Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers Songs Ranked
The Modern Lovers were an American rock band led by Jonathan Richman in the 1970s and 1980s. The original band existed from 1970 to 1974 but their recordings were not released until 1976 or later. It featured Richman and bassist Ernie Brooks with drummer David Robinson (later of The Cars) and keyboardist Jerry Harrison (later of Talking Heads). The sound of the band owed a great deal to the influence of the Velvet Underground, and is now sometimes classified as “proto-punk”. It pointed the way towards much of the punk rock, new wave, alternative and indie rock music of later decades. Their only album, the eponymous The Modern Lovers, contained idiosyncratic songs about dating awkwardness, growing up in Massachusetts, love of life, and the USA. Later, between 1976 and 1988, Richman used the name Modern Lovers for a variety of backing bands, always billed as “Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers”. These bands were quieter and featured more low-key, often near-childlike songs as Richman drew on folk-rock and other genres. Of Richman’s original bandmates, only Robinson was part of any of the other Modern Lovers incarnations. Here are all of Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers songs ranked.
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10. I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar (I, Jonathan, 1992)
“As a song that one could actually dance to, it’s a great minor-chord groove. People generally get hung up on the lyrics almost instantly, as a title like ‘I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar’ is an attention-grabber. Despite this, it’s one of the simplest songs story-wise on the whole album: instead of hanging out at a drab, regular bar, Richman is pulled away to a lesbian bar and actually has fun dancing”
9. Lonely Financial Zone (Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, 1976)
” There’s a similar spirit of innocence and joy in Jonathan’s songs, and not a scrap of cheap irony in a song like “Lonely Financial Zone”, for example. Richman’s influences come directly from doo-wop and bubblegum pop and sounds so authentic if it wasn’t for the wacky lyrics you could imagine Brian Wilson was singing backing vocals.”
8. Pablo Picasso (The Modern Lovers, 1976)
“This has emerged as one of my favorite singles of the 1970’s. It is a road song that has the rock of alternative, punk, and Lo Fi persuasion. This is kind of a forerunner to such groups as the Replacements, The Pixies, and Nirvana maybe. The music here goes more into the garage genre with a feel similar to that of the Doors Light my Fire, as well as other garage classics.”
See more: Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers Albums Ranked
7. Hospital (Back In Your Life, 1979)
“To me, this song sounds kind of creepy and infatuated. lines like “when you get out of the dating bar, i’ll be here to get back into your life” suggest that this girl is looking for someone else. All the stuff about tears in his eyes and lack of sweetness in his life are just fine, angsty additions.”
6. Ice Cream Man (Rock ‘n’ Roll with the Modern Lovers, 1977)
“Basically children’s music, but it’s Jonathan Richman so he gets a pass. This one is almost entirely influenced by ’50s rock and it has a really appealing ramshackle sound to it, almost like they recorded it live in one take after one rehearsal.”
5. Someone I Care About (The Modern Lovers, 1976)
“Jonathan Richman’s nerd approach to punk with pop sensibilities, has held up incredibly well. The songs are simple, but enduring. This record is reportedly a compilation of demos recorded with John Cale in 1973, which makes senses as there is a Velvet Underground-ish feel.”
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4. Egyptian Reggae (Rock ‘n’ Roll with the Modern Lovers, 1977)
“It is a rather bizarre fact that Egyptian Reggae was Richman’s great chart hit. Jonathan Richman is a wonderful lyricist, he is hilarious and quirky but with pithy truths hidden behind the saggy crusts of his words. That an instrumental song should then be his great victory lap through the pop charts is an irony. But then of course he still used two words here, and true to his own fashion, he achieves maximum effect with this minimal approach.”
3. The Morning of Our Lives (Jonathan Richman Songbook, 1979)
“I listened to this on Spotify and thought it was some indie music from the mid 2000s, but was blown away to see it was from the 70s, way ahead of its time”
2. New England (Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, 1976)
“This well-crafted pop album sounds like it was recorded with a bunch of pals in Richman’s basement studio. And it is a compelling argument for the necessity of remembering the bliss of youth. This is one of the warmest, friendliest, most enjoyable albums I have ever heard. “
1. Roadrunner (The Modern Lovers, 1976)
“What are the truly great, passionate, raw rock n youthful energy songs of all time? This is the first one that comes to mind… And it keeps on sounding awesome and totally engaging when played very loud.”
