Task: Sentiment Analysis
Input (English): Randy in the Wintertime . I've been a Randy Newman fan "ever since there WUZ no Randy Newman," and so picture my delight when my very own kids bought me this boxed bonanza for Christmas (so I wouldn't have to). Randy Newman on the stereo on Christmas morning is about as Newmanesque a way to disturb the warmth of home and hearth as you can imagine. At one time or another I've owned every Newman album ever recorded, so I needed this collection like another hole in the head, but I have to recommend it as much for the surprisingly revealing biographical data as for the song selections. There are surprises here for even an old Newman trivialist like myself, and it was a relief to read of Randy's hardships as well as successes, since the dark side of this dark soul has too often been danced around in past articles and interviews. We learn that Randy's father, Irving Newman, MD, was an overbearing and cantankerous coot not above slugging it out with perfect strangers on public highways. We learn that the distracting eye condition Randy was born with, and the failed surgical attempt to correct it, may have helped to mold not only Newman's unique world view, but his discomfort with public attention. Interviewers (myself included) have generally conceded that "Randy Newman just can't look you in the eye," but then, why should he when he has such a gift for cutting straight to the heart with his nostalgic sentiments and shark-attack wit. Of the many selections in this package, my standouts are his 1962 demo Golden Gridiron Boy, a delight to hear at long last since throughout Newman's career it has appeared as nothing more than a musical history anecdote. Turns out it is a quite competent version of that idiotic pop sub-genre of the '50s and early '60s when unrequited love burned teenybopping hearts alive to the accompanyment of snickering female vocal backups. Then comes Jesus in the Summertime, the highly unlikely mock spirtual that has the distinction of having been so offensive to so many ears that a session musician actually walked out of the studio rather than play on it. Now THAT's chutzpah! Personally, I like it, and find nothing offensive about it, other than the fact that it has the name Jesus in the title. Finally, there's Laugh and Be Happy, an unfortunately incomplete demo that features Newman at his Tin-Pan-Alley best, with a catchy ragtime riff and a delightfully mocking lyric. This number is for my money one of the best tracks ever laid down by one of our most consistently rewarding, if challenging, singer-songwriters. Thanks for the memories, Randy!
Output (English): POS