241. Randy Newman | Sail Away (1972)

---

Wikipedia Entry

---

Tracks

1. Sail Away
2. Lonely at the Top
3. He Gives Us All His Love
4. Last Night I Had a Dream
5. Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear
6. Old Man
7. Political Science
8. Burn On
9. Memo to My Son
10. Dayton, Ohio - 1903
11. You Can Leave Your Hat On
12. God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)

---

Sail Away is a wry album. The music is rock. The songs are heavy on the piano and many have an orchestral accompaniment. The atmosphere is very relaxed and filled with lots of melody. This is juxtaposed with some very serious, albeit ironic, sardonic and witty, lyrics.

Randy Newman is not afraid of confronting the ugly parts of American life and history. He does it in a way that is that is humorous, yet almost uncomfortable. He turns slavery into a sales pitch on Sail Away. He suggests the US nuke every part of the world, except Australia, to bring peace on Political Science. He jokes about the time when the Cuyahoga River burned because it was so polluted on Burn On. He also suggests that God doesn't care about humans and thinks they're fools for worshiping him on God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind).

Of course, it's all humor with a serious point. It's a satirical attack on those Americans who believe God is on the side of America and that everything the US does is right and good. Criticizing the US and God is nothing new in music, but what's new is the perspective; Randy Newman is blaming ordinary Americans for America's faults rather than blaming the politicians and other leaders. His caricature of bigots and racists is often too simplistic and exaggerated which can often get in the way of his point.

The album is quite good. I didn't expect to like this album. Randy Newman isn't just another run-of-the-mill singer/songwriter. The album is worth listening to, but I'm not convinced this should be on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs on this album are excellent. The stand outs are Sail Away, Lonely at the Top, He Gives Us All His Love, Last Night I Had a Dream, Political Science, Burn On, You Can Leave Your Hat On, and God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind).

★★★★★★★★★☆