Bad Love
Studio album by
Randy Newman
ReleasedJune 1, 1999
Recorded1997–1999
Studio
GenreRock
Length44:45
LabelDreamworks
ProducerMitchell Froom, Tchad Blake
Randy Newman chronology
Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman
(1998)		 Bad Love
(1999)		 The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1
(2003)

Bad Love is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman, released on June 1, 1999. It was Newman's first solo album since 1995's Randy Newman's Faust and followed a 3-year hiatus during which Newman had focused on film soundtracks, receiving several Academy Award nominations.

Background

The album finds Newman bitter and satirical – as "biting as ever, yet unafraid to tackle personal and heartfelt concerns".[1] Newman tackles issues such as the state of American culture in "My Country", which chronicles suburbia's growing dependence on television, and "The World Isn’t Fair", which takes a look at the world through the eyes of Karl Marx. Another subject is aging – "Shame" takes a negative look at an "older man courting a younger woman" via the barbed lyrics and an exchange between the lead vocalist and the backing singer. "I’m Dead (But I Don't Know It)" is more self-referential in dealing with aging rock stars and commenting: "Everything I write sounds the same / Each record that I’m making / Is like a record that I’ve made / Just not as good".

"Every Time It Rains" was composed for Michael Jackson but he declined to record it,[2] while "I Miss You" was composed for Newman's ex-wife.[3]

Newman later said, "Before I started Bad Love, I wasn't exactly sure I could do a rock 'n' roll record at 65, or however old I was. But I was satisfied that it was a good record. Maybe my best record."[4]

This album was Newman's only release for DreamWorks Records.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Austin Chronicle[5]
Chicago Sun-Times[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[7]
Hot Press10/12[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
The Village VoiceA[10]

It received generally positive reviews from critics, placing 11th in the 1999 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll.[11]

AllMusic stated that the songs on Bad Love "should rest comfortably alongside his other four-star offerings."[1]

Track listing

All songs written by Randy Newman.

  1. "My Country" – 5:40
  2. "Shame" – 4:54
  3. "I'm Dead (But I Don't Know It)" – 3:25
  4. "Every Time It Rains" – 3:33
  5. "The Great Nations of Europe" – 3:26
  6. "The One You Love" – 3:39
  7. "The World Isn't Fair" – 2:44
  8. "Big Hat, No Cattle" – 4:24
  9. "Better Off Dead" – 4:03
  10. "I Miss You" – 3:55
  11. "Going Home" – 2:06
  12. "I Want Everyone to Like Me" – 2:59

Personnel

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Sullivan, Denise. "Bad Love". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ "Bad Love". Randynewman.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 1999.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ↑ Chilton, Martin (October 23, 2015). "Randy Newman Q&A: 'I try to shut up, but I can't'". The Telegraph. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  4. ↑ Keith Phipps (October 8, 2003). "Randy Newman". A.V. Club.
  5. ↑ McCord, Jeff (1999). "Randy Newman: Bad Love". The Austin Chronicle. No. September 10. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  6. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim (1999). "Best of recent releases". Chicago Sun-Times. No. June 27. Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  7. ↑ Willman, Chris (1999). "Bad Love Review". Entertainment Weekly. New York (June 4). Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  8. ↑ O'Hare, Colm (1999). "Bad Love". Hot Press (July 21). Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  9. ↑ Rolling Stone review
  10. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1999). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. No. June 22. New York. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  11. ↑ Christgau, Robert (February 22, 2000). "The 1999 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
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