Daniel Johnston (born Daniel Dale Johnston in Sacramento, CA, on 22 January… Read Full Bio ↴Daniel Johnston (born Daniel Dale Johnston in Sacramento, CA, on 22 January 1961; died in Waller, TX, on 10 September 2019) was an American singer-songwriter and visual artist regarded as a significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded alone in his home, and his music was frequently cited for its "pure" and "childlike" qualities. His music has been acclaimed by many artists including 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?"

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.

I Am a Baby
Daniel Johnston Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I am a baby in my universe
I'll live forever
I am a baby in my universe
I'll live forever
Oh, I'm only 22
I'll live forever
Oh, I'm only 22
I'll life forever

Forever
I am a baby in my universe
I am a baby in my universe
I'll live forever
Oh, I'm only 22
I'll live forever
Oh, I'm only 22
I'll life forever
Forever

Forever...
Oh...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Daniel Johnston's song "I Am a Baby" expresses a naive and innocent perspective on life. The repetition of the phrase "I am a baby in my universe" emphasizes this idea by presenting the singer as being young and inexperienced with the world. The singer seems to believe that they will live forever, which can be interpreted as a youthful sense of immortality or a lack of understanding of mortality. The line "Oh, I'm only 22" is a reminder of the singer's age but it does not contradict their assertion of eternal life.

This song can be seen as both optimistic and melancholic. The idea of living forever can be interpreted as a positive outlook on life and the future, but it can also be seen as a delusion or a refusal to accept the inevitability of death. The tone of the song is soft and tender, which emphasizes the vulnerability of the baby's perspective. It emphasizes the pureness of this worldview and the fearlessness that comes with youth.

Overall, "I Am a Baby" portrays a simplistic yet profound view of life. It emphasizes the beauty of innocence and youth, but also the limitations and biases that can come with it. It reflects on the idea that we may never fully understand the universe or our place in it, but that this lack of understanding can also bring comfort.

Line by Line Meaning

I am a baby in my universe
I feel small and inexperienced in my personal world

I'll live forever
I believe my existence is eternal

Oh, I'm only 22
I am young and have a lot of life to live

I'll life forever
I hold onto the idea that my life will never end

Forever
My permanence is a constant thought

I am a baby in my universe
My feeling of insignificance echoes within my world

I am a baby in my universe
I continue to see myself as small and inexperienced within my surroundings

I'll live forever
The belief in my eternal existence persists

Oh, I'm only 22
My feeling of youth is still evident

I'll live forever
The idea of my perpetual life remains

Oh, I'm only 22
My youth continues to shape my perspective