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On a marble stair
Tryin' to find the ocean
Lookin' everywhere
Hard times in the city
In a hard town by the sea
Ain't nowhere to run to
There ain't nothin' here for free
Hooker on the corner
Waitin' for a train
Drunk lyin' on the sidewalk
Sleepin' in the rain
And they hide their faces
And they hide their eyes
'Cause the city's dyin'
And they don't know why
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live, just to live
Get my sister Sandy
And my little brother Ray
Buy a big old wagon
Gonna haul us all away
Livin' in the country
Where the mountain's high
Never comin' back here
'Til the day I die
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live, just to live
Great song! Now we just need some Ryan Adams on this station!
Not sure what the connection is, but at last check there were about two dozen Ryan Adams songs in rotation.
One for every year of his life.
Great song! Now we just need some Ryan Adams on this station!
Me too! Waaay too short!
I always thought Randy Newman was African-American? Must have been his "down South" sounding voice.
Is there anyone more annoying in music than Randy Newman?
Tiny Tim
Is there anyone more annoying in music than Randy Newman?
Liza Minnelli
A somber and soulful masterpiece.
Many.
Kanye West, for starters.
Is there anyone more annoying in music than Randy Newman?
Many.
Kanye West, for starters.
His father was a doctor. You must be referring to an uncle.
Yes, I believe he was referring to Randy's uncle Alfred Newman, the composer and conductor who scored those films (not the cover model for Mad Magazine).
His father however was Hollywood Royalty and a great talent. Scored Wuthering Heights, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Chaplin's City Lights and on and on and on
His father was a doctor. You must be referring to an uncle.
Is there anyone more annoying in music than Randy Newman?
yes
Is there anyone more annoying in music than Randy Newman?
I accept as your truth that you never could stand him. As if it matters. The only time I saw him perform I guess he was heavily into cocaine. Sniffed a lot. Maybe that would be a reason to dislike him, for some. However, reality is more nuanced. He is a really good song writer. This song says more about an old American city that has suffered from the sort of hollowing out of industry, post-slavery sociological problems (Maryland was indeed a slave state), urban flight, racial discord, poor educational and other opportunities, etc. (and that's a lot of etcs.) than any single song I know. As a society we pretty much pay a modest amount of attention to the degradation of the urban centers, express some periodic concern, then move on to something/anything else. But the problem persists and festers. That is what this song is about, from my perspective.
Same here.
His father however was Hollywood Royalty and a great talent. Scored Wuthering Heights, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Chaplin's City Lights and on and on and on
Meanwhile,outside of Pleasant Valley
I'm just about to finish season 4. Imagine my delight when this song came up on Radio Paradise as a timely volunteer. I love Randy and I love him more when he writes, "And they hide their faces, And they hide their eyes, 'Cause the city's dyin', And they don't know why..." I think Randy knows 'why'.
Reminds of when I was a teenager and the talk show said, "Intelligence isn't something you're born with and if you don't have now you can get it" and "Follow the money". I was in the short line for the draft and the second round gasoline rationing/price hikes landed on us. I didn't read much in those days and I didn't have many informed friends or relatives, but I knew three things for sure; "we are being fucked"; "I am going to find out how" and "by whom". It didn't take long, surety takes a while longer, but it grows like a virus when I commit to knowing and seeing.
Get my sister Sandy, And my little brother Ray, Buy a big old wagon, Gonna haul us all away, Livin' in the country, Where the mountain's high, Never comin' back here, 'Til the day I die.
Noticed that, too. Very similar.
Just living wasn't enough.
Thank you for playing ... brightens my day!
(Odd, given the lyrics.)
The Atlanta-based crooner Nedric Nedo remakes Randy Newman's "Baltimore" with new original music composed by Wes Green.
Nedo reworks the lyrics for an introspective reflection on his childhood. His heartfelt vocals and Green's current production create an intriguing remake and vibe.
THE LINK IS BELOW
https://soundcloud.com/nedricnedo/baltimore-produced-by-wes-green
Ooh, yeah. Me too!
kcar wrote:
I know parts of Baltimore are still squalid and ridden with poverty and crime, but I'm not ready to say as you do that Baltimore's revival "will never happen." Economic re-development, especially in a built-up urban setting, is very hard to do. But Baltimore, along with great hospitals and a number of colleges, has the advantage of being close to DC. It should be able to draw on that proximity to pull more federal funding and professionals working in DC towards Baltimore.
One problem with urban re-development, though, is that the people involved don't always have a plan to seriously combat poverty and joblessness within the city. DC is going through major changes as white-collar workers are moving into the city, prompting an orgy of construction and renovation. That influx of money and new federal programs such as the Department of Homeland Security do pull in new businesses like restaurants and supermarkets which in turn provide employment for some poorer DC residents. But there's not enough programs to pull the DC residents long entrenched in poverty into regular employment in good jobs. Many of those residents simply can't afford the new DC and get pushed out into the outlying suburbs or have to leave the area altogether.
My guess is that a similar trend will occur in Baltimore: young professionals re-develop pockets of Charm City and slowly push out the poorer people. Eventually places like DC and Baltimore will look like Paris: rich people living within the city limits, poorer people stuck in remote exurbs.
I used to spend a lot of time in Baltimore. IMHO, despite the development in and around the Inner Harbor (e.g., Camden Yards), it hasn't changed all that much in the last 30 years. It's a city of ethnic/economic pockets and, therefore, challenges. I believe Baltimore's future resides in the integrity of its neighborhoods, diverse both ethnically and economically. If there is such a thing as a middle class economy and a middle class sensibility, Baltimore has a great chance of succeeding because of—as opposed to in spite of—its diversity. It is a great American city. I think Newman captured it perfectly. Then again so did "Diner" and "Hairspray."
I hear people talk about Randy Newman like he's a great songwriter !?!?!
Where's the proof?
You're listening to it.
jademon wrote:
What? How does that work? The Jewish people have a long and wonderful history which is being sadly tainted by the Isreali government's sad performance. I will not, however accept that anyone should be forced to "like jewish people for historic reasons", ever. People stand on their actions. Requiring someone to "like" someone solely because of their race is nearly as offensive as disliking them because of their race because it lumps everyone of that race into one type and we're not...any of us....of one type.
And yeah, English is my second (or thirth or fourth) language too.
You are from Germany. You should like jewish people for historic reasons.
(Google Translate is your friend. In this case it would have done a better job in translating what you tried to tell us.)
What? How does that work? The Jewish people have a long and wonderful history which is being sadly tainted by the Isreali government's sad performance. I will not, however accept that anyone should be forced to "like jewish people for historic reasons", ever. People stand on their actions. Requiring someone to "like" someone solely because of their race is nearly as offensive as disliking them because of their race because it lumps everyone of that race into one type and we're not...any of us....of one type.
And get over the ESL thing.
I hear people talk about Randy Newman like he's a great songwriter !?!?!
Where's the proof?
Well, he was. But ever since he started doing movie scores, everything, he cranks out sounds like a bad Scott Joplin knock-off.
I like not every jewish people!!! BUT I like Randy Newman!
He make all, what he have! And This is that, what a christian do!
He is my friend! He gave me so much! He is a real friend!
Excuse me please! (About my very bad english)
You are from Germany. You should like jewish people for historic reasons.
(Google Translate is your friend. In this case it would have done a better job in translating what you tried to tell us.)
It's on this album from '79:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nils_(album)
I like not every jewish people!!! BUT I like Randy Newman!
He make all, what he have! And This is that, what a christian do!
He is my friend! He gave me so much! He is a real friend!
Excuse me please! (About my very bad english)
What does being Jewish or Christian have to do with a person's talent?
I know parts of Baltimore are still squalid and ridden with poverty and crime, but I'm not ready to say as you do that Baltimore's revival "will never happen." Economic re-development, especially in a built-up urban setting, is very hard to do. But Baltimore, along with great hospitals and a number of colleges, has the advantage of being close to DC. It should be able to draw on that proximity to pull more federal funding and professionals working in DC towards Baltimore.
One problem with urban re-development, though, is that the people involved don't always have a plan to seriously combat poverty and joblessness within the city. DC is going through major changes as white-collar workers are moving into the city, prompting an orgy of construction and renovation. That influx of money and new federal programs such as the Department of Homeland Security do pull in new businesses like restaurants and supermarkets which in turn provide employment for some poorer DC residents. But there's not enough programs to pull the DC residents long entrenched in poverty into regular employment in good jobs. Many of those residents simply can't afford the new DC and get pushed out into the outlying suburbs or have to leave the area altogether.
My guess is that a similar trend will occur in Baltimore: young professionals re-develop pockets of Charm City and slowly push out the poorer people. Eventually places like DC and Baltimore will look like Paris: rich people living within the city limits, poorer people stuck in remote exurbs.
I hear people talk about Randy Newman like he's a great songwriter !?!?!
Where's the proof?
If you don't get it try just moving on and not being a dick about it.
I hear people talk about Randy Newman like he's a great songwriter !?!?!
Where's the proof?
In his body of work.
I hear people talk about Randy Newman like he's a great songwriter !?!?!
Where's the proof?
I like not every jewish people!!! BUT I like Randy Newman!
He make all, what he have! And This is that, what a christian do!
He is my friend! He gave me so much! He is a real friend!
Excuse me please! (About my very bad english)
Sorry, FP, but Newman isn't a self-made man. he comes from a wealthy, connected and very talented Hollywood family. His father made it big composing sound tracks for movies, and act RN has gotten into lately, since he no longer writes witty and satirical lyrics as he did in his prime (e.g., "Sail Away"). He WAS a genuine talent, but now he's another rich Hollywood hack. Sorry to burst your bubble. BTW, your English grammar is far better than my German.
I like not every jewish people!!! BUT I like Randy Newman!
He make all, what he have! And This is that, what a christian do!
He is my friend! He gave me so much! He is a real friend!
Excuse me please! (About my very bad english)
https://www.220.ro/desene-animate/Family-Guy-Randy-Newman/O4pfCdxLrx/
Randy Newman's sense of humour is of such a higher quality than Family Guy's that it's not even funny anymore. ;-)
FG can parody all they want.
Listen all you fools out there
Go on and love me, I don't care
Oh, it's lonely at the top
Long Live Travis T. Hipp .....
meinthecorner wrote:
What you said!
What you said!
that seque did Ben Folds no favours.
steady_steve wrote:
https://www.220.ro/desene-animate/Family-Guy-Randy-Newman/O4pfCdxLrx/
Spot-on parody! Thanks for sharing, Tim.
Omar never did see it comin'
Yep, but they say that the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. . .
It is a toss up for me, this one or the David Gray cover.
"Omar comin'!"
Omar never did see it comin'
"Omar comin'!"
Sorry, nothing touches "Bullet Fever".
I also loved The Wire. I think it's one of the best TV shows ever made. The Sopranos, on the other hand, was a bit too cartoonish for me.
Baltimore as hellhole? Well, it's a US city in the great DC to Boston conurbation. Loads of hell there. But for sheer extent and magnitude of hellishness, Baltimore just can't reach - or better, stoop to - the levels of its Northeastern betters.
When I first saw Philadelphia, I was shocked. When I lived in the New York City area, I came to regard all of it - even Manhattan - as the final flowering of the New Jersey Turnpike. Manhattan itself, when I first saw it, looked like Baltimore on steroids. Fortunately, I later wandered into the precincts of the upper crust, and could see the wonderfulness there. Trump Tower. Yeah.
Baltimore's problem is that it isn't a media center. It can't push the image of the kind of life the upper classes enjoy there. So, we get all the I Love New York stuff shoved at us, while New York spawns the Lehman Brothers, the AIGs, etc., who did our economy so well. Too Big to Fail. Yeah.
It simply results in apoplexy at the center and paralysis at the limbs.
All the while cheered on by the likes of Randy Newman. The left chimes in with the Village Voice once doing an article featuring a Bawlmer Redneck, a pathetic sod, really, destined to fail, just like his city (this in 1979). And then we wonder why the likes of Sarah Palin have stormed the national scene.
No, there were the days when you could drive down Loch Raven Boulevard clear into Memorial Stadium, on a tree lined lane past all the tidy neighborhoods. Maybe catch a movie in one of the shopping centers. Long gone.
All the while mocked by Randy Newman.
Thank you, Randy, and all the wonderful, talented folk at the top levels of our culture, just making it more of what it is today. You monstrously silly fucks.
You'd be much more convincing if you weren't whinging on about a song that painted an accurate if uncomplimentary picture of the time and place.
Baltimore as hellhole? Well, it's a US city in the great DC to Boston conurbation. Loads of hell there. But for sheer extent and magnitude of hellishness, Baltimore just can't reach - or better, stoop to - the levels of its Northeastern betters.
When I first saw Philadelphia, I was shocked. When I lived in the New York City area, I came to regard all of it - even Manhattan - as the final flowering of the New Jersey Turnpike. Manhattan itself, when I first saw it, looked like Baltimore on steroids. Fortunately, I later wandered into the precincts of the upper crust, and could see the wonderfulness there. Trump Tower. Yeah.
Baltimore's problem is that it isn't a media center. It can't push the image of the kind of life the upper classes enjoy there. So, we get all the I Love New York stuff shoved at us, while New York spawns the Lehman Brothers, the AIGs, etc., who did our economy so well. Too Big to Fail. Yeah.
It simply results in apoplexy at the center and paralysis at the limbs.
All the while cheered on by the likes of Randy Newman. The left chimes in with the Village Voice once doing an article featuring a Bawlmer Redneck, a pathetic sod, really, destined to fail, just like his city (this in 1979). And then we wonder why the likes of Sarah Palin have stormed the national scene.
No, there were the days when you could drive down Loch Raven Boulevard clear into Memorial Stadium, on a tree lined lane past all the tidy neighborhoods. Maybe catch a movie in one of the shopping centers. Long gone.
All the while mocked by Randy Newman.
Thank you, Randy, and all the wonderful, talented folk at the top levels of our culture, just making it more of what it is today. You monstrously silly fucks.
https://www.220.ro/desene-animate/Family-Guy-Randy-Newman/O4pfCdxLrx/
BasmntMadman wrote:
Baltimore as hellhole? Well, it's a US city in the great DC to Boston conurbation. Loads of hell there. But for sheer extent and magnitude of hellishness, Baltimore just can't reach - or better, stoop to - the levels of its Northeastern betters.
When I first saw Philadelphia, I was shocked. When I lived in the New York City area, I came to regard all of it - even Manhattan - as the final flowering of the New Jersey Turnpike. Manhattan itself, when I first saw it, looked like Baltimore on steroids. Fortunately, I later wandered into the precincts of the upper crust, and could see the wonderfulness there. Trump Tower. Yeah.
Baltimore's problem is that it isn't a media center. It can't push the image of the kind of life the upper classes enjoy there. So, we get all the I Love New York stuff shoved at us, while New York spawns the Lehman Brothers, the AIGs, etc., who did our economy so well. Too Big to Fail. Yeah.
It simply results in apoplexy at the center and paralysis at the limbs.
All the while cheered on by the likes of Randy Newman. The left chimes in with the Village Voice once doing an article featuring a Bawlmer Redneck, a pathetic sod, really, destined to fail, just like his city (this in 1979). And then we wonder why the likes of Sarah Palin have stormed the national scene.
No, there were the days when you could drive down Loch Raven Boulevard clear into Memorial Stadium, on a tree lined lane past all the tidy neighborhoods. Maybe catch a movie in one of the shopping centers. Long gone.
All the while mocked by Randy Newman.
Thank you, Randy, and all the wonderful, talented folk at the top levels of our culture, just making it more of what it is today. You monstrously silly fucks.
Baltimore as hellhole? Well, it's a US city in the great DC to Boston conurbation. Loads of hell there. But for sheer extent and magnitude of hellishness, Baltimore just can't reach - or better, stoop to - the levels of its Northeastern betters.
When I first saw Philadelphia, I was shocked. When I lived in the New York City area, I came to regard all of it - even Manhattan - as the final flowering of the New Jersey Turnpike. Manhattan itself, when I first saw it, looked like Baltimore on steroids. Fortunately, I later wandered into the precincts of the upper crust, and could see the wonderfulness there. Trump Tower. Yeah.
Baltimore's problem is that it isn't a media center. It can't push the image of the kind of life the upper classes enjoy there. So, we get all the I Love New York stuff shoved at us, while New York spawns the Lehman Brothers, the AIGs, etc., who did our economy so well. Too Big to Fail. Yeah.
It simply results in apoplexy at the center and paralysis at the limbs.
All the while cheered on by the likes of Randy Newman. The left chimes in with the Village Voice once doing an article featuring a Bawlmer Redneck, a pathetic sod, really, destined to fail, just like his city (this in 1979). And then we wonder why the likes of Sarah Palin have stormed the national scene.
No, there were the days when you could drive down Loch Raven Boulevard clear into Memorial Stadium, on a tree lined lane past all the tidy neighborhoods. Maybe catch a movie in one of the shopping centers. Long gone.
All the while mocked by Randy Newman.
Thank you, Randy, and all the wonderful, talented folk at the top levels of our culture, just making it more of what it is today. You monstrously silly fucks.
So true. I temporarily lost my mind and decided to move to Baltimore from a beautiful part of the country. Biggest mistake of my life. This place is truly a hell-hole, and now I am stuck here.
Relased in 1977, but still fresh—musically and lyrically—after all these years! Solid 7+ for me!
Post Scriptum: I just learned how prolific Mr. Newman has been ... kudos to him!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Newman
A jamaican band did a reggae version of it that is amazing but I can't seem to find it on itunes
I think it was the Tamlins
the resemblence starts about helfway through the song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo4svHZfnG4
Went and took a listen. Nice cover. Thanks.
I love Randy Newman's work. He pokes fun at everything, including himself, but he still manages to deliver a scathing message about the human condition. (Remember the flak he caught for "Short People"? Anyone with a sense of humor "got" the message. Those who didn't get it threw fits, filed petitions and lawsuits, and got all righteously-indignant.)
Some wise feller I know once said, "If you throw a rock into a pack of wild dogs, the one who yelps the loudest is the one that got hit." So - I'ma sit back and see who yelps the loudest.
The last bit was terrific. I'll have to remember that one! "The one that got hit"...lol.
And I really enjoyed "Short People" and I am one. If you can't laugh at yourself, then what a sad kind of person you must be, eh?
That's funny - I loved The Wire and I did find it to be real. As much as I loved The Sopranos, I found The Wire to be more realistic and loved it even more. To each his/her own.
Newman's "Baltimore" is pretty good too. . .
i loved the Wire as well. Born in BMore. Lived there a good part of my life. For those who want to bash the Wire and say it was trying too hard to be real, try living in BMore for any length of time, believe me, it was dead-on. As for creativity, it had the dramatic flair of any Dickens novel, with a similar take on the color and variety of characters that make up the world and come into one's life, good and evil.
A jamaican band did a reggae version of it that is amazing but I can't seem to find it on itunes
I think it was the Tamlins
the resemblence starts about helfway through the song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo4svHZfnG4
I love Randy Newman's work. He pokes fun at everything, including himself, but he still manages to deliver a scathing message about the human condition. (Remember the flak he caught for "Short People"? Anyone with a sense of humor "got" the message. Those who didn't get it threw fits, filed petitions and lawsuits, and got all righteously-indignant.)
Some wise feller I know once said, "If you throw a rock into a pack of wild dogs, the one who yelps the loudest is the one that got hit." So - I'ma sit back and see who yelps the loudest.
That's funny - I loved The Wire and I did find it to be real. As much as I loved The Sopranos, I found The Wire to be more realistic and loved it even more. To each his/her own.
Newman's "Baltimore" is pretty good too. . .
I really hated the Wire. It was trying too hard to be gritty and real and did so directly according to the modern cable drama textbook. It rang hollow for me. This song, however, is pure Newman genius. Doesn't try to be anything it's not - Baltimore is hurting.
I couldn't have said it better. So many people recommended it to me for it's realism, but I thought it was really...well, stupid. Yes, tried too hard and did not have the creative spark of a cable drama like Sopranos.
The song is excellent. Between this, and "Rednecks" and the comments at the beginning of "I Love LA", etc., I don't know how Randy can even go on tour.
I really hated the Wire. It was trying too hard to be gritty and real and did so directly according to the modern cable drama textbook. It rang hollow for me. This song, however, is pure Newman genius. Doesn't try to be anything it's not - Baltimore is hurting.
you sound a little jealous?
In his body of work.
It is apparent this fellow didn't bother to read the accompanying Wikipedia bio. What amazing accomplishments for anyone. I had no idea myself and I've been listening to Newman for as long as I can remember. Didn't like all of his work, but this song is my favorite.