The Los Angeles songwriter and film composer Randy Newman won his seventh Grammy on Sunday for arranging the vocals and instruments of his biting satire, "Putin." The musician, best known for "You've Got a Friend in Me" and "I Love L.A.," went topical in 2017 on his "Dark Matter."
In the winning song, Newman puts the Russian leader on such a pedestal that one might be mistaken for thinking it's written from the perspective of President Trump:
"He can drive his giant tractor
Across the Trans-Siberian plain
He can power a nuclear reactor
With the left side of his brain
And when he takes his shirt off
He drives the ladies crazy
When he takes his shirt off
Makes me wanna be a lady"
Newman's win came at the expense of fellow nominees: "Another Day Of Sun," arranged by Justin Hurwitz; "Every Time We Say Goodbye," Jorge Calandrelli, arranger; "I Like Myself," Joel McNeely, arranger; and "I Loves You Porgy/There's A Boat That's Leavin' Soon For New York," Shelly Berg, Gregg Field, Gordon Goodwin and Clint Holmes, arrangers.
