty much run out of words... Just dang. In fact, y'know what? I've only given it one listen so far, but honestly: I'd go so far as to say that I love this album. It's just... B'woof, man. If it ain't some of the finest satirical writing I've ever heard, and anything that can get me paying attention enough to the lyric writing to compliment it like that... That deserves so much credit, you don't even know. So, yeah, Newman. Without a doubt, unless I'm forgetting something, this is the best singer-songwriter album from this list. For sure, you've got a friend in me, Newman.

This is the 122nd album I’m rating. I only know him from Toy Story and Short People. Adding to my Playlist - Sail Away, Lonely at the Top, He Gives us all his Love, Last Night I had a Dream, Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear, Old Man, Political Science, Burn On, Memo to my Son, Dayton, Ohio - 1903, You Can Leave Your Hat On, and God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind). Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. All in all I liked 12/12 songs. I can see why Pixar picked him this album is great.

Randy Newman is another of of those songwriters who occupies a space all his own. The humor of his lyrics doesn’t make them any less biting or even, at times, vicious. Every song on this album is a classic.

There goes Randy Newman again singn' 'bout what he sees...and I have no qualms about this

Another banger in a row.

God level.

Amazing. Lyrics usually go over my head so I’m lower on legends like Cohen etc but for some reason Newman’s always hit me hard. He tackles tough themes while providing a beautiful unique sound behind it. Rating: 4.7