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.
Lover's Prayer
Randy Newman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With their eyes shinin' bright
All the young girls are afraid of me
Send me a woman tonight
Don't send me no hand-holdin' baby
'Cause I been with babies before
Don't send me nobody that's crazy
I was entertaining a little girl in my rooms, Lord
With California wines and French perfumes, Lord
She started to talk to me about the war, Lord
I said, "I don't want to talk about the war"
Don't send me nobody with glasses
Don't want no one above me
Don't send nobody takin' night-classes
Send me somebody to love me
Please answer my prayer
Please answer my prayer
Please answer my prayer
In the song "Lover's Prayer," Randy Newman is singing about his desire for a mature and experienced woman instead of a young girl. He warns against sending him any more young girls because they are "afraid" of him. Newman has likely had previous negative experiences with young girls, and he wants a woman who knows what she wants and isn't easily intimidated. He doesn't want someone with baggage, such as a history of craziness, or someone who is overly intellectual or ambitious, leading him to avoid anyone taking night classes or wearing glasses. He is seeking someone who is on his level and will simply love him for who he is, no strings attached.
The character singing this song is likely a self-centered, middle-aged man who is looking for companionship without any emotional depth or commitment. He thinks that sending him a mature woman will solve all his problems, but in reality, his fixation on finding the "perfect" woman is blocking him from forming a genuine connection with anyone. This song is a commentary on how we often seek superficial solutions to our problems instead of addressing the root issues within ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't send me no young girl to love me
I am not interested in young girls who show me attention
With their eyes shinin' bright
I do not appreciate the innocence that lies within the young girl's eyes
All the young girls are afraid of me
The young girls are intimidated by me and do not want to be with me
Send me a woman tonight
I want the company of a woman, not a girl
Don't send me no hand-holdin' baby
I don't want a childish partner who needs to be spoon-fed in a relationship
'Cause I been with babies before
I've been with such partners before, they bore me
Don't send me nobody that's crazy
I don't want a partner with a troubled mental state of mind
Don't send me no young girls no more
I have outgrown the need to be with young girls
I was entertaining a little girl in my rooms, Lord
I was entertaining a young female companion in my personal space
With California wines and French perfumes, Lord
I was trying to romanticize the situation with fancy alcohol and fragrances
She started to talk to me about the war, Lord
She initiated a conversation about the war, which was an unwanted topic for me
I said, "I don't want to talk about the war"
I rejected the conversation about the war
Don't send me nobody with glasses
I do not want someone who is intellectually superior to me
Don't want no one above me
I want to be on a level playing field with my partner
Don't send nobody takin' night-classes
I don't want someone who is still studying, trying to improve themselves
Send me somebody to love me
I want someone to love and care for me as I am today
Please answer my prayer
I am desperately seeking the right partner and asking God to guide me
Please answer my prayer
I am pleading and hoping that my prayers will be answered
Please answer my prayer
I feel like I am at a loss and can only rely on divine intervention
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind