The great songwriter talks about politics, Toy Story and the Smiths – and why he’s never enjoyed the writing process
The prospect of lunch with Randy Newman straddles the line between exciting and scary. He’s one of the great American songwriters, no question, but from a distance he seems intimidating. His work is brainy and funny, but can also be brutal. Famously, he offended an entire subset of the human race in his most commercially successful song, Short People, which railed against their “little noses”, “tiny little teeth” and the “platform shoes on their nasty little feet”.
As any Newman-ologist (and the man himself) will tell you, the kerfuffle over those particular lyrics was rooted in a misunderstanding about the nature of his songwriting. While most members of the craft approach it from the first-person perspective, Newman usually writes in the voice of a narrator, often a person only their mother could love. It’s a simple, liberating device but it has caused endless confusion.
Related: Randy Newman: 'I would never not play You've Got a Friend in Me'
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