Randy Newman (Creates Something New Under the Sun) - 1968

Genres: orchestral/baroque pop

Standout tracks: So Long Dad, I Think He’s Hiding, Cowboy, The Beehive State, I Think It’s Going to Rain Today, Davy the Fat Boy

Having fallen in love with his ‘72 album, Sail Away, I naturally wanted to listen to what else he had to offer. Randy Newman didn't really do much for me originally. There were some tracks that immediately stuck out like Cowboy and I Think It's Going to Rain Today, but overall I thought it was whatever. The problem was that I expected more of his later sound. This album is basically entirely orchestral. I eventually did come back to it however, and it became what I believe's a wonderful album. Although there are other songs i love a lot, i’ll just write about a few.

“I Think He’s Hiding”

An often recurring theme in Randy’s work is religion and this is his first song to do such. There’s a nice feeling to this track, the music slowly builds up as he sings. From what I can tell it mainly covers the sentiment that “God is dead.” The narrator speaks of the day of judgment and how you should be ready to regret your life choices. “If you haven’t lived the way you should, you'll wish you had.” The narrator believes that God is in fact not dead, but is hiding, disgusted at his creation. It’s a simple idea but I think it’s a great song.

“Cowboy”

This song is one of my favorite songs he’s written. There’s not a definite answer to who sings this song, but from the lyrics I'll share my personal interpretation. A cowboy wanders the streets of a city in sorrow over how the fields he once roamed are replaced by steel and concrete. Considering it’s about the urbanization of America's cities, I think this cowboy is some sort of ghost, lamenting over the loss of the land’s natural beauty. Although this version is wonderful, my favorite rendition is Harry Nilsson’s cover. It portrays the idea in my head better than this version. I might write a review of that album another time and why I think it fits the song more :)

“I Think It’s Going to Rain Today”

Best song on the album without a question. Randy didn’t originally enjoy the song because he felt it was too depressing. There’s a lotta subtlety in the lyrics but I've never been good at explaining that stuff so I'm gonna give a quick rundown. The song is just Randy and his piano which is personally something I really like. A lot of my favorite songs he's written are mainly just piano. The cynical narrator, seemingly a homeless man, drifting around an alleyway. Although he says “empty hallways”, the context of other lyrics lead me to believe that he’s actually referring to an alleyway, which could be thought of as a hallway if you look at it differently. He sarcastically sings of the “scarecrows” with frozen smiles that chase others away and how “human kindness is overflowing.” He sings about the many signs imploring you to “help the needy and show them the way”, which assumedly he has not been given and again he sings “human kindness is overflowing, and I think it’s going to rain today” I believe that line implies he may not survive the night.

“Davy the Fat Boy”

The closing song of the album as well as seemingly Randy’s favorite song to end his concerts with. This song is from the perspective of a con man who betrayed a boy’s parents' trust who told him to take care of him when they passed away. I've seen someone write before that the line “I was a comfort to his mother” could refer to the narrator having an affair with her. There's not enough evidence in the lyrics for me to believe that fully, but there's a chance since it does make the narrator even worse of a person. The narrator takes advantage of Davy as a circus attraction, having people guess his weight and making Davy dance for their entertainment. The narrator calls around to show Davy perform “the famous fat boy dance”, which is followed by a tonal shift into an incredibly beautiful string section that paints a picture of a graceful dance. Maybe Davy finds happiness in it, but you can't be sure because that's how the song ends.

Randy’s use of characters and putting on masks for his writing is my favorite part of his work. He definitely does this in some tracks, but he doesn't really perfect it until later in his career. This album’s sound is one of the more unique of his works, and I really like that. I’d say it’s his third or fourth best (I shift between it and Little Criminals a lot, I’m not sure which I think is better)

My rating: 7.5 Davys out of 10!

First written January 13th, 2024