Skip to main content
WOKE-1tune in
The Modern Lovers

The Modern Lovers

Broke up before their debut album even came out — then that unreleased record invented proto-punk anyway.

APPLE MUSIC

I'm Straight

The Modern Lovers

About

MOODS · proto-punk · raw · deadpan · garage rock · geeky · confessional

BIOGRAPHY

Formed in Natick, Massachusetts in 1970 by Jonathan Richman after he'd seen The Velvet Underground live repeatedly, The Modern Lovers solidified by 1971 around Richman, keyboardist Jerry Harrison, bassist Ernie Brooks and drummer David Robinson, with early member John Felice sometimes joining. Signed to Warner Bros. in 1972, they had John Cale produce early sessions but split in 1973 without releasing an album. Those 1971–72 recordings finally surfaced in 1976 as the self-titled debut on Beserkley Records, by which point Harrison had joined Talking Heads and Robinson would soon co-found The Cars. Richman kept the Modern Lovers name for quieter, folk-rock-leaning backing bands through 1988.

WHY THEY'RE COOL

Recorded in 1971–72 but not released until 1976, The Modern Lovers arrived as a delayed transmission from the pre-punk underground that ended up anticipating punk, new wave and indie rock. AllMusic hears it as closer to Television or Patti Smith than the Velvet Underground or Stooges, praising its mix of driving simplicity and gawky emotional confession. The song "Roadrunner," Richman's ode to Massachusetts Route 128, drew a famous line from critic Greil Marcus calling it "the most obvious song in the world, and the strangest." The album has since been featured three times on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list and included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die — remarkable for a band that dissolved before it ever put out a record.

ON WOKE-1

Played 9 times on WOKE-1.