Randy goes surfing... or something like that. This album contains some of the most upbeat as well as some of the most sombre songs of his entire career. It starts with a bang. I Love LA is perhaps his second most famous non-movie song after Short People. It is a great surf rock song proclaiming the wonder of various non-descript parts of LA. "We're mediocre but up yours" is pretty much the sentiment prevailing here. Christmas in Capetown is another attack on racists and of course South Africa was, at the time very notorious for racism. This even makes a particular attack on the English, "Darling don't talk about things you don't know anything about... If you don't like it here, go back to your own miserable country." Harsh but fair, disturbing, but accurate. The music here is quite downbeat and all in all it's a fairly depressing song, but I find it remarkable both musically and lyrically and find it to be one of my favourite songs on the album. The Blues isn't really a blues song, but another surf rock, California sound kind of thing; very un-Newman like, but with typically cynical Newman lyrics, in fact so cynical that Newman once said that he almost regretted writing the song since it essentially belittles a boy who runs away to play the piano when he's upset by the spectacular failure of his family as detailed in the verses. The chorus is sung by none other than Paul Simon. It's probably best that he didn't sing with Randy since their voices wouldn't really mesh very well, but the contrast works well, as does the much more youthful and clear voice to represent the "boy" in the song.
Same Girl is, I think about a hooker who is a drug addict, but told from the point of view of the pimp. At least that is my interpretation - whatever is correct, it is a very depressing song that does feature some gorgeous harmonic progressions in the underlying piano part. While Same Girl could be missed to avoid monumental depression, Mikey's should be avoided at all costs. I once commented to Mr Southall after listening to it that it was the "worst Randy Newman song I'd ever heard" and he suggested removing the words "Randy Newman" from that sentence. Yes, it really is the most awful 2 minutes you're likely to hear, a repeating synth figure and Randy just spouting some nonsense about music sounding rubbish. Irony at a high level maybe, but a terrible piece of music. Skip it and move straight onto another monologue type song. My Life is Good is just the band vamping along as Randy recounts some strange story about employing a house maid from Mexico, giving his kid's teacher and ear bashing and meeting Bruce Springsteen. Of course the story itself isn't there as an amusing anecdote but rather a commentry on people who have everything but still complain (I think). Of course, no Randy Newman album is complete without a song about a horrible American city made out to be something wonderful and here we get two about possibly the two most awful American cities. Miami claims to have the "best dope in the world and it's free" - so now you know. "I love Miami, it's so nice and hot" - I don't think Rand likes Miami much... Mr Ultra Irony strikes again.
Real Emotional Girl goes back to the ultra sombre, although this is meant as more of a brag from one to another about his new girl, rather than as first appears, a song just about a "real emotional girl." Sometimes Randy can be just a bit too subtle. Take Me Back and There's a Party at My House bring back some Elvis style rock and roll to the album, particularly the latter which is a fantastic pastiche Elvis song, even if the lyrics would have made Elvis' beautifully coiffured hair stand on end. Yes, it is advertising a party at his house, but the lyrics go all weird at the end and are actually rather twisted. Possibly some kind comment on why teenage boys have parties, just to be horrible letcherous towards teenage girls. Rather than the peaches and cream attitude teenagers in the 50s were meant to have. I'm Different could be my anthem, although I do sometimes care who knows it. It has the strange attraction of Linda Ronstadt doing the backing vocals. You can't help hearing the song without imagining Randy walking along in an animated world surrounded by bunnies and birds in the trees singing the backing vocal. Perhaps I just have an overactive imagination. Song for the Dead is meant to specifically comment on the war in Vietnam, but there is nothing to suggest that it isn't just a comment on war in general. If they had to have a song at the end of Saving Private Ryan (God forbid), this would have worked very well. The low pedal notes, stark, repetitive, echoing piano motif and occasional pedal guitar note all work well to musically conjure up a battlefield after the battle. A song that will speak volumes to those who were there, but econimcally disseminates the awful reality of war to everyone else.
Despite one misstep - perhaps it was put on by mistake?! - this is yet another great Randy album with several heart felt ballads to counter the often cheerfully close-to-slanderous rock and roll efforts. As with some later Randy albums, not all the songs will appeal to all people, but there are some classics in there and after a few listens you'll probably know I Love LA off by heart.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 40:02