Sail Away (Randy Newman album)

Untitled

Sail Away is a 1972 album by Randy Newman. The album stands as a prime example of Newman's ability with musical satire. The title track takes the form of a pitch from a slave trader in Africa. "Political Science" foresees America making the world a better place through the nuclear annihilation of almost everyone else. "God's Song" uses gospel forms to question the idea of a benevolent creator. "He Gives Us All His Love" is a bittersweet and sparsely arranged hymn about religious faith which sounds earnest but is almost certainly deeply bitter satire.

The song "Burn On," a reference to the Cuyahoga River fire near Cleveland in 1969, was used in the introduction to the film Major League. Brian Wilson has said that this album profoundly affected him at the time of its release, briefly keeping him from sliding further into depression and mental illness. The album was reissued by Rhino Records in 2002, with several previously unreleased bonus tracks. In 2003, the album was ranked number 321 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

LP track listing

All songs arranged and written by Randy Newman

Side one

1. "Sail Away" - 2:56
2. "Lonely at the Top" - 2:32
3. "He Gives Us All His Love" -1:53
4. "Last Night I Had a Dream" - 3:01
5. "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear" - 2:00
6. "Old Man" - 2:42

Side two

1. "Political Science" -2:00
2. "Burn On" - 2:33
3. "Memo to My Son" - 1:56
4. "Dayton, Ohio - 1903" - 1:47
5. "You Can Leave Your Hat On" - 3:18
6. "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)" - 3:36

Bonus tracks

1. "Let It Shine"
2. "Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong" (studio version)
3. "Dayton, Ohio - 1903" (early version)
4. "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (demo version)
5. "Sail Away" (early version)

Personnel

• Randy Newman - vocals and pianos
• Ry Cooder - guitars on "Last Night I Had a Dream" & "You Can Leave Your Hat On"
• Russ Titelman - guitars
• Jim Keltner - drums
• Gene Parsons - drums
• Earl Palmer - drums
• Chris Ethridge - bass
• Wilton Felder - bass
• Jimmy Bond - bass
• Milt Holland - percussion
• Abe Most - alto saxophone on "Lonely at the Top"