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.
NOW
Daniel Johnston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then you might just see it's not so funny
Prey tell
The wishing well will get you eventually
Beware
What you are is what you're doing there
And it's giving you a moment so kind
Believe
Your broken heart could heal so dramatically
And with a little luck
You could see a better way again real soon
As we stare into each other's eyes
And each year just goes so fast and goodbye
Look around
What your friends are telling you so free
Be gone
It's all over as the sun does set once more
If you think that love has a chance with you
Maybe hope can shine a light so true
Just smile
You can win the victory so sweet
And know
It's just another day for you and me
And tomorrow ? no more sorrow
You can all her - if you want to
There's a new way ? why won't you try it
Heaven sent it and you'll believe it now
Love can save you now
Love can save you now
Love can save you now
In Daniel Johnston's song "Now," we see him reflecting on the idea of hope and love in the face of adversity. The opening lyrics, "If you think your thoughts so rationally, then you might just see it's not so funny," set the tone for the rest of the song, which delves into themes of heartbreak, hope, and the fleeting nature of time. Throughout the song, Johnston encourages his listeners to believe that change is possible, and that love can be a powerful force for healing.
He warns about the dangers of being too cynical, and urges his listeners to keep an open mind and heart. "Believe, your broken heart could heal so dramatically, and with a little luck, you could see a better way again real soon," he sings. Ultimately, he suggests that love is the key to finding peace and happiness, and that even in the darkest moments, there is always hope.
The song ends on a note of optimism, with Johnston reminding his listeners that "Love can save you now." It is a powerful message that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit, and the idea that even in the face of hardship and pain, there is always a way forward.
Line by Line Meaning
If you think your thoughts so rationally
If you believe you are always thinking rationally
Then you might just see it's not so funny
You may realize that it's not a joking matter
Prey tell
Tell me, please
The wishing well will get you eventually
Eventually, the wishing well will have an effect on you
Beware
Be careful
What you are is what you're doing there
Your actions define who you are
Love is lingering with you on it's mind
Love is thinking of you
And it's giving you a moment so kind
And giving you a kind moment
Believe
Have faith
Your broken heart could heal so dramatically
Your heartbreak could dramatically heal
And with a little luck
And with a small amount of good fortune
You could see a better way again real soon
You may soon see a path forward again
As we stare into each other's eyes
As we gaze into each other's eyes
And each year just goes so fast and goodbye
And each year seems to go by so quickly and end abruptly
Look around
Observe your surroundings
What your friends are telling you so free
What your friends are telling you freely
Be gone
Leave
It's all over as the sun does set once more
As the sun sets again, it's all over
If you think that love has a chance with you
If you believe love could work with you
Maybe hope can shine a light so true
Hope can perhaps bring new clarity
Just smile
Simply smile
You can win the victory so sweet
You can achieve a sweet victory
And know
And understand
It's just another day for you and me
It's merely another day for us
And tomorrow ? no more sorrow
And tomorrow, no more sorrow
You can all her - if you want to
You can call her if you wish to
There's a new way ? why won't you try it
There's a fresh approach, why not attempt it
Heaven sent it and you'll believe it now
It was delivered from the heavens and you will now have faith in it
Love can save you now
Love has the potential to save you immediately
Love can save you now
Love can save you now
Love can save you now
Love can save you now
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEPHEN FRETWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@giorgioarmanizavos
All of daniels new stuff should be recorded like this
@piffmop1
definitely one of my favorites!!
@elprimito12
My fv Daniel song. This is a true masterpiece that deserve being listenin by all the fucking world
@asobineko4742
rest well daniel, rest well mark. miss you both.
@SergeantPancake
I was not ready for the transition, holy shit
Very cool
@TRUEiMPROrecords
What you are = what you´re doing there. <3
@chrish12345
G E N I U S
@Theinnocentfrog
My dear Daniel!
@AUSROTTENY2K
I like this song alot. Good melody. Not so fond of the part at 1:27 but its still great nonetheless.
@beefchoy
we need a fanvid for this shizz!