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.
God
Daniel Johnston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
God made you
God made me too
God made the stars
God made the earth too
God made everything
But God is still creating
God makes me glad
God makes me glad
God made the sea
God made the land
I'm glad God made me
'Cause I love the stars
And I love the moon
And I love the earth too
And I love the God
That made all these things
He made me love him
'Cause he loved me first
God made the world
God made you
God made me too
God made the stars
God made the moon
God made the earth too
God made everything
But God is still creating
God makes me glad
God makes me glad
When we look at the lyrics of Daniel Johnston's song "God," we can see that it is an expression of the artist's deep appreciation and gratitude for the wonders of creation. The song brings forth the idea of a divine origin of the universe and human existence, with the repeated phrase, "God made the world, God made you, God made me too." Johnston's simple, yet profound lyrics suggest that everything around us is the result of the creative force of God.
The repetition of "God made" creates a rhythm in the song that emphasizes the idea of divine creation. The verses highlight the beauty of the natural world, with the mention of the stars, the moon, and the sea. The artist seems to suggest that his appreciation of these natural creations connects him to the God that made them. The song's chorus emphasizes this connection, with the phrase "God makes me glad" repeated twice.
Overall, "God" expresses a childlike wonder and appreciation for the world around us and the divine force that created it. It is a simple yet powerful expression of the beauty and majesty of the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
God made the world
The belief that God created the universe and everything in it
God made you
The idea that God created each individual person
God made me too
Acknowledgement of one's existence as a creation of God
God made the stars
The belief that God made the vast expanse of the cosmos
God made the moon
The belief that God created Earth's natural satellite
God made the earth too
Acknowledgement of the planet as God's creation
God made everything
Recognition that God created all things
But God is still creating
Belief in the ongoing work of God in the world
God makes me glad
Feeling of happiness or joy derived from faith in God
God makes me glad
Reinforcement of the idea that God brings joy and happiness
God made the sea
Belief that God created the vast bodies of water on Earth
God made the land
Belief that God created the solid ground of Earth
I'm glad God made me
Gratitude for the gift of life and existence
'Cause I love the stars
Expression of personal appreciation for a particular creation of God
And I love the moon
Expression of personal appreciation for a particular creation of God
And I love the earth too
Expression of personal appreciation for God's entire creation
And I love the God
Declaration of love and devotion for God as the creator of all things
That made all these things
Connection between love for God and appreciation for his creation
He made me love him
Belief in God's influence over a person's faith and emotions
'Cause he loved me first
Explanation for the origin of a person's love for God based on the belief that God loved them first
Contributed by Sarah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.