Singer/Songwriter
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£ 21.99
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A Few Words in Defense of Our Country : The Biography of Randy Newman
Randy Newman - Book - by Robert Hilburn
(2024)
While the book posits Newman as a writer of sociopolitical import, its
emotional narrative is driven by the more personal aspects of his story:
a complex family legacy, childhood struggles with strabismus (crossed
eyes) and a lifelong tendency toward sadness and isolation' Bob Mehr,
New York Times'An illuminating and masterful achievement' Booklist'Randy
Newman is our great master of American song and storytelling' Bruce
Springsteen'At last, the biography that Randy Newman has long deserved.
The emotional precision, the humour and sweep, the truths and secrets
behind his remarkable body of work . .
. it's all here in Robert
Hilburn's heartfelt and indispensable account of America's finest
songwriter. Leave it to Hilburn to pull back the curtain on the
incredible life of Newman, a shy genius who clearly trusted him enough
to point him in all the right directions.
It's more than a great
read, it's an invitation to re-visit Randy Newman's work with renewed
appreciation for the man who uniquely defined the American Experience
just when we needed it most' Cameron CroweRandy Newman is widely hailed
as one of America's all-time greatest songwriters, equally skilled in
the sophisticated melodies and lyrics of the Gershwin-Porter era and the
cultural commentary of his own generation, with Bob Dylan and Paul
Simon among his most ardent admirers. While tens of millions around the
world can hum 'You've Got a Friend in Me', his disarming centrepiece for
Toy Story, most of them would be astonished to learn that the heart of
Newman's legacy is in the dozens of brilliant songs that detail the
injustices, from racism to class inequality, that have contributed to
the division of our nation. Rolling Stone declared that a single Newman
song, 'Sail Away', tells us more about America than 'The Star-Spangled
Banner'.
And yet, his legacy remains largely undocumented in
book form - until now. In A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY,
veteran music journalist Robert Hilburn presents the definitive portrait
of an American legend. Hilburn has known Newman since his club debut at
the Troubadour in 1970, and the two have maintained a connection in the
decades since, conversing over the course of times good and bad.
Though Newman has long refused to talk with potential biographers, he
now gives Hilburn unprecedented access not only to himself but also to
his archives, as well as his family, friends, and collaborators. Bob
Dylan, Paul Simon, John Williams, Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Bonnie
Raitt, Chuck D, James Taylor, and New York Times' Pulitzer-winning
columnists, Thomas Friedman and Wesley Morris, among others, contributed
to the book. In addition to exploring Newman's prolific career and the
evolution of his songwriting, A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY also
dives into his childhood and early influences, his musical family that
ruled Hollywood movie scores for decades, the relationships that have
provided inspiration for his songs, and so much more.
As
thought-provoking and thorough as it is tender, this book is an overdue
tribute to the legendary songwriter whose music has long reflected and
challenged the America we know today.