Vladimir Putin is Barack Obama’s nemesis, Donald Trump’s idol, and the subject of Randy Newman’s new song. “Putin” is a song that’s slated to appear on Newman’s upcoming album, his first since 2008’s Harps and Angels.
Since this is a Newman song, “Putin” sidesteps the political strife to paint the Russian president as some sort of Pixar villain. That’s probably because the song doesn’t refer to his aggressions in Syria; Newman told the Washington Post that the song was inspired by the photos of Putin shirtlessly riding a horse.
“A person with that much extraordinary amount of power, doing things like that is disturbing but also kind of amusing,” he said in the interview.
Listen to “Putin,” partially inspired by the 1943 Willie Johnson patriotic tune “Stalin Wasn’t Stalin,” below. Newman’s new joint is expected to drop early next year.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gi5NLFMYukg
