The satire in this 1977 hit song was lost on a vertically challenged 10 year-old kid; 5 years later, Michael J. Fox would provide the representation short dudes the world over were clamoring for
Thanks, Steve....pretty dang impressive! As a former 4th and 5th grade teacher, I had to (and was eager to) deal with all the psychological wounds this or that kid may have been suffering (however real or imagined). "Height disadvantage" came up on occasion, as did chubbiness, nerdiness, and niceness, all of which were targets for the low-self-esteem crowd who peddled in the bully trade.
Mine, at least around junior high, was a width disadvantage....but, while height is what it is, I coulda lost weight, and eventually did in high school, largely to my becoming a rock band's lead singer! No one wants a fat lead singer, despite what Bachman-Turner Overweight would tell you!
This line, though, is so rich, deep, and I'm in awe, 'cause I wish like everything I had thought of it: "Even the bullies knew that you didn’t want to get on the wrong side of the girls." So much psych drama and adolescent angst to delve into with that observation! You touched on it, briefly, though, with your sudden middle school realization of the fear of, now, even talking to the same girls you were palsy-walsy with just a few months ago! And, the old "uncontrollable erection"---At 68, how I long, again, for THOSE days!!! Hell, I'd kill for "controllable"!! You're still over a dozen years away from THAT....uh, "height discrepancy," Boobie!
As for Randy Newman (who's scored his own list of films in his career), did you know he's had a family filled with successful film-music composers/scorers? He had three uncles who were Hollywood film-score composers: Alfred Newman, Lionel Newman, and Emil Newman.
I have, and still admire, your unflinching ability to talk about yourself....despite....even WITH the open wounds, however far they may be in the rear-view mirror! I will use you (I often do, anyway!) as an inspiration when I write my rock band story this summer (for paid subbies, only, which I'm proud you are!), as there are a couple of self-doubt issues for me at play during that time-frame!
As for other "short people" songs, about 5 years before Newman's song, another Warner Bros. artist (Newman was on WB proper, while this artist was on Capricorn, distributed by WB), Martin Mull, wrote his paean to the less tall (around 1972). "Margie the Midget"....Marty (79 like Randy), always a comedic actor (I'd be willing to bet he guested on "Family Ties" at least once!), and comic songwriter/singer, has far less of a "parody excuse" to fall back on for this one:
One of my favorite (only because of the brilliant, outlandish word picture he paints) lines has always been: "Walking hand in ankle, her arm around my sock." (It's this song that prompted my receipt of a pair of Warner Bros./Martin Mull promo socks 5 decades ago, with his mug on 'em!) Here are its lyrics: https://genius.com/Martin-mull-margie-the-midget-lyrics
So, if a "short people" playlist is in the offing (maybe not a bad idea.....you could add a link to this article), don't leave out Marty!
Thanks again, Steve! Fabulous and entertaining, as we've come to expect!
That's a great idea to make a "short" playlist. I should jokingly just have 2 songs on it. No that would be short changing my dedicated followers. I will definitely check out the Martin Mull song. I did really enjoy the Martin Mull piece you wrote a few weeks ago. Well, it wasn't just about him of course, just as most of your pieces, like mine, are about a lot of topics all at once. (Hey - so we do have a lot in common!)
It does take a lot more time and energy to write these more personal pieces (I was up until 3am on this one; started at 8pm), but they are the ones that feel the most satisfying. It's all about the discovery process. Thanks for your awesome feedback!
"These more personal pieces" are what makes you you.....and, what makes your writing so interesting and entertaining....with your sense of humor and musical acumen, of course! I vote for more late nights!!😁👏
Also, we watched Still as well - so good. Toward the end I appreciated his comments about Tracy as the one not only managing his care, but also the whole family. He said, “I feel it and live it, but she has to make it work.”
Yeah. I’m glad we got to see that little scene with his son when they were outdoors. You could feel the love coming from everyone.
I had so much more to say about height prejudice but it was already too long. I produced a radio show on the topic for KQED’s “Forum” show in San Francisco back in 1996. If I can find a copy of it I’ll post it on my Substack.
I work in the nonprofit sector, specifically in advocacy and centering lived experience when creating policies that impact people who lack access to decision makers, so I have LOTS of thoughts on unrecognized prejudice (also called unconscious bias).
The fact that you saw a representation of yourself in Alex P. Keaton absolutely had an impact on you, even if you didn’t recognize the fullness of it until adulthood.
I’ve been encouraged that at both a state and federal level, lawmakers are changing policies in how foster care works, based on advocacy work organizations are doing, for example.
But on the other hand, some of our states are taking a huge step backwards for youth who are having representations of themselves banned from books and classroom curriculum -- Black kids, gay kids, trans kids, etc.
You are right on about the need for empathy. The problem is, you need to be exposed to the need for empathy, then you have to be open to accepting other people’s lives experience who might be different from your own. There are organizations like Braver Angels whose work is to create spaces for disparate groups of people to have a conversation that humanizes opposing points of view.
Okay for real I could go on an on - you hit on one of my passions! 😂
As soon as I saw “short people” I knew exactly what the song was!
Really appreciate this post though - so well done. I aspire to have the time to incorporate research the way you’ve done here. 👏👏👏
Wow Jen. Your comment really means a lot. I am in a weekly Buddhist sangha group and we talk about unconscious bias and negativity bias quite often. It has really opened my mind and heart.
I’ll have to look into Braver Angels. One thing I highly advocate for is traveling to other countries. Not as a tourist but to get to know the people. People who live differently and speak different languages. I was lucky to get to spend time in Cuba and Brazil and Mexico with a percussion group I was part of for many years. We learned rhythms from musicians in these countries and ate their food and met their families. And before that I was part of a Taiko drum ensemble and took a 10 day workshop in Japan as part of that. After the workshop me and a friend went to Kyoto for several days and stayed at a monastery. The Japanese loved me - especially the women!🤩 I think being short and with dark hair made me fit right in.
Here in the US people are so closed off in their own familiar communities. Yeah, I could go on and on about this stuff as well!🤓
Courageous piece, Steve. As a short kid (who was also Asian, nerdy and woefully non-athletic) I get it. And I had the same ambivalence to "Short People" (yes, of course I remember it). Most people don't "get" satire--just think of the joy all the racist trogs felt when All in the Family showed up--they finally had someone on TV who spoke for them! Thank you for posting!
Thanks for the comment, Charles. When I traveled in Japan I felt at home, size-wise, and I think I probably was even treated a bit nicer than my taller, blonder travel counterparts.
Ha ha! I once made a trip to japan with my Finnish girlfriend, the one with the silver blonde hair. Mobs of children followed us around with cameras, and I'm pretty sure I was not the draw. She was actually tiny, but the hair really freaked them out....
Great article! When that song came out, I didn't think much of it, other than a song that maybe was trying to be funny, but I didn't see the meaning behind it until reading your article. I remember too "Family Ties", and what an incredible actor Michael J. Fox was then, really carrying the show. I still remember the "special" episode where he was interviewed by someone, not sure if it was a psychologist, about the suicide of a friend(?), and the range he had even as a dramatic actor. Incredible athletes like Muggsy Bogues in the NBA that you mentioned, I also remember Spud Webb, shattered people's perceptions of what 'undersized' athletes can do. The stats about salaries and height are really eye-opening, and definitely no "tall" tale. ;)
Thanks, Steve....pretty dang impressive! As a former 4th and 5th grade teacher, I had to (and was eager to) deal with all the psychological wounds this or that kid may have been suffering (however real or imagined). "Height disadvantage" came up on occasion, as did chubbiness, nerdiness, and niceness, all of which were targets for the low-self-esteem crowd who peddled in the bully trade.
Mine, at least around junior high, was a width disadvantage....but, while height is what it is, I coulda lost weight, and eventually did in high school, largely to my becoming a rock band's lead singer! No one wants a fat lead singer, despite what Bachman-Turner Overweight would tell you!
This line, though, is so rich, deep, and I'm in awe, 'cause I wish like everything I had thought of it: "Even the bullies knew that you didn’t want to get on the wrong side of the girls." So much psych drama and adolescent angst to delve into with that observation! You touched on it, briefly, though, with your sudden middle school realization of the fear of, now, even talking to the same girls you were palsy-walsy with just a few months ago! And, the old "uncontrollable erection"---At 68, how I long, again, for THOSE days!!! Hell, I'd kill for "controllable"!! You're still over a dozen years away from THAT....uh, "height discrepancy," Boobie!
As for Randy Newman (who's scored his own list of films in his career), did you know he's had a family filled with successful film-music composers/scorers? He had three uncles who were Hollywood film-score composers: Alfred Newman, Lionel Newman, and Emil Newman.
I have, and still admire, your unflinching ability to talk about yourself....despite....even WITH the open wounds, however far they may be in the rear-view mirror! I will use you (I often do, anyway!) as an inspiration when I write my rock band story this summer (for paid subbies, only, which I'm proud you are!), as there are a couple of self-doubt issues for me at play during that time-frame!
As for other "short people" songs, about 5 years before Newman's song, another Warner Bros. artist (Newman was on WB proper, while this artist was on Capricorn, distributed by WB), Martin Mull, wrote his paean to the less tall (around 1972). "Margie the Midget"....Marty (79 like Randy), always a comedic actor (I'd be willing to bet he guested on "Family Ties" at least once!), and comic songwriter/singer, has far less of a "parody excuse" to fall back on for this one:
One of my favorite (only because of the brilliant, outlandish word picture he paints) lines has always been: "Walking hand in ankle, her arm around my sock." (It's this song that prompted my receipt of a pair of Warner Bros./Martin Mull promo socks 5 decades ago, with his mug on 'em!) Here are its lyrics: https://genius.com/Martin-mull-margie-the-midget-lyrics
So, if a "short people" playlist is in the offing (maybe not a bad idea.....you could add a link to this article), don't leave out Marty!
Thanks again, Steve! Fabulous and entertaining, as we've come to expect!
That's a great idea to make a "short" playlist. I should jokingly just have 2 songs on it. No that would be short changing my dedicated followers. I will definitely check out the Martin Mull song. I did really enjoy the Martin Mull piece you wrote a few weeks ago. Well, it wasn't just about him of course, just as most of your pieces, like mine, are about a lot of topics all at once. (Hey - so we do have a lot in common!)
It does take a lot more time and energy to write these more personal pieces (I was up until 3am on this one; started at 8pm), but they are the ones that feel the most satisfying. It's all about the discovery process. Thanks for your awesome feedback!
"These more personal pieces" are what makes you you.....and, what makes your writing so interesting and entertaining....with your sense of humor and musical acumen, of course! I vote for more late nights!!😁👏
Great piece, Steve! Really enjoyed it a lot and found it raised a lot of important issues.
Thanks, Felicia! Guess I can't use this one for writing group!:)
Also, we watched Still as well - so good. Toward the end I appreciated his comments about Tracy as the one not only managing his care, but also the whole family. He said, “I feel it and live it, but she has to make it work.”
Yeah. I’m glad we got to see that little scene with his son when they were outdoors. You could feel the love coming from everyone.
I had so much more to say about height prejudice but it was already too long. I produced a radio show on the topic for KQED’s “Forum” show in San Francisco back in 1996. If I can find a copy of it I’ll post it on my Substack.
I work in the nonprofit sector, specifically in advocacy and centering lived experience when creating policies that impact people who lack access to decision makers, so I have LOTS of thoughts on unrecognized prejudice (also called unconscious bias).
The fact that you saw a representation of yourself in Alex P. Keaton absolutely had an impact on you, even if you didn’t recognize the fullness of it until adulthood.
I’ve been encouraged that at both a state and federal level, lawmakers are changing policies in how foster care works, based on advocacy work organizations are doing, for example.
But on the other hand, some of our states are taking a huge step backwards for youth who are having representations of themselves banned from books and classroom curriculum -- Black kids, gay kids, trans kids, etc.
You are right on about the need for empathy. The problem is, you need to be exposed to the need for empathy, then you have to be open to accepting other people’s lives experience who might be different from your own. There are organizations like Braver Angels whose work is to create spaces for disparate groups of people to have a conversation that humanizes opposing points of view.
Okay for real I could go on an on - you hit on one of my passions! 😂
As soon as I saw “short people” I knew exactly what the song was!
Really appreciate this post though - so well done. I aspire to have the time to incorporate research the way you’ve done here. 👏👏👏
Wow Jen. Your comment really means a lot. I am in a weekly Buddhist sangha group and we talk about unconscious bias and negativity bias quite often. It has really opened my mind and heart.
I’ll have to look into Braver Angels. One thing I highly advocate for is traveling to other countries. Not as a tourist but to get to know the people. People who live differently and speak different languages. I was lucky to get to spend time in Cuba and Brazil and Mexico with a percussion group I was part of for many years. We learned rhythms from musicians in these countries and ate their food and met their families. And before that I was part of a Taiko drum ensemble and took a 10 day workshop in Japan as part of that. After the workshop me and a friend went to Kyoto for several days and stayed at a monastery. The Japanese loved me - especially the women!🤩 I think being short and with dark hair made me fit right in.
Here in the US people are so closed off in their own familiar communities. Yeah, I could go on and on about this stuff as well!🤓
Courageous piece, Steve. As a short kid (who was also Asian, nerdy and woefully non-athletic) I get it. And I had the same ambivalence to "Short People" (yes, of course I remember it). Most people don't "get" satire--just think of the joy all the racist trogs felt when All in the Family showed up--they finally had someone on TV who spoke for them! Thank you for posting!
Thanks for the comment, Charles. When I traveled in Japan I felt at home, size-wise, and I think I probably was even treated a bit nicer than my taller, blonder travel counterparts.
Ha ha! I once made a trip to japan with my Finnish girlfriend, the one with the silver blonde hair. Mobs of children followed us around with cameras, and I'm pretty sure I was not the draw. She was actually tiny, but the hair really freaked them out....
Hey Steve,
Great article! When that song came out, I didn't think much of it, other than a song that maybe was trying to be funny, but I didn't see the meaning behind it until reading your article. I remember too "Family Ties", and what an incredible actor Michael J. Fox was then, really carrying the show. I still remember the "special" episode where he was interviewed by someone, not sure if it was a psychologist, about the suicide of a friend(?), and the range he had even as a dramatic actor. Incredible athletes like Muggsy Bogues in the NBA that you mentioned, I also remember Spud Webb, shattered people's perceptions of what 'undersized' athletes can do. The stats about salaries and height are really eye-opening, and definitely no "tall" tale. ;)
Thanks for reading, Mike! Check out the MJF doc if you get a chance and have APL+!