I saw that Randy Newman turned 80 years old earlier this week. I’m still amazed at the level of productivity he’s sustained in his songwriting and arranging work into these late years. His last two albums, Harps and Angels (2008) and Dark Matter (2017), hold up against Sail Away (1972) and Little Criminals (1977), in my book.

Check out the absolutely crushing ballad “Wandering Boy,” off Dark Matter, if you have time to shed a tear.