Short People

Short People opens Little Criminals and was released as a single in November 1977 on Warner Bros., with Old Man on the Farm on the B-side. The lyrics demean short people, and Newman intended the song as a satire about prejudice more broadly, written from the point of view of a biased narrator. It is built on a piano line in A major with bass, drums, a small brass section, electric guitar and conga drums played by Milt Holland. Klaus Voormann plays bass, Jim Keltner drums and Waddy Wachtel guitar, with Glenn Frey, JD Souther and Tim Schmit singing backing vocals.

Newman had never charted a single before. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, went to number one on Cash Box, and was certified gold. Newman has said he needed an up song for the record and it just popped out. He was surprised by the reaction, because a hit reaches people who are not looking for irony. He said the man in the song is crazy and not to be believed. In the Guardian's account Newman called it the worst kind of hit anyone could have. He re-recorded it for The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 3 in 2016.