He doesn't sing about physical appearance, though he exemplifies it in his lyrics. It's satire. It's multi-layered. He adresses prejudice and intolerance in general + he adresses people "short" when it comes to mindset, tolerance, moral compass and such. It's a brilliant song.
@@northernlight2598 … Wasn't trying to be funny just factual. Ask around how many remember him. Ask how many songs people can name of his. If any this will be the only one & that's due to its notoriety.
@@northernlight2598 … Wow … The crowd you hang around must be a riot. Last time I heard of Randy Newman was when he did the song for the TV show "Monk". That was like 20 years ago. Before that it was this song 20 years or so before that. So you have a point. Two forgettable tosser tunes in a lifetime of music. But if you like him you like him. But the average peep never heard of him or hasn't thought of his name or little tunes in several decades. Sorry.
Jane that's a big ol' lie, radio was invented in late 1977 and didn't hit the shelves until July 1978. So none of you or your short siblings heard this on the radio.
I was in HS the year it came out and I tried to organize all my friends 5' 6" and under to go picket CBS (records) in L.A. - couldn't get anyone as they were confused why I would be picketing the record company if I liked the song and wasn't bothered by it...they couldn't get the concept of doing a performance piece just to show up on national TV - oh well - opportunity lost
more than just a joke, it was ironic social commentary, specifically regarding the irrationality of hating a people for their inherent traits. this is clearly illuminated in the song's bridge. KEvron
Randy's voicing two opposing attitudes in the song, almost like an argument or discussion. He presents the prejudiced opinion "Short people got no reason...", and then in the break in the middle, he presents the more compassionate opinion "Short people are just the same as you and I." Btw, I still have the 45rpm single.
Randy Newman - king of the Movie music scores. A recognized Disney Legend, Song Writers Hall Of Fame, Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame, 22 Academy awards nominations for best original song & original score, he was born in Los Angeles to an extended family of Hollywood film composers and with them they have 92 nominations in various music categories, began his songwriting career at the age of 17. He has written so much stuff that you’ve heard and enjoyed and sang along with that it can’t all be listed here.
Satire… Randy Newman’s movie songs are great. When I saw y’all watching this I was thinking he may have sang it on an episode of The Muppets or it was in one of The Muppet movies… but I could wrong.
"Short People" reached #2 in the US, his only top 30 hit song. He wrote "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)" the Three Dog Night hit, and "You Can Leave Your Hat On", the Joe Cocker hit!! Randy is 6 feet tall(5'11" per IMDB) edit- I almost forgot, he wrote/sang the theme song for the TV Show "Monk", called "It's a Jungle Out There".
Curse you! Now I'll never be able to hear those songs again without imagining Randy's voice mumbling the words! But I'll admit, as much as I dislike his actual singing ability, there's no mistaking his talent and contribution to music over the years, and his voice actually was perfect for the theme song from Toy Story. Not to mention being the butt of one of my favorite Family Guy jokes as the character of him narrates everything going on around him through singing: "...The lady's picking up the apple, she's taking a bite of the apple..."
Both my mother and wife likes this song. My mom was 4 ft 10 and my wife was foot 4 door 10 1\2. When they first met my mom said "finally I've got someone to give my clothes to".
If you watched the movie, "Toy Story", you'll recognize his work. "You've Got a Friend in Me". Lots of others. Back when this song came out it was a hit. People didn't take everything literal as they do today. I was a short kid back then and never thought anything about it.
@@terrylandess6072 Its the social media. But honestly things back then felt more simple. Now we have so muhc information that we feel we have to second guess most thought and ideas as how they are presented.
This is a cute little ditty that came out in 70's that made us laugh. There was less b.s. in the world back then. I had forgotten about this. Thank you both for reacting to it .
A surprising number of people back in the day couldn't grasp that this song was a satire about prejudice rather than an actual attack on short people. The premise is that you could substitute the name of any group of people and it would sound equally ridiculous. Kind of weird that they missed the meaning given the chorus "short people are just the same as you and I. All men are brothers until the day they die".
@@williamburnham3659 Short people have no right to live, short people have no right to live. Let's change that and see how it sounds, ok. william burnham has no right to live, william burnham has no right to live. Is it still satire?
You can say all day long it is satire about prejudice, but would you go around singing the chorus so people can hear you? Sure, he wasn't attacking short people, he was just opening the door.
I am 60 and remember when this came out. Great piano, simple, but good. Yeah, it sounds like he is dissing short people, but the songs bridge explains short people are just like you and I. Great memory.
it's called "irony"." satire"( he used Archie Bunker , the famous grumpy, bigoted Carol Oconnor character from the TV comedy All in the Family as the inspiration. Song is coming from his perspective. Newman is satirizing this type of character ). C'mon peeps we can't all be so sensitive these days we can't understand artists can do this ( take a contrary view to expected social norms to challenge or reinforce ideas in an artistc way) . Stop PC "policing' every lyric you read.
From wiki: The verses and chorus are lyrically constructed as a prejudiced attack on short people. In contrast, the bridge states that "short people are just the same as you and I." Many listeners thought that the song reflected Newman's sincere beliefs. However, Newman intended the song to be a satire about prejudice more broadly: "The guy in that song is crazy. He was not to be believed."[2] As with many of his songs such as "Rednecks", Newman wrote the song from the point of view of a biased narrator.
This song was about prejudice with “short people” being a substitute for “insert minority group here”. Randy Newman has a great comedic mind and a New Orleans accent which makes him even funnier.
Randy Newman is an absolute LEGEND. It's a real shame that he's mainly known for movie songs and this song. The man is one of the greatest lyricists of the 20th century. Songs like God's Song, Louisiana 1927, Rednecks, The World Isn't Fair, Cuyahoga River, Great Nations of Europe... These are some of the greatest most thoughtful lyrics of the last century. I highly encourage you to listen to them.
It's a satirical commentary on racism and bigotry.Short people can be easily replaced with black people, Jewish people, Arab people, blondes, etc, etc...Brad nailed it.
His musical scores are legendary-- I walked down the aisle to the instrumental Ragtime, from the movie of same title. Wonderful. And yes, we had all sorts of reasons to laugh at ourselves in the 70's... music like this facilitated change. Absolutely!
Randy Newman is a great artist. He wrote You’ve Got A Friend In Me for the movie Toy Story, and he wrote It’s A Jungle Out There for the television show Monk. PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘STRANDED IN THE JUNGLE’ by The Cadets. It will put a big smile on your face!
Randy Newman is a brilliant songwriter. Before he became famous Harry Nilsson recorded an album of his songs called “Nilsson Sings Newman”. It included “Sail Away” which skewers slavery.
Randy Newman's uncle was Hollywood film composer Alfred Newman. Alfred Newman won nine Academy Awards and was nominated forty-five times for the same award. His list of film scores is quite impressive.
I never made that connection! thanks for that...I love th eols movie music composers like Alfred Newman, Max Steiner, Elmer Bernstein, John Barry etc.. I still maintain that's where John Williams got a lot of his ideas from. Williams' Raiders of the Lost Ark theme and "1941" March is very similar in style as Elmer Bernstein's The Great Escape for example.
My dad used to sing this to my brother, three sisters and I every time we started to whine and cry about something. He was six foot eight inches tall. I never reached those heights but I still outgrew all my siblings and I stand at six foot three inches tall so every time they annoy me I sing this song to them. My father passed in 1989 so I took on the roll of the big guy in the room because not one of them reached six foot. They played this song constantly in the 70’s.
A vertically challenged friend of mine, since passed, loved this song the minute it came out. I gave him the 45 as a gag. Back then, people were not humorless and offended by everything, like today.
This is from the article "Randy Newmans 7 most Jewish songs" by Seth Rogovaoy: "Newman caught a wave of backlash after this satirical novelty became his biggest hit - it went all the way to number two, kept out of the top spot by the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.” While the song may have no overt Jewish content, it is a deft skewering of stereotyping, prejudice, and bigotry. Unfortunately, many mistook the voice of Newman’s unreliable narrator to be that of his own - a Maryland politician reportedly introduced legislation to ban the song from the airwaves. In a contemporaneous interview, Newman diminished his detractors as “just a tiny minority.”
Randy Newman was a gifted orchestral composer with a number of great movie soundtracks to his credit. He combined his songwriting gift with orchestral arrangements in songs like Cowboy, Sail Away, & Louisiana 1927.
@@danmason5550 Oh, yeah - I'm singing it to myself now... "Gary called me up and asked if I would write his theme song...." the most literal song ever - thanks for reminding me (also, I miss Gary.. )
"The song consequently became a major hit on radio peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks; it was kept from reaching No. 1 by Player's "Baby Come Back" and the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive". It became a gold record."
It's a parody on prejudice. For example, they used to say "Don't want no colored around here". Color is a physical feature like height, weight, sex etc.
Come on guys, this is obviously a satire on how people often have irrational and hateful beliefs about others for no reason except they're different . Substitute black, gay, foreign etc for "short" and maybe it will make more sense.
This was one of the first songs I bought a record for, it was a 45. I was 5 at the time, so I thought someone singing about Short People, like me, was awesome.
You guys are the first people I've seen react to any Randy Newman song. He has had a very long and varied career, he has songs like "Rednecks" and "I Love L.A.", probably his most famous song, and lots of soundtrack work these days. Seems to me the current culture takes itself WAAAAY too seriously and has no sense of humor. About anything. Lighten up everybody.
It's all in the chorus. All men are brothers until the day they die. He's taking all the prejudices people have against everyone and turning it into something to show how absurd those beliefs are. Then reminding the listener that we are all equals.
This is the message of the song... "Short people are just the same as you and I, All men are brothers until the day they die" The attack on short people is just to show how utterly ridiculous it is to be prejudiced.
There is a great performance of this song on “Ally McBeal” Season 1 episode 10. Ally McBeal was one of my favorite TV shows, and in this episode, a gospel choir does a great performance of this song!
He has such a great sense of humor in his music writing. He also wrote the theme song for the TV series "Monk." He has movie soundtracks to his credit and a few Grammy awards. He was a hell of a writer, more than an artist. He wrote many songs for other Bands and singers. That was his main accomplishment in the music business.
Actually Randy is 6' 0" tall, that's not short in my book. But of course I'm only 5'5", now that's short. I've never cared. Actually I kinda enjoy it. 🤔😎🤗❤️
@@donjenkins3861 I’m only 18” tall. You’re like a giant to me. I might not respect you, but I’m forced to look up to you. I never took offense at this song because I know a lot of people 6” tall. Everything in this song is true about 6”-tall people.
My mom wouldn't let me play this because my brother was short, and she didn't want him picked on. I played it when she wasn't around. Thanks for the memory!
Randy Newman's catalog would shock a lot of people... but he's a BRILLIANT musician / writer who reflected the ignorant people he lived around his whole life. He was originally from the South and then moved to Los Angeles... and he had such a wonderful way of "roasting" people (as you said), but he really always took the underdog's side. Try "Dixie Flyer" which is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL and autobiographical song about Randy's childhood. Gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
I missed him at the Toronto Fair around that time. We walked into the fair as people were walking out, talking about how good he was. I asked "who? what did I just miss?" Randy Newman. I was with my parents and they didn't understand why I was so pissed.
It reflects poorly on humanity itself that they would utilize Randy Newman's joke song as a weapon of cruelty. It's still a funny song, and it's not his fault that some people can't appreciate irony.
@@GastonBoykins No, us short people are supposed to be happy and make people laugh at all our clever antics and dancing. We really are funny, aren't we? Do you honestly think that this is appropriate to laugh at?
@@GastonBoykins a funny song about a serious topic. Because as most people seem to miss, the song has nothing to do with actual short people. It’s about prejudice and how foolish it is to judge others for things they can’t change.
Loved your reaction. The song is obviously not serious. I remember when it came out in the 80s. It was a huge hit. They played it on the radio every day. People were walking around singing it. It was just a different time. The public consciousness just wasn't as concerned about people's feelings as it was about having a good laugh. Plus, Randy Newman makes really catchy songs (see above).
I'm short! Always been short and as I'm getting older I'm slowly but gradually shrinking! Always LOVED this song back in the days, it is SATIRE; made me laugh so much back then and even now and it probably always will hahahaha Randy Newman, a genius!
In the lyrics he says "Short people are just the same as you and I. We are all brothers until the day we die." Those words are defending short people against being mistreated.
Randy Newman is brilliant and funny as heck. He has 22 Academy Award nominations and has won twice (for the films Monster, Inc and Toy Story 3). A lot of other people have done his more serious songs.
Short People is a sarcastic parody aimed at racism, bullying, bigotry, intolerance and hatred. Short people are anyone that has been subjected to any of these things. Really has nothing to do being short, it is about how we treat each other.
He's been nominated for 22 Academy Awards and finally won his first one on his 15 try with the song "If I didn't have you" from Monsters, Inc. He won another for the song "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 4.
I remember when he won for Monsters. He was backstage and walked on when he won, a picture of pure contained dignity. We were all so happy for him, albeit in a Red Sox-y "Finally, you won one. Can we stop talking about it now?" kinda way. 🤣❤️🙏 It was a moment.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
He doesn't sing about physical appearance, though he exemplifies it in his lyrics. It's satire. It's multi-layered. He adresses prejudice and intolerance in general + he adresses people "short" when it comes to mindset, tolerance, moral compass and such. It's a brilliant song.
Brilliantly said!
There were a lot of people offended when this was released. Lots of controversy..
@@rln9629 I remember. Lots of misinterpretations.
OR… and I’ve said this before.. it’s about Paul Williams.
This song is about a midget he was in a legal battle with.
"Ya gotta pick em up just to say hello."
Poetic genius.
They got little cars that go beep,beep,beep.
How anyone could think that's a serious attack on little people is insane
So many people don't "get" Randy. He is a satirical genius! His commentary on society is meant to make us think and see the absurdity of prejudice.
TBH he never was very funny . . . If he were he'd be remembered today.
@@northernlight2598 … Wasn't trying to be funny just factual. Ask around how many remember him. Ask how many songs people can name of his. If any this will be the only one & that's due to its notoriety.
@@northernlight2598 … Wow … The crowd you hang around must be a riot. Last time I heard of Randy Newman was when he did the song for the TV show "Monk". That was like 20 years ago. Before that it was this song 20 years or so before that. So you have a point. Two forgettable tosser tunes in a lifetime of music. But if you like him you like him. But the average peep never heard of him or hasn't thought of his name or little tunes in several decades. Sorry.
Yman.... this is all very easy to say from your keyboard. How many albums have You sold?
Bingo.
I'm short, I find it hilarious. It's way over the top; nobody dislikes short people as much as this song. It's a caricature of prejudice.
Amen
Did you have a tough time reaching the keyboard? I kid! I kid! Peace and love.
Hey Teddy, I'm gonna tie your shoes together!!!
Jane that's a big ol' lie, radio was invented in late 1977 and didn't hit the shelves until July 1978. So none of you or your short siblings heard this on the radio.
I was in HS the year it came out and I tried to organize all my friends 5' 6" and under to go picket CBS (records) in L.A. - couldn't get anyone as they were confused why I would be picketing the record company if I liked the song and wasn't bothered by it...they couldn't get the concept of doing a performance piece just to show up on national TV - oh well - opportunity lost
As a short person when this came out I loved it. We just didn't think so hard into things. It was a joke.
more than just a joke, it was ironic social commentary, specifically regarding the irrationality of hating a people for their inherent traits. this is clearly illuminated in the song's bridge.
KEvron
5.1 here and I loved this song.
We sang this everywhere and I was proud of being short so I never felt anything other than amusement. Now I will be singing this for weeks.
I'm a 5'2" shorty & have never been offended by this song...always thought it was a fun song 🎵 🥰
4'8" and hate it. When someone keeps knocking you down while singing it, it does not sound like a joke.
Randy's voicing two opposing attitudes in the song, almost like an argument or discussion. He presents the prejudiced opinion "Short people got no reason...", and then in the break in the middle, he presents the more compassionate opinion "Short people are just the same as you and I."
Btw, I still have the 45rpm single.
I think of that bridge as more of a disclaimer....to set people straight about what he's really doing and meaning.
Well said 💯
@@kdm71291It also adds another layer to the absurdity, that he even has to say that.
Randy Newman - king of the Movie music scores. A recognized Disney Legend, Song Writers Hall Of Fame, Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame, 22 Academy awards nominations for best original song & original score, he was born in Los Angeles to an extended family of Hollywood film composers and with them they have 92 nominations in various music categories, began his songwriting career at the age of 17. He has written so much stuff that you’ve heard and enjoyed and sang along with that it can’t all be listed here.
One of his uncles was Alfred Newman, one of the most successful film composers during the Hollywood golden age - the 1930s and 1940s.
His cousin is Thomas Newman also has a storied movie score career
Toy Story!!
@@BossDM-2 . He also does the song, I Love L.A. and the theme to the television show Monk. 😁
Satire… Randy Newman’s movie songs are great. When I saw y’all watching this I was thinking he may have sang it on an episode of The Muppets or it was in one of The Muppet movies… but I could wrong.
This song is NOT meant to be a put down of short people but an indictment of ignorant people that judge others only by their looks.
I understand, but I never took it that way.
And they say that Americans don't understand irony
@@lipby , That's the way it goes.
@@johnwilkinson4683 , Paul Williams wasn't nice? Never thought about it frankly.
lol talk about missed the point
"Short People" reached #2 in the US, his only top 30 hit song.
He wrote "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)" the Three Dog Night hit, and "You Can Leave Your Hat On", the Joe Cocker hit!! Randy is 6 feet tall(5'11" per IMDB)
edit- I almost forgot, he wrote/sang the theme song for the TV Show "Monk", called "It's a Jungle Out There".
And also "You've got a friend in me".
Curse you! Now I'll never be able to hear those songs again without imagining Randy's voice mumbling the words! But I'll admit, as much as I dislike his actual singing ability, there's no mistaking his talent and contribution to music over the years, and his voice actually was perfect for the theme song from Toy Story. Not to mention being the butt of one of my favorite Family Guy jokes as the character of him narrates everything going on around him through singing: "...The lady's picking up the apple, she's taking a bite of the apple..."
And losing Best Song at the Oscars 20 times.
He was the Susan Lucci of the Academy. No, I won't tell you who she is. 🙂
Both my mother and wife likes this song. My mom was 4 ft 10 and my wife was foot 4 door 10 1\2. When they first met my mom said "finally I've got someone to give my clothes to".
Well they say you marry your mother 🤣
If you watched the movie, "Toy Story", you'll recognize his work. "You've Got a Friend in Me". Lots of others. Back when this song came out it was a hit. People didn't take everything literal as they do today. I was a short kid back then and never thought anything about it.
Water off a duck's back. Quite right. The sensitivity of many today is just too much.
@@terrylandess6072 Its the social media. But honestly things back then felt more simple. Now we have so muhc information that we feel we have to second guess most thought and ideas as how they are presented.
Baloney. I was there. People FREAKED OUT. DOB - 1966 if you were wondering.
This song actually hit #2 on the Billboard charts in November 1977.
I haven't heard this in years. Really takes me back to better times. Thank you!
This is a cute little ditty that came out in 70's that made us laugh. There was less b.s. in the world back then. I had forgotten about this. Thank you both for reacting to it .
Wayyyyyyyyy less Bullshit
@Kevin L tour definitely wrong that
A surprising number of people back in the day couldn't grasp that this song was a satire about prejudice rather than an actual attack on short people. The premise is that you could substitute the name of any group of people and it would sound equally ridiculous.
Kind of weird that they missed the meaning given the chorus "short people are just the same as you and I. All men are brothers until the day they die".
EXACTLY!
Indeed about the stupidly of Racism and Prejudice
Right on the money. I got what it was at 14 years of age.
@@williamburnham3659 Short people have no right to live, short people have no right to live. Let's change that and see how it sounds, ok. william burnham has no right to live, william burnham has no right to live. Is it still satire?
You can say all day long it is satire about prejudice, but would you go around singing the chorus so people can hear you? Sure, he wasn't attacking short people, he was just opening the door.
I'm short and I love this song! It's just pure fun! Hey man, none of us should take ourselves so serious!
Randy Newman is a prolific song writer who has composed songs for movies and has a wicked sense of humor.
I am 60 and remember when this came out. Great piano, simple, but good. Yeah, it sounds like he is dissing short people, but the songs bridge explains short people are just like you and I. Great memory.
I am the same age you are and being a short kid of about 12, I still thought this song was funny.
Man… it’s been 3 or 4 decades since I last heard this song. That was fun. 😄
it's called "irony"." satire"( he used Archie Bunker , the famous grumpy, bigoted Carol Oconnor character from the TV comedy All in the Family as the inspiration. Song is coming from his perspective. Newman is satirizing this type of character ). C'mon peeps we can't all be so sensitive these days we can't understand artists can do this ( take a contrary view to expected social norms to challenge or reinforce ideas in an artistc way) . Stop PC "policing' every lyric you read.
You guys would love his "I love LA" song. This guy is always interesting in the things he chooses to do!!
That song was despised by the people who lived here.
From wiki:
The verses and chorus are lyrically constructed as a prejudiced attack on short people. In contrast, the bridge states that "short people are just the same as you and I." Many listeners thought that the song reflected Newman's sincere beliefs. However, Newman intended the song to be a satire about prejudice more broadly: "The guy in that song is crazy. He was not to be believed."[2] As with many of his songs such as "Rednecks", Newman wrote the song from the point of view of a biased narrator.
This song was about prejudice with “short people” being a substitute for “insert minority group here”. Randy Newman has a great comedic mind and a New Orleans accent which makes him even funnier.
Randy Newman is an absolute LEGEND. It's a real shame that he's mainly known for movie songs and this song. The man is one of the greatest lyricists of the 20th century. Songs like God's Song, Louisiana 1927, Rednecks, The World Isn't Fair, Cuyahoga River, Great Nations of Europe... These are some of the greatest most thoughtful lyrics of the last century. I highly encourage you to listen to them.
It's a satirical commentary on racism and bigotry.Short people can be easily replaced with black people, Jewish people, Arab people, blondes, etc, etc...Brad nailed it.
This was one of the funniest popular songs in my life. He was always so tongue in cheek with his humor.
An awesome composer, he wrote and performed the theme to the movies "Major League" and "Overboard" among many, many more.
A couple of shitty movies...wow good for him...
Right. You've obviously not seen either. Maybe you're just short? Is that it?
Don’t forget Toy Story.
His musical scores are legendary-- I walked down the aisle to the instrumental Ragtime, from the movie of same title. Wonderful. And yes, we had all sorts of reasons to laugh at ourselves in the 70's... music like this facilitated change. Absolutely!
Randy Newman is a great artist. He wrote You’ve Got A Friend In Me for the movie Toy Story, and he wrote It’s A Jungle Out There for the television show Monk.
PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘STRANDED IN THE JUNGLE’ by The Cadets. It will put a big smile on your face!
😂😂😂 Brad's reaction is cracking me up!!! It was definitely a different world back then! 😂😂
He may have said "short people", but it was a metaphor about being prejudiced against anyone or group.
This is back when people could laugh at themselves without being upset about every "little" thing
Every "little" thing? Good one Allie.
I see what you did there!
@@garyarnett1220 Oh God....
The look on Lex's face was priceless 🤣
This song was hilarious when it came out. He's a great songwriter. Check out his song Baltimore!
Such a brilliant song that a lot of people didn't get....including these two
Randy Newman is a brilliant songwriter. Before he became famous Harry Nilsson recorded an album of his songs called “Nilsson Sings Newman”. It included “Sail Away” which skewers slavery.
Randy Newman's uncle was Hollywood film composer Alfred Newman. Alfred Newman won nine Academy Awards and was nominated forty-five times for the same award. His list of film scores is quite impressive.
I never made that connection! thanks for that...I love th eols movie music composers like Alfred Newman, Max Steiner, Elmer Bernstein, John Barry etc.. I still maintain that's where John Williams got a lot of his ideas from. Williams' Raiders of the Lost Ark theme and "1941" March is very similar in style as Elmer Bernstein's The Great Escape for example.
My dad used to sing this to my brother, three sisters and I every time we started to whine and cry about something. He was six foot eight inches tall. I never reached those heights but I still outgrew all my siblings and I stand at six foot three inches tall so every time they annoy me I sing this song to them. My father passed in 1989 so I took on the roll of the big guy in the room because not one of them reached six foot. They played this song constantly in the 70’s.
Randy Newman is awesome!
He also wrote and sang the theme for the TV show “Monk”.
A vertically challenged friend of mine, since passed, loved this song the minute it came out. I gave him the 45 as a gag. Back then, people were not humorless and offended by everything, like today.
All true words by you.
I’m 71 and short 🙋♀️ and I loved this song. Love anything he does 😻🥰
This is from the article "Randy Newmans 7 most Jewish songs" by Seth Rogovaoy:
"Newman caught a wave of backlash after this satirical novelty became his biggest hit - it went all the way to number two, kept out of the top spot by the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.” While the song may have no overt Jewish content, it is a deft skewering of stereotyping, prejudice, and bigotry. Unfortunately, many mistook the voice of Newman’s unreliable narrator to be that of his own - a Maryland politician reportedly introduced legislation to ban the song from the airwaves. In a contemporaneous interview, Newman diminished his detractors as “just a tiny minority.”
Randy Newman was a gifted orchestral composer with a number of great movie soundtracks to his credit. He combined his songwriting gift with orchestral arrangements in songs like Cowboy, Sail Away, & Louisiana 1927.
Randy writes great songs. ❤😄❤😄❤😄❤😄❤😄
Every time I hear him, all I can think of is Toy Story’s ‘you got a friend in me’. Great voice.
This song was satirical in a dark way lol 😆 as a short person I loved it
Same here.
We weren’t so sensitive back then. Gary wrote funny songs, that’s just what he did. Although he’s most famous for I Love LA.
It was to show how absurd prejudice is. He also did the theme song for Toy Story, "You've got a friend in me".
I think he also wrote the theme song for the TV show 'Monk'. Another of his ditties I really liked.
@@fawnebrown4619 Yep - I like that, too...
Gary Shandling show as well!
@@danmason5550 Oh, yeah - I'm singing it to myself now... "Gary called me up and asked if I would write his theme song...." the most literal song ever - thanks for reminding me (also, I miss Gary.. )
"The song consequently became a major hit on radio peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks; it was kept from reaching No. 1 by Player's "Baby Come Back" and the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive". It became a gold record."
I'm 5'1 and just today had to ask for help to reach something on a shelf at the grocery store. I think this song is hilarious.
I'm 5'2"...
I always tell the clerk at the store that I forgot my rapelling gear, so could they please lend a hand...🤣
Randy Newman, I Love LA
It's a parody on prejudice. For example, they used to say "Don't want no colored around here".
Color is a physical feature like height, weight, sex etc.
Come on guys, this is obviously a satire on how people often have irrational and hateful beliefs about others for no reason except they're different . Substitute black,
gay, foreign etc for "short" and maybe it will make more sense.
This was one of the first songs I bought a record for, it was a 45. I was 5 at the time, so I thought someone singing about Short People, like me, was awesome.
1977 & I remember cars going down the street with the fm radio blasting this song!!
Great song. More Randy Newman. Thanks it’s a parody of prejudice and bigotry.
My grandpa loved this song
You guys are the first people I've seen react to any Randy Newman song. He has had a very long and varied career, he has songs like "Rednecks" and "I Love L.A.", probably his most famous song, and lots of soundtrack work these days. Seems to me the current culture takes itself WAAAAY too seriously and has no sense of humor. About anything. Lighten up everybody.
"Rednecks" would go over their heads
Last night I saw Lester Maddox on a TV show........... The listener would have no idea who L. M. was. Or what a Lester Maddox drum stick was. Sadly
It's all in the chorus. All men are brothers until the day they die. He's taking all the prejudices people have against everyone and turning it into something to show how absurd those beliefs are. Then reminding the listener that we are all equals.
For your next Randy Newman reaction please do his "I Love L.A." The video is great! You'll love it!
This is the message of the song...
"Short people are just the same as you and I,
All men are brothers until the day they die"
The attack on short people is just to show how utterly ridiculous it is to be prejudiced.
Try. Sail Away. Used to see him perform on SNL. Great sense of humor in his music as well as tragedy.
“You’ve Got A Friend In Me” from Toy Story is probably his most recognizable song. This is def a tongue in cheek satirical song about prejudices.
There is a great performance of this song on “Ally McBeal” Season 1 episode 10. Ally McBeal was one of my favorite TV shows, and in this episode, a gospel choir does a great performance of this song!
I don't remember. Is that when the dancing baby first showed up? Man, it's been a LONG time...
He also wrote " You can leave your hat on " , " You got a friend in me ".
He has such a great sense of humor in his music writing. He also wrote the theme song for the TV series "Monk." He has movie soundtracks to his credit and a few Grammy awards. He was a hell of a writer, more than an artist. He wrote many songs for other Bands and singers. That was his main accomplishment in the music business.
He looked 6'4" compared to the other guys there.
Actually Randy is 6' 0" tall, that's not short in my book. But of course I'm only 5'5", now that's short. I've never cared. Actually I kinda enjoy it. 🤔😎🤗❤️
@@donjenkins3861 I’m only 18” tall. You’re like a giant to me. I might not respect you, but I’m forced to look up to you. I never took offense at this song because I know a lot of people 6” tall. Everything in this song is true about 6”-tall people.
This song was used in the movie "Little Rascals" and it was used in a episode of "The Cleveland Show"
Prolific song writer. Totally meant it satirically.
My mom wouldn't let me play this because my brother was short, and she didn't want him picked on. I played it when she wasn't around. Thanks for the memory!
This was in high rotation when I was short.
When did you start getting high?
Randy Newman's catalog would shock a lot of people... but he's a BRILLIANT musician / writer who reflected the ignorant people he lived around his whole life. He was originally from the South and then moved to Los Angeles... and he had such a wonderful way of "roasting" people (as you said), but he really always took the underdog's side. Try "Dixie Flyer" which is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL and autobiographical song about Randy's childhood. Gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
This should lead to Steve Martin's "Let's get Small" routine
And then "Margie the Midget" by Martin Mull.
I'm short (born short and stayed that way) and I absolutely love this song!
😄 my kids didn't believe this was a real song. It was everywhere, especially basketball game commercials 🤣😎
It was fairly controversial at the time, some people took it seriously.
@@jethro1963 I forget how old I was when I first heard it, but remember my mom thought it was "mean" but also funny
Ommmmggggg, this just popped into my head this morning
I saw randy in 1978 and we kept on yelling “whipping post” the allman brothers song and he actually played the beginning on the piano 🎹 lol
I missed him at the Toronto Fair around that time. We walked into the fair as people were walking out, talking about how good he was. I asked "who? what did I just miss?" Randy Newman. I was with my parents and they didn't understand why I was so pissed.
Short people got a reason to live
Short people got somebody to love
& We want more short people around here
I always took it as an anti-racism song. Too bad no one got the metaphor.
I was in high school when this came out and everyone went around singing it!!!
I think he was making fun of small minds that think like that.
As a short person, people used to sing it to me. After a while it gets old.
It reflects poorly on humanity itself that they would utilize Randy Newman's joke song as a weapon of cruelty. It's still a funny song, and it's not his fault that some people can't appreciate irony.
@@GastonBoykins No, us short people are supposed to be happy and make people laugh at all our clever antics and dancing. We really are funny, aren't we?
Do you honestly think that this is appropriate to laugh at?
@@moorek1967 It's not appropriate to laugh at short people, but it's VERY appropriate to laugh at Short People, because it's a funny song.
@@GastonBoykins a funny song about a serious topic. Because as most people seem to miss, the song has nothing to do with actual short people. It’s about prejudice and how foolish it is to judge others for things they can’t change.
My wife hates this song because she is 4 ft 10.
I bought it for her, thank goodness she has a little humor.
Newman intended the song to be a satire about prejudice more broadly: "The guy in that song is crazy. He was not to be believed."
1st, they got nobody to Love them...he was not talking about a person's height, but their short-sightedness bigoted ways
...a hui hou
I'm 65 and this song shows how very different things were back then.
Loved your reaction. The song is obviously not serious. I remember when it came out in the 80s. It was a huge hit. They played it on the radio every day. People were walking around singing it. It was just a different time. The public consciousness just wasn't as concerned about people's feelings as it was about having a good laugh. Plus, Randy Newman makes really catchy songs (see above).
1977
Love his style and sound, lots of movie scores...
It's a mockery of racism.
I love L A is a classic.....
it's a satire about prejudice
I'm short! Always been short and as I'm getting older I'm slowly but gradually shrinking! Always LOVED this song back in the days, it is SATIRE; made me laugh so much back then and even now and it probably always will hahahaha Randy Newman, a genius!
Randy Newman was (is) about 6'8" , almost everyone is short compared to Randy, he wrote this as a comment about the stupidity of prejudice.
Don't think he was near that tall
6 feet actually.
Wiki says 183 cm which is 6ft exactly.
When this song came out on the radio in the 70,s in our car , me and my mom laughed so hard !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In the lyrics he says "Short people are just the same as you and I. We are all brothers until the day we die." Those words are defending short people against being mistreated.
Randy Newman is brilliant and funny as heck. He has 22 Academy Award nominations and has won twice (for the films Monster, Inc and Toy Story 3). A lot of other people have done his more serious songs.
This was a big hit back in the day.
This dropped when I was a kid. All us kids loved it lol!
Short People is a sarcastic parody aimed at racism, bullying, bigotry, intolerance
and hatred. Short people are anyone that has been subjected to any of these things. Really has nothing to do being short, it is about how we treat each other.
He's been nominated for 22 Academy Awards and finally won his first one on his 15 try with the song "If I didn't have you" from Monsters, Inc. He won another for the song "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 4.
I remember when he won for Monsters. He was backstage and walked on when he won, a picture of pure contained dignity.
We were all so happy for him, albeit in a Red Sox-y "Finally, you won one. Can we stop talking about it now?" kinda way. 🤣❤️🙏
It was a moment.