Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers
Led by Jonathan Richman, the protopunk band The Modern Lovers came out of M… Read Full Bio ↴Led by Jonathan Richman, the protopunk band The Modern Lovers came out of Massachusetts in the early 1970s. Their classic debut album contained heartfelt songs about dating awkwardness, growing up in Massachusetts, and love of life. Many feel their best work is the first album and the outtakes from those sessions. The sound of the band owed a great deal to the influence of The Velvet Underground, but also pointed the way towards much of the punk, New Wave and indie rock of the following decades.
Richman became enamored with the Velvet Underground while he was still in high school, and after graduating in 1969, he moved to New York City where he became personally acquainted with the band. Richman spent a couple of weeks sleeping on Velvets manager Steve Sesnick's sofa before moving into the Hotel Albert, a residence known for its poor conditions. After nine months in New York, Richman moved back to his native Boston and organized a band modeled after the Velvets. Christening themselves "the Modern Lovers," the group included Richman's childhood friend John Felice as guitarist, David Robinson on drums, and Rolfe Anderson on bass. The Modern Lovers played their first date in September 1970, barely a month after Richman's return to Boston.
In early 1971 Anderson and Felice departed; they were replaced by bassist Ernie Brooks, and keyboardist Jerry Harrison, completing the classic lineup of the Modern Lovers. This new configuration became very popular in the Boston area, and by the fall of 1971, enthusiastic word-of-mouth led to the Modern Lovers' first exposure to a major label when Stuart Love of Warner Bros. Records contacted them and organized the band's first multi-track session at Intermedia Studio in Boston. The demo produced from this session generated more attention from the industry, and soon A&M Records was interested in the band as well.
In April 1972, the Modern Lovers traveled to Los Angeles where they held two demo sessions; the first was produced by the Velvet Underground's John Cale for Warner Bros. while the second was produced by Alan Mason for A&M. In June 1972 producer Kim Fowley also courted the band, traveling to Boston to produce some poor-quality demos that were later released in 1981 on an album misleadingly titled The Original Modern Lovers.
Despite their continued success as a live act, the Modern Lovers had a difficult time securing a record deal. Cale produced another session for the band in Los Angeles in September 1973, but nothing usable was recorded. Soon after, Fowley produced yet another session with the band, this time at Gold Star Studios with much better results than he'd had in Boston, but by this time Richman was pushing for a drastic, new direction. Richman wanted to scrap all of the tracks they had recorded and start over with a mellower, more lyrical sound. The rest of the band, while not opposed to such a shift later, insisted that they record as they sounded now. These issues stymied efforts to complete a debut album, and, eventually, led to the band's breakup by the end of 1973.
Richman continued recording on his own, eventually moving to California in 1975 to begin working with Beserkley Records. 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 demo two 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 1977's Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, an album pursuing the lighter, softer direction he had in mind with a completely different band. 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).
Despite the original group's premature break-up, many of its members found considerable success elsewhere: founding member John Felice formed the seminal Real Kids, Jerry Harrison later joined Talking Heads, David Robinson co-founded the Cars, and Ernie Brooks would later work with David Johansen. Richman retained use of the band name "the Modern Lovers," reusing the name for his subsequent groups in the 1970s and 1980s, but these bands were always billed as Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. Richman continues to perform, often solo and preferring acoustic instruments, and currently has no plans to undertake another group like his original band. A tribute album comprised primarily of Modern Lovers songs, If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman, was released by Wampus Multimedia in 2001.
Richman became enamored with the Velvet Underground while he was still in high school, and after graduating in 1969, he moved to New York City where he became personally acquainted with the band. Richman spent a couple of weeks sleeping on Velvets manager Steve Sesnick's sofa before moving into the Hotel Albert, a residence known for its poor conditions. After nine months in New York, Richman moved back to his native Boston and organized a band modeled after the Velvets. Christening themselves "the Modern Lovers," the group included Richman's childhood friend John Felice as guitarist, David Robinson on drums, and Rolfe Anderson on bass. The Modern Lovers played their first date in September 1970, barely a month after Richman's return to Boston.
In early 1971 Anderson and Felice departed; they were replaced by bassist Ernie Brooks, and keyboardist Jerry Harrison, completing the classic lineup of the Modern Lovers. This new configuration became very popular in the Boston area, and by the fall of 1971, enthusiastic word-of-mouth led to the Modern Lovers' first exposure to a major label when Stuart Love of Warner Bros. Records contacted them and organized the band's first multi-track session at Intermedia Studio in Boston. The demo produced from this session generated more attention from the industry, and soon A&M Records was interested in the band as well.
In April 1972, the Modern Lovers traveled to Los Angeles where they held two demo sessions; the first was produced by the Velvet Underground's John Cale for Warner Bros. while the second was produced by Alan Mason for A&M. In June 1972 producer Kim Fowley also courted the band, traveling to Boston to produce some poor-quality demos that were later released in 1981 on an album misleadingly titled The Original Modern Lovers.
Despite their continued success as a live act, the Modern Lovers had a difficult time securing a record deal. Cale produced another session for the band in Los Angeles in September 1973, but nothing usable was recorded. Soon after, Fowley produced yet another session with the band, this time at Gold Star Studios with much better results than he'd had in Boston, but by this time Richman was pushing for a drastic, new direction. Richman wanted to scrap all of the tracks they had recorded and start over with a mellower, more lyrical sound. The rest of the band, while not opposed to such a shift later, insisted that they record as they sounded now. These issues stymied efforts to complete a debut album, and, eventually, led to the band's breakup by the end of 1973.
Richman continued recording on his own, eventually moving to California in 1975 to begin working with Beserkley Records. 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 demo two 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 1977's Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, an album pursuing the lighter, softer direction he had in mind with a completely different band. 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).
Despite the original group's premature break-up, many of its members found considerable success elsewhere: founding member John Felice formed the seminal Real Kids, Jerry Harrison later joined Talking Heads, David Robinson co-founded the Cars, and Ernie Brooks would later work with David Johansen. Richman retained use of the band name "the Modern Lovers," reusing the name for his subsequent groups in the 1970s and 1980s, but these bands were always billed as Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. Richman continues to perform, often solo and preferring acoustic instruments, and currently has no plans to undertake another group like his original band. A tribute album comprised primarily of Modern Lovers songs, If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman, was released by Wampus Multimedia in 2001.
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Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers Lyrics
Abdul & Cleopatra Abdul's not seen Cleopatra It's been almost now a year. How …
Abominable Snowman In The Ma.. Well look, see, there's an abominable snowman in the superma…
Affection People all over the world People all over the world People a…
Afternoon You know, it's afternoon Yeah, yeah And there's the moon So …
Amazing Grace Well, Amazing grace, how sweet the sound Which brings my joy…
Angels Watching Over Me Well all day and all night I so glad angels watch…
Astral Plane Tonight I'm all alone in my room I'll go insane if…
Back In the U.S.A Well take me way up north to meet your Mom…
Buzz Buzz Buzz You see, Buzz buzz buzz goes the honey bee And tweedily…
Chapel Of Love Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get married Goin' to…
Coomyah Coomyah Coomyah Coomyah Coomyah Coomyah yeah yeah Coomyah Co…
Corner Store Well I walked past just yesterday And I couldn't bare that…
Dignified & Old My telephone never rings She'd never call me I hate myself t…
Dodge Veg-O-Matic I'm gonna tell you 'bout the car that I just…
Emaline Evening breezes hum their lullaby There's a million candles…
Fly Into the Mystery Let's make this a slow dance, ladies' choice See now, it's…
Gail Loves Me I want people to love me like I can love I…
Girl Friend If I were to walk to the Museum of Fine…
Give Paris One More Chance Well if you've been to cities but you've had enough Have…
Government Center Well we've got a lot, a lot, a lot of…
Here Come The Martian Martians Here come the Martain Martians And I wouldn't be surprised i…
Hi Dear Hi, dear. I know you still care about me. Even when you…
Hospital When you get out of the hospital Let me back into…
I Hear You Calling Me I hear you calling me You've called me when the moon…
I Love Hot Nights Well I love those hot nights When a t-shirt feels right Yo…
I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar Well I was dancing at a night club one Friday…
I'm A Little Dinosaur Well i'm a little dinosaur Im a little dinosaur Im a l…
I'm Nature's Mosquito Well now, little mosquito, there must be Well some reason fo…
I'm Natures Mosquito Well now, little mosquito, there must be Well some reason f…
I'm Straight I called this number three times already today But I, I…
Ice Cream Man Hi there everybody We're the modern lovers We're gonna sing …
Important in Your Life I'm always gonna have to know I'm important in your…
It's You Well now you're looking you're looking you're looking When …
Lonely Financial Zone In the lonely financial zone By the sea I have walked under…
Lydia My old Lydia, Oh Lydia My old Lydia, Oh Lydia My old…
Modern World Well there's sex in the sunny day That shines down on…
Morning Of Our Lives It hurts me to hear, to see you got no…
My Love Is a Flower Well, my love is a flower just beginning to bloom Like…
Neon Sign What looks like neon light To take your pastels and make…
New England See, I come from Boston. I'm gonna tell you about how…
New Kind of Neighborhood Hey, hey, well, your friends they came from out of…
Not Yet Three Could you sleep at a time like this? Hearing Oldsmobiles tra…
Pablo Picasso Well Some people try to pick up girls And get called asshole…
Party In The Woods Tonight Richman Well, the day it has gone, the night it has…
Respect Me There aren't any ladies present here in this room, are…
Roadrunner One, two, three, four, five, six Roadrunner, roadrunner Goi…
Rockin' Rockin' Leprechauns Hey, what's that out there in the park? Well, I'll tell…
Rockin' Shoppin' Center Well, I landed at a shoppin' center, in an unknown…
Roller Coaster by the Sea You see I went on the roller coaster last night…
She Cracked Well she was sensitive She understood me She understood the …
Somebody to Hold Me Well I've got a new thing goin' now (Jonathan, what's happen…
Someone I Care About Well, I don't want just a girl to fool around…
Stop This Car All right this is a one, a two A one two…
Summer Morning I was walking around on Sunday morning A summer breeze was…
That Summer Feeling That summer feeling That summer feeling That summer feeling …
The Morning Of Our Lives It hurts me to hear, to see you got no…
The Neighbors Jonathan it's late, don't you think that I should go Naw…
The Wheels On The Bus The windows on the bus go up and down Up and…
There's Something About Mary His friends would say stop whining, They've had enough of th…
This Kind of Music Well, they don't need much you know Somebody do a wiggle…
Those Conga Drums That's right oh Well down by the beach you know, every…
Vincent Van Gogh Have you heard about the painter Vincent Van Gogh Who loved…
Walter Johnson Well I'm a gonna tell you if you don't know Bum…
When I Dance Things were slow A little slow And I was at the kind…
When I'm Walking Now when I get off the train and start walking…
You I hear you calling me You've called me when the moon…
You're the One for Me If you didn't want me you shouldn't have been born That…