 |
American SongAuthor: Joe Hines
American Song is a podcast that traces the origins and development of American - and ultimately world-wide - forms of modern musical entertainment. Over time, we will trace every major genre from its origins through the current day.American Song looks at the development of our music through the lens of social, political, and economic changes that were occurring in each case, and we'll feature the most important musicians in each genre.Every episode is chock-full of the music we love and where possible, we include archival interviews so you can hear about, in the actual words and voices of these great musicians and singers, the motives and passions that drove their creativity. Language: en-us Genres: Arts, Music, Music History, Performing Arts Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
God’s Song and Other American Prayers: The Story of Randy Newman
Episode 4
Wednesday, 18 June, 2025
Get in touch!You could think of Randy Newman as a musical Mark Twain. His songs draw up from a range of curiously disconnected observations about life in this era’s America in some of the same ways that Twain’s pen spoke of the America he lived in. Twain’s Mississippi paddlewheels churned the dark waters of that rolling river mixing old and new, sacred and profane and In his songs, Newman is doing the same thing. He draws from American roots music, Tin Pan Alley, the blues, and orchestral pop. You’ll instantly recognize a Randy Newman song from his instantly hummable tunes mixed with wry humor, irony, and social commentary. His songs are full of wry observations about slightly uncomfortable subjects.Randy Newman knows America in all its contradictions—its kindness and cruelty, its promises and hypocrisies. His songs expose the voices we pretend not to hear, from backroom bigots to lonely losers, from crooked politicians to a God who’s tempted to give up on us. Listening to Randy is like reading between the lines of the American songbook—he doesn’t just entertain, he reveals. And maybe, by sitting with his uncomfortable truths, we can wake from our own fog, and see this country—its history, its people, its future—with clearer eyes. If ever there was a time when we needed clearer eyes, this is that time.In This EpisodePiano: You've Got a Friend in MeRandy Newman - Golden Gridiron BoySoundtrack from The Grapes of WrathMarilyn Monroe - Diamonds are a Girl's Best FriendSoundtrack from Hello DollyThree Dog Night - Mama Told Me Not to ComeRandy Newman - Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing BearRandy Newman - I Think It's Going to Rain TodayRandy Newman - Short PeopleRandy Newman - How Great Our LordRandy Newman - ShameRandy Newman - You Can Leave Your Hat OnJoe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat OnRandy Newman - BaltimoreRandy Newman - God's SongRandy Newman - Sail AwayRandy Newman - Political ScienceRandy Newman - RednecksRandy Newman - The Girls In My Life (Part 1)Randy Newman - Old Kentucky HomeRandy Newman - The NaturalRandy Newman/ Billy Crystal/ John Goodman - If I Didn't Have YouRandy Newman/ Sarah McLachlan - When She Loved MeRandy Newman - A Few Words in Defense of Our CountryRandy Newman - I'm DreamingRandy Newman - I Love L.A.Join our community and continue your journey through American Song: Visit us on Facebook. There, you'll get more information, video content, and more about the music and personalities covered in all our episodes.
