Political Science (song)

1972 song by Randy Newman

"Political Science"

Song by Randy Newman
from the album  Sail Away
Released| 1972
Genre| Rock
Length| 2:03
Label| Reprise Records
Songwriter(s)| Randy Newman
Producer(s)| Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman

"Political Science" is a satirical song written and performed by singer-songwriter Randy Newman on his 1972 album, Sail Away.

## Summary

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In going along with the theme of the rest of the album, the song is a satire of a particular part of American culture and history, namely its foreign policies at the time. The unnamed narrator describes the state of the world, and suggests, "Let’s drop the big one and see what happens."

## Background

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Newman later said of the song, "I think I got into a character, this sort of jingoistic type of fellow. You know, it isn’t the type of song I wanted to write much of. Not that I didn’t love Tom Lehrer, but I don’t want to be, like Don Henley says, 'What’s this, another novelty song'. And I do write a lot of those, songs that are meant to be funny in a form that listeners take the people in it more seriously than literature."[1]

## Legacy

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Newman performed the song on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1972.[2] "Political Science" is prominently performed by Newman on the final credits of the 1999 film Blast from the Past. Newman also rerecorded the song for his 2003 release The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1.[3] In October 2006, Newman performed the song on The Colbert Report after being interviewed by Stephen Colbert.[citation needed] On April 16, 2025 Newman performed the song on Everybody's Live with John Mulaney.

Artists including Don Henley, Pedro the Lion, Glen Phillips, Natalie Merchant, and Wilco have performed live covers of this song.[4] The song is also performed in an episode of Ally McBeal by Jennifer Holliday.

## References

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1. ^ Lydia Hutchinson. "Happy Birthday, Randy Newman". Performing Songwriter.
2. ^ The Old Grey Whistle Test (DVD). Warner Home Video. 2003.
3. ^ "The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1". Archived from the original on 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
4. ^ Don Henley Solo Tour 2004/2005 Archived 2008-01-12 at the Wayback Machine

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Randy Newman

Studio albums|

* Randy Newman
* 12 Songs
* Sail Away
* Good Old Boys
* Little Criminals
* Born Again
* Trouble in Paradise
* Land of Dreams
* Bad Love
* Harps and Angels
* Dark Matter

Live albums|

* Randy Newman Live

Compilations|

* Lonely at the Top: The Best of Randy Newman
* Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman
* The Best of Randy Newman
* The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1
* The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 2
* The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 3

Musicals|

* Randy Newman's Faust

Soundtracks|

* Avalon
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Songs|

* "Have You Seen My Baby?"
* "Mama Told Me Not to Come"
* "I Think It's Going to Rain Today"
* "Sail Away"
* "He Gives Us All His Love"
* "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear"
* "Political Science"
* "You Can Leave Your Hat On"
* "Louisiana 1927"
* "Rednecks"
* "Short People"
* "I Love L.A."
* "You've Got a Friend in Me"
* "When She Loved Me"
* "If I Didn't Have You"
* "It's a Jungle Out There"
* "Our Town"
* "When We're Human"
* "Friends on the Other Side"
* "Down in New Orleans"
* "Almost There"
* "We Belong Together"
* "The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy"

Related|

* Discography
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* Alfred Newman
* David Newman
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* Joey Newman
* Lionel Newman
* Thomas Newman

* Category

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Jennifer Holliday

Albums|

* Feel My Soul
* Say You Love Me
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* I'm on Your Side
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Songs|

* "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"
* "I Am Changing"
* "One Night Only"
* "I Am Love"
* "No Frills Love"
* "Come Sunday"
* "Fools Fall in Love"
* "Peace in Our Time"
* "Political Science"

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* Dreamgirls: Original Broadway Cast Album

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