"Little Criminals" is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman, released in 1977. The album continues Newman's tradition of eschewing conventional pop-music themes, focusing instead on storytelling with a cast of quirky characters and cynical perspectives. The track "Short People" became a hit single and remains one of Newman's most recognizable songs. The album itself achieved significant commercial success, peaking at number 9 on the US Billboard 200, making it Newman's highest-charting album at that time.
The album features instrumental work and backing vocals from members of the Eagles. Glenn Frey played guitar on two tracks, Joe Walsh contributed guitar to three tracks, and Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit provided background vocals on individual tracks. Frey and J.D. Souther also provided background vocals on several tracks.
Randy Newman wrote, conducted, and played keyboards on all the tracks, with synthesizer programming by Michael Boddicker. In a 1977 interview with NME, Newman wryly described the album's content, including its satirical take on various subjects such as police, child murderers, and his own persona as a cowboy.
The song "Baltimore" has been covered by artists including Nina Simone, Nils Lofgren, and David Gray, while "In Germany Before the War" was covered by Diesel Park West and Marianne Faithfull. "I'll Be Home," originally written by Newman and recorded by Harry Nilsson and Tim Hardin, also appears on the album.
The cover artwork for Little Criminals features a photographic portrait of Randy Newman by Bob Seidemann. The image shows Newman standing on the West 7th Street overpass above the I-110 freeway in the Financial District of Los Angeles.
