America's greatest living songwriter and me

Written by Dan Brown

Some people may think I’m overly opinionated, brash, critical and generally full of myself. I’d try to explain it all away, but I guess I can’t — because I am all of those things to one degree or another.

But on May 5 at the Englert, I was none of those things. I was completely humbled by greatness: A guy in blue jeans and tennis shoes, with tousled hair and oversized glasses riding low on his nose. Eyes closed, alone on stage with a piano at the end of his fingers. America’s greatest living songwriter, Randy Newman.

I’m sure lots of you are thinking “Hey, what about Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell, or Brian Wilson or John Prine, Bruce Springsteen, Carole King, or Paul Simon, even?” I think there’s a good argument to be made for any of them. Dylan is iconic. Springsteen’s sold millions of records. Prine was invited by U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser to perform at the Library of Congress. King has written more charted singles than any of them. Joni Mitchell embodies infuses the American-born jazz idiom into her songs the best of all.

But Randy Newman is America’s greatest living songwriter.

No one else is like him. His knowledge of musical composition, arrangement and orchestration is unequaled by his contemporaries. Only Brian Wilson holds a candle to his breadth of sonic vision — but Wilson’s best work ended with “Pet Sounds” in 1966.

Newman’s willingness to shine a lyrical light on injustice, bigotry and political blunders is more satirical, perhaps, but as poignant and direct as Dylan. His humor is a bit more sardonic than Prine, but he’s incredibly funny. Unlike Springsteen, you sometimes can’t tell if he’s damning American values or admiring them, but he certainly reflects America in his music as much as the Boss. He’s not “master of the pop hook” like King, but he sure can write them when he needs to (think “Short People” or “I’m Different”).

Besides, half of King’s best work was done in collaboration with Gerry Goffin so if I included her in this discussion I would also have to include other great songwriting duos like Peaches & Herb. Simon is an incredibly talented wordsmith, but Newman also can easily flip from a tender ballad like “When Somebody Loved Me” to the eerie first-person voice of a child murderer in “In Germany Before the War.” And Newman’s work has criss-crossed the map of musical applications — pop charts, movies, TV, theater — like none of his contemporaries. He’s done it all for more than 45 years, mostly under the popular radar.

Look at the recognition he’s received:

• An Academy Award, plus 16 additional Oscar nominations

• 5 Grammy Awards and 8 additional nominations

• 6 Golden Globe nominations

• 2 Emmy Awards

Now let’s make some quick comparisons:

• Dylan: 1 Oscar, 10 Grammys

• Springsteen: 1 Oscar, 18 Grammys

• Mitchell: 7 Grammys

• Wilson: 1 Grammy in 2005 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance

If we were just counting music awards, Springsteen kicks everyone’s musical butt. The key there is butt (read but). But ... each of these folks’ songwriting careers — as great as they are — has pretty much remained rooted in the recording and performance of mainstream popular music.

What Newman may lack in numbers of awards is made up for by the diversity of recognition he has received and the sheer breadth of his work.

Most importantly, he’s a really nice guy. I got to chat with him for a bit after the show and I was as close to fawning as I have been since I met Fess Parker in the third grade. I told him that, of all the singers who had covered his songs, I liked Harry Nilsson’s renditions the best. He said, “Well, ya know, Harry had his own thing going, too.” And then after a contemplative pause, “Maybe a little too much of it.” (Nilsson was known for his excesses).

I also told him I always admired the way that he used the orchestra to move a song instead of a drummer — it was evident on his first album. He said, “Yeah, well, my Uncle Al (Alfred Newman, 47 Academy Award nominations and 9 Oscars) came to the studio and he seemed real nervous about conducting my orchestral arrangements. I thought if Uncle Al was nervous there must be something wrong with them. He told me to conduct them myself. It worked out OK.”

I’ve met many celebrities before, but none like Randy Newman. He was utterly humble and utterly genuine. And that made me love his music even more.

I talked to the Englert’s executive director Beth Bewley-Randall a couple of days after the show and she told me that on the way to the airport, Newman spoke about his stay in Iowa City. He said he really had a nice time because everyone seemed humble and genuine.

I think he and I are a lot alike — only he’s a really nice guy and America’s greatest living songwriter ... and I’m not.

Dan Brown is director of innovation and audience development for Press-Citizen Media. He is opinionated, brash, critical and a mediocre songwriter. Feel free to e-mail him at dbrown@press-citizen.com to respond to his views on America’s great songwriters.