UPDATE: Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) recorded Randy Newman’s “Down in New Orleans” this year in New Orleans at the Music Shed, a Garden District recording studio. The complete lyrics to the song as well as a YouTube video of the entire song being performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is below. Scroll down to see the new, complete transcript of the lyrics to “Down In New Orleans” as well as a video of Randy Newman performing all of the song!
Also take a look at this blog entry.
Here is a video someone (not me) shot at Jazz Fest of Randy Newman performing “Down in New Orleans.” The video doesn’t show the complete song, because the person’s recorder stopped before the song ended. Randy performed the entire, complete song for us, but it is not all on that video. Here are the words to the first part of the song:
(Introduction)
“The evening star is shinin’ bright
So make a wish and hold on tight.
There’s magic in the air tonight
And anything can happen.”
(First verse)
“In the southland, there’s a city
Way down on the river
Where the women are very pretty
And all the men deliver.
They’ve got music, it’s always playin’.
Starts in the daytime, goes on through the night.
When you hear that music playin’,
Hear what I’m sayin’, make you feel alright.”
(Chorus)
“Grab somebody, come on down.
Bring your paintbrush, paintin’ the town.
There’s some sweetness goin’ ’round,
Catch it down in New Orleans.”
The song ends with the line “Dreams do come true down in New Orleans.”
UPDATE:
Before singing ”Down in New Orleans” at this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Randy Newman amended what he said before the previous song, saying both Disney as well as Pixar were at Jazz Fest, and in New Orleans working on the movie he called ‘The Frog Princess’” — even though it has been renamed “The Princess and the Frog” — and that Dr. John sings the opening song in the movie. Randy Newman also said that he was with Dr. John earlier that day (in fact, I discovered later that Dr. John was right there backstage, listening to Randy Newman’s performance) and that Randy would sing the song for us now. I don’t know shorthard so I wasn’t able to get the entire lyrics written down (note: see the complete, updated lyrics below), but some of the phrases in this beautiful song include “In the Southland…”, “…prettiest women around…”, “Grab somebody, come on down, grab your paintbrush, gather ’round down in New Orleans…”, “Don’t be shy, do it down in New Orleans…”, and ends with the line “Dreams Do Come True Down In New Orleans.” This song will be the perfect start to “The Princess and the Frog” and it mentions New Orleans many times by name it it, plus the uplifting song is all about the city!
UPDATE: Here are the complete lyrics to “Down in New Orleans”:
(Introduction)
“The evening star is shinin’ bright
So make a wish and hold on tight.
There’s magic in the air tonight
And anything can happen.”
(First verse)
“In the southland, there’s a city
Way down on the river
Where the women are very pretty
And all the men deliver.
They’ve got music, it’s always playin’.
Starts in the daytime, goes on through the night.
When you hear that music playin’,
Hear what I’m sayin’, it makes you feel alright.”
(Chorus)
“Grab somebody, come on down.
Bring your paintbrush, paintin’ the town.
There’s some sweetness goin’ ’round,
Catch it down in New Orleans.”
(Second verse)
“They’ve got magic, good and bad
Makes you happy or make you real sad.
Get everything you want or lose what you had
Down here in New Orleans.”
(Chorus)
“Hey partner, don’t be shy.
Come on down, give us a try
You want to do some livin’ before you die?
Do it down in New Orleans.”
(Third verse)
“Shotgun shacks and mansions,
Sugar barons and Mardi Gras kings.
Rich people, poor people, they all got dreams.
And dreams do come true in New Orleans.”
And a big tip of the mouse-eared hat to Disney EchoEar Ally / dumurin for finding this YouTube video of Randy Newman singing the complete song!
Randy said that Disney was here working on the movie, and according to Jon Pareles in today’s New York Times’, “This week, along with Jazzfest, he was recording a song with the New Orleans sage Dr. John for a movie about old New Orleans, ‘The Frog Princess.’”
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