Randy Newman appeared on The Late Show from his home on Wednesday night, performing his latest tune, “Stay Away”, for host Stephen Colbert and the many people watching around the country.
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Newman initially released “Stay Away” at the beginning of April, promoting some best practices for navigating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“People are saying it’s the greatest song ever written or that they’ve heard,” said the 76-year-old Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer at the beginning of the segment. “A lot of people are saying it. I’m not—it’s they who are saying it,” he continued before launching into the tune.
Sitting alone at the piano, Newman began the topical and humorous song. Lines like “Stay away from me/baby, keep your distance, please/stay away from me/words of love in times like these,” highlight the importance of social distancing, while lyrics like “We’ll drive that car/so fast and so far/all your stupid friends will be far away” add a bit of levity to the serious situation the world faces.
Newman then closed with an important message: “Stay away, wash your hands, don’t touch your face. Don’t touch mine, either.” Watch his performance on Wednesday’s episode of Colbert below.
Randy Newman – “Stay Away”
[Video: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]
Randy Newman currently has two shows on his summer schedule in mid-August. Due to the uncertain trajectory of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, however, it is still unclear whether or not those performances will take place as scheduled. Visit his website for the latest information and check out Live For Live Music‘s concert cancellation tracker for daily updates on shows around the world.