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.
Yellow Man
Randy Newman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lives the yellow woman and the yellow man
He's been around for many-a-year
They say, they were there, before we were here
Eatin' rice all day
While the children play
You see he believes
In the family
Oh, yellow man, oh, yellow man
We understand, you know we understand
Ata, ata, ata ,ta, ta, ta
Ata, ata, ata ,ta, ta, ta
Ata, ata, ata ,ta, ta, ta
He keeps his money tight in his hand
With his yellow woman he's a yellow man
Got to have a yellow woman
When you're a yellow man
Randy Newman is known for his insightful lyrics that often tackle controversial and uncomfortable themes. In "Yellow Man," he tackles the theme of race and the struggles of immigrants. The lyrics depict a foreign land inhabited by the yellow woman and the yellow man, who have been around for far longer than the current inhabitants of that land. They eat rice all day, and the children play. They believe in family, just like you and me.
The chorus of the song, "Oh, yellow man, oh, yellow man, we understand, you know we understand," underscores the message of the song's lyrics. Randy Newman is trying to convey the idea that regardless of race, creed, or ethnicity, we all fundamentally want the same things in life. The word "Ata" is repeated several times throughout the chorus, perhaps to convey a sense of the repetitiveness of life, regardless of where one comes from.
The final verse of the song, "He keeps his money tight in his hand, with his yellow woman, he's a yellow man. Got to have a yellow woman when you're a yellow man," is a poignant commentary on the loneliness and isolation that immigrants often feel in a foreign land. The yellow man has only his yellow woman to cling to in this strange land, much the same as any immigrant would often cling to their own cultural identity in a foreign land.
Line by Line Meaning
Very far away, in a foreign land
The yellow people are from a distant land
Lives the yellow woman and the yellow man
There are yellow women and men residing there
He's been around for many-a-year
The yellow man has been present for a long time
They say, they were there, before we were here
It is believed that they existed before we did
Eatin' rice all day
The yellow people consume rice throughout the day
While the children play
As the kids are playing
You see he believes
It is evident that he believes
In the family
He values the importance of family
Just like you and me
Similar to how we do
Oh, yellow man, oh, yellow man
Addressing the yellow man
We understand, you know we understand
We comprehend and empathize with him
Ata, ata, ata ,ta, ta, ta
Repetitive sounds for the rhythm of the song
Ata, ata, ata ,ta, ta, ta
Repetitive sounds for the rhythm of the song
Ata, ata, ata ,ta, ta, ta
Repetitive sounds for the rhythm of the song
He keeps his money tight in his hand
The yellow man is good at saving his money
With his yellow woman he's a yellow man
He is identified with his yellow wife
Got to have a yellow woman
It is important for a yellow man to have a yellow woman
When you're a yellow man
Having a yellow woman is crucial for a yellow man
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andrea Zauli
Very far away in a foreign land
Live the yellow woman and the yellow man
He's been around for many-a-year
They say they were there before we were here
Eatin' rice all day
While the children play
You see he believes
In the family
Just like you and me
Oh, yellow man, oh, yellow man
We understand, you know we understand
He keeps his money tight in his hand
With his yellow woman he's a yellow man
Got to have a yellow woman
When you're a yellow man
Rusty Cage
eatin rice all day, while the children play
Lorik Qui'in
Best part!
Bilinda Kazooie
I come here so often at 2AM and sing the hell out of this song.
Claus Saunte
To deny that these stereotypes excist, and to close the eyes to it, is socially inrespondsible, Randy never did that! I bless him!
Andrea Zauli
Very far away in a foreign land
Live the yellow woman and the yellow man
He's been around for many-a-year
They say they were there before we were here
Eatin' rice all day
While the children play
You see he believes
In the family
Just like you and me
Oh, yellow man, oh, yellow man
We understand, you know we understand
He keeps his money tight in his hand
With his yellow woman he's a yellow man
Got to have a yellow woman
When you're a yellow man
Muldwych
A satire of racial stereotyping too subtle to be understood by a modern audience. But some of us, "you know we understand"!
Frannie O
Well said. Randy is a genius.
Lorik Qui'in
This song is hardcore!!! Especially the "da da da da da da da" part!!
Im surprised it aint banned!!
Wait... Jim Gordon Traveled from Gotham to record with him???
Robert DiCaterino
Written before political correctness
Lorik Qui'in
@Robert DiCaterino Indeed. 👍