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.
Girls
Daniel Johnston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just popped out of a magazine
Pretty eyes looking at you now
But still you're worried somehow
Oh Elvis, you know how it is
I can tell by that look on your face
Girls, girls
The sun and the moon and the stars in the sky
The grass on the ground
And the wind in the hair
I know there's a girl for me somewhere
Girls, girls
Girls, girls
I was walking my head was in a whirl
I got dizzy and I stood on a hill
She couldn't know the way she made me feel
But she was pretty
She was a
Girl, girl
Girl, girl
I was a lucky sperm that made it against great odds
And I never lost my youthful enthusiasm
The lyrics of Daniel Johnston's song Girls convey a sense of awe and wonderment at the beauty of girls, which is apparent from the opening line where the artist describes the prettiest girl he has ever seen. The song talks about how girls are like the sun, moon, and stars and how they make you wonder about the mysteries of life. Despite the beauty of girls, the singer seems to be worried or hesitant about approaching them, as seen in the line "But still you're worried somehow."
The reference to Elvis in the song suggests that the artist may be seeking validation for his own feelings towards girls, as if to say that even the King of Rock and Roll knows what it's like to be captivated by a girl's beauty. The song culminates in the refrain of "Girls, girls," repeated twice, which brings home the central point of the song - the wonder and awe inspired by the female gender.
Overall, the song appears to be a celebration of the feminine form, and the power and beauty that it possesses. At the same time, it recognizes the hesitancy and trepidation that can accompany the pursuit of a romantic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Prettiest girl that you ever seen
Describing a beautiful girl who came out of the pages of the magazine.
Just popped out of a magazine
Emphasizing on how beautiful the girl is who came out of a magazine.
Pretty eyes looking at you now
Highlighting the attractiveness of the girl's eyes which are looking at him at the moment.
But still you're worried somehow
Implies that despite the girl's pretty eyes, he is still worried about something.
Oh Elvis, you know how it is
He relates to Elvis Presley and referring to his possible understanding of the feelings he has towards the girl.
I can tell by that look on your face
Suggests that Elvis must have had a similar facial expression before.
Girls, girls
Repeating the word to emphasize the fascination and obsession with girls.
The sun and the moon and the stars in the sky
Referring to the beautiful things in life which raises concern about the unavailability of a girl.
Kinda makes you wonder why
Expressing the curiosity to know why things are the way they are.
The grass on the ground
Describing the nature around him.
And the wind in the hair
Further describing the nature around him in detail.
I know there's a girl for me somewhere
Implies that he is hopeful in finding the right girl for himself.
Girls, girls
Repeating the word to emphasize the fascination and obsession with girls.
Girls, girls
Repeating the word to emphasize the fascination and obsession with girls.
I was walking my head was in a whirl
Describing the confusion and chaos in his mind while he was walking.
I got dizzy and I stood on a hill
Describing the state of getting dizzy and then standing on a hill to gain stability and clarity of thoughts.
She couldn't know the way she made me feel
He was infatuated with the girl, but she was not aware of how he felt about her.
But she was pretty
Describing the girl's physical appearance.
She was a
Cutting off the last word to keep the listener's imagination open.
Girl, girl
Repeating the word to emphasize the fascination and obsession with the girl.
Girl, girl
Repeating the word to emphasize the fascination and obsession with the girl.
I was a lucky sperm that made it against great odds
Expressing gratitude towards being alive despite the challenges of being conceived.
And I never lost my youthful enthusiasm
Despite growing up, he has not lost his youthful spirit and enthusiasm.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind