4 Songs You Didn’t Know Randy Newman Wrote For Other Artists

Today, many know the clever songwriter, lyricist, and piano player Randy Newman for his hit song in the Pixar Toy Story franchise, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Others might think he’s the neighbor on Seinfeld (he’s not!).

Though the song, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” is an all-time classic, the artist has done a lot more in his career than sing about friendship for cartoon movies, including writing songs for other artists.

[RELATED: The Best 25 Randy Newman Quotes]

To wit, here are four songs the loquacious Newman—who, like contemporary artists Regina Spektor, is known for his humorous lyrics (see: “Short People“)—wrote for other artists.

The 79-year-old, Los Angeles-born musician comes from a line of Hollywood film composers. He began writing songs professionally at 17 and released his solo self-titled debut LP in 1968. To date, he’s garnered two Oscars and 22 nominations. He’s also won three Emmys and seven Grammys.

Now, let’s dive into the work.

1. “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” Eric Burdon

Written by Randy Newman

The song, which has become famous thanks to the band Three Dog Night, which released a cover in 1970, was originally written by Newman for Eric Burdon’s debut solo album in 1966. Tom Jones also has a popular cover of the song. Burdon would go on to front other bands like War and The Animals. Of the song, itself, Newman says it’s about the music scene in L.A. in the ’60s.

In the song, Newman plays the role of an inexperienced young man who goes to a wild party. The more he sees, the more he remembers his mother told him not to go there.

2. “Feels Like Home,” Linda Ronstadt

Written by Randy Newman

From Ronstadt’s 1995 album of the same name, “Feels Like Home” was written by Newman for his musical Randy Newman’s Faust. In Faust, Bonnie Raitt sang the song, but later Ronstadt, who was also part of the performance, recorded it for her 1995 album. Not long after, Raitt’s version was released on the musical’s soundtrack. It’s a somber tune, with swelling vocals and a hopeful message.

3. “That’ll Do,” Peter Gabriel

Written by Randy Newman

Written by Newman and performed by Gabriel, “That’ll Do” was released in 1998 for the soundtrack of the hit movie Babe: Pig in the City. The movie was the sequel to the 1995 Babe, which like the follow-up is all about the life of a small pink pig named Babe and his adventures. “That’ll Do” demonstrates Newman at his best as a writer: sentimental, affective with a pinch of wry humor. And Gabriel pulls the song off with his delightful raspy voice.

4. “When She Loved Me,” Sarah McLachlan

Written by Randy Newman

Another sentimental song with moral, detail, and story, “When She Loved Me” by Sarah McLachlan was written for the sequel movie from Pixar, Toy Story 2. Composed by Newman, and performed by McLachlan, it’s effective and pulls at your heartstrings. The song is about one of the movie’s main characters, Jessie, who is thinking about her previous owner who has left her behind. Originally, McLachlan’s management didn’t want her to sing the song, but the artist loved the tune and it has become a fan favorite. Truly, Newman + movie soundtrack = classic.

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