We can all agree that music is a subjective enterprise, with personal taste determining what’s good and what’s not for each listener. As it turns out, that theory can also apply to an artist who is judging one of their own songs.
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As an example, Randy Newman, the fan, wouldn’t necessarily gravitate to the song “Feels Like Home”, written and performed by Randy Newman, the artist. Millions of fans would respectfully disagree and cite it as one of the sweetest musical moments of his career.
“Home” Truths
“People say they played it at their wedding; I hear more from strangers about that song than anything else I’ve written. People think, ‘I love that song – he must think people like me are stupid.’ Believe me, I don’t condescend to an audience or think it’s stupid ever. But I try and tell the truth, and there isn’t anything in (that song) that is particularly distinctive to me.”
That’s Randy Newman’s somewhat withering assessment of “Feels Like Home” in an interview with Mojo (as reported by Songfacts). There have been multiple successful covers of the song, including excellent takes by Chantal Kreviazuk, Linda Ronstadt, Josh Groban, and many others. We can assume those artists heard something special in it.
Newman was writing the song for a particular character to sing in his musical Randy Newman’s Faust. As a result, he gave himself the permission to indulge in some sentiment that he himself might not have normally put forward in his typical singer-songwriter material.
Bonnie Raitt sang the song on the album version of the musical, while Sherie Rene Scott did the honors in the original theatrical productions that were staged. As it gained in popularity via the cover versions, Newman thought that he’d be wise to deliver a studio version of his own. That came when his take on “Feels Like Home” served as the closing song on his 2008 album Harps And Angels.
Examining the Lyrics of “Feels Like Home”
“Feels Like Home” is the way that the narrator of the song describes the somewhat indefinable feelings brought about by his significant other. There’s a little bit of George Harrison’s “Something” in the verses: “Something in your eyes, makes me want to lose myself,” he sings. “Makes me want to lose myself in your arms.”
Newman then deviates from that by contrasting how this character once felt when she wasn’t part of his life. “If you knew how lonely my life has been,” he confesses. “And how low I’ve felt for so long.” She has changed his life in infinite ways.
The opening lines of the second verse hearken back to Newman’s own “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today”, with its line, “Broken windows and empty hallways.” Here, he sings, “A window breaks down a long dark street.” But he overcomes all that because of her presence, until he finally does away with fumbling about for words and tells her directly, “If you knew how happy you are making me/I’ve never thought I’d love anyone so much.”
In the chorus, Newman makes it even simpler for her to understand, telling her that she brings him “back where I belong.” Maybe the songwriter couldn’t relate to the emotions of “Feels Like Home”, or at least the way they were expressed. But you’ll forgive us, Randy, if we swoon a bit at the romantic loveliness of it all.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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