Trouble in Paradise (Randy Newman album)

Trouble in Paradise is the seventh studio album by the American musician Randy Newman, released in 1983.[2] It includes "I Love L.A." and the first single, "The Blues", a duet with Paul Simon.[3] "Same Girl" is about a woman addicted to heroin.[4] Newman supported the album playing shows with the Roches.[5]

Trouble in Paradise
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 17, 1983 (1983-01-17)[1]
Recorded1982–1983
StudioWarner Bros. Recording Studios (North Hollywood, Los Angeles)
Length39:36
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerRuss Titelman, Lenny Waronker
Randy Newman chronology
Born Again
(1979)
Trouble in Paradise
(1983)
Land of Dreams
(1988)

A cover version of "Real Emotional Girl" by the Canadian singer Patricia O'Callaghan appears on her studio album Real Emotional Girl (2001).

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [6]
Robert ChristgauA−[7]
Rolling Stone     [8]

The New York Times wrote: "Newman inhabits his characters so completely that he makes us uneasy, wondering how much self-identification he has invested in their creation. His work achieves its power by that very confusion."[9] The Globe and Mail noted that "Newman still has not the least desire to play it safe: he is still tossing up the great American contradictions—the seductiveness of racism and the paranoia of sex—like a circus performer juggling machetes, with the same appalling, exhilarating effect."[10]

The Miami Herald determined that most of the songs "defy humming... A couple are essentially free verse set to music."[11] The Christian Science Monitor determined that "the polished sound of the album makes it his most commercial effort, yet he has kept his humor and wit alive."[12]

The album placed 13th in the 1983 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll,[13] and it was ranked as number 67 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Albums of the 80s list.[14]

Track listing

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All songs written by Randy Newman.

LP Side 1

  1. "I Love L.A." – 3:29
  2. "Christmas in Capetown" – 4:21
  3. "The Blues" – 3:01
  4. "Same Girl" – 2:53
  5. "Mikey's" – 2:10
  6. "My Life Is Good" – 4:38

LP Side 2

  1. "Miami" – 4:04
  2. "Real Emotional Girl" – 2:28
  3. "Take Me Back" – 4:09
  4. "There's a Party at My House" – 2:50
  5. "I'm Different" – 2:33
  6. "Song for the Dead" – 3:00

Personnel

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Technical
  • Mark Linett – engineer, mixing
  • Tim Newman – cover photography

References

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  1. ^ "Billboard – Google Boeken". 8 January 1983. Retrieved 24 May 2014 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 504.
  3. ^ Tucker, Ken (30 January 1983). "Randy Newman: Idealistic Cynic". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H5.
  4. ^ Morse, Steve (31 March 1983). "Times Change for Randy Newman". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 1.
  5. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (25 March 1983). "Randy Newman". Features. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 71.
  6. ^ Mark Deming. "Trouble in Paradise – Randy Newman | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  7. ^ "CG: Randy Newman". Robert Christgau. 31 October 1995. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  8. ^ Rolling Stone Archived 14 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Rockwell, John (16 January 1983). "Randy Newman's New Album Is Top Pop". The New York Times. p. A29.
  10. ^ Lacey, Liam (31 January 1983). "Newman back in paradise lost". The Globe and Mail. p. P18.
  11. ^ Kelleher, Terry (20 March 1983). "Music of March". Miami Herald. p. 9L.
  12. ^ Winkel, Vincent J. (7 April 1983). "Rock/Pop". Arts/Entertainment. The Christian Science Monitor. p. 16.
  13. ^ Christgau, Robert (28 February 1984). "The 1983 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  14. ^ "100 Best Albums of the Eighties: Randy Newman, 'Trouble in Paradise'". Rolling Stone. 16 November 1989. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
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