Randy Newman hasn’t announced a ton of dates yet, so it’s a pleasant surprise to see that the Los Angeles songwriter will hit Seattle in October.
Newman, who just released “Harps and Angels” to generally rapturous reviews, is probably best known for his work as a hired gun in Hollywood. He wrote the “Toy Story” song, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” for example.
But the dude’s prolific. Like Bob Dylan, he’s written songs that, when other people sang them, became huge hits, such as “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” which Joe Cocker covered.
Also like Dylan, he won an Oscar for his songwriting.
Unlike Dylan, his songs aren’t all that abstract. They’re sometimes political, always catchy, amusing slices of Americana. Take “Short People,” a song that starts with the line, “Short people got no reason to live.” The song, a hit in the 1970s, started a controversy, as some took its mocking bigotry for actual hatred.
Anyway, if you’ve got the time and the money, go see Newman at the Moore.
Here’s the presale info for that show, as well as many others. None of the prices include service fees, etc., and if you see something I missed, by all means toss it in the comments section below.
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