Sail Away LP

Sail Away dresses up irony in full orchestral pop, Randy Newman's dry wit sneaking past listeners expecting a different kind of singer-songwriter record entirely. "Burn On" turns an actual 1969 fire on the Cuyahoga River into deadpan commentary, while "You Can Leave Your Hat On" was later popularized by Joe Cocker's cover. Rolling Stone includes it in its 500 Greatest Albums list, and Brian Wilson has said it hit him hard.