Richman became enamored with the Velvet Underground while he was still in high school, and after graduating in 1969, he moved to New York City where he became personally acquainted with the band. Richman spent a couple of weeks sleeping on Velvets manager Steve Sesnick's sofa before moving into the Hotel Albert, a residence known for its poor conditions. After nine months in New York, Richman moved back to his native Boston and organized a band modeled after the Velvets. Christening themselves "the Modern Lovers," the group included Richman's childhood friend John Felice as guitarist, David Robinson on drums, and Rolfe Anderson on bass. The Modern Lovers played their first date in September 1970, barely a month after Richman's return to Boston.
In early 1971 Anderson and Felice departed; they were replaced by bassist Ernie Brooks, and keyboardist Jerry Harrison, completing the classic lineup of the Modern Lovers. This new configuration became very popular in the Boston area, and by the fall of 1971, enthusiastic word-of-mouth led to the Modern Lovers' first exposure to a major label when Stuart Love of Warner Bros. Records contacted them and organized the band's first multi-track session at Intermedia Studio in Boston. The demo produced from this session generated more attention from the industry, and soon A&M Records was interested in the band as well.
In April 1972, the Modern Lovers traveled to Los Angeles where they held two demo sessions; the first was produced by the Velvet Underground's John Cale for Warner Bros. while the second was produced by Alan Mason for A&M. In June 1972 producer Kim Fowley also courted the band, traveling to Boston to produce some poor-quality demos that were later released in 1981 on an album misleadingly titled The Original Modern Lovers.
Despite their continued success as a live act, the Modern Lovers had a difficult time securing a record deal. Cale produced another session for the band in Los Angeles in September 1973, but nothing usable was recorded. Soon after, Fowley produced yet another session with the band, this time at Gold Star Studios with much better results than he'd had in Boston, but by this time Richman was pushing for a drastic, new direction. Richman wanted to scrap all of the tracks they had recorded and start over with a mellower, more lyrical sound. The rest of the band, while not opposed to such a shift later, insisted that they record as they sounded now. These issues stymied efforts to complete a debut album, and, eventually, led to the band's breakup by the end of 1973.
Richman continued recording on his own, eventually moving to California in 1975 to begin working with Beserkley Records. While Richman never returned to the Velvets-inspired sound of the original Modern Lovers, the demo recordings made with that group eventually surfaced in various formats. The first of these releases came in 1976 when Beserkley compiled a posthumous LP from the first demo two sessions produced by Cale and Mason; issued on Beserkley's Home of the Hits subsidiary, the album was simply titled The Modern Lovers and included celebrated tracks such as "Roadrunner", "She Cracked", and "Pablo Picasso". Richman did not recognize this compilation as his "first album," preferring to recognize his debut as 1977's Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, an album pursuing the lighter, softer direction he had in mind with a completely different band. However, The Modern Lovers was given an enthusiastic, critical reception, with critic Ira Robbins hailing it as "one of the truly great art rock albums of all time," and it influenced numerous aspiring punk rock musicians on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Sex Pistols (who covered "Roadrunner" on The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle).
Despite the original group's premature break-up, many of its members found considerable success elsewhere: founding member John Felice formed the seminal Real Kids, Jerry Harrison later joined Talking Heads, David Robinson co-founded the Cars, and Ernie Brooks would later work with David Johansen. Richman retained use of the band name "the Modern Lovers," reusing the name for his subsequent groups in the 1970s and 1980s, but these bands were always billed as Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. Richman continues to perform, often solo and preferring acoustic instruments, and currently has no plans to undertake another group like his original band. A tribute album comprised primarily of Modern Lovers songs, If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman, was released by Wampus Multimedia in 2001.
Astral Plane
Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll go insane if you won't sleep with me
I'll still be with you
I'm gonna meet you on the astral plane
The astral plane for dark at night
The astral plane or I'll go insane
Well I don't see you and it's getting dark
Well don't you want to see me ever again?
If not I'll meet you on the astral plane
Astral plane for late at night
The astral plane or I'd go insane
Well we've known each other from other lives
I want to see you today
But I'll prove my knowledge of what's inside
When I intercept you on the astral plane
The astral plane for late at night
The astral plane or I'd go insane
Alright
Alright, well I don't see you and it's getting dark
I'd have a lot to say
But you're not the one that I can say it to
At least not today
Oh, well I don't remember it afterwards
I don't yet know the words!
But I know we've been together just this week
We've been together on the astral plane
The astral plane for late at night
The astral plane or I'd go insane
Well tonight I'm all alone in my room
I'll go insane if you won't sleep with me
I'll still be with you
I'm gonna meet you on the astral plane
The astral plane for dark at night
The astral plane or I'll go insane
The lyrics of "Astral Plane" by Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers are enigmatic and dreamlike, much like the concept of the astral plane itself. The song is about a person who is longing for their lover, but for some reason, they are unable to physically be together. The singer is feeling a sense of desperation and even insanity, and they are using the astral plane as a way to connect with their lover on a deeper level.
The astral plane in this song seems to represent a form of escape from reality. It's a place where the singer can be with their lover even when they are not physically present. The song's lyrics suggest that the two lovers have known each other from other lives, indicating a deep spiritual connection between them.
Despite their separation, the singer is confident that they will meet their lover on the astral plane. The repetition of the phrase "the astral plane for late at night" adds to the mystical and otherworldly vibe of the song. The lyrics also suggest that the singer is willing to risk their sanity to be with their lover, which speaks to the powerful and intense nature of their connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight I'm all alone in my room
I am currently in my room by myself.
I'll go insane if you won't sleep with me
If you do not join me in bed, I will become unstable.
I'll still be with you
Despite your absence, I will still feel connected to you.
I'm gonna meet you on the astral plane
I believe I will see you in my dreams.
The astral plane for dark at night
I associate dream time with the darkness of night.
The astral plane or I'll go insane
If I do not experience you on the astral plane, it will negatively affect my mental health.
Well I don't see you and it's getting dark
As time passes, I am becoming increasingly worried I won't see you.
Today we should have gone to a-Central Park
We had discussed going to Central Park today.
Well don't you want to see me ever again?
Do you no longer desire to spend time with me?
If not I'll meet you on the astral plane
If you do not want to see me, I will try to connect with you in a dream.
Astral plane for late at night
I believe the astral plane will be visible to me when I am sleeping.
The astral plane or I'd go insane
My sanity depends on seeing you either in the physical world or in my dreams.
Well we've known each other from other lives
I believe we have been connected in past lives.
I want to see you today
I desire to spend time with you today.
But I'll prove my knowledge of what's inside
During our meeting, I will show you my understanding of our spiritual selves.
When I intercept you on the astral plane
When I see you in my dreams.
Alright
Understood.
Alright, well I don't see you and it's getting dark
As night falls, I am concerned that our meeting might not happen.
I'd have a lot to say
I have much I would like to express to you.
But you're not the one that I can say it to
You might not be the appropriate person to share my thoughts with.
At least not today
Perhaps another time would be better suited for us to have a meaningful conversation.
Oh, well I don't remember it afterwards
If I am unable to have an immediate conversation with you, I might not be able to retain my thoughts.
I don't yet know the words!
I am still struggling to find the right words to express myself to you.
But I know we've been together just this week
Over the past week, I feel that we have been connected emotionally.
We've been together on the astral plane
I believe our connection extends beyond physical reality and can be seen in my dreams.
The astral plane for late at night
In my experience, the astral plane is most visible to me when I am sleeping.
The astral plane or I'll go insane
Without experiencing our connection on the astral plane, I feel that my mental stability is at risk.
Well tonight I'm all alone in my room
Once again, I find myself alone in my room.
I'll go insane if you won't sleep with me
I require your presence in order to maintain my mental stability.
I'll still be with you
Despite your physical absence, I will still feel emotionally connected to you.
I'm gonna meet you on the astral plane
Once again, I hope to see you in my dreams.
The astral plane for dark at night
I associate seeing you on the astral plane with the darkness of night.
The astral plane or I'll go insane
I feel that my mental health is reliant upon seeing you either in the physical world or in my dreams.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, MODERN LOVE SONGS
Written by: Jonathan Michael Richman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@connorbehr8498
Tonight I'm all alone in my room
I'll go insane if you won't sleep with me
I'll still be with you
I'm gonna meet you on the astral plane
The astral plane for dark at night
The astral plane or I'll go insane
Well I don't see you and it's getting dark
Today we should have gone to a Central Park
Well don't you want to see me ever again?
If not I'll meet you on the astral plane
The astral plane for late at night
The astral plane or I'd go insane
Well we've known each other from other lives
I want to see you today
But I'll prove my knowledge of what's inside
When I intercept you on the astral plane
The astral plane for late at night
The astral plane or I'd go insane
Alright
Well I don't see you and it's getting dark
I'd have a lot to say
But you're not the one that I can say it to
At least not today
Oh, well I don't remember it afterwords
I don't yet know the words!
But I know we've been together just this week
We've been together on the astral plane
The astral plane for late at night
The astral plane or I'd go insane
Well Tonight I'm all alone in my room
I'll go insane if you won't sleep with me
I'll still be with you
I'm gonna meet you on the astral plane
The astral plane for dark at night
The astral plane or I'll go insane
@BoscaBoss18
This song totally sounds like the Kinks covering something the Doors. You always hear that Jonathan Richman vocal inflections recall Lou Reed to mind, but the 1:58 Ray Davies' vocal impersonation is amazingly identical
@Daberney
I see (hear) your point. Ray Davies, however, could actually carry a tune.
@omervardar7635
I can't believe how underrated this song is!
@connorbehr8498
Tonight I'm all alone in my room
I'll go insane if you won't sleep with me
I'll still be with you
I'm gonna meet you on the astral plane
The astral plane for dark at night
The astral plane or I'll go insane
Well I don't see you and it's getting dark
Today we should have gone to a Central Park
Well don't you want to see me ever again?
If not I'll meet you on the astral plane
The astral plane for late at night
The astral plane or I'd go insane
Well we've known each other from other lives
I want to see you today
But I'll prove my knowledge of what's inside
When I intercept you on the astral plane
The astral plane for late at night
The astral plane or I'd go insane
Alright
Well I don't see you and it's getting dark
I'd have a lot to say
But you're not the one that I can say it to
At least not today
Oh, well I don't remember it afterwords
I don't yet know the words!
But I know we've been together just this week
We've been together on the astral plane
The astral plane for late at night
The astral plane or I'd go insane
Well Tonight I'm all alone in my room
I'll go insane if you won't sleep with me
I'll still be with you
I'm gonna meet you on the astral plane
The astral plane for dark at night
The astral plane or I'll go insane
@booshank2327
Send this to your crush - either it'll be the start of your love affair or you'll get a restraining order. Probably the latter.
@ariannagrassotti4399
Restraining order...
It was not love !
@sir.public
I always preferred the 1973 version, those demos they recorded in 1973 are so raw, I feel the only version on the original 1972 album that beat it is Roadrunner. This song just becomes a whole different beast on that demo.
@marsinthestars3354
I jam the fuck out in my mirror to this song. no embarrassment lol
@StevenKennedyPhotographer
same here
@mjlucid9768
A song for all the astral creepers out there...