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.
My Life Is Starting Over Again
Daniel Johnston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My friends, say I'm back again
My life is starting over again
My fame is spreading across the land
Now I've got me a band
My fame is spreading across the land
My life is starting over again
I know that there's no place left to hide
But I guess that it's better than suicide
The years of suffering and pain
There's no one to blame except myself
But my life is starting over again
My time is fleeting fast
It just won't last
I forgot about the past
But my life starting over again
I know that there's no place left to hide
But I guess that it's better than suicide
My life is starting over again
My friends, say I'm back again
My life is starting over again
The song My Life is Starting Over Again by Daniel Johnston is a reflection on turning one's life around. The lyrics talk about how the singer's fame is spreading and that they have formed a band. They also mention the years of suffering and pain that they have experienced, but incredibly, they hold themselves responsible for their struggles. They acknowledge that there is no place left to hide, but the alternative- suicide- is worse. The singer is starting over again and has left the past behind.
The song could be an autobiography of Daniel Johnston's life. Johnston struggled with mental health issues and delved deep into his disorders through his music. He lived in relative obscurity in Texas, recording and distributing his music himself, but later won wider acceptance through collaborations with Sonic Youth and Kurt Cobain. The lyrics of this song suggest that Johnston sees the recognition that his work is receiving to be the starting over he needs to continue on a more successful path.
One of the interesting facts about the song is that it was recorded in the basement of the Texas Hall of Fame. Another interesting fact is that this song has been covered by multiple artists, including The Mountain Goats and Okkervil River. Despite its catchy melody, the song's themes of loneliness, mental health struggles, and the fragility of life make it a weighty listen. Additionally, the fact that Johnston died in 2019 at the age of 58 gives the song's themes even more poignancy.
The chords of the song are D, G, A.
Line by Line Meaning
My life is starting over again
I am starting a new chapter of my life
My friends, say I'm back again
My friends are happy to see me moving forward
My fame is spreading across the land
People are becoming familiar with me and my work
Now I've got me a band
I have support and collaboration with other musicians
I know that there's no place left to hide
I am facing my problems and taking responsibility for my actions
But I guess that it's better than suicide
Even though it's difficult, it's still better than giving up completely
The years of suffering and pain
I have experienced a lot of hardship
There's no one to blame except myself
I am taking accountability for my own mistakes
But my life is starting over again
Despite my past, I am beginning anew
My time is fleeting fast
Time is moving quickly
It just won't last
The present moment will pass sooner than I realize
I forgot about the past
I am trying to move forward without getting stuck in the past
Contributed by Natalie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@margotdufleit2419
For those who wants the lyrics ^^ :
My Life is starting over again, over again
my friends say I’m back again
My life is starting over again
Over again
My fame is spreading across the land
Now I got me a band
Got my a band
My fame is spreading across the land
My life is starting over again
Over again
I know that there's no place left to hide
I guess that it’s better then suicide
The years of suffering and pain
There's no one to blame except myself
But my life is starting over again
Over again
My time is fleeting fast
It just won’t last
I forgot about the past
But my life is starting over again
Over again
I know that there's no place left to hide
I guess that it’s better then suicide
My Life is starting over again, over again,
My friends say I’m back again
My life is starting over again
Over again
Over again
Over again
@tobyhiddens7233
His life has started over again.
@vampireodyssey5075
anyone who is going through something, please dont give up. You can do it
@StankBootyAss
This song helped me after a bad break up 5 years ago and its helping me again 5 years later
@motel6hooker307
can I plz listen to Daniel Johnston without getting ads for anti depressants????
@margotdufleit2419
For those who wants the lyrics ^^ :
My Life is starting over again, over again
my friends say I’m back again
My life is starting over again
Over again
My fame is spreading across the land
Now I got me a band
Got my a band
My fame is spreading across the land
My life is starting over again
Over again
I know that there's no place left to hide
I guess that it’s better then suicide
The years of suffering and pain
There's no one to blame except myself
But my life is starting over again
Over again
My time is fleeting fast
It just won’t last
I forgot about the past
But my life is starting over again
Over again
I know that there's no place left to hide
I guess that it’s better then suicide
My Life is starting over again, over again,
My friends say I’m back again
My life is starting over again
Over again
Over again
Over again
@naomiarhipoff8785
if anyone doesn't love his music, they're crazy
@cobain20e
Beira-Mar!!! <3
@rqshades
It's tragic that Joey Ramone passed in 2001 before Discovered Covered came out. This song literally sounds like Daniel wrote it for The Ramones. Sadly, it's an unfortunate trend that our musical heroes pass on too soon.
RIP Daniel and Joey
@joseildoh.conceicao6614
Beira-mar :)
@MightyQuinn2021
This song is crazy good