Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Richman (born May 16, 1951 in Natick near Boston ) is an American musician who became known as a singer-songwriter in the 1970s and is now regarded as a pioneer of punk and anti-folk . He was the founder and front man of the influential rock band The Modern Lovers , which existed from 1970 to 1988.
biography
Richman began writing his own songs as a teenager and, after performing for the first time in his hometown of Boston, moved to New York in 1969 , where he got caught up in The Velvet Underground . Nobody wanted to listen to his own compositions there, so he returned to Boston in 1970 and founded Modern Lovers. The other members of this formation were keyboardist Jerry Harrison, who would later become a member of the Talking Heads , bassist Ernie Brooks and drummer David Robinson, who became successful with the Cars in the 1980s . However, the members of the band changed frequently, Richman was the only constant as a singer and songwriter. It wasn't until 1976 that the Modern Lovers released their first album, simply titled The Modern Lovers , which had been recorded in 1971/72. In December 1977 they had their greatest hit with the instrumental piece Egyptian Reggae ; it reached number 5 in the British charts. As early as 1976 it turned out that Richman only needed his band for musical accompaniment, and so the next albums appeared under the name Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers. In 1988 Richman dissolved the Modern Lovers, from 1989 he only appeared as a soloist.
Richman's early work captivates with an almost childlike naivete . In Ice Cream Man he sings about how he longs for the arrival of the ice cream seller, in Abominable Snowman in the Market he expresses his sympathy for a yeti who got lost in a supermarket, and in Buzz, Buzz, Buzz he sings about “ the birds and the bees ”(German roughly:“ the bees and the flowers ”). Richman's indistinct, nasal, often clumsy vocals also add to the charm of these pieces.
After 1979 he took a creative break. In 1983 he released the album Jonathan Sings !, the cover of which shows him with a naked torso on a live stage, wearing only jeans and slung guitar. In the 1980s and 1990s, he experimented with country music and traditional Spanish folk songs, among other things . Although it was not particularly successful commercially, it was followed by a steadily growing cult community. It was thanks to the talk show host Conan O'Brien that Richman became known to a wider public again in the 1990s: He made him appear a few times on his show Late Night with Conan O'Brien .
In 1998 Richman composed the music for the cinema comedy Crazy About Mary , in which he also appeared: Together with his future drummer Tommy Larkins, he commented on the plot of the film in various overlay like the chorus of Greek tragedy .
reception
The Modern Lovers, the debut album by Richman's band, ranks 381 in the list of the 500 best albums of all time by the music magazine Rolling Stone and is one of the 1001 albums You Must Hear Before You Die . The song Pablo Picasso from this album was covered by David Bowie , John Cale and the Simple Minds , among others .
The Modern Lovers' second album, The Original Modern Lovers (recorded in 1973, released in 1981), was listed by The Wire magazine on its 100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening) list.
Richman's song Egyptian Reggae is part of the soundtrack of the German comedy Lammbock (2001) and the French drama The Father of My Children (2009).
Discography
The Modern Lovers
- The Modern Lovers (1976) ( Beserkley )
- The Original Modern Lovers (1981) ( Bomp )
- Live at the Longbranch Saloon (1992)
- Precise Modern Lovers Order (1994)
- Live at the Longbranch and More (1998)
- 96 Tears (Recorded at Harvard University, 1971) (2010)
Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers
- Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers (1976) (Beserkley)
- Rock 'n' Roll with The Modern Lovers (1977) (Beserkley)
- Modern Lovers 'Live' (1977) (Beserkley)
-
Egyptian Reggae (Single - 1977) (Beserkley, UK:
silver) - Back in Your Life (1979) (Beserkley)
- Jonathan Sings! (1983) ( Sire )
- Rockin 'and Romance (1985) ( Rough Trade )
- It's Time For (1986) (Rough Trade)
- Modern Lovers 88 (1988) ( Rounder / Zensor )
Jonathan Richman
- Jonathan Richman (1989) (rounder / censor)
- Jonathan Goes Country (1990) (Rounder / Censor)
- Having a Party with Jonathan Richman (1991) (Rounder / Censor)
- I, Jonathan (1992) (Rounder / Censor)
- ¡Jonathan, te vas a emocionar! (1994) (Rounder / Censor)
- You Must Ask the Heart (1995) (Rounder / Zensor)
- Surrender to Jonathan (1996) ( Warner Bros. / Vapor )
- I'm So Confused (1998) (Warner Bros./Vapor)
- Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow (2001) (Warner Bros./Vapor)
- Not So Much to Be Loved As to Love (2004)
- Because Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild (2008)
- ¿A qué venimos sino a caer? (2008)
- O Moon, Queen of Night on Earth (2010)
- Ish code! Ish code! (2016)
Filmography
- 1996: Kingpin , USA, directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly
- 1998: Crazy About Mary , USA, directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly
literature
- Tim Mitchell: There's Something About Jonathan. Peter Owen Publishers, London 1999, ISBN 0-7206-1076-1 .
Web links
- Jonathan Richman at Discogs (English)
- Jonathan Richman at Allmusic (English)
- Jonathan Richman in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Simes' Jonathan Richman Pages - extensive fansite with discography
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Richman, Jonathan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer and songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 16, 1951 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Natick near Boston |