A Bite of Jonathan Richman πͺ
A Bite of Jonathan Richman πͺ
Why I smile whenever I listen to this cult rock star's playful music
Fun facts about artists you know and donβt, readable in 3 minutes or less. By Grace Lilly.
β’ 3 min read β’
Thereβs something about Jonathan
Every time I hear his voice, I smile. Thereβs an unmistakable sincerity and lovability to his songs.
I want to open up my lunch box
And find a peanut butter
and jelly sandwich in there
Just like when I was 6 years old
and someone loved me
His wholesomeness doesnβt stop at his songwriting. On tour, he usually travels by train to reduce his carbon footprint and he reportedly doesnβt play electric guitar on the road for similar reasons. (And according to his ex-bassist Ernie Brooks, one reason he moved away from loud music in the 70s was to preserve fansβ hearing.)
Not only is he considerate, heβs a creative legend.
Before βpunkβ was a codified genre, Jonathan Richman helped pioneer it with his band the Modern Lovers. Then he turned toward a more tender, stripped-down sound that creates plenty of space for his ultra-sincere lyrics to shine.
Richmanβs music can be described as whimsical, personal, sometimes funny, and always earnest. And when he sings, he canβt help but dance.
Jonathan Richman
The basics
π€ American singer, songwriter, and guitarist
π€ b. 1951 (Boston, Massachusetts)
π€ Founder of the Modern Lovers, considered by some to be the godfather of punk
Why you should know him: His open-hearted songs will remind you to notice the beauty in everyday life; his early work was a major influence on punk rock
If you like
β¨ Weezer
β¨ Vampire Weekend
β¨ Pixies
β¨ Mac Demarco
β¨ Violent Femmes
Known for
π Founding & fronting influential proto-punk garage rock band the Modern Lovers as a teen heavily under the influence of the Velvet Underground
π Pivoting to a warmer, mellower musical style in the mid-70s
π Unabashed sincerity, vulnerability, positivity, lightheartedness, directness, humor, whimsy, and bittersweet wisdom
π Joyous, highly improvisatory live shows in which he never attempts to recreate his studio sound
π Appearing in 1998 comedy Thereβs Something About Mary with his drummer Tommy Larkins, serving as a two-man Greek chorus
Bite-sized facts
πͺ Tried to break in as a musician in NYC in the late 60s, initially failed, returned home to Boston and founded The Modern Lovers in 1970
πͺ After the original Modern Lovers lineup broke up in β74, moved to California to record as a solo singer/songwriter
πͺ Much of his late-70s work sounds like it was written for children; sings about leprechauns, Martians, roller coasters, and monsters
πͺ Performed mostly as a solo act from β88-β92; had a passionate cult following but became better known in the 90s
πͺ Still recording and touring; has a stone masonry business on the side (if youβre in the market for a bread ovenβ¦); meditates, reads poetry, speaks 4 languages, doesnβt use computers or own a cell phone
We love Jonathan
π David Bowie, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, John Cale, and the Sex Pistols have performed covers of Richmanβs music
π Black Francis, the Pixiesβ lead singer, recorded a tribute to him on one of his solo albums
π Bob Dylan played one of his songs on Theme Time Radio Hour
Songs & dates
β« 1972 The Modern Lovers record a series of demos with producer John Cale (founding member of the Velvet Underground), 6 of which were on their debut album The Modern Lovers released in 1976
β« 1977 βRoadrunnerβ reaches No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart; now considered a rock standard and proto-punk anthem; in 2021 Rolling Stone ranks βRoadrunnerβ #77 on its list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
β« 1977 βEgyptian Reggaeβ becomes a UK No. 5 hit, a version of Jamaican musician Earl Zero's reggae song βNone Shall Escape the Judgmentβ
β« 1989 Releases the spoken-word βI Eat With Gusto, Damn! You Betβ off his 1st solo album Jonathan Richman, provided percussion with his feet
β« 1992 Releases his 4th solo album, I, Jonathan; widely-regarded as one of his best works, considered an influential album in the lo-fi genre
He said
β βWhen I sing, I dance.β
β βWhen I was a teenager, I thought I would be a painter, and then sound overtook me. I made up songs because I had to. I had the need to express how I felt.β
β βDon't forget, I know what it's like to be real sad. A lot of my happiest songs, have their roots in deep sorrow. In fact, I don't trust happy music, myself, unless I can hear at least a hint of sorrow.β
My Jonathan Richman Playlist
I gathered my fav Jonathan songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week π
Where to start
With The Modern Lovers
Performing on TopPop (September 16, 1978)
γ°οΈ
An important Late Night moment
This 1993 appearance helped increase Richmanβs cultural profile; performs βI Was Dancing In The Lesbian Barβ and βJust Because I'm Irish.β
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
Wax! Crackle! Pop! Show #15: Jonathan Richman Celebrates Velvet Underground on Lou Reedβs Birthday
Enjoy 2 hours of music, stories & observations (Aug. 2017). Listen here.
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I had just graduated high school
Iβd been saving up for years for βsomething big.β Seeing Bob Dylan front row was it.
Even though I was still a teenager, I was feeling very grown up. Becoming a legal adult was terrifying and exhilarating at once. I jumped into this new life head-first.
The concert came just two weeks after Iβd gotten my first tattoo on myβ¦
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