| Back in Your Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1979 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:39 | |||
| Label | Beserkley | |||
| Producer | Matthew King Kaufman, Glen Kolotkin, Kenny Laguna | |||
| Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Back in Your Life is the third album by American rock band Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, released in February 1979 by Beserkley Records. Despite being credited to Richman and his backing band, the album only features the backing band on half of the album.
The album marks an experimental venture away from the Modern Lovers' typical rock sound, mostly owing to a new backing band accompanying Richman. The album ventures into genres like doo-wop and children's music. [2]
In 2019, the album was reissued on silver-colored vinyl.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+ [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Stephen Cook of AllMusic called the album "sweet, fun, and honest," noting Richman's "unbridled enthusiasm, wit, and crack songs." [1]
Smash Hits wrote that "the world's cleverest clown opts for a cheapo '50s style sound this time out as he jaunts and quavers through this collection with his usual mixture of humour and touching honesty. It's distinctive alright." [5] Robert Christgau wrote: "I'd say this is great kiddie music—lotsa innocence, lotsa animal songs, even a snot joke." [3]
All songs written by Jonathan Richman, unless otherwise noted.
Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
Additional musicians
Technical
Jonathan Michael Richman is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970, he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key acoustic and electric backing. He now plays only acoustic to protect his hearing. He is known for his wide-eyed, unaffected, and childlike outlook, and music that, while rooted in rock and roll, is influenced by music from around the world.
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