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Written by: Newman
Produced by: Lenny Waronker
Released: June '72 on Reprise
Charts: Did not chart

Everybody from Ray Charles to Etta James has covered this piano ballad -- even though it's a portrait of America from the perspective of a slave trader. As usual for Newman, it combines lush melody with painfully funny satire. "One thing with my music," Newman admitted, "you can't sit and eat potato chips and have it on in the background at a party."

Appears on: Sail Away (Rhino)

Next: Tighten Up

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