First heard this song in Vietnam. I had written to Randy for an autographed photograph. It came back quickly from Los Angeles with a couple of nice signed 8x10's, a letter and the the album this song was on - and I played is right away. I got it onto AFVN (Armed Forces Vietnam Radio). It really made people thinkabout what he is saying. And, the string arrangement is just awesome. The song is GREAT !!!
Roger C. San Diego
Broken windows and empty hallways
A pale dead moon in the sky streaked with gray
Human kindness is overflowing
And I think it's going to rain today
Scarecrows dressed in the latest styles
With frozen smiles to chase love away
Human kindness is overflowing
And I think it's going to rain today
Lonely, lonely
Tin can at my feet
Think I'll kick it down the street
That's the way to treat a friend
Bright before me the signs implore me
To help the needy and show them the way
Human kindness is overflowing
And I think it's going to rain today
I saw Randy Newman say in an interview that he goes into the studio with nothing written down (like Jay z?); but I wonder how true that is. I liked this song when I was maybe 15 or 16; before I had a clue was his intent might have been. I just liked the feeling. I could sense the irony, but no real commentary. The best music, to me, can function on many levels.
I know Bette Midler, Judy Collins, and (more recent) Norah Jones do this song justice, but there's something about Newman doing it. Yes, yes, yes - I know he wrote the song. But the way he does it breaks me. It's the voice of man who fights with loneliness, a creeping sadness he can never truly shake off but dares not sing too loud lest anyone else find out his secret. Heartbreaking.
This is why I defend guys like Kristofferson and Mr. Newman. You don't need to have a " golden throat" to be a great singer. Like a Kris, Randy sings from and about the heart, and it always works. Cash turned "Sunday Morning COMING Down" into a hit but like this song, Kris's version is an emotional powerhouse. Midler, Streisand, and others do great versions of this but they are almost too perfect, and emotion is never perfect.
This is one of the very few songs that can bring me close to tears. I'm just an old fart who has been around longer than most of you kids. And I've seen things I never wanted to see and have memories of the 60s I don't want to recall. THIS is how I felt then. And, with our country today, it's how I'm starting to feel again.