"Born Again" is the sixth studio album by American musician Randy Newman, released in August 1979. Despite receiving mostly positive reviews, the album had modest sales, which was surprising to Newman. He described Born Again as the strangest album he had ever made. The album cover features Newman in a business office setting, wearing face makeup reminiscent of Kiss and with dollar signs painted over his eyes, serving as a parody of the commercialization of rock music. This visual commentary reflects the album's thematic exploration of commercialism and the music industry.
Randy Newman expected Born Again to be a hit, but the album sold poorly and received less favorable reviews compared to its predecessor. Before its release, Newman described Born Again as "a larger insult" than his 1977 hit single "Short People." However, after the album's lackluster reception, he reflected that "the mistake I made was that to do this, people have to know who you are in the first place." Newman acknowledged that the album, filled with idiosyncratic and peculiar songs, might have fared differently if it had followed a hit. Despite this, he maintained that he had always written in his distinctive style.
Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone criticized the album for its "snide" and "nihilistic" tone. The Globe and Mail remarked that Newman’s songwriting had become more direct and less layered, noting a shift from the nuanced meanings of his earlier work. Meanwhile, The New York Times observed that while there was a tinge of anger in Newman's songs, it did not render them as cheap shots, maintaining a certain depth despite the album’s critical reception.
Ironically, Jeff Lynne, who was criticized in one of the album's tracks, would later become a producer for Newman's 1988 album, Land of Dreams.
