Johnston spent extended periods in psychiatric institutions and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He gathered a local following in the 1980s by passing out tapes of his music while working at a McDonald's in Austin, Texas. His cult status was propelled when Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was seen wearing a T-shirt that featured artwork from Johnston's 1983 album Hi, How Are You. In 2005, Johnston was the subject of the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
His songs were typically painfully direct, and often display a disturbing blend of childlike naïvete with darker, "spooky" themes. Johnston's singing voice is rather high-pitched, and his performances often seem faltering or uncertain; pitchfork writes that Johnston's recordings range from "spotty to brilliant". He also draws and paints; he is a cult comic book artist and his illustrations have been featured with most of his albums.
Johnston was born in Sacramento, California and grew up in West Virginia, United States, but then moved to Waller, Texas. Johnston suffers from manic depression, and has had varying luck with different treatments. He has been institutionalized for periods.
In the late 1970s, Johnston began recording his songs on a $59 Sony Boombox, singing and playing either guitar, piano or harmonica. He gave tapes of his music to anyone who would take them. Johnston created the comic book inspired art that usually accompanied his own recordings. His debut recording Songs of Pain was released in 1981.
His early songs established a number of themes that would persist through Johnston's career: Unrequited love, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and comic book superheroes, especially Captain America and Jack Kirby's other works. "Joe"—a partly autobiographical character—has been featured in a number of songs. Johnston has cited The Beatles as a prime influence.
A sizable proportion of Johnston's songs throughout the years have dealt with his unrequited love for "Laurie," a girl he became friends with in college, who was the first to encourage him to record his music. The Laurie character quickly assumed the role of the idealized female muse. The real life Laurie Allen married an undertaker, prompting Johnston to write lyrics in which the Laurie figure becomes strongly associated with the imagery of death in addition to her original role as a muse. For example, the song Funeral Home in which Johnston sings that he's "going to a funeral home" represents both the foreknowledge of death and Johnston's desire to be reunited with Laurie, who at the time worked at a funeral home. Laurie Allen has since divorced and filmmaker Jeff Feuerzeig arranged a meeting between Allen and Johnston.
Johnston gained a cult following in Austin, Texas. Some regarded Johnston as little more than a quaint curiosity, but others recognized a genuine talent: Johnston has a knack for creating great, catchy melodies, while his lyrics are evocative and often use clever wordplay. His songs have been covered by a number of admirers.
A 1985 MTV special on Austin brought Johnston wider attention, and a number of record stores outside Texas began selling his cassettes.
His music has been acclaimed by David Bowie, Sonic Youth, and Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana fame praised Johnston's work, and often wore a t-shirt with a Johnston illustration and a caption reading, "Hi How Are You?"
1994 saw the release of Fun on Atlantic Records. The record was produced by Paul Leary of Butthole Surfers, a group who had long supported Johnston, even inviting him to open a number of concerts for them.
In 1993, Johnston painted a mural of the "Hi, How Are You?" frog, also known as Jeremiah after the Three Dog Night song, on the side of the Austin Sound Exchange music store. The site was converted into a Baja Fresh franchise in 2004. Although initial plans called for the mural to be torn down, public outcry caused restaurant owner John Oudt to let the mural stay, at a price of $50,000 in additional costs and lost revenue.
Fun was Johnston's only major-label release, but he has continued writing and recording songs, as well as drawing pictures.
In September 2004, a 2-disc release compilation entitled The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered. Disc one featured covers of Johnston's songs by such prominent artists as Eels, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Tom Waits, The Flaming Lips, Bright Eyes, and TV on the Radio, among others. Disc 2 featured Johnston's original tracks.
The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005) is a documentary by Jeff Feuerzeig about Johnston's life and music, and won the Director's Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
In August 2005, it was reported that Johnston had been experiencing mood swings requiring medical attention. This led to cancellation of his touring schedule. On November 25th, 2005, Johnston was hospitalized for what appeared to be Lithium poisioning (Johnston takes lithium to control his manic depression). His father had found him in an incoherent state and unable to walk. Johnston is recovering and is thought to be out of any immediate danger.
On December 8th, 2005, it was reported that his condition remained "very serious", but on December 23rd, Johnston was released from the hospital. Johnston's family had been told that "Daniel would require long-term medical care and permanent dialysis for kidney failure," however his health dramatically and unexpectedly improved. Johnston died on September 10, 2019.
CRAZY LOVE
Daniel Johnston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't get enough of her love, crazy love
She walks on down the street
Shufflin' with her feet
She walks in to the store
Boy I love that crazy girl
She brightens up my day
I don't care what ehy say
I love that girl
I love her tender touch
And everything about her means so much
She's always on my mind
She's so nice and kind
I love that girl so long
I feel just like King Kong
Someday I'll find that girl
I love that girl, I love that girl so much
I can't get enough of her crazy love
The lyrics of "Crazy Love" by Daniel Johnston are a tribute to a girl that he loves so much. The song is a simple expression of his feelings and admiration for her. The repeated use of the phrase "crazy love" suggests that the love he feels for her is intense and perhaps a little overwhelming.
The song's lyrics also paint a picture of the girl he loves, from the way she walks down the street shuffling her feet to the tenderness of her touch. Johnston's infatuation with her is all-consuming, with the girl always on his mind. Despite what others may say or think about her, Johnston's love for her is unwavering.
Overall, "Crazy Love" is a charming and heartfelt song about the purity and intensity of love, as seen through the eyes of someone who is completely enamored with a particular person.
Line by Line Meaning
I love that girl so much
My feelings for that girl are extremely intense and profound
I can't get enough of her love, crazy love
Her love is so addictive and captivating, I can never get enough of it
She walks on down the street
She moves along the street with her feet
Shufflin' with her feet
Her style of walking is casual and unstructured, as though she's lost in thought
She walks in to the store
She enters the store, perhaps to do some shopping
Boy I love that crazy girl
I am head over heels in love with that unconventional and unpredictable girl
She brightens up my day
She has a positive effect on my mood and makes me feel happy
And everything about her is okay
I accept everything about her, even her flaws and imperfections
I don't care what they say
I am not concerned about the opinions of others regarding my relationship with her
I love her tender touch
Her touch is gentle and affectionate, and I adore it
And everything about her means so much
Every aspect of her personality and appearance is significant and important to me
She's always on my mind
I can't stop thinking about her, no matter what I'm doing
She's so nice and kind
She is a truly good-hearted person, and I appreciate that about her
I love that girl so long
I have loved her for a very long time
I feel just like King Kong
My love for her makes me feel like I'm invincible, like the legendary giant ape
Someday I'll find that girl
I may not have found her yet, but I am certain that I will eventually
I love that girl, I love that girl so much
My love for her is immense and unwavering, and I cannot express it enough
I can't get enough of her crazy love
Her love is so intense and wild, I can never get my fill of it
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DANIEL JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind