How much do we want to know about the private lives of celebrities? In some cases, we want all the dirt. If that’s what fans of Randy Newman are looking for, they won’t find it in Robert Hilburn’s latest work, A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY.

The title itself is quite relevant, given the state of the nation right now, as is the photo on the back of the dust jacket that shows Newman with his head in his hands, exhausted by current affairs. The lyrics to “Bigger Boat,” a 2020 tune that he performs with country artist Brandy Clark, reflects the current situation:

We're springing a leak, we're coming apart
We're on the Titanic, but we think it's the ark
Sharks in the water got me thinking 'bout a movie quote
Yeah, we're gonna need
A bigger boat

"[Hilburn] basically goes song-by-song and album-by-album to discuss the choices the ambitious Newman painstakingly made, whether it was in thematic tone, actual tone or language."

But perhaps that’s just my interpretation.

None of this, by the way, is meant as a knock on Hilburn. He is well-qualified to write about musicians; his previous bios look at Paul Simon, Johnny Cash and Bruce Springsteen. Rather than concentrating on the popular singer/songwriter/film scorer’s personal life, Hilburn focuses on Newman’s work --- in great detail. He basically goes song-by-song and album-by-album to discuss the choices the ambitious Newman painstakingly made, whether it was in thematic tone, actual tone or language.

Newman --- who was born with a tuning fork in his mouth (his uncles were famous for their movie music) and knew he wanted a career in music from an early age --- was at once outspoken and introverted. He took on such topics as racism, injustice, political malfeasance and just plain stupidity. He wasn’t afraid to use the N-word in “Rednecks,” which came out 50 years ago on his Good Old Boys album. One wonders if he would incorporate that taboo word now. I think he would because he still would want to make that point. Many of Newman’s songs employ humor, even if they might offend some. This was the case in one of his most famous songs, “Short People.” Yet he was uncomfortable in being described as a political activist or a satirist.

Other tunes are overwhelmingly sad, such as “Texas Girl at the Funeral of Her Father.” In fact, several songs convey a sense of a father lamenting over the lost connection with his children. Although born into an upper-middle-class family (Newman’s father was a doctor), Hilburn writes about his sometimes contentious relationship with his dad, which may have been a factor in some of his compositions.

In addition to his own songs, Newman was the genius behind the scores for movies such as Toy Story, Avalon, Ragtime and The Natural, among many others. Just those projects alone would make for an interesting in-depth examination.

It is only on occasion that Hilburn includes the kind of life story that makes up the usual basis of biography. He barely mentions the failure of Newman’s first marriage or the effects of Epstein-Barr syndrome, which came at roughly the same time. Or the problems that afflict him in his senior years.

Which brings us back to that original question of what readers are looking for. If they’re huge fans of Newman’s musical work, A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY is a perfect fit.