Trouble in Paradise is the seventh studio album by the American musician Randy Newman, released in 1983.[2] It includes "I Love L.A." and the first single, "The Blues", a duet with Paul Simon.[3] "Same Girl" is about a woman addicted to heroin.[4] Newman supported the album playing shows with the Roches.[5]
Trouble in Paradise | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 17, 1983[1] | |||
Recorded | 1982–1983 | |||
Studio | Warner Bros. Recording Studios (North Hollywood, Los Angeles) | |||
Length | 39:36 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | Russ Titelman, Lenny Waronker | |||
Randy Newman chronology | ||||
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A cover version of "Real Emotional Girl" by the Canadian singer Patricia O'Callaghan appears on her studio album Real Emotional Girl (2001).
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
Robert Christgau | A−[7] |
Rolling Stone | [8] |
The New York Times wrote: "Newman inhabits his characters so completely that he makes us uneasy, wondering how much self-identification he has invested in their creation. His work achieves its power by that very confusion."[9] The Globe and Mail noted that "Newman still has not the least desire to play it safe: he is still tossing up the great American contradictions—the seductiveness of racism and the paranoia of sex—like a circus performer juggling machetes, with the same appalling, exhilarating effect."[10]
The Miami Herald determined that most of the songs "defy humming... A couple are essentially free verse set to music."[11] The Christian Science Monitor determined that "the polished sound of the album makes it his most commercial effort, yet he has kept his humor and wit alive."[12]
The album placed 13th in the 1983 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll,[13] and it was ranked as number 67 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Albums of the 80s list.[14]
All songs written by Randy Newman.
LP Side 1
LP Side 2