''The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1'' is the eleventh studio and first songbook album by
Randy Newman and contains newly recorded, stripped-down versions of some of
Newman's best-known songs, performed by Randy Newman singing and playing the piano without accompaniment.
The album spans a 33-year period, from early songs like "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" and "Living Without You" to "The World Isn't Fair" from his ''
Bad Love'' album (1999). Also included are three instrumental extracts from his film scores.
Details
Re-recording older songs forced Newman to reassess his previous work. "I was surprised at the consistency. Whether good or bad, there were no real jumps in quality or drop-offs that I could tell when I listened to it. There were no real bad surprises. A lot of things I would have done differently, in terms of tempo or arrangement."
Newman said the album was different to his other work. "It's sort of an ugly
Norah Jones
Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...
record. You can put it on and eat potato chips and drink Pepsi to it, unlike my other records," he said.
Track listing
All tracks composed and arranged by Randy Newman
#"Lonely at the Top" (actually a medley of the uncredited "Dexter's Tune", an instrumental from ''Awakenings'' and "Lonely at the Top") – 3:13
#"God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)" – 3:23
#"
Louisiana 1927
"Louisiana 1927" is a 1974 song written and recorded by Randy Newman on the album '' Good Old Boys''. It tells the story of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 which left 700,000 people homeless in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Lyrics
Sung from the ...
" – 2:56
#"Let Me Go" – 2:37
#"
Rednecks
''Redneck'' is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, '' ...
" – 3:05
#"Avalon" (Instrumental) – 0:58
#"Living Without You" – 2:16
#"
I Think It's Going to Rain Today
"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (or "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today") is a song by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman. It appears on Julius La Rosa's 1966 album ''You're Gonna Hear from Me'', Eric Burdon's 1967 album ''Eric Is Here'', on N ...
" – 2:57
#"
You Can Leave Your Hat On
"You Can Leave Your Hat On" is a song written by Randy Newman and appearing on his 1972 album '' Sail Away''.
According to a retrospective AllMusic review by Mark Deming, the song is a "potent mid-tempo rock tune" and a "witty and willfully perv ...
" – 2:32
#"It's Money That I Love" – 2:16
#"Marie" – 2:56
#"
When She Loved Me
"When She Loved Me" is a song written by Randy Newman for Disney and Pixar's animated film ''Toy Story 2'' (1999), and recorded by Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan. The song reveals the backstory of Jessie, a toy cowgirl, as she reflects upon her ...
" (Instrumental) – 1:03
#"
Sail Away" – 2:58
#"The World Isn't Fair" – 3:07
#"
Political Science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
" – 2:02
#"The Great Nations of Europe" – 3:24
#"In Germany Before The War" – 3:49
#"Ragtime" (Instrumental) – 1:25
Personnel
Randy Newman – vocals, piano
Lyric changes
A line in "It's Money That I Love" was changed from "it'll get you a half-pound [] of cocaine And a sixteen-year-old girl" to "it'll get you a half-pound of cocaine And a nineteen-year-old girl" (in the USA, the age of consent varies between sixteen and eighteen on a state-by-state basis).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1
2003 albums
Randy Newman albums
Albums produced by Mitchell Froom
Nonesuch Records albums