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American rock group
the band

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 the Stooges, 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.

Richman grew up in Natick, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, and began playing guitar and writing songs in his mid teens, first performing solo in public in 1967. He became enamored of 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 and on one occasion opened the bill for them. 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, and a trip to Europe and Israel, Richman moved back to his native Boston. With his childhood friend, guitarist John Felice, he organized a band modeled after the Velvets. They quickly recruited drummer David Robinson and bass player Rolfe Anderson, and christened themselves "The Modern Lovers". They played their first date, supporting Andy Paley’s band the Sidewinders, in September 1970, barely a month after Richman's return. By this time their setlist already included such noted Richman songs as "Roadrunner", "She Cracked" and "Hospital". Richman's unique character was immediately apparent; he wore short hair and often performed wearing a jacket and tie, and frequently improvised new lyrics and monologues. While there, Richman heard and became strongly influenced by the laid back style of the local musicians, as documented in his later song "Monologue About Bermuda". There were also growing personality clashes among band members. In 1980 Richman again formed a new Modern Lovers, with Keranen, drummer Michael Guardabascio and backing singers Ellie Marshall and Beth Harrington. They recorded the album Jonathan Sings! in 1981/82, but it was not released until 1983. The group toured to support the album, often regarded as one of Richman's best, but split up after Keranen again left in 1984. The final incarnation of The Modern Lovers, with Andy Paley, Brennan Totten and (initially) Asa Brebner again, toured and recorded between 1985 and 1988. Richman finally retired The Modern Lovers name after the album Modern Lovers 88. 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 consisting 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. Asa Brebner died in 2019, aged 65.

The Modern Lovers band was influential on the then burgeoning punk rock and later new wave and indie musical styles, as viewed in the feature length 2015 documentary Danny Says. John Cale, Iggy Pop and David Bowie have all covered "Pablo Picasso"; it was also covered by Los Angeles area rock band Burning Sensations for the soundtrack of the 1984 Alex Cox film Repo Man; additionally the song was covered by the English post punk band Television Personalities on their album Don't Cry Baby, It's Only a Movie. Seminal punk group the Sex Pistols covered "Roadrunner" on The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Joan Jett sang "Roadrunner" on her cover album, The Hit List. In 2009 Titus Andronicus covered "Roadrunner" on its EP The Innocents Abroad – Live in London 23/02/09; this recording was subsequently included on the fan compilation Feats of Strength. Additional covers of "Roadrunner" include those by Wire and Richman's labelmates The Greg Kihn Band. English rock band Echo & the Bunnymen covered "She Cracked" live on Crystal Days in 1985, although with some altered lyrics. Siouxsie and the Banshees released "She Cracked" as the extra b side of "This Wheel's on Fire" 1987 double pack 7 inch, collected on Downside Up. Additionally, American grunge band Seaweed covered "She Cracked" on the John Peel Sub Pop Sessions album, in 1994. More recently, Aloe Blacc performed the band's "New Kind of Neighborhood" in a series of television advertisements for Google.

+TitleLabelReleasedJonathan Richman & The Modern LoversBeserkleyJuly 1976Rock 'n' Roll with the Modern LoversAugust 1977Modern Lovers Live1977Back in Your LifeFebruary 1979Jonathan Sings!Sire1983Rockin' and RomanceTwin/Tone Records1985It's Time For Upside Records1986Modern Lovers 88Rounder Records1987