Newman is noted for his practice of writing lyrics from the perspective of a character far removed from Newman's own biography. For example, the 1972 song "Sail Away" is written as a slave trader's sales pitch to attract slaves, while the narrator of "Political Science" is a U.S. nationalist who complains of worldwide ingratitude toward America and proposes a brutally ironic final solution. One of his biggest hits, "Short People" was written from the perspective of "a lunatic" who hates short people. Since the 1980s, Newman has worked mostly as a film composer. His film scores include Ragtime, Awakenings, The Natural, Leatherheads, James and the Giant Peach, Meet the Parents, Seabiscuit and The Princess and the Frog. He has scored many Disney-Pixar films: Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Cars, Toy Story 3, Monsters University, Cars 3 and most recently Toy Story 4.
He has been awarded an Academy Award, three Emmys, four Grammy Awards, and the Governor's Award from the Recording Academy. Newman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2007, Newman was inducted as a Disney Legend.
Newman grew up in a musical family with Hollywood connections; his uncles Alfred and Lionel both scored numerous films. By age 17, Randy was staff writer for a California music publisher. One semester short of a B.A. in music from UCLA, he dropped out of school. Lenny Waronker, son of Liberty Records’ president, was a close friend and, later, as a staff producer for Warner Bros., helped get Newman signed to the label.
Newman’s early songs were recorded by a number of performers. His friend Harry Nilsson recorded an entire album with Newman on piano, Nilsson Sings Newman, in 1970. Judy Collins (“I Think It’s Going to Rain Today”), Peggy Lee (“Love Story”), and Three Dog Night - for whom “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” hit #1 - all enjoyed success with Newman’s music.
Newman became a popular campus attraction when touring with Nilsson. His status as a cult star was affirmed by his critically praised debut, Randy Newman, in 1968, which featured his own complex arrangements for full orchestra, and later by 1970’s 12 Songs. He also sang “Gone Dead Train” on the soundtrack of Performance (1970). Live and Sail Away were Newman’s first commercial successes, but his audience has been limited to some degree because his songs are often colored by his ironic, pointed sense of humor, which is rarely simple and frequently misunderstood.
Good Old Boys, for example, was a concept album about the South, with the lyrics expressing the viewpoint of white Southerners. Lyrics such as “We’re rednecks, and we don’t know our ass from a hole in the ground” made people wonder whether Newman was being satirical or sympathetic. He toured (to Atlanta and elsewhere) behind the album with a full orchestra that played his arrangements and was conducted by his uncle Emil Newman.
Little Criminals, in 1977, contained Newman’s first hit single, “Short People,” which mocked bigotry and was taken seriously by a vocal offended minority. “Baltimore” from that album was covered by Nina Simone. Following that album’s release, Newman toured for the first time since 1974. He claimed that in the interim he’d done nothing but watch television and play with his three sons. In 1979 his Born Again featured guest vocals by members of the Eagles. In 1981 Newman composed the soundtrack for the film Ragtime (the first of many soundtrack assignments) and was nominated for two Oscars (Best Song, Best Score). His 1983 album, Trouble in Paradise, included guest appearances by Linda Ronstadt, members of Fleetwood Mac, and Paul Simon, who sang a verse of “The Blues.” That album’s “I Love L.A.” became something of an anthem, thanks in part to a flashy music video directed by Newman’s cousin, Tim Newman (who went on to shoot popular videos for ZZ Top, among others). Land of Dreams (#80, 1988) spawned a minor hit in “It’s Money That Matters” (#60, 1988). It would take Newman 10 more years to make another studio album, 1999’s critically acclaimed Bad Love. With that record peaking at #194, he continues to meet his biggest success in Hollywood, where he spent most of the ’90s becoming one of the town’s most sought-after film composers. Although the material on his own records is literate and biting, the songs he writes for movies are decidedly simpler and with a sunnier outlook - and they usually meet with more success. Both “I Love to See You Smile” from Parenthood and “When She Loved Me” from Toy Story 2, for instance, were nominated for Oscars; in 1998 alone, Newman garnered three Oscar nominations for three different movies.
In 1995 Newman wrote a musical adaptation of Goethe’s Faust. Both the play and the accompanying CD (which featured guests such as Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Don Henley, and James Taylor in the role of God) were commercially unsuccessful. In 2000 he received the Billboard Century Award.
Let me go
Randy Newman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe I'll give you a call
Maybe I'll drop you a line
When I'm feelin' better
Maybe I won't after all
Somewhere a river is flowin'
Rollin' on into the sea
That don't mean anything to me
Let me go, let me go, let me go
Don't give me the answer
'Cause I don't want to know
Just let my heart go on beatin'
A little bit longer
I'm so young, I'm so young
Don't pick me up
You think you see me falling
I've been waiting so long to fall
Don't come to me
You think you hear me calling
Won't be me that calls
Let me go, let me go, let me go
Don't give me the answer
'Cause I don't want to know
Just let my heart go on beatin'
A little bit longer
I'm so young, I'm so young
I'm so young, I'm so young
In Randy Newman's song "Let Me Go," he sings about a painful breakup. The singer is contemplating whether or not to reach out to their ex-partner. They think about writing a letter, making a phone call, or dropping a line. But, the singer decides that they may not reach out at all. They compare themselves to a flower or river, acknowledging that growth and change are happening all around them, but they feel disconnected from it all.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Let me go" several times. The singer is reiterating the need for their ex-partner to let them move on. They don't want to know the answer, whether their ex-partner wants them back or not. They don't want to know the reasons why the relationship ended. The singer just wants to keep living, keep their heart beating a little bit longer, and keep experiencing life while they're still young.
This song speaks to the universal feeling of heartbreak and the struggle to find closure. The singer is searching for a way to move forward and find meaning in their life, despite the pain of losing someone they loved.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe I'll write you a letter
I'll communicate with you in writing when I feel better
Maybe I'll give you a call
I'll call you when I feel better
Maybe I'll drop you a line
I'll communicate with you briefly when I feel better
When I'm feelin' better
I will only communicate with you when I am ready
Maybe I won't after all
I may not communicate with you at all
Somewhere a river is flowin'
A river is flowing somewhere
Rollin' on into the sea
The river flows into the sea
Somewhere a flower is growin'
A flower is growing somewhere
That don't mean anything to me
I don't care about the flower or nature
Let me go, let me go, let me go
Let me be free
Don't give me the answer
Don't tell me the truth
'Cause I don't want to know
I prefer to not be aware of the reality
Just let my heart go on beatin'
Let my heart keep on living
A little bit longer
For a little while more
I'm so young, I'm so young
I still have a lot of life ahead of me
Don't pick me up
Don't rescue me
You think you see me falling
You believe I am in trouble
I've been waiting so long to fall
I've been waiting so long to experience my own consequences
Don't come to me
Don't come to save me
You think you hear me calling
You believe I am asking for help
Won't be me that calls
I won't be the one asking for help
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind