While we are all preoccupied with the Gagas, Kanyes and Taylors of the world, few artists can claim such diverse musical style as the legendary Randy Newman. From his pop-rock hits of the ’70s like “Short People” to the catchy tunes in films such as “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life” and most recently, “The Princess and the Frog,” Newman has not only conquered the music industry, but Hollywood as well.
Royce Hall will welcome Newman back to his alma mater on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. The show will give a taste of his body of work, as well as presenting his latest album, “Harps and Angels.” Newman’s family hails some of the industry’s greatest composers such as Alfred, Lionel and Emil Newman, who possibly shaped the man he has become.
“Randy was born into Hollywood musical royalty,” said Film Professor Laura Karpman. Newman spent much of his time at Fox Studios where many members of his family worked in the music department. Through this experience, Newman began to write short bits for movies and television shows at Fox.
Jon Burlingame, who is currently writing a book on the Newman family, said that Newman’s upbringing gave him access to the music industry, but he soon found his own way.
“Randy developed his own voice fairly early on,” Burlingame said.
As a teenager in the ’60s, Newman developed his style around the popular music of his day: rock ‘n’ roll.
“Everyone from the older generation thought it was crap,” Burlingame said of the new genre of music that steadily took over America’s easily influenced youth.
Although Newman’s comedic rock helped his reputation soar, he decided to go back to his boyhood days of writing for movies. Not long after his career began to boom, Newman added film scoring to his list of musical endeavors.
“What he’s done that has surprised a lot of people is he was able to make a transition from the funny songs he wrote to being a very skilled and orchestral film composer,” Karpman said.
His style originated from his UCLA-trained skills as a composer, giving him the classical background that many pop artists lack. Burlingame noted the multiple skill sets Newman possesses in these various types of music as something that most people cannot exhibit.
“It is always easy to tell when it is a Randy Newman score,” said Jeff Kryka, a graduate student in film scoring.
Kryka said he first became interested in music scoring when he started noticing the music in films that Newman composed such as “A Bug’s Life” and “Pleasantville.” The recognizable emotion that Newman uses in his film scores has had a great influence on Kryka’s composing style.
“I have my own style, but I like the boldness in his music,” Kryka said.
Newman jumped to the forefront of rock and film composing with his specific sound.
“His style crosses into different genres,” Karpman said.
Both Karpman and Burlingame said that the range of skill and sophistication in Newman’s music and performance put him at the forefront of rock and film music.
This sophistication seems to be the key to Newman’s mastery of American music.
“He has his finger on the pulse of the way American music should sound,” Burlingame said.
Beyond his formidable talent as a composer and songwriter, what most distinguishes Newman’s style is his outrageous sense of humor. Karpman and Burlingame both said that Newman shows his comedic side in his music. However, Burlingame also noted that it has been particularly noticeable in his more recent work.
“There is a little bit of sunshine in that heart,” Burlingame said.
The comedy and happiness that Newman brings to his songs continue to attract many fans. There is also stripped-down technical skill in his composing which has given his career longevity. Newman’s work has come to serve the melodies and drama that he has created. These qualities will contribute to the type of musician that Newman will be remembered as.
Randy Newman has the ability to cross both sides of the musical street he has paved for himself.
“There is one man, one voice and one hand out of which all these notes are coming from,” Burlingame said.