Born in 1943, singer/songwriter/composer Randy Newman became a professional songwriter at the age of seventeen. His songs have been covered and interpreted by a vast range of people over the years, such as Harry Nilsson, Peggy Lee, Linda Ronstandt and, probaby most famously, Tom Jones and Joe Cocker each doing their own versions of ‘You Can Leave Your Hat On’. Over the past twenty years, he has concentrated on writing film scores, having most famously written the music for six Pixar productions, including Monsters Inc and the Toy Story films.
Tonight’s showcase was a rare opportunity to see one of the greatest singer/songwriter/composers of our time perform with our own Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Opening with the track ‘Birmingham’, Newman and the MSO quickly proved to be a beautiful fit, working together on such a wonderful level. The set list for the night was a pleasingly comprehensive overview of Newman’s fifty-odd year career, spanning his solo work as well as some of his cinematic endeavours. The latter work truly gave the MSO its chance to shine.
Also to the fore tonight was Randy’s wonderful, gently self-deprecating and utterly charming sense of humour. It was highly entertaining and immensely informative listening to him explain the genesis and inspiration for some of his songs, especially in regards to his solo work.
A highlight of the night was the track ‘I’m Dead!’ which, in unsparing detail, looked at how older musicians perform well past their prime and how no one tells them of this fact, showing Newman’s genius with songwriting, both from a musical and lyrical perspective. With all the band reunions and reformations buzzing about, this has never been more cutting or relevant. The song also involved a very charming bit of audience participation, with Newman instructing everyone to sing along during the chorus.
‘I’m Dead!’, along with other selections such as ‘It’s Money That I Love’, the brilliant and utterly acidic ‘Political Science’, and ‘Short People’, highlighted Newman’s satiric and, at times, nasty way with words. It was an absolute joy to hear some of these songs with just Newman playing the piano and stripping the music back to its most basic elements. This is a true sign of quality if a song can stand up on its own without musical bells and whistles.
For all his lyrically mordant and satirical quality, Newman also performed songs that very much showed off his humanist and romantic side. ‘I Love To See You Smile’ and ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’, from Parenthood and Toy Story respectively, were beautiful illustrations of this. On a more personal level, ‘Love Story’ and ‘I Miss You’, the latter about Newman’s first wife, showed a raw and haunting quality you rarely find in music these days.
Newman is equally at home dissecting both the personal and political in his music. ‘Sail Away’ about a trader bringing slaves to America, sits perfectly along side a track like ‘Dixie Flyer’, about his family moving from Los Angeles to New Orleans. This move obviously shaped and informed Newman as a musician, and the influence of New Orleans is apparent in a great deal of his music, particularly in the song, ‘Louisiana’, about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and obviously a subject close to Newman’s heart.
Tonight’s very special two and a half hour performance (with interval) wrapped up with a truly astounding encore, consisting of ‘It’s Lonely At The Top’, a quick run through ‘Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear’, which a lot of people remember as being featured in an episode of The Muppet Show.
However, the best was definitely saved for last. The night concluded with a searingly haunting and incredibly moving version of ‘I Think It’s Going To Rain Today’. This is a song that has been covered by everyone from Nina Simone to Bette Midler. It was the latter’s version that introduced this scribe to Randy Newman many years ago. This is a song that illustrates beautifully how we experience flashpoints and crises in our lives and we question if anyone will be there for us in the way of emotional support. It also features one of the greatest lines this scribe has ever heard: “Scarecrows dressed in the latest styles”; a perfect encapsulation as to how people are self-absorbed and obsessed with material things.
This was a truly special night of the kind that only comes along every so often. One hopes the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will continue to perform programs like this with other musicians and composers. It was very heartening tonight to see people bringing their children along to this performance and introducing them to different forms of music; it gives hope that future generations might appreciate all forms of music. Bravo, Mr Newman and the MSO!
– Neil Evans
