Randy Newman

Singer, songwriter, piano

For the Record…

Selected discography

Sources

Grammy award-winning musician Randy Newman attained prominence by using humor, irony, and cynicism to draw attention to society’s ills, such as prejudice, materialism, and racism, in addition to the absurdities and ironies of life. For example, he took on the personae of apartheid-supporting South Africans with “Christmas in Capetown,” insecure homophobics in “Half a Man,” and Southern bigots in “Rednecks.” Newman, who thrives on misinterpretation, set his sometimes misunderstood lyrics to music ranging from rock and roll, folk, pop, ragtime, blues, and soul to lounge piano, orchestra, and big band. Most people remember him for his sole top 40 hit in 1977, “Short People,” a song which also angered many small listeners who did not realize his aim was to attack prejudice in general. As he stated in an interview with Scott Benarde in the Baltimore Jewish Times, “If I died tomorrow, my tombstone would say, ‘Composer of” Short People “and others.’ That’s the way it is…. ‘Short People’ was the worst hit I could have. I had the worst tour when it was out. No one came—and I got death threats.” Other recognized songs brought to life by Newman include “I Love L.A.,” “I Love to See You Smile,” “You Can Leave Your Hat On” (a song that angered many women’s groups), and Three Dog Night’s hit single “Mama Told Me Not to Come.” And recording artists like Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Dusty Springfield, Manfred Mann, Eric Burden, and Ringo Starr all called upon Newman for material.

However, Newman’s accomplishments extend beyond his own recordings of sarcastic, witty songs and his compositions for legendary musicians. He also composed numerous songs for movie soundtracks, including Awakenings, Forrest Gump, and the animated film Toy Story, and wrote a musical called Faust in 1995. In all, Newman has earned 12 Academy Award nominations, but he has never taken home the prize. Although he focused much of his energy on composing music for Hollywood films during the 1980s until the mid-1990s, Newman returned to his solo work in 1999, releasing his first album of new songs since 1988’s Land of Dreams. In addition to the release of his most recent record, Bad Love in 1999, Newman also received an astonishing three nominations for composing film scores for Babe: Pig in the City, A Bug’s Life, and Pleasantville (all released in 1998), but again went home empty handed.

Newman was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November, 1943. His father, Irving, was a physician who practiced internal medicine and a veteran of World War II, while his mother, Adele, stayed at home to care for Newman and his younger brother Alan, who also pursued a career in medicine. Newman’s interest in music formed at an early age, and several members of his family were already respected professionals within the recording

For the Record…

Born November 28, 1943, in New Orleans, LA; son of Irving Newman (a physician) and Adele Newman (a homemaker); younger brother, Alan, a physician; married first wife, Roswitha, 1966; (divorced 1989); married second wife, Gretchen, c. 1992; children (from first marriage): Amos, born 1968; Eric, born 1971; John, born 1978. Education: Studied music composition at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Worked in music publishing and wrote own music; released debut album Randy Newman, 1968; continued to release solo recordings throughout the 1970s, including Sail Away, 1972; Good Old Boys, 1974; Little Criminals, 1977; and Born Again, 1979; focused on movie soundtracks for much of the 1980s with scores such as The Natural, 1984, and Parenthood, 1989; released acclaimed solo album Land of Dreams, 1988; nominated for three Academy Awards at the same time for film scores for Babe: Pig in the City, A Bug’s Life, and Pleasantville, 1998; released first solo project since Land of Dreams entitled Bad Love, 1999.

Addresses: Home —Pacific Palisades, CA. Record company—DreamWorks, 9268 W. Third St., Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

business and Hollywood film industry. Alfred Newman, one of his uncles, received 45 Academy Award nominations and won nine during his career, scoring such films as How Green Was My Valley, The Robe, and The Grapes of Wrath, in addition to heading the music department at 20th Century Fox. When Alfred retired from his post at the film studio, Newman’s other uncle (Alfred’s brother), Lionel, succeeded him. Another uncle and brother to Alfred and Lionel, Emil, penned music for dozens of films during his lifetime as well. Later, two of Newman’s cousins found success writing in Hollywood; David scored The War of the Rosesand I Love Trouble, while Thomas worked onthe films Desperately Seeking Susan and The Shawshank Redemption. “I was about four or five when I had my first memories of my uncles. Uncle Alfred did All About Eve in 1951, and I remember that. I remember The Gunfighter, Yellow Sky and I was on stage for The Robe when I was a little boy,” Newman recalled to Brett Anwar in the Sunday Telegraph. “I can remember having to be very quiet while he conducted the big orchestra on the soundstage. I realized it was something to do with what I wanted to do, and I was lucky because it was such a great orchestra, and I had the sound in my ear very early. Live, it’s a very impressive thing to hear.”

Although Newman considered himself fortunate to have been exposed to such experiences as a child, his early life included it’s share of difficulties as well. During the time his family lived in Louisiana, he often felt isolated by his Jewish heritage, although his parents never actively practiced the spiritual aspect of the religion (his father, as well as Newman himself, defined themselves as atheists). Moreover, Newman suffered problems with his eyes and vision from the time of his birth. “It was tough for him having the problem with bad eyes,” longtime friend and frequent producer Lenny Waronker told Susan Toepfer in People. “It wasn’t just that he had to wear glasses, he also had to have surgery.” Beginning at age five, Newman underwent four operations to correct his severely crossed eyes. Newman, who felt shunned by other children and frequently endured teasing by peers, recalled to Toepfer, “School was painful. It was not the best time of my life, like they said it was going to be…. I’ve had a low opinion of myself since childhood. I’m hard on myself.” Later, Newman, ordinarily contemptuous of personal revelation in music, would document these emotional hardships on his 1988 release Land of Dreams in songs like “Dixie Flyer,” “New Orleans Wins the War,” and “Four Eyes.”

Around 1948, when Newman was about five years old, his father returned to New Orleans after serving in World War II and moved the family to Los Angeles, California, where Newman spent the remainder of his childhood. After studying music composition at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), he worked in music publishing for awhile before turning to writing his own lyrics and composing at the piano. In 1968, he released his self-titled debut album. Though critics in general complained about Newman’s overworked orchestrations, the record contained the notable songs “Davy the Fat Boy”and “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today.”

Throughout the 1970s, Newman enjoyed a prolific and critically successful solo career, releasing acclaimed records such as the sardonic Sail Away, where Newman plays a huckster enticing slaves to America in the album’s title track and advocates dropping the atomic bomb in “Political Science;” as well as Good Old Boys, a concept album about the South that celebrates redneck ignorance. During the 1980s, at the same time he started focusing more on film scores, Newman managed to record two more noteworthy albums.

In 1995, Newman took another direction in his career by writing his first musical called Faust, a twisted adaptation of Wolfgang von Goethe’s classic epic drama set in South Bend, Indiana. In Newman’s adaptation, God, a corporate CEO who carries a PowerBook, and Lucifer, a cynic, battle for the soul of Henry Faust, a college student in his third year as a freshman at Notre Dame. “I wanted to try one [a musical], just to see if I could do it,” he told Michelle Green and Lorenzo Benet in an interview with People magazine. “I did a couple of songs and an embryonic version of the book and put it aside until 1993 to earn a living.” Audiences and critics alike agreed that Newman could indeed write a musical. The companion album to the work featured a cast of well-known musicians, including James Taylor and Elton John.

After this, Newman went back to scoring for Hollywood and also wrote material for a new album. In the meantime, the songwriter released Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman, an album which spans his entire career and includes hits he wrote for other musicians, such as “Mama Told Me Not to Come” and “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” as well as music he previously recorded himself, such as “Short People” and “I Love L.A.” With his next solo release, 1999’s Bad Love, Newman explored the peculiarities of living in the 1990s with his trademark New Orleans piano sound and included both love tunes and biting commentaries. “On the magnificently dispiriting Bad Love,” wrote Rob Tannenbaum in Rolling Stone, “the fifty-five-year-old pianist reprises his blend of rock bluster, blues shuffles and classic dissonance, and introduces a vivid new batch of fools: rich older men who beg for younger girls’ notice or nap blankly in the shade of a big-screen TV; chronic liars; hurtful exes; uncomprehending couples; and, in ‘I’m Dead (But I Don’t Know It),’ rock stars who tour long past their expiration date.” The record, concluded critics, was sure to become another Newman classic.

Newman lived with his parents until he married at age 23, to a German-born woman, Roswitha. They had three sons together: Amos, born in 1968, Eric, born in 1971, and John, born in 1978. The couple separated in 1985 and divorced in 1989. The news that the marriage ended surprised many, because Newman always credited his first wife with keeping him on the right creative path throughout his productive career. Nevertheless, Newman and Roswitha remained close friends. Roswitha remarried in 1992, and Newman later married a second time to Gretchen.

Newman’s father died of cancer in 1990, just 18 months after his mother passed away. Throughout his life, Newman always struggled for his father’s approval. “We were close, but there was a contentiousness in our relationship,” he confided to Green and Benet. Sometime in 1985, doctors diagnosed Newman with an illness known as Epstein-Barr, a virus that leaves victims depressed and fatigued. But with changes in his diet and rest, the musician gradually gained control of his condition. Following the release of Bad Love and a 14-date tour in the fall of 1999, Newman planned to work on the soundtrack for the sequel to Toy Story. “I love an orchestra,” Newman explained to Marc Shulgood of the Denver Rocky Mountain News. “That’s the reason I got into film scores. Plus, I respond well to specific assignments, to solving technical problems that come up all the time.” Nonetheless, Newman regards himself as a songwriter first and foremost and intended not to let so much time pass before producing another solo record. “I hope never to go very long again [between albums],” Newman said to Jane Stevenson of the Toronto Sun. “Unless I think I’m really not as good and then I’ll quit, which is possible.”

Selected discography

Albums

Randy Newman, Reprise, 1968.

12 Songs, Reprise, 1970.

Randy Newman Live, Reprise, 1971.

Sail Away, Reprise, 1972.

Good Old Boys, Reprise, 1974.

Little Criminals, Warner Brothers, 1977.

Born Again, Warner Brothers, 1979.

Trouble in Paradise, Warner Brothers, 1983.

Lonely at the Top, WEA International, 1987.

Land of Dreams, Reprise, 1988.

Faust, Reprise, 1995.

Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman, Warner Brothers, 1998.

Bad Love, DreamWorks, 1999.

Soundtracks

The Natural, Warner Brothers, 1984.

Down and Out in Beverly Hills, MCA, 1986.

Major League, Curb, 1989.

Parenthood, Reprise, 1989.

Avalon, Reprise, 1990.

Awakenings, Reprise, 1990.

Blaze, A&M, 1990.

Forrest Gump, Epic, 1994.

Maverick, Atlantic, 1994.

Walt Disney’s Toy Story, Disney, 1995.

Walt Disney Pictures Presents James and the Giant Peach, Disney, 1996.

Babe: Pig in the City, 1998.

A Bug’s Life, Disney, 1998.

Pleasantville, 1998.

Sources

Books

musicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, Visible Ink Press, 1999.

Periodicals

Atlanta Constitution, May 5, 1999, p. F9.

Baltimore Jewish Times, November 13, 1998, p. 51.

Denver Rocky Mountain News, September 12, 1997, p. 20D.

People, December 5, 1988, p. 71; October 30, 1995, p.79.

Rolling Stone, July 8-22, 1999; August 19, 1999.

Sunday Telegraph, February 7, 1999, p. 10.

Time, October 2, 1995, p. 81.

Toronto Sun, June 4, 1999, p. 71.

Online

RollingStone.com, http://www.rollingstone.com (August 31, 1999).

—Laura Hightower

Randy Newman

Singer, songwriter, composer.

For the Record…

Selected discography

Sources

Randy Newman was born November 28, 1943, a Jewish boy growing up in the south, with a poet’s sensitivity and a severe disfigurement that left him badly cross-eyed. He soon moved with his family to Los Angeles, where he was surrounded by the glitz, glamour, and fast-talking pulse of the American recording industry, and as he grew up he became almost the antithesis of everything he saw around him. Short and chubby with wildly disheveled hair, his face enveloped by an enormous pair of his trademark tortoise-shell glasses, which slump characteristically down on his stubby nose, Newman openly admits that he’s a lousy singer, and the thin smile that only occasionally crosses his face is more likely to be a sarcastic sneer.

But Newman has found his niche, both among his small, cult-like following of devoted fans, as well as with the mainstream of the L.A. recording industry. Long before he had ever experienced the urge to perform his music before an audience, Newman was well-known in industry circles as a successful arranger and composer, and his songwriting abilities were apparent by the time Newman was a teenager. “Los Angeles mainstay Randy Newman will probably never top the charts,” wrote Lilian Roxon in her Rock Encyclopedia. “But it is doubtful that he’ll ever need to during the course of his career. Newman is one of the world’s foremost songwriters (and alleged singers) and, although his albums sell moderately well, his songs have been heard more often than not being performed by other singers.”

Indeed, long before music lovers had ever heard of Newman, Judy Collins scored a hit with Newman’s song “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today” in 1966; the composition has been so successful that such artists as Joe Cocker, Dave Van Ronk, and Joni Mitchell have also made minor-hit recordings of the same song. In 1970 Newman started receiving greater notoriety when he had two songs, both performed by other artists, in the national Top 10. Peggy Lee had a hit with Newman’s “Love Story,” a song which Newman would later sing before a national television audience on a Liza Minelli variety special, and Newman’s song “Mama Told Me Not To Come” became a Number 1 hit for the rock group Three Dog Night in July of that year. In the early 1970s Newman’s close friend, the charismatic singer Harry Nilsson, performed an entire album of Newman compositions on the record Nilsson Sings Newman.

If Newman’s lyrics reflect a characteristic bitterness, cynicism, and sarcasm, the motivation may have come from the experiences of Newman’s childhood. Though he was born in Los Angeles, Newman lived his first years in such places as New Orleans, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and Mobile, Alabama, while his father, Irving, an internist, spent several years serving in World

For the Record…

Born November 28, 1943, in Los Angeles, CA; married Roswitha (a boutique owner) 1967, separated; children: Amos, Eric, John. Education: UCLA, B. A. in music composition.

Began writing songs for Metric Music Co. as a teenager; began collaborating with singer Harry Nilsson and performers Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, late 1960s; hit single “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today,” performed by Judy Collins, 1966; signed recording contract with Warner Bros., 1967. Released first LP, Randy Newman, 1968; hit single “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” performed by Three Dog Night, hits number one 1970; hit single, “Short People,” number two, 1977; diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus, 1986; comeback LP, Land of Dreams, released 1988.

Addresses: Residence— Los Angeles, Calif. Record company— -Reprise Records, 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91510.

War II. Newman had a rough time growing up as a Jewish boy in the south, and the situation was made worse by the relentless teasing due to his eye disfigurement, a problem which required four operations to correct. “School was painful,” Newman told People magazine. “It was not the best time of my life, like they said it was going to be. Life got harder later, but it got more interesting too… I’ve had a low opinion of myself since childhood.” But Newman was fortunate to have a fine musical tradition to fall back on—his uncles, Alfred and Lionel Newman, were successful conductors and film score composers—and by age eleven he was playing the piano and writing songs. “I think he would have flipped his cork if he didn’t have his own words to sing back,” his father told People. By age fifteen Newman was selling some of his work to the Metric Music Company, but, encouraged by his family to get a solid music education, he enrolled in a music composition program at UCLA.

After graduating in the mid-1960s, the admittedly lazy Newman spent several years bumming around Los Angeles, writing songs only sporadically and doing some arranging for record companies. But by 1968 Newman was married, a father, and his songs were increasingly in demand by performers. Convinced by friends that he should be performing his own songs, Newman released his first album, Randy Newman, on the Warner Bros. Reprise label, and he began accepting invitations to appear at a small number of concert venues, mostly on college campuses. With his discordant, off-color voice and frumpy appearance, Newman is definitely an acquired taste, but his undeniable talent lay in his songwriting ability. “Newman is one writer whose style is not strictly personal,” wrote Phil Hardy and Dave Laing in their Encyclopedia of Rock. “He rarely writes about his own situation and prefers to create songs from inside the characters of others… he helped immeasurably to broaden the scope of the pop song in terms of subject-matter by exploring the other side of sex in his songs—inadequacy, impotence, even perversion.”

Through the next two decades Newman continued to work sporadically, and with varying degress of success. His 1972 release, Sail Away, was a definite high-water mark, and in 1977 Newman became something of a national phenomenenon when his sarcastic song “Short People,” off the Little Criminals LP, reached number two on the U.S. charts and evoked the kind of outrage that Newman probably craves for each of his compositions. But by the mid-1980s Newman’s life and career became turbulent. He was separated in 1985 from his wife of eighteen years, Roswitha. And in 1986, Newman was diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus, a debilitating condition (some physicians maintain that it is a mental condition) that leaves a person in a long, entrenched state of depression and fatigue. “I’d get so tired,” Newman told Rolling Stone. “It was hard. There’s nothing to look forward to. I couldn’t think of anything to do that I liked… Probably a philosophy I was looking for. ‘Lie down and do nothing for three years.’”

But Newman bounced back strong from these setbacks. He even tried holistic medicine and acupressure to help him snap him out of his doldrums, and in 1988 he released the widely acclaimed LP Land of Dreams, a probing, sometimes painful journey into parts of himself and his past that Newman has always kept under guard. It was the first album Newman ever recorded without the help of longtime friend and producer Lenny Waronker, who became too busy when he took over as president of Warner Bros. Records. Much of the album was instead produced by another friend of Newman’s, Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler. Though Newman had high hopes for the album, after two decades in the business he has pretty much come to realize that his success will always be limited when it comes to record sales, a fact that of course makes him grouchy. “What do you think people would think if Dylan made this record?” Newman asked Rolling Stone. “They’d think it was the greatest thing since Beethoven, that’s my opinion. My last record too. I just wonder. I read a review of [Brian] Wilson or a review of Dylan, and I’ll think, ‘I’d like a break like this. I’d like them to look at me someday with these rose-colored glasses.’”

Selected discography

Albums

Randy Newman, Reprise, 1968.

Twelve Songs, Reprise, 1970.

Randy Newman Live, Reprise, 1972.

Sail Away, Reprise, 1972.

Good Old Boys, Reprise, 1974.

Little Criminals, Reprise, 1977.

Born Again, Reprise, 1979.

Trouble in Paradise, Reprise, 1983.

Land of Dreams, Reprise, 1988.

Film Soundtracks

Ragtime.

Performance, 1970.

Cold Turkey, 1971.

The Natural, 1984.

Sources

Books

Hardy, Phil, and Dave Laing, Encyclopedia of Rock, Macdonald, 1982.

Lilian Roxon’s Rock Encyclopedia, compiled by Ed Naha, Grosset & Dunlap, 1978.

Stambler, Irwin, Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock, and Soul, St. Martin’s, 1977.

Periodicals

People, December 5, 1988.

Rolling Stone, August 27, 1987; September 22, 1988; October 20, 1988; May 18, 1989.

—David Collins

NEWMAN, Randy 1943(?)–

PERSONAL

Full name, Randall Stuart Newman; born November 28, 1943 (some sources cite 1942), in Los Angeles, CA; son of Irving George (an internist) and Adele (a secretary; maiden name, Fox) Newman; nephew of Alfred, Emil, and Lionel Newman (all film composers); cousin of David and Thomas Newman (both film composers); married Roswitha Schmale (a boutique owner), 1967 (divorced, 1989); married Gretchen Preece (a receptionist), October, 1990; children: (first marriage) Amos, Eric, John; (second marriage) Patrick, Alice. Education: Attended University of California, Los Angeles; studied with the composer Mario Castel–Nuovo Tedesco. Avocational Interests: History.

Addresses:

Agent—Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, 13245 Riverside Dr., Suite 450, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Publicist—Chasen and Company, 8899 Beverly Blvd., Suite 408, Los Angeles, CA 90048.

Career:

Singer, composer, lyricist, pianist, orchestrator, music arranger, song producer, and writer. Metric Music, songwriter, beginning 1962; Twentieth Century–Fox, worked at television music library, 1964–66; performer on concerts and on tour, beginning 1970. Appeared in public service announcements for the recycling awareness campaign "Yakety Yak: Take It Back," 1990; also appeared in advertisements. Nickname is the New Man.

Member:

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Awards, Honors:

Grammy Award nomination, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, best arrangement, 1969, for "Is That All There Is?"; Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, best music, 1981, Academy Award nomination, best score, 1982, and Grammy Award nomination, best film score, 1983, all for Ragtime; Academy Award nomination, best original song, 1982, Golden Globe Award nomination, best original song for a motion picture, 1982, and Film Award nomination, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, best original song, 1983, all for "One More Hour," Ragtime; Grammy Award, best instrumental composition, and Grammy Award nominations, best pop instrumental and best soundtrack album, 1984, and Academy Award nomination, best original score, 1985, all for The Natural; Academy Award nomination, best original song, 1989, Golden Globe Award nomination, best original song in a motion picture, 1989, and Grammy Award nomination, best song written specifically for a motion picture or for television, 1990, all for "I Love to See You Smile," Parenthood; Film and Television Music Award, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, top box office film, 1990, for Parenthood; Emmy Award, outstanding achievement in music and lyrics, 1991, for "Under the Gun," Cop Rock; Academy Award nomination, best score, 1991, Golden Globe Award nomination, best original score in a motion picture, 1991, and Grammy Award nomination, best instrumental composition written for a motion picture or for television, 1992, all for Avalon; Grammy Award nomination, best instrumental composition written for a motion picture or for television, 1992, for Awakenings; Film and Television Music Award, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, top box office film, 1995, for Maverick; Academy Award nomination, best original song, 1995, for "Make Up Your Mind," The Paper; Annie Award, International Animated Film Society, best individual achievement in music, 1995, Academy Award nomination, best original musical or comedy score, 1995, Chicago Film Critics Association Award, best original score, 1996, and Film and Television Music Award, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, top box office film, 1996, all for Toy Story; Academy Award nomination, best original song, and Golden Globe Award nomination, best original song in a motion picture, both 1996, for "You've Got a Friend in Me," Toy Story; Henry Mancini Award, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, 1996; Annie Award, best individual achievement in music for a feature or home video production, 1997, for Cats Don't Dance; Academy Award nomination, best music for an original musical or comedy score, 1997, for James and the Giant Peach; Online Film Critics Society Award, best original score, Academy Award nomination, best original dramatic score, and Golden Satellite Award nomination, International Press Academy, best motion picture score, all 1999, for Pleasantville; Academy Award nomination, original best song, and Golden Satellite Award nomination, best original song in a motion picture, both 1999, for "That'll Do," Babe: Pig in the City; Academy Award nomination, best music for an original musical or comedy score, Chicago Film Critics Association Award nomination, best original score, and Golden Globe Award nomination, best original score for a motion picture, all 1999, and Grammy Award, best instrumental composition written for a motion picture, television, or other visual media, 2000, all for A Bug's Life; Grammy Award nomination, best song written for a motion picture, television, or other visual media, 2000, for "The Time of Your Life," A Bug's Life; Sierra Award nomination, Las Vegas Film Critics Society, best song, 2000, for the title song of Meet the Parents; Frederick Loewe Award, Nortel Networks Palm Springs International Film Festival, 2000; Billboard Century Award, 2000; Annie Award, outstanding individual achievement for music in an animated feature production, Film and Television Music Award, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, top box office film, and Saturn Award nomination, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, best music, all 2000, and Grammy Award nomination, best soundtrack album for a motion picture, television, or other visual media, 2001, all for Toy Story 2; Academy Award nomination, best original song, and Golden Globe Award nomination, best original song for a motion picture, both 2000, and Grammy Award, best song written for a motion picture, television, or other visual media, 2001, all for "When She Loved Me," Toy Story 2; Film and Television Music Award, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, top box office film, 2001, for Meet the Parents; Academy Award nomination, best original song, 2001, for "A Fool in Love," Meet the Parents; Achievement Award for Film Music, Palm Springs International Film Festival, 2001; inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame, 2002; Academy Award, best original song, 2002, World Soundtrack Award (with others), best original song written for a film, 2002, and Grammy Award, best song written for a motion picture, television, or other visual media, 2003, all for "If I Didn't Have You," Monsters, Inc.; Film and Television Music Award, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, top box office film, Academy Award nomination, best original score, and World Soundtrack Award nominations, soundtrack composer of the year and best original orchestral soundtrack of the year, all 2002, Annie Award nomination, outstanding music in an animated feature production, and Grammy Award nomination, best soundtrack album for a motion picture, television or other visual media, both 2003, all for Monsters, Inc.; Film and Television Music Award, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, top box office film, Golden Satellite Award nomination, best original score, and Grammy Award nomination, best soundtrack album for a motion picture, television, or other visual media, all 2004, for Seabiscuit; Emmy Award, outstanding main title theme music, 2004, for "It's a Jungle Out There," the theme song for the television series Monk.

CREDITS

Film Work; Song Performer:

Voice of singing bush, Three Amigos, Orion, 1986.

Music performer, Kangaroo Jack, Warner Bros., 2003.

Music performer, Mr 3000, Buena Vista, 2004.

Newman's songs have appeared in several films, television programs, and videos.

Film Orchestrator:

Toy Story (animated), Buena Vista, 1995.

James and the Giant Peach (live action and animated), Buena Vista, 1996.

Michael, Sony Pictures Releasing, 1996.

Toy Story 2 (animated), Buena Vista, 1999.

Meet the Parents, Universal, 2000.

Seabiscuit, Universal, 2003.

Film Work; Other:

Music director, Performance, Warner Bros., 1970.

Music arranger, "Is That All There Is?," After Hours (also known as Lies and A Night in SoHo), Warner Bros., 1985.

Conductor, Michael, Sony Pictures Releasing, 1996.

Film Appearances:

Performance, Warner Bros., 1970.

Shag: The Movie (also known as Shag), TriStar, 1988.

All about Alfred (documentary), c. 1999.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Host, Randy Newman at the Odeon, Showtime, 1983.

Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville, ABC, 1987.

Rolling Stone Magazine's "20 Years of Rock 'n' Roll," ABC, 1987.

For Our Children: The Concert, The Disney Channel, 1993.

Host and narrator, The Hollywood Soundtrack Story, syndicated, 1995.

Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, The Disney Channel, 1995.

Music in Movies '95, ABC, 1995.

VH1 Presents the '70s, VH1, 1996.

Disney's "Scott Hamilton: Upside Down," CBS, 1997.

The 1997 Miss USA Pageant, CBS, 1997.

Inside Hollywood: The Pictures, the People, the Academy Awards, ABC, 1999.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

The 62nd Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1990.

The 67th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1995.

The 68th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1996.

The 71st Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1999.

The 72nd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2000.

The 2000 Billboard Music Awards, Fox, 2000.

The 73rd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2001.

The 74th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2002.

The 75th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2003.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Guest, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, 1970, 1989.

Himself, Anatomy of Pop, 1971.

Guest, The Midnight Special, NBC, multiple appearances, between 1974 and 1978.

Guest, Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's "Saturday Night," Saturday Night, and SNL), NBC, between 1975 and 1988.

Guest, Late Night with David Letterman, NBC, 1989, 1992.

"Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics," P.O.V., PBS, 1992.

Guest, The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS, multiple appearances, beginning 1994.

Guest, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 1996.

Himself, "A Nightmare on Dick Street: Parts 1 & 2," 3rd Rock from the Sun (also known as Life as We Know It), NBC, 1997.

"MYOB," Party of Five, Fox, 1997.

Sessions at West 54th, PBS, 1997.

Host, "Sunset Boulevard," Great Streets, PBS, 2000.

Himself, "Ally McBeal: The Musical, Almost," Ally Mc Beal, Fox, 2000.

Guest, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 2003.

Also appeared in Evening at Pops and Soundstage, both PBS.

Television Theme Song Performer; Series:

"LA You Belong to Me," Half–Nelson, NBC, 1985.

"Fallin' in Love," The Marshall Chronicles, ABC, 1990.

"Under the Gun," Cop Rock, ABC, 1990.

(And pianist) "It's a Jungle Out There," Monk, USA Network, 2003—.

Television Work; Movies:

Song performer, "Kingfish," The Life and Assassination of the Kingfish (also known as Every Man a King), NBC, 1977.

Television Work; Episodic:

Theme song performer, "Darlin' Clementine," Tall Tales and Legends (also known as Shelley Duvall's "Tall Tales and Legends"), Showtime, 1987.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

Peyton Place (soundtrack recording), Epic, 1965.

Randy Newman, Reprise, 1968.

Something New under the Sun, Reprise, 1968.

(With Harry Nilsson) Nilsson Sings Newman, 1970.

Twelve Songs, Reprise, 1970.

Randy Newman Live, Reprise, 1972.

Sail Away, Reprise, 1972.

Good Old Boys, Reprise, 1974.

Little Criminals, Reprise, 1977.

Born Again, Reprise, 1979.

Ragtime (soundtrack recording), Elektra, 1981.

Retrospect, WEA, 1983.

Trouble in Paradise, Reprise, 1983.

The Natural (soundtrack recording), Warner Bros., 1984.

Down and Out in Beverly Hills (soundtrack recording), MCA, 1986.

Land of Dreams, Reprise, 1988.

Major League (soundtrack recording), Curb, 1989.

Parenthood (soundtrack recording), Reprise, 1989.

Avalon (soundtrack recording), Reprise, 1990.

Awakenings (soundtrack recording), Reprise, 1990.

Blaze (soundtrack recording), A & M, 1990.

Maverick (soundtrack recording), Reprise, 1994.

The Paper, Reprise, 1994.

(With others) Randy Newman's "Faust," Reprise, 1995.

Walt Disney's "Toy Story" (soundtrack recording), Walt Disney, 1995.

Walt Disney Pictures Presents James and the Giant Peach (soundtrack recording), Walt Disney, 1996.

Babe: Pig in the City (soundtrack recording), 1998.

A Bug's Life (soundtrack recording), Walt Disney, 1998.

Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman, Rhino, 1998.

Lonely at the Top, WEA, 1998.

Pleasantville (soundtrack recording), 1998.

Bad Love, DreamWorks, 1999.

It's Money That Matters, Reprise, 1999.

The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1, Nonesuch, 2003.

Also contributor to albums by other recording artists.

Singles:

"Short People," c. 1977.

"I Love L.A.," 1983.

"It's Money That Matters," 1988.

Performer of other songs. Composer or arranger for recordings by others, including "Is That All There Is?," for Peggy Lee; "Mama Told Me Not to Come," for Three Dog Night; and "You Can Leave Your Hat On," by Joe Cocker; songs have been performed by others, including Harry Nilsson.

Music Videos:

"I Love L.A.," 1983.

"It's Money That Matters," 1988.

WRITINGS

Film Composer:

(And song "He Gives Us All His Love") Cold Turkey, United Artists, 1971.

Herbstkatzen, 1981.

(And lyricist, including song "One More Hour") Ragtime, Paramount, 1981.

The Natural, TriStar, 1984.

Additional music, Huey Long, 1985.

Gotcha!, 1985.

(And lyricist with Charles Bernstein) April Fool's Day, Paramount, 1986.

(And lyricist) Three Amigos, Orion, 1986.

(And song "I Love to See You Smile") Parenthood, Universal, 1989.

Avalon, TriStar, 1990.

Awakenings, Columbia, 1990.

(And song "Make Up Your Mind") The Paper, Universal, 1994.

(And song "Ride Gambler Ride") Maverick, Warner Bros., 1994.

(And song "You've Got a Friend in Me") Toy Story (animated), Buena Vista, 1995.

(With Steve Goldstein) Cats Don't Dance, Warner Bros., 1996.

(And composer of song "Feels Like Home") Michael, Sony Pictures, 1996.

James and the Giant Peach (live action and animated), Buena Vista, 1996.

(Unused score) Air Force One (also known as AFO), Columbia, 1997.

(And song "The Time of Your Life") A Bug's Life (animated), Buena Vista, 1998.

Pleasantville (also known as Color of Heart), New Line Cinema, 1998.

(And songs, including "When She Loved Me") Toy Story 2 (animated), Buena Vista, 1999.

(And songs, including title song and "A Fool in Love") Meet the Parents, Universal, 2000.

(And song "If I Didn't Have You") Monsters, Inc. (animated), Buena Vista, 2001.

Home Video: The Making of Mad Matt (animated short film; also known as The Adventures of Mad Matt), Walt Disney, 2002.

Mike's New Car (animated short film), 2002.

Seabiscuit, Universal, 2003.

Meet the Fockers, Universal, 2004.

Cars (animated), Buena Vista, 2006.

Some of Newman's music, such as the songs "I Love L.A.," "Mama Told Me Not to Come," "Short People," and "You Can Leave Your Hat On," and the music from the film The Natural, has been featured in several films, television programs, and videos.

Screenplays:

(With Steve Martin and Lorne Michaels) Three Amigos!, Orion, 1986.

Television Composer; Series:

Theme song "Fallin' in Love," The Marshall Chronicles, ABC, 1990.

Theme song, "Under the Gun," Cop Rock, ABC, 1990.

Title song, Parenthood, NBC, 1990–91.

3rd Rock from the Sun (also known as Life as We Know It), NBC, 1996–2001.

Theme song "It's a Jungle Out There," Monk, USA Network, 2003—.

Television Composer; Movies:

"Kingfish," The Life and Assassination of the Kingfish (also known as Every Man a King), NBC, 1977.

Television Composer; Specials:

"Follow that Flag," Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville, ABC, 1987.

Opening theme music, Sports Illustrated's 20th Century Sports Awards, CBS, 1999.

Television Composer; Pilots:

Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis?, CBS, 1977.

Writings for the Stage:

Songwriter, Rosenbloom, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1970.

Composer and lyricist, Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong (also known as Randy Newman's "Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong"), Production Company Theatre, 1981, then Astor Place Theatre, New York City, 1982.

Songwriter, The Middle of Nowhere, Astor Place Theatre, 1988.

Playwright and composer, Faust, La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, CA, 1995, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, c. 1999–2000.

Creator and playwright, The Education of Randy Newman, South Coast Repertory Theatre, Costa Mesa, CA, 2000.

Videos:

Composer, The Making of "Seabiscuit" (also known as Bringing the Legend to Life: The Making of "Seabiscuit"), Universal Studios Home Video, 2003.

Albums:

Peyton Place (soundtrack recording), Epic, 1965.

Randy Newman, Reprise, 1968.

Something New under the Sun, Reprise, 1968.

(With Harry Nilsson) Nilsson Sings Newman, 1970.

Twelve Songs, Reprise, 1970.

Randy Newman Live, Reprise, 1972.

Sail Away, Reprise, 1972.

Good Old Boys, Reprise, 1974.

Little Criminals, Reprise, 1977.

Born Again, Reprise, 1979.

Ragtime (soundtrack recording), Elektra, 1981.

Retrospect, WEA, 1983.

Trouble in Paradise, Reprise, 1983.

The Natural (soundtrack recording), Warner Bros., 1984.

Down and Out in Beverly Hills (soundtrack recording), MCA, 1986.

Land of Dreams, Reprise, 1988.

Major League (soundtrack recording), Curb, 1989.

Parenthood (soundtrack recording), Reprise, 1989.

Avalon (soundtrack recording), Reprise, 1990.

Awakenings (soundtrack recording), Reprise, 1990.

Blaze (soundtrack recording), A & M, 1990.

Maverick (soundtrack recording), Reprise, 1994.

The Paper, Reprise, 1994.

Randy Newman's "Faust," Reprise, 1995.

Walt Disney's "Toy Story" (soundtrack recording), Walt Disney, 1995.

Walt Disney Pictures Presents James and the Giant Peach (soundtrack recording), Walt Disney, 1996.

Babe: Pig in the City (soundtrack recording), 1998.

A Bug's Life (soundtrack recording), Walt Disney, 1998.

Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman, Rhino, 1998.

Lonely at the Top, WEA, 1998.

Pleasantville (soundtrack recording), 1998.

Bad Love, DreamWorks, 1999.

It's Money That Matters, Reprise, 1999.

The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1, Nonesuch, 2003.

Also contributor to albums by other recording artists.

Singles:

"Short People," c. 1977.

"I Love L.A.," 1983.

"It's Money That Matters," 1988.

Composer of other songs, including "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today," "Rednecks," "Sail Away," and "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear." Composer or arranger for recordings by others, including "Is That All There Is?," for Peggy Lee; "Mama Told Me Not to Come," for Three Dog Night; and "You Can Leave Your Hat On," by Joe Cocker; songs have been performed by others, including Harry Nilsson.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Contemporary Musicians, Volume 27, Gale, 2000.

Periodicals:

American Theatre, October, 1999, p. 62.

Billboard, December 9, 2000, p. 16.

Entertainment Weekly, October 13, 1995, p. 42.

Interview, August, 1999, p. 72; November, 2003, p. 72.

People Weekly, October 30, 1995, p. 79–80.

Radio Times, June 11, 1994, p. 14.

Newman, Randy

Newman, Randy, one of the most fascinating and distinctive singer-songwriters to emerge inthe late 1960s; b. New Orleans, La., Nov. 28, 1943. Randy Newman achieved his first recognition when Judy Collins recorded his “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today” on her 1966 album In My Life. Recording his first album in 1968, Newman attracted the attention of musicians and critics and developed a cult following with his songs: alternately cynical, ironic, whimsical, and sarcastic but which nonetheless retained a deep-seated sense of humanity. Writing and recording classics such as “Living without You,” “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “Political Science,” and “Sail Away,” Randy Newman eventually broke through to a wider audience with 1974’s Good Old Boys, and scored his biggest commercial success with 1977’s Little Criminals, largely on the basis of the controversy stirred by its smash hit, “Short People.” Never a prolific writer, Newman concentrated on film soundtracks through the 1980s and 1990s.

Randy Newman moved with his family to Los Angeles at age five. Highly influenced by uncles Emil, Alfred, and Lionel, who composed film scores, he began playing piano at age six and studied music theory as a child. By the age of 16, while still in high school, Newman worked as a songwriter at Metric Music, a subsidiary of Liberty Records, whose board chairman was the father of his boyhood friend Lenny Waronker (who would become president of Warner Bros. Records). In the early 1960s Newman recorded demonstration tapes with session players such as Glen Campbell and Leon Russell while attendeding UCLA as a music major. He wrote songs for Schroeder Music; the Fleetwoods (”Come Softly to Me”) recorded his “They Tell Me It’s Summer” as the flip side of their moderate 1962 hit “Lovers by Night, Strangers by Day.” In 1965 he scored the music for Peyton Place, television’s first hit nighttime soap opera, and a year later Judy Collins included his tender “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today” on her In My Life album.

In 1967 Randy Newman began working as a session arranger at Warner Bros., and he signed his own record contract with the label’s Reprise subsidiary by 1968. Recorded with an orchestra playing his arrangements under producers Lenny Waronker and Van Dyke Parks, his eponymous debut album featured “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today” and the touching “Living without You,” as well as the American profile “Beehive State” and the satirical “Davy, the Fat Boy.” However, despite critical acclaim, the album sold so poorly that Reprise later gave away copies as a promotional gimmick. Newman’s second album, 12 Songs, also enjoyed critical success but commercial failure. Produced by Waronker and recorded with guitarists Ry Cooder and Clarence White, the album included the wry “Yellow Man” and “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” a top hit for Three Dog Night in 1970. That year Newman began performing live occasionally, usually unaccompanied, and an engagement at N.Y.’s Bitter End resulted in 1971’s Live. In 1970 Harry Nilsson released an entire album of Newman songs.

In 1972 Randy Newman debuted Sail Away with the N.Y. Philharmonic. The album, generally regarded as his definitive work, includes the melodic title song, his satirical solution to the world’s problems; “Political Science”; the sexual spoof “You Can Leave Your Hat On”; and the sarcastic “God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind).” Newman’s first modest album success came with Good Old Boys, which was debuted with the Atlanta Symphony Orch. and supported by a 20-city tour. Concerned in a vaguely conceptual way with the American South, the album contained “Birmingham” and “Louisiana 1927” as well as his sly attack on southern lower-class morality, “Rednecks,” plus “Naked Man” and “Back on My Feet Again.” The song “Rednecks” sparked a minor controversy with its repeated use of the word “nigger.”

Generally inactive for more than two years, Randy Newman reemerged in 1977 with Little Criminals. The album yielded a smash hit with “Short People,” his satirical assault on prejudice that some myopic listeners misconstrued as an affront to small-statured people, resulting in the song’s banishment by some radio stations. The album also featured “Rider in the Rain,” a minor country hit recorded with Glenn Frey and Timothy Schmit of the Eagles. The success of Little Criminals was probably due more to the controversy over “Short People” than to anything else, as 1979’s Born Again sold only modestly even though it featured more fine songs like “It’s Money I Love,” “The Story of a Rock and Roll Band,” and “Mr. Sheep.”

In 1981 Randy Newman composed and performed the score for the movie Ragtime, based on E. L. Doctor-ow’s best-selling novel. He recorded his next album, Trouble in Paradise, with Bob Seger, Don Henley, Linda Ronstadt, and Paul Simon, and the album yielded a minor hit with the Newman- Simon duet “The Blues”; it also contained “I Love L.A.” (later used as a commercial jingle by Nike shoes), “My Life Is Good,” “Real Emotional Girl,” and the scathing “Christmas in Capetown.” Newman toured for the first time in three years in 1983 and played 40 concerts in 1984 with James Taylor. In 1985 he cowrote the script to the Steve Martin-Martin Short-Chevy Chase comedy western Three Amigos with Martin and Lome Michaels (producer of Saturday Night Live), and he composed three songs for the movie.

His next album, 1988’s Land of Dreams, was produced by and recorded with guitarist Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. The album included “Follow the Flag” and “Roll with the Punches,” plus, for the first time, three autobiographical songs—”New Orleans Before the War,” “Dixie Flyer,” and “Four Eyes”—while yielding a minor hit with “It’s Money that Matters.” Newman toured in support of the album and subsequently composed and performed the scores to the movies Parenthood, Avalon, Awakenings, The Paper, and Maverick. In 1995 Reprise Records issued Randy Newman’s full-length musical version of Faust, featuring performances by Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, and Don Henley, with Newman himself portraying the Devil. Receiving critical accolades, the album did little on the commercial charts.

Discography

the randy newman orchestra:Original Music from “Peyton Place” (1965). randy newman: R. N. (1968); 12 Songs (1970); Live (1971); Sail Away (1972); Good Old Boys (1974); Little Criminals (1977); Born Again (1979); Trouble in Paradise (1983); The Natural (soundtrack; 1984); Land of Dreams (1988); Parenthood (soundtrack; 1989); Avalon (soundtrack; 1990); Awakenings (soundtrack; 1991); The Paper (soundtrack; 1994); Maverick (soundtrack; 1995); Faust (1995).

—Brock Helander

RANDY NEWMAN

Born: New Orleans, Louisiana, 28 November 1944

Genre: Rock, Pop, Soundtrack

Best-selling album since 1990: Bad Love (1999)

Randy Newman never enjoyed big commercial success but his songbook is considered one of pop music's treasures. Composed in multiple styles—in particular theatrical show tunes and New Orleans R&B—Newman songs offer the perspective of loners and lowlifes. They illuminate the humanity of characters with humor and compassion, and in doing they have helped shape the direction of contemporary songwriting.

Newman spent his early childhood in New Orleans, and his best work often views elevated moments in southern history through the eyes of ordinary people. His self-effacing humor and knack for irony help his work endure through countless cover versions by other artists. In the 1990s Newman emerged as a sought-after film composer, and he won an Academy Award in 2002. In between films, he experimented with a musical based on the classic dramatic German poem Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. In 1999 his first album after eleven years received critical accolades and prompted Newman to make live appearances accompanied only by a piano.

When he turned seventeen, Newman was already a published songwriter. Although he was raised in New Orleans, his family moved to Los Angeles in his early years. His uncles, Alfred, Emil, and Lionel Newman, were already there, working as Academy Award–winning film composers. Newman dropped out of college to work on staff for a local music publisher, writing hits for artists like Three Dog Night, Dusty Springfield, Peggy Lee, and Harry Nilsson, who recorded an entire album of Newman's songs.

In 1968 Newman released his debut album. As he honed his skills in the years to come, Newman would write songs that were both pain-ridden and humorous. His songs would be populated by racist southerners, young urban professionals, music industry opportunists, misfits, pimps, soldiers, legendary Louisiana governor Huey Long, and God. His songs might take place at the beginning of time, during the great Mississippi flood of 1927, or in hell. As much as his songs knew no bounds, he wrote under an umbrella of styles, using lush orchestrations or spare piano. "Short People," a hit in 1976, drew controversy for bigotry when in fact it was sniping at bigotry itself.

Newman entered the 1990s on the heels of Land of Dreams (1988), one of his most commercially successful albums. This work looked with nostalgia at his southern roots as it attacked Wall Street greed, blind patriotism, and the shallowness of hip-hop. Aside from instrumental scoring, Newman wrote songs for family movies like Toy Story (1995) and James and the Giant Peach (1996) that were considerably cheerier than his more personal work. He received fifteen Academy Award nominations and in 2002 he finally won Best Song for "If I Didn't Have You," from the film Monsters Inc. (2001).

In 1995 Newman released Randy Newman's Faust, a concept album that told the story of Goethe's hero, but in a contemporary setting. In Newman's version, Faust is a slovenly college student with rock star dreams who ends up selling his soul to the devil. After a tryout run at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California, the musical opened at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in 1996. Like most of Newman's work, it explores deep themes such as the omnipotence of God and the purpose of suffering in the world.

Newman closed the decade with a comeback album, Bad Love (1999). Considered one of his best, it features songs about patriotism, capitalism versus communism, divorce, and the challenges of learning history's lessons. The songs convey both pessimism and optimism, self-effacement and tenderness. Newman explores intricate themes in simplest ways, often with humor and grace.

Newman's instrumental scores are often compared with American masters like Aaron Copeland and George Gershwin.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Randy Newman (Reprise, 1968); 12 Songs (Reprise, 1970); Sail Away (Reprise, 1972); Good Old Boys (Reprise, 1974); Little Criminals (Warner Bros., 1977); Born Again (Warner Bros., 1979); Trouble in Paradise (Warner Bros., 1983); Land of Dreams (Reprise, 1988); Randy Newman's Faust (Reprise, 1995); Bad Love (Dream Works, 1999). Soundtracks: The Natural (Warner Bros., 1984); Parenthood (Warner Bros., 1989); Walt Disney's Toy Story (Disney, 1995); James and the Giant Peach (Disney, 1996); A Bug's Life (Disney, 1998); Toy Story 2 (Disney, 1999).

WEBSITE:

www.randynewman.com.

mark guarino