As a native Bostonian who often pines for my New England roots (especially as we enter another Texas summer), I’ve found that the longer I’m away from home, the easier it is to let nostalgia get the best of me — for example, I sat through the otherwise abhorrent The Town a mindblowing five times just because, in one sweeping exterior shot, you can see my mom’s apartment building.
In honor of Richman’s June 22 show at The Mohawk, here are his songs that make me miss home the most.
But when I get really homesick, there’s only one thing that helps — Jonathan Richman.
Many best know Richman as the guitar-strumming narrator in There’s Something About Mary (a natural fit, given the film’s directors, the Farrelly brothers, grew up in Rhode Island around the time Richman was making a name for himself on the Boston – New York scenes). Or maybe you remember him as the former singer of 70s garage rock heroes The Modern Lovers, the Velvet Underground-inspired band whose hit “Roadrunner” is a loving ode to the Massachusetts highway.
Whether he’s performing solo, backed by his band or in character, Richman’s heartfelt lyrics are always more than just a catchy chorus — they’re real stories, poetic verses that follow characters and narratives and make you feel like you’re right beside the gravelly-voiced singer as he wanders the streets of New York in spring, or pines for a girlfriend to visit museums with.
In honor of Richman’s June 22 show at The Mohawk, here are his songs that make me miss home the most.
Jonathan Richman – Twilight in Boston
The song starts: “When it’s twilight in Boston / That’s something I know about / Because I’ve spent many walks / Lonely walks in the twilight / All through Boston and those suburbs,” and continues to describe a trip through the Fens that I can follow with photographic memory accuracy.
The Modern Lovers – Girlfriend
Richman imagines what it’d be like to visit Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and Fenway Park with someone by his side.
The Modern Lovers – Modern World
“Well out on Route 9 / It’s bleak and nearly dying / Stop all this weak stuff / And drop out of B.U.!” These are just facts; Route 9 (a mini-mall lined highway that leads out to Richman’s hometown of Natick, Massachusetts) is soul-crushingly boring, and B.U. students (whose campus is slowly taking over the onetime alt neighborhood of Allston) are kind of the worst.
And of course:
The Modern Lovers – New England
”See, I come from Boston / I’m gonna tell you about how I love New England / It’s my favorite place / I’ve been all around the world, but I love New England best / I might be prejudiced / But it’s true, I love New England best.”
For more on Jonathan Richman, we recommend The A.V. Club’s Gateway to Geekery guide to the storytelling singer’s greatest hits.
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Jonathan Richman appears at The Mohawk on Friday, June 22; tickets are available online.
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