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.
Miami
Randy Newman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the rhythm everywhere
She's a very fine girl
And she's been awfully nice to me
When we walk
As we sometimes do
All the way out Collins Avenue
Very very special
Very
Gee I love Miami
It's so nice and hot
And every building's
So pretty and white
And I always get into
So much trouble
When I'm down there
I know these two old stiffs
Live on the Waterway
That's where I like to stay
When I'm down in Miami
Blue day
Best dope in the world
And it's free
Miami
Blue day
Put on your shorty shorts
And your Hawaiian shirt
And come down
There's a man over there
With the conk in his hair
He's a very bad man
Don't look now
He's really very bad
And his name is Medina
And he comes from Argentina
See that little dog there with him
Well, he treats it just like
It was his little boy
Oh, I love Miami
It's so hot
And the women down here
Are so impure
I love to hang around
The big hotels
And sleep in the sun all day
I know this double jointed guy
With the circus in St. Pete
He's with me now
He says hello
From 14th Street in Miami
Blue day
Best dope in the world
And it's free
Miami
Blue day
Put on your shorty shorts
And your Hawaiian shirt
And come down
Randy Newman's song Miami is a vivid and somewhat surreal description of the city of Miami in Florida, as seen through the eyes of the singer. The opening lines introduce us to a girl with rhythm who has been nice to the singer, and the rest of the song describes various people and places in the city. The singer seems to have a particular fondness for Miami, with its hot weather, pretty white buildings, and impure women. He also mentions a man with a bad reputation named Medina, and a double-jointed circus performer who says hello from 14th Street.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a girl over there
There is a girl in my vicinity
With the rhythm everywhere
She is someone who embodies rhythm
She's a very fine girl
She is a high quality individual
And she's been awfully nice to me
She has treated me with great kindness
When we walk
At times during our walks together
As we sometimes do
As it happens occasionally
All the way out Collins Avenue
We walk along Collins Avenue for an extended distance
Well it's very very fine
It's incredibly excellent
Very very special
A highly unique and remarkable experience
Very
Truly exceptional
Gee I love Miami
I possess a deep adoration for Miami
It's so nice and hot
The climate is comfortably warm
And every building's
Each and every structure
So pretty and white
Is aesthetically attractive with a pristine facade
And I always get into
I tend to involve myself in
So much trouble
An abundance of conflict and difficulties
When I'm down there
During my time spent in Miami
I know these two old stiffs
I am familiar with two old and stuffy individuals
Live on the Waterway
They reside in a location near a body of water
That's where I like to stay
It is an enjoyable place for me to lodge
When I'm down in Miami
During my visit to Miami
Blue day
A day with elements of depression or sadness
Best dope in the world
The highest quality of drugs
And it's free
Available without cost
Miami
The city of Miami
Put on your shorty shorts
Wear a pair of shorts of limited length
And your Hawaiian shirt
Also wear a bright and colorful shirt in a Hawaiian style
And come down
Visit Miami
There's a man over there
A man is currently within view
With the conk in his hair
His hair is styled in a conk
He's a very bad man
He is a dangerous and malevolent individual
Don't look now
I advise not looking at the moment
He's really very bad
I cannot overstress how dangerous he is
And his name is Medina
The identity of the aforementioned bad man is Medina
And he comes from Argentina
Medina's place of origin is Argentina
See that little dog there with him
The canine in proximity with Medina can be observed
Well, he treats it just like
He treats the dog in an identical manner to
It was his little boy
If the dog were his own offspring
And the women down here
The women located in Miami
Are so impure
They exhibit a lack of moral integrity
I love to hang around
I enjoy spending leisure time
The big hotels
The major hotel accommodations
And sleep in the sun all day
Engage in prolonged napping under the sun's rays
I know this double jointed guy
I am acquainted with an individual who is double jointed
With the circus in St. Pete
He is employed as part of a circus in St. Petersburg
He's with me now
He is present with me at this moment
He says hello
He is currently greeting others
From 14th Street in Miami
He is situated in the Miami district of 14th Street
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Randy Newman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind