about thirty years ago (before I was born even) randy newman – that cuddly los angelian guy you’ll have heard singing on the toy story soundtrack about being friends? well he was a little bit political.
dude’s a great songwriter. a real way with words and all, wrote some amazing tracks about racism and the south and whatnot. then he got quite big with one song.
again, you might have heard it.
its about short people.
in fact, its called short people.
its kind billy joel-y piano-y ditty.
and he was this curly headed geeky looking kid in a bad golfing jacket. the song was this massive hit. short people were up in arms about it. it was kinda rude in a gently ribbing way. “don’t want no short people round here” he sang to his piano. the kind of song my dad would sing to my mum. she’s short. he’s not. so he thinks its funny.
so that song sort of marked his card. and it was a joke song, right?
before the disney soundtrack thing and the short people thing, a couple of years. five maybe, he’d written this other song.
it was political.
in fact, its called political science.
its about american foriegn policy.
and this was like, thirty five years ago, right?
but the thing is. you listen to it and it could have been written today. not like last ten years. like, today.
this is pedro the lion‘s cover of it.