Short People
Encyclopedia
"Short People" is a song
by Randy Newman
from his 1977 album Little Criminals
, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The verses and chorus seem to be a pointed attack on the short. The bridge (sung by Glenn Frey
), in contrast, states "short people are just the same as you and I." Newman interprets the song to be about "prejudice," as was widely thought, but added that it was "about a lunatic". As with many of his songs, such as "Rednecks
", Newman wrote the song from the point of view of a biased narrator. Like Dire Straits
' 1985 hit single "Money for Nothing
" which used the same lyrical technique, the song was misunderstood by many listeners, who wrongly assumed that it reflected the performer's personal viewpoint.
Newman would later grow to dislike the song and its success, eventually calling it a "bad break," a "novelty record like The Chipmunks
", and said it caused him to receive several threats regarding its misinterpreted message. However, it would end up being included in almost every one of his greatest hits
albums.
Although Newman had never charted a single before, and his previous album Good Old Boys had been his first to reach the Billboard Top 150, "Short People" soon gained attention as a novelty song
. The song consequently became a major hit on radio, staying at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
and being only kept from reaching number one by the Bee Gees
's "Stayin' Alive
". It follows a basic musical formula, with bass
and drums
centering on Newman's catchy pop piano
line in the key of A
. A small brass section
and an electric guitar
occasionally rise into the mix.
In 1978, legislation was introduced in the state of Maryland
to make it illegal to play "Short People" on the radio. Contrary to popular myth, the bill did not pass.
on a 1978 episode of The Muppet Show
. A MADtv
sketch parodying Newman's songwriting abilities also made references to the song.
In the film Semi-Pro
, Will Ferrell
sings the song on the bus. It is also featured in the 1994 feature-length adaptation of The Little Rascals.
This song is heard on a Toy Story
sing-along cassette tape (Newman composed the score to the film).
The song is mistakenly mentioned as one of Michael Scott's
favourite Bruce Springsteen
songs in US version of the The Office episode "Crime Aid
". It can also be heard on the Chipmunks Go to the Movies episode "Funny We Shrunk the Adults" and in the Ally McBeal
episode "Boy to the World".
In 2009, the song was parodied by conservative political satirist Paul Shanklin
as "Old People" with Shanklin doing a voice impersonation of American President
Barack Obama
on the health care reform debate in the United States
.
Andrew Hansen
, an Australian satirical comedian, also performed this song on the comedy show Good News Week
. Initially in the show he disclaimed the lyrics stating that he didn't hate short people - it was Randy Newman's lyrics (a reference to a skit he earlier participated in that questioned the legitimacy of charities for sick children and caused him, and his group The Chaser
, to be temporarily suspended from television). Later in the show he performed the song again with his own lyrics referring to Adolf Hitler, Centrelink
and popular television personalities including the show's host Paul McDermott
.
The Cleveland Show
featured the song in the episode A Short Story and a Tall Tale.
Self-referential potential of the song was good-humorously used by Thomas Quasthoff
, the great classical and jazz singer marked with the heavy birth defects.
The song appeared in Nostalgia Critics review of James and the Giant Peach
, with the added lyrics "Rhinos, they scare little boys", as a comment to the "blandness" of Newman's movie score.
Elaine Paige
featured this song in her 1985 Concert Tour, on account of her being 'short'. (5ft2).
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
by Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
from his 1977 album Little Criminals
Little Criminals
Little Criminals is a 1977 album from Randy Newman. Like most of Newman's work, the album eschews traditional pop-music themes in favor of musical story-telling, often featuring quirky characters and cynical views. The first song on the album — "Short People" — became a hit single in its own right...
, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The verses and chorus seem to be a pointed attack on the short. The bridge (sung by Glenn Frey
Glenn Frey
Glenn Lewis Frey is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Frey formed the Eagles after he met drummer Don Henley in 1970 and the two eventually joined Linda Ronstadt's backup band for her summer tour. The Eagles formed in 1971 and...
), in contrast, states "short people are just the same as you and I." Newman interprets the song to be about "prejudice," as was widely thought, but added that it was "about a lunatic". As with many of his songs, such as "Rednecks
Rednecks (song)
"Rednecks" is a song by Randy Newman, the lead-off track on his 1974 album Good Old Boys.- Lyrics and interpretation :"Rednecks" is sung from the perspective of a Southern "redneck". In it he expresses his dismay at the way that the North looks down upon The South...
", Newman wrote the song from the point of view of a biased narrator. Like Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
' 1985 hit single "Money for Nothing
Money for Nothing (song)
"Money for Nothing" is a single by British rock band Dire Straits, taken from their 1985 album Brothers in Arms. It was one of Dire Straits' most successful singles, peaking at number one for three weeks in the United States, and it also reached number one for three weeks on the U.S. Mainstream...
" which used the same lyrical technique, the song was misunderstood by many listeners, who wrongly assumed that it reflected the performer's personal viewpoint.
Newman would later grow to dislike the song and its success, eventually calling it a "bad break," a "novelty record like The Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
", and said it caused him to receive several threats regarding its misinterpreted message. However, it would end up being included in almost every one of his greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
albums.
Although Newman had never charted a single before, and his previous album Good Old Boys had been his first to reach the Billboard Top 150, "Short People" soon gained attention as a novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
. The song consequently became a major hit on radio, staying at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and being only kept from reaching number one by the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
's "Stayin' Alive
Stayin' Alive
"Stayin' Alive" is a song by the pop group Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was written by the Bee Gees and produced by the Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It was released on 13 December 1977, as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever...
". It follows a basic musical formula, with bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
centering on Newman's catchy pop piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
line in the key of A
A major
A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps.Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor...
. A small brass section
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
and an electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
occasionally rise into the mix.
In 1978, legislation was introduced in the state of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
to make it illegal to play "Short People" on the radio. Contrary to popular myth, the bill did not pass.
Appearances in popular culture
The song was performed by actor James CocoJames Coco
James Coco was an American character actor.- Early life and career :Born James Emil Coco in New York City, son of Feliche Coco, a shoemaker and Ida Detestes Coco, James began acting straight out of high school. As an overweight and prematurely balding adult, he found himself relegated to character...
on a 1978 episode of The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
. A MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
sketch parodying Newman's songwriting abilities also made references to the song.
In the film Semi-Pro
Semi-Pro
Semi-Pro is a 2008 American sports screwball comedy film from New Line Cinema. The film was directed by Kent Alterman and stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tierney. The film was shot in Los Angeles near Dodger Stadium , in Detroit and in Flint, Michigan...
, Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
sings the song on the bus. It is also featured in the 1994 feature-length adaptation of The Little Rascals.
This song is heard on a Toy Story
Toy Story
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen...
sing-along cassette tape (Newman composed the score to the film).
The song is mistakenly mentioned as one of Michael Scott's
Michael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
favourite Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
songs in US version of the The Office episode "Crime Aid
Crime Aid
"Crime Aid" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the show's seventy-seventh episode overall. The episode aired in the United States on October 23, 2008 on NBC....
". It can also be heard on the Chipmunks Go to the Movies episode "Funny We Shrunk the Adults" and in the Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
episode "Boy to the World".
In 2009, the song was parodied by conservative political satirist Paul Shanklin
Paul Shanklin
Paul Shanklin is an American conservative political satirist, impressionist, comedian, and conservative speaker...
as "Old People" with Shanklin doing a voice impersonation of American President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
on the health care reform debate in the United States
Health care reform debate in the United States
The health care reform debate in the United States has been a political issue for many years, focusing upon increasing coverage, decreasing the cost and social burden of healthcare, insurance reform, and the philosophy of its provision, funding, and government involvement...
.
Andrew Hansen
Andrew Hansen
Andrew John Hansen is an Australian comedian and musician, best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser...
, an Australian satirical comedian, also performed this song on the comedy show Good News Week
Good News Week
Good News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...
. Initially in the show he disclaimed the lyrics stating that he didn't hate short people - it was Randy Newman's lyrics (a reference to a skit he earlier participated in that questioned the legitimacy of charities for sick children and caused him, and his group The Chaser
The Chaser
The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedian group, known for their television programmes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation channel. The group take their name from their production of satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste...
, to be temporarily suspended from television). Later in the show he performed the song again with his own lyrics referring to Adolf Hitler, Centrelink
Centrelink
Centrelink is the trading name of the Commonwealth Service Delivery Agency , a statutory authority responsible for delivering human services on behalf of agencies of the Commonwealth Government of Australia. The majority of Centrelink's services are the disbursement of social security payments...
and popular television personalities including the show's host Paul McDermott
Paul McDermott
Paul McDermott may refer to:*Paul McDermott , Australian musical comedian and television host*Paul McDermott *Paul Mac, Australian techno musician, producer and remixer...
.
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
featured the song in the episode A Short Story and a Tall Tale.
Self-referential potential of the song was good-humorously used by Thomas Quasthoff
Thomas Quasthoff
Thomas Quasthoff is a German bass-baritone. Although his reputation was initially based on his performance of Romantic lieder, Quasthoff has proven to have a remarkable range from the Baroque cantatas of Bach to solo jazz improvisations.-Biography:Quasthoff was born in Hildesheim, Germany, with...
, the great classical and jazz singer marked with the heavy birth defects.
The song appeared in Nostalgia Critics review of James and the Giant Peach
James and the Giant Peach (film)
James and the Giant Peach is a 1996 musical fantasy film directed by Henry Selick, based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. It was produced by Tim Burton and Denise Di Novi. The film is a combination of live action and stop-motion animation....
, with the added lyrics "Rhinos, they scare little boys", as a comment to the "blandness" of Newman's movie score.
Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16...
featured this song in her 1985 Concert Tour, on account of her being 'short'. (5ft2).