Randy Newman's American Dreams

Why did this book get on my nerves? I love Randy Newman, and think he richly deserves a book that takes his entire career seriously. And I agree with many of Courrier's overall points about Newman's work. He shares my regard of Newman's albums, that 12 Songs, Sail Away and Good Old Boys are the masterpieces, and Land of Dreams and Bad Love are the strongest of his latter works.

But Courrier frequently pivots off of Newman to discuss other works, writers, musicians etc. to ostensibly shed light on his work. A few pages on Huey P. Long makes sense, since he is pivotal figure in the songs and themes of Good Old Boys. But using “The Beehive State” to examine the history of the Mormon religion, or turning Little Criminals into a brief on Elvis Costello's career reveals the frequent lack of focus that mars this book. Adding to this, there are no new interviews here, and while Courrier did his research and then some, it makes the book feel just a little bit more inessential, and a little bit more unworthy of someone of Newman's stature.