A Few Words in Defense of Our Country: The Biography of Randy Newman
Robert Hilburn
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
"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 humor 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 Crowe "[A] penetrating biography. . . . 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 (starred review) The definitive biography of songwriter Randy Newman, told with his full cooperation, by acclaimed biographer and longtime Los Angeles Times music critic, Robert Hilburn Randy 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 centerpiece 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.
Product Details
Price
$34.00
$31.62
Publisher
Hachette Books
Publish Date
October 22, 2024
Pages
544
Dimensions
6.21 X 9.28 X 1.67 inches | 1.77 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9780306834691
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Robert Hilburn was the chief pop music critic and pop music editor of the Los Angeles Times from 1970 through 2005. Since then, he has focused his attentions on writing biographies of some of the most celebrated musicians in modern history, including John Lennon, Johnny Cash, and Paul Simon. He lives in Los Angeles.
Reviews
"Randy Newman is our great master of American song and storytelling."--Bruce Springsteen
"Robert Hilburn presents Randy Newman front and center as an American treasure, a political lightning bolt and one of the finest songwriters of his generation. Like all of Hilburn's biographies it is addictive and utterly definitive, an intoxicating blend of scrupulously researched detail and unearthed treasures."--Bernie Taupin, Gershwin Award-winning lyricist and New York Times bestselling author of "Scattershot"
"Every time I go to Disneyland and hear Randy Newman's fanfare that announces the thrill-ride of the "Cars" ride, I marvel at his genius for infiltration.
Robert Hilburn's book makes a very good case for Newman being the composer of two or three songs that might serve as the national anthem of a more curious and a less vainglorious America. Some of those songs are heartbreaking and chilling, others are just flat out funny."--Elvis Costello
"With A Few Words In Defense of Our Country, Robert Hilburn does an extraordinary feat: He reminds us that it is passion within a songwriter that is always the genesis for music. Hilburn's thoroughly researched and skillfully narrated bio fully brings Newman's passion to life. This book stands as the definitive biography of one of our greatest songwriters."--Charles R. Cross, author of "Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain" and "Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix"
"A Few Words in Defense of Our Country is a strong and invaluable book. The title is perfect, and expands and deepens as the story goes on, and Randy's commitment to artistic citizenship, and Robert Hilburn's pursuit of the theme, give the book great weight. The argument powering Newman's work is that defending your country means criticizing it, living in it as it really is, demanding that the country live up to its promises while acknowledging its betrayals."--Greil Marcus, author of "Mystery Train" and "Lipstick Traces"
"Apart from his many other astonishing gifts, I believe Randy Newman to be the finest American satirist in any medium in my lifetime."--Garry Trudeau, creator of "Doonesbury"
"At last, the biography that Randy Newman has long deserved. The emotional precision, the humor 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 Crowe
"For fans of Newman or anyone who loves a good story, this is a must-read... It's the definitive take on a legend who has captured the respect of musical giants like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen--and for good reason."--Why Now (UK)
"A passionate and richly reported biography of [a] great American songwriter."--Los Angeles Times
"Randy Newman may not have lived rock and roll's reprobate life of sex, drugs, and rehab, but it turns out to be a fascinating story anyway. Hilburn's biography fills us with renewed awe for Randy's courage, humour, and musical genius - and with love for his deep humanity. In earning the trust of his subject - and the trust of his subject's family and friends - the legendary Los Angeles Times critic gives us a full sense of Randy's character and brilliant mind."--Barney Hoskyns, author of "Hotel California," "Waiting for the Sun," and "Small Town Talk"
"An Illuminating and masterful achievement."--Booklist (starred review)
"[A] penetrating biography. . . . 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."--New York Times
"[A Few Words in Defense of Our Country] is straightforward, helpful in clarifying the intentions underlying Newman's most challenging songs. This is an authorized telling, written with the participation of its subject, who contributes comments with restrained candor and wry, arch wit. Hilburn, whose previous books include solid, comprehensive biographies of three other major songwriters of the rock era--Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, and Bruce Springsteen--knows his territory."--David Hajdu, The Atlantic
"[Hilburn has] performed the heroic brute labor of interviewing seemingly everybody in Newman's life and organizes it into a narrative that will convince any relative newcomer to Newman's work that this guy is some kind of genius."--Fresh Air, NPR
"Hilburn serves up an affectionate tribute to Randy Newman. . . . Throughout, Hilburn astutely analyzes how Newman uses literary devices like the unreliable narrator to probe the absurdities of 'a strange and tragic period in [America's] history.' In the process, Hilburn makes clear, Newman broadened the boundaries of what pop music can do. The result is an intimately detailed portrait of a vital American songwriter."--Publishers Weekly
"Most pop songs are love songs. Not Randy Newman's. He writes cycles of contempt; he is a maestro of malice, a bard of bile. . . . He is, in many ways, the Mark Twain of rock 'n' roll--he weaponized the language of racism to show how ugly it really is.
In Robert Hilburn's A Few Words in Defense of Our Country, we learn that Newman, whose lyrics are like rancid short stories and whose melodies are like satirical mini-symphonies, even created a character, Johnny Cutler, an assembly-line worker in Birmingham who wanted to make America great again 50 years ago."--David Yaffe, Air Mail
"Finally, [Randy Newman] has the biography the breadth of his talent and influence deserves. . . . It's a supremely detailed account of an extraordinary career. . . . The picture that emerges is of a constantly inspired musician, avuncular and angry in equal measure, whose formidable body of work is woven in the very fabric of a nation." (***** Five Stars)--Record Collector
"Robert Hilburn presents Randy Newman front and center as an American treasure, a political lightning bolt and one of the finest songwriters of his generation. Like all of Hilburn's biographies it is addictive and utterly definitive, an intoxicating blend of scrupulously researched detail and unearthed treasures."--Bernie Taupin, Gershwin Award-winning lyricist and New York Times bestselling author of "Scattershot"
"Every time I go to Disneyland and hear Randy Newman's fanfare that announces the thrill-ride of the "Cars" ride, I marvel at his genius for infiltration.
Robert Hilburn's book makes a very good case for Newman being the composer of two or three songs that might serve as the national anthem of a more curious and a less vainglorious America. Some of those songs are heartbreaking and chilling, others are just flat out funny."--Elvis Costello
"With A Few Words In Defense of Our Country, Robert Hilburn does an extraordinary feat: He reminds us that it is passion within a songwriter that is always the genesis for music. Hilburn's thoroughly researched and skillfully narrated bio fully brings Newman's passion to life. This book stands as the definitive biography of one of our greatest songwriters."--Charles R. Cross, author of "Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain" and "Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix"
"A Few Words in Defense of Our Country is a strong and invaluable book. The title is perfect, and expands and deepens as the story goes on, and Randy's commitment to artistic citizenship, and Robert Hilburn's pursuit of the theme, give the book great weight. The argument powering Newman's work is that defending your country means criticizing it, living in it as it really is, demanding that the country live up to its promises while acknowledging its betrayals."--Greil Marcus, author of "Mystery Train" and "Lipstick Traces"
"Apart from his many other astonishing gifts, I believe Randy Newman to be the finest American satirist in any medium in my lifetime."--Garry Trudeau, creator of "Doonesbury"
"At last, the biography that Randy Newman has long deserved. The emotional precision, the humor 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 Crowe
"For fans of Newman or anyone who loves a good story, this is a must-read... It's the definitive take on a legend who has captured the respect of musical giants like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen--and for good reason."--Why Now (UK)
"A passionate and richly reported biography of [a] great American songwriter."--Los Angeles Times
"Randy Newman may not have lived rock and roll's reprobate life of sex, drugs, and rehab, but it turns out to be a fascinating story anyway. Hilburn's biography fills us with renewed awe for Randy's courage, humour, and musical genius - and with love for his deep humanity. In earning the trust of his subject - and the trust of his subject's family and friends - the legendary Los Angeles Times critic gives us a full sense of Randy's character and brilliant mind."--Barney Hoskyns, author of "Hotel California," "Waiting for the Sun," and "Small Town Talk"
"An Illuminating and masterful achievement."--Booklist (starred review)
"[A] penetrating biography. . . . 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."--New York Times
"[A Few Words in Defense of Our Country] is straightforward, helpful in clarifying the intentions underlying Newman's most challenging songs. This is an authorized telling, written with the participation of its subject, who contributes comments with restrained candor and wry, arch wit. Hilburn, whose previous books include solid, comprehensive biographies of three other major songwriters of the rock era--Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, and Bruce Springsteen--knows his territory."--David Hajdu, The Atlantic
"[Hilburn has] performed the heroic brute labor of interviewing seemingly everybody in Newman's life and organizes it into a narrative that will convince any relative newcomer to Newman's work that this guy is some kind of genius."--Fresh Air, NPR
"Hilburn serves up an affectionate tribute to Randy Newman. . . . Throughout, Hilburn astutely analyzes how Newman uses literary devices like the unreliable narrator to probe the absurdities of 'a strange and tragic period in [America's] history.' In the process, Hilburn makes clear, Newman broadened the boundaries of what pop music can do. The result is an intimately detailed portrait of a vital American songwriter."--Publishers Weekly
"Most pop songs are love songs. Not Randy Newman's. He writes cycles of contempt; he is a maestro of malice, a bard of bile. . . . He is, in many ways, the Mark Twain of rock 'n' roll--he weaponized the language of racism to show how ugly it really is.
In Robert Hilburn's A Few Words in Defense of Our Country, we learn that Newman, whose lyrics are like rancid short stories and whose melodies are like satirical mini-symphonies, even created a character, Johnny Cutler, an assembly-line worker in Birmingham who wanted to make America great again 50 years ago."--David Yaffe, Air Mail
"Finally, [Randy Newman] has the biography the breadth of his talent and influence deserves. . . . It's a supremely detailed account of an extraordinary career. . . . The picture that emerges is of a constantly inspired musician, avuncular and angry in equal measure, whose formidable body of work is woven in the very fabric of a nation." (***** Five Stars)--Record Collector
