The Modern Lovers. Jonathan Richman

Why is there no thread about this dude.
Awkward. Shy. Inspirational. Some say one of the pioneers of punk.

https://youtu.be/Gy88-5pc7c8

Richman wrote the song by 1970, when he began performing it in public, aged 19. Former bandmate John Felice recalled that as teenagers he and Richman "used to get in the car and just drive up and down Route 128 and the Turnpike. We'd come up over a hill and he’d see the radio towers, the beacons flashing, and he would get almost teary-eyed. He'd see all this beauty in things where other people just wouldn’t see it."

Richman's band the Modern Lovers first recorded "Roadrunner" with producer John Cale (previously of the Velvet Underground) in 1972. This version was first released as a single and in 1976 on the Modern Lovers' long-delayed but highly acclaimed self-titled debut album (originally Home of the Hits HH019). Being a rock and roll standard, the song is also regarded as a garage band classic[3] and proto-punk anthem.
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Fucking Pablo Picasso was the B side of the 45. Weird. Another classic.

Very Velvet Underground sounding.
But less dark

https://youtu.be/ejmE-F3EJyQ

I taped him in London in ‘88. Great show at the fiddler’s Green. Been a fan ever since.

Very interesting
The original band broke up before they released an album?
Not to mention The cars and Talking Heads connection.
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Break-up and release of first album Edit

Following the failure to complete a debut album, Warner Brothers withdrew their support for The Modern Lovers, and Robinson left the band. They continued to perform live for a few months with new drummer Bob Turner, but Richman was increasingly unwilling to perform his old (although still unreleased) songs such as “Roadrunner”, and after a final disagreement between him and Harrison over musical style the band split up in February 1974.[2]

Despite the original group's premature break-up, many of its members found considerable success elsewhere: founding member John Felice formed The Real Kids, Jerry Harrison later joined Talking Heads, David Robinson co-founded The Cars, and Ernie Brooks would later work with David Johansen, Arthur Russell, Elliott Murphy, and Gary Lucas.

Richman continued recording on his own, eventually moving to California in 1975 to begin working with Beserkley Records whose boss Matthew King Kaufman had met Richman when he worked with A&M. While Richman never returned to the Velvets-inspired sound of the original Modern Lovers, the demo recordings made with that group eventually surfaced in various formats. The first of these releases came in 1976 when Beserkley compiled a posthumous LP from the first two demo sessions produced by Cale and Mason; issued on Beserkley's Home of the Hits subsidiary, the album was simply titled The Modern Lovers and included celebrated tracks such as "Roadrunner", "She Cracked", and "Pablo Picasso".

Richman did not recognize this compilation as his "first album," preferring to recognize his debut as 1976's Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers, an album pursuing the lighter, softer direction he had in mind with a completely different band (the two collections were released within months of each other). However, The Modern Lovers was given an enthusiastic critical reception, with critic Ira Robbins hailing it as "one of the truly great art rock albums of all time", and it influenced numerous aspiring punk rock musicians on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Sex Pistols (who covered "Roadrunner" on The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle).

Always been on my playlists. Interesting guy and local institution.

I might be prejudiced. But I like New England best.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by iceman

I might be prejudiced. But I like New England best.

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Have you been to London? Have you been to Rome?

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Originally Posted by Core Shot

Have you been to London? Have you been to Rome?

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I've been to Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota
Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota
Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma
Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma
Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo
Tocopilla, Barranquilla, and Padilla, I'm a killer
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the desert's bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel I've a'had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to Boston, Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana
Washington, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana
Monterey, Faraday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa
Glen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, Oskaloosa
Tennessee to Hennessey, Chicopee, Spirit Lake
Grand Lake, Devil's Lake, Crater Lake, for Pete's sake
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the desert's bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel I've a'had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika
Schefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica
Pittsfield, Springfield, Bakersfield, Shreveport
Hackensack, Cadillac, Fond du Lac, Davenport
Idaho, Jellico, Argentina, Diamantina
Pasadena, Catalina, see what I mean'a
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the desert's bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel I've a'had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravelbourg, Colorado
Ellensburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, El Dorado
Larimore, Admore, Haverstraw, Chatanika
Chaska, Nebraska, Alaska, Opelaka
Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City
Sioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City, what a pity

^^^^whats that song?

Iceman was thinking of this ditty

https://youtu.be/1cFUxcHM8nA

I sing it often. Whenever forced to ski the frozen shit they claim to be snow. Ooohhh New England

I've seen Israel's arid plains. They're magnificent. But so's Maine.

Johnny Cash, "I've Been Everywhere."

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Originally Posted by Core Shot

^^^^whats that song?

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seriously?

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

Johnny Cash, "I've Been Everywhere."

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by iceman

seriously?

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Duh. I missed it. But yes. Know it.
Huge fan of the man in the long black coat.

I’ve been a punk new age 70s and 80s mindset lately.

But speaking of that song. How in the holy fuck could cash sing that live back in the day before teleprompters.

I was thinking along the same lines looking at the lyrics. Man that's a lot of words to remember.

In his prime he probably sang that song around 250 times a year.

I guess someone did call Pablo Picasso an asshole

Not like you

https://news.trust.org/item/20210604131756-1fl24

“I’m straight and I want to take his place.”

Odd line these days since the interpretation arguably is that hippy Jonny is gay.


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Kinda kicking myself for missing him when he swung through Reno back in 2019...he played this rad, small venue The Holland Project.

And had no idea that he was 70!

https://rockandrollglobe.com/folk/jo...renders-to-70/

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Originally Posted by mtnwriter

“I’m straight and I want to take his place.”

Odd line these days since the interpretation arguably is that hippy Jonny is gay.

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Um, what? In context, JR is singing that he’s not stoned. And I’d be interested to hear your interpretation argument that Hippy Johnny is gay in that song. But my counter argument will probably be “That’s bullshit!”

Quote:

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Why always stoned,
Like Hippie Johnny is?
I'm straight, and I want to take his place.
I'm certianley not stoned,
Like Hippie Johnny is.
I'm Straight, and I want to take his place.
I'm Straight.
I said I'm Straight.
I'm...
I'm Straight, and I want to...
(Alright, all you Modern Lovers, What is it?)

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http://www.songlyrics.com/jonathan-r...raight-lyrics/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcjK1dKa15E

We forced our DJ to play “I’m a little airplane” at my wedding reception in 1993. The DJ reluctantly put it on (from a tape we provided), and we quickly had a huge conga-line flying around the hall, wings outstretched. It was glorious. The DJ said he’d never seen such a fun reaction to a song he’d never heard of.

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

I've been to Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota
Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota
Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma
Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma
Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo
Tocopilla, Barranquilla, and Padilla, I'm a killer
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the desert's bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel I've a'had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to Boston, Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana
Washington, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana
Monterey, Faraday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa
Glen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, Oskaloosa
Tennessee to Hennessey, Chicopee, Spirit Lake
Grand Lake, Devil's Lake, Crater Lake, for Pete's sake
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the desert's bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel I've a'had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika
Schefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica
Pittsfield, Springfield, Bakersfield, Shreveport
Hackensack, Cadillac, Fond du Lac, Davenport
Idaho, Jellico, Argentina, Diamantina
Pasadena, Catalina, see what I mean'a
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the desert's bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel I've a'had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravelbourg, Colorado
Ellensburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, El Dorado
Larimore, Admore, Haverstraw, Chatanika
Chaska, Nebraska, Alaska, Opelaka
Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City
Sioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City, what a pity

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Well played

And don't forget this classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41vfuw-qNvA

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Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper

Um, what? In context, JR is singing that he’s not stoned. And I’d be interested to hear your interpretation argument that Hippy Johnny is gay in that song. But my counter argument will probably be “That’s bullshit!”


http://www.songlyrics.com/jonathan-r...raight-lyrics/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcjK1dKa15E

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That’s bullshit!

Beat you to it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, the straight part is about him not being on drugs vs. hippy Jonny always being stoned.

The joke/observation on my side is when I hear that song my immediate connotation these days is straight as opposed to gay. Straight to me would equal clean or sober these days with reference to drugs or alcohol.

I have modern lovers play on a Spotify channel all the time so must hear this song and hospital at least once a week.


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^ :wink:

On a related note, Spotify recently sent me an email about how ‘unique’ my listening habits are. Lots of weird stuff, but they wrote something like “playing ‘Roadrunner’ by The Modern Lovers in the morning is the pretty much the most you thing ever.” :confused:

Dude everyone knows Roadrunner is an afternoon song.

^ agree to disagree. First thing in the morning, or driving, on the highway late at night.

Roadrunner, roadrunner,
Okay, now you sing modern lovers.

ha I was just messing around. Highway late at night past the Stop and Shop if I had to narrow it down I guess.

128 when its dark outside. …

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Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper

128 when its dark outside. …

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Well played

Love JR. He played at killby court in SLC in ~2012ish? Small venue (like, really small) and there is this fire pit in the courtyard, my then GF and I were sitting there chatting and he just came and sat down next to us and we had a nice conversation. Played an awesome solo show, so happy I got to see him live!