# The Randy Newman Lyric That Wasn’t Exactly Chamber of Commerce Material for a Major US City

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-randy-newman-lyric-that-wasnt-exactly-chamber-of-commerce-material-for-a-major-us-city/
- Published: 2026-11-14T21:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-14T22:34:44+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/the-randy-newman-lyric-that-wasnt-exactly-chamber-of-commerce-material-for-a-major-us-city/
- Topics: Americas, Entertainment, Music, World

## Key points

- Newman’s “Baltimore” depicts a city in decline.
- He had only seen Baltimore from a train.
- The song appeared on 1977’s *Little Criminals*.

## Summary

Randy Newman’s 1977 song “Baltimore” presents a bleak portrait of Maryland’s largest city, depicting people struggling amid decline and a narrator planning to leave. Its stark view drew criticism from people who defended Baltimore, but the song’s lasting force comes from the way Newman turns the city’s hardship into a sharply observed story.

Newman later said he had only seen Baltimore from a train and drew inspiration from a National Geographic article, while defending the imaginative licence involved. The song appeared on *Little Criminals*, the album that also featured the hit “Short People”; backing singers Glenn Frey and JD Souther join Newman on the chorus.

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