Artist:Randy Newman
Song:Lonely At The Top
Album:Sail Away
Randy Newman is a singer songwriter best known these days for his film work. But he's also known for his satirical songs. He was born Nov. 28, 1943 in New Orleans. His uncles Lionel & Alfred Newman were legendary film score composers. He was working for a song publisher in Los Angeles when his pal Lenny Waronker got him a contract with Reprise Records. His early albums didn't sell but his songs were heavily covered. Three Dog Night had a smash in 1970 with Mama Told Me Not To Come. The thinking was that Newman's singing voice was part of the problem so his pal Harry Nilsson did an album called Nilsson Sings Newman. But Reprise couldn't figure out how to sell Newman. The 1972 album Sail Away got a following mostly because of Newman's constant touring. Lonely At The Top is a song poking fun at himself and fame in general. Newman wrote it for Frank Sinatra. He first recorded it on 1971's Randy Newman Live. Rhino issued an expanded version of Sail Away in 2002. Newman did have a pop hit in 1978 with Short People but in more recent years has concentrated on composing music for films. His most recent score was for the Pixar film Cars and he is currently working on the upcoming George Clooney film Leatherheads. Here's Randy Newman performing Sail Away.
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