Tag Archives: Randy Newman

Song of the Week – Sail Away, Rednecks, Christmas in Cape Town; Randy Newman

by

Ignored             Obscured              Restored

This weekend marks the 17th anniversary of SotW. When I sent my first post, I never dreamed I would still be doing it all these years later. Thank you for your support.

Randy Newman has grappled with the concept of racism throughout his career, using his signature satirical style to expose its cruelty and hypocrisy.

One of his earliest songs to address the issue was “Sail Away” (1972), written from the perspective of a slave trader enticing Africans with false promises.

Typical of Newman, the song’s irony was lost on some listeners, who mistakenly thought he was mocking the enslaved rather than condemning the practice.  The lyrics lay bare the deception used to lure captives:

In America you get food to eat
Won’t have to run through the jungle
And scuff up your feet
You just sing about Jesus and drink wine all day
It’s great to be an American

Ain’t no lion or tiger, ain’t no mamba snake
Just the sweet watermelon and the buckwheat cake
Ev’rybody is as happy as a man can be
Climb aboard, little wog, sail away with me

Newman expanded on the theme of racism with Good Old Boys (1974), a concept album that opens with “Rednecks.”

The song was inspired by Newman’s reaction to a Dick Cavett Show interview featuring Georgia’s segregationist governor, Lester Maddox. Maddox, ridiculed by Cavett and the audience, eventually walked off the show.  You can watch it here:

While Newman was no fan of Maddox, he saw the hypocrisy in Northern attitudes toward racism.  The song begins with a sharp critique of both Maddox and his detractors:

Last night, I saw Lester Maddox on a TV show
With some smart-ass New York Jew
And the Jew laughed at Lester Maddox
And the audience laughed at Lester Maddox too
Well, he may be a fool, but he’s our fool
If they think they’re better than him, they’re wrong

Newman then sketches a stereotypical Southern racist.

We talk real funny down here
We drink too much and we laugh too loud
We’re too dumb to make it in no Northern town
And we’re keepin’ the niggers down

Finally, he exposes Northerners’ hypocrisy.

Now your northern nigger’s a Negro
You see he’s got his dignity
Down here we’re too ignorant to realize
That the North has set the nigger free

Yes he’s free to be put in a cage
In Harlem in New York City
And he’s free to be put in a cage in the South-Side of Chicago
And the West-Side
And he’s free to be put in a cage in Hough in Cleveland
And he’s free to be put in a cage in East St. Louis
And he’s free to be put in a cage in Fillmore in San Francisco
And he’s free to be put in a cage in Roxbury in Boston
They’re gatherin’ ’em up from miles around
Keepin’ the niggers down

The song’s use of the N-word sparked controversy.  Today, it is widely accepted that the word should NEVER be used, especially by a white person.  However, Harvard Law School professor Randall Kennedy has defended writers who employ the term “to dramatize and condemn racism’s baleful presence.”  Newman’s intent aligns with this perspective — his lyrics serve as an indictment, not an endorsement.

Newman continued exploring racism in later works, including Trouble in Paradise (1983).

“Christmas in Cape Town” presents a white South African bigot trying to justify apartheid to an Englishwoman:

This English girl from the North somewhere
Is stayin’ with me at my place
Drinkin’ up all my beer
Talkin’ about the poor niggers all the time
It’s a real disgrace, she says
I tell her, Darling, don’t talk about things
You don’t understand
I tell her, Darling, don’t talk about something
You don’t know anything about
I tell her, Darling, if you don’t like it here
Go back to your own miserable country

We’ve come a long way in confronting racism, but there is still plenty of work to be done.  Unfortunately, recent attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives threaten to stall progress rather than advance it.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927

by

Ignored             Obscured              Restored

The recent Helene and Milton hurricanes have made me reflect on music inspired by natural disasters. That’s just how my mind works! One of the most significant historical events that has inspired a wealth of music is the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.

The flood resulted from a series of rainstorms that began as early as August 1926. By December, heavy rains in the northern Mississippi River states overwhelmed a levee system built in the 1880s. In the early spring of 1927, New Orleans was drenched with over 11 inches of rain, far above the usual 4.4 inches. The situation became critical on Good Friday, April 15, when 14 inches of rain fell in a single day. This was the final blow to an already strained system, leading to one of the most destructive floods in U.S. history.

The flood inundated 26,000 square miles, displaced over 930,000 people, and claimed between 250 and 500 lives. The devastation left a deep impression on the American consciousness, inspiring a range of music across generations.

One of the songs most associated with this catastrophe is “Backwater Blues” by the “Empress of the Blues,” Bessie Smith. Interestingly, Smith recorded the song in February 1927, before the April floods. It was likely inspired by an earlier flood in Nashville in 1926. However, the timing of the song’s release, just weeks before the Mississippi levees broke, allowed it to be perceived as an anthem for the unfolding disaster. Smith was already a major figure in blues music, and the song’s release cemented her connection to the tragedy.

Later that year, Smith recorded another song, “Homeless Blues,” this time directly inspired by the Mississippi flood’s aftermath, reflecting the widespread displacement of families and communities.

Delta bluesman Charley Patton also immortalized the event in his 1929 song “High Water Everywhere.” Patton’s song not only described the destruction caused by the flood but also shed light on the racial inequities that African Americans faced during the crisis. His music expressed frustration with how marginalized communities were disproportionately affected and largely neglected in relief efforts.

In the same year, Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie recorded “When the Levee Breaks,” a song that captured the desperation and suffering of those who lost everything when the levees gave way. The song’s powerful narrative of displacement and hardship resonated so deeply that decades later, Led Zeppelin reinterpreted it for their 1971 album Led Zeppelin IV, introducing the haunting story to a new generation.

The legacy of the 1927 flood continued to inspire artists well beyond the blues era. In 1974, Randy Newman released Good Old Boys, an album that included the song “Louisiana 1927,” which reflected on the flood’s impact. Newman’s song told the story of how the waters rose, the displacement of people, and the failures of government response. His portrayal of the event drew parallels with ongoing social and political challenges in the South.

Bob Dylan also took inspiration from the flood for his 2001 song “High Water (for Charley Patton),” from the album Love and Theft. As the title suggests, the track pays tribute to Patton and the blues tradition, even though Dylan’s lyrics reflect a more modern perspective on disaster and societal collapse.

Dylan had previously touched on the theme in “Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood),” a song he recorded with The Band during their Basement Tapes sessions. While the song’s lyrics remain ambiguous, it’s easy to see how the imagery of a levee breaking connects to the legacy of the 1927 flood.

The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 left a deep scar on American history, and its influence on music has endured through decades. Whether through blues, rock, or folk, artists have continued to revisit the event, using it as a powerful symbol of natural disaster, social inequality, and human resilience.

Enjoy… until next week.