Trivia / Randy Newman

• Black Sheep Hit: Musically, "I Love L.A." is a far cry from his usual work, being an upbeat rock n' roll song similar to Innocent Man-era Billy Joel rather than his usual tasteful piano ballads. It even got an iconic music video (an early MTV favorite). Lyrically, however, it's just as ironic as any of his other songs, and like them, it's success has as much to do with people not realizing it's meant to be ironic as it does anything else.
• Chart Displacement: Despite the popularity of its video (which got constant MTV play in 1983), "I Love L.A." didn't even make the Billboard Hot 100, stalling out at #110.
• Creator Backlash: Newman expressed regret for writing "Short People", calling it a novelty song and noting that the song's message (a satire against prejudice) was being interpreted literally by listeners.
• He Also Did: Wrote the arrangement, conducted the orchestra and played keyboard on Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?"—which you probably could figure out on your own after hearing the first few notes of the piano intro.
• Playing Against Type: People who know Newman from his work on children's movies and the scores of lighthearted comedies tend to be blindsided by his albums. Similarly, fans of Newman's albums tend to be a bit surprised he can be so "kiddie" (and it apparently surprises both sides that he's also scored dramatic movies like Awakenings and Avalon).
• What Could Have Been
  • In a classic case of Playing Against Type, Newman was signed to score Air Force One; though he did indeed write and record music for the movie, he was ultimately replaced by Jerry Goldsmith (and Joel McNeely because of time pressures). Fans can only hope his thrown-out score gets a release.
  • Newman wrote "Every Time It Rains" for Michael Jackson. When Jackson turned it down, Newman recorded it for his album Bad Love.

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