Songs of Pain

Last updated
Songs of Pain
Songs of Pain original.jpg
A 1988 Stress Records copy
Studio album by
Daniel Johnston
Released1981
Recorded1980–1981
StudioThe Johnston Residence's Basement, West Virginia
Length56:29
Label Stress Records (1988)
Producer Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston chronology
Songs of Pain
(1981)		 Don't Be Scared
(1982)
CD-R
Songs of Pain cover.jpg
Eternal Yip Eye Music CD-R cover, 2019
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Pitchfork Media Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Songs of Pain is the first album by folk singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded on a simple tape recorder and released on Compact Cassette. Johnston recorded these songs in the basement of his parents' house in West Virginia. [3] Johnston recorded the tape between 1980 and 1981, and it was later mass produced on cassette by Stress Records in 1988, [4] and on Compact Disc in 2003 by the label Dual Tone, together with More Songs of Pain as Early Recordings Volume 1.

Contents

Background

Songs of Pain was recorded between 1980 and 1981 during Daniel Johnston's Freshman, Sophomore and Junior years studying at Kent State University in East Liverpool, Ohio. During this period, Johnston lived in his parents' basement in West Virginia, where he would make recordings to share with friends and fellow students. [5]

In late 1979, Johnston wrote the song "Lazy" after dropping out of Abilene Christian University in West Texas; the only song he wrote during that period. In 1980, he enrolled in Kent State University in East Liverpool, Ohio, where he met Laurie Allen, [6] who would become something of a muse for Johnston. Johnston had a crush on Allen and equated her with true love and all that was good with the world. He became romantically obsessed with her, and after being complimented on his piano playing by Allen, was inspired to take up piano playing as a daily routine [7] record his work [6] and compile it onto cassettes to share with his peers. The material was recorded on a $59 Sanyo cassette recorder with Radio Shack tape stock. Johnston performed most of the instrumentation and overdubbed the vocals himself. [8]

Shortly after this, Allen relocated to Florida after her boyfriend, who was studying in Florida, graduated and became a mortician there. The departure left Johnston emotionally distraught. He saw Allen shortly afterward when he accompanied a friend to a funeral hosted at the home where she was employed. [5] The awkward encounter which ensued inspired the song "Grievances," written in early 1980 - which in November he jokingly described as a "fluke." [6] In the Summer of 1980, Johnston wrote "Wicked World," which he described as giving him more confidence in his songwriting. He was 'lost in limbo land,' writing music '24 hours' with lyrics devised by his friends. [6]

By the time the album was finished in 1981, Johnston was already in his Junior year of University. As he had no way of copying tapes at the time, each version featured a recording unique to the person to whom it was gifted. [5] The later mass-copied version was given to musician/painter Katy McCarty, [9] who met Johnston circa 1985. [5] This version was released in 1988 by Jeff Tartakov's Stress Records. [10] [11]

Sound

All songs feature Johnston on vocals and piano, except for "Premarital Sex", where he plays the organ. The opening track, "Grievances", introduces themes that reoccur throughout Johnston's career. He sings about his unrequited love for "the librarian", which refers to a girl named Laurie Allen who has functioned as a muse in many of Johnston's songs; this has been described as the quintessential Daniel Johnston song, including by Johnston himself. [12] The lyrical and the musical themes of the song have been alluded to in later works, some examples include 'Museum of Love' which features an identical chord progression in its verses, [13] as well as 'Love Defined', (From both The Lost Recordings and Yip/Jump Music) which features part of the same progression during the line 'Love does not insist on its own way'. [14] [15] The word "grievances" has also been reused in the song title "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grievances".

Other themes on the album are premarital sex ("Joy Without Pleasure" and "Premarital Sex"), Christianity ("A Little Story") and cannabis ("Pot Head") - the latter of which was directed at a friend of Johnston's. [6]

As a way to fuel his art, Johnston seemingly to record every conversation he had, re-using phrases from these recordings as lyrics and, most notably, sampling confrontations between himself and his mother on the tapes. [6]

Bob Dylan was an influence on the album; Johnston described "Grievances" as his "Like a Rolling Stone," took inspiration from the 'Budokan' version of "I Want You" for the 'high-piercing sound' of "Urge," and wrote "Hate Song" after being inspired by lyrics in the song "Dirge." Another influence was Slim Whitman, who inspired "Wild West Virginia." [6]

David Raposa for Pitchfork also noted an influence from The Kinks' "Lola" on the track "Wicked Will", [2] and Billboard Magazine compared 'Urge' to material by Plastic Ono Band, as well as "Joy Without Pleasure" to the 'prim' song-writing of Paul McCartney. [16]

Legacy

In a 2003 review of the 'Songs of Pain' CD compilation (Which collects both this album and its 1983 sequel 'More Songs of Pain'), David Raposa for Pitchfork discussed the album's tracks positively, describing the material as 'chilling,' 'jaunty' and 'happy-go-lucky.' [2]

In Pitchfork's 2010 review of 'The Story of an Artist' (A 6 disc collection of Johnston's early material), Douglas Wolk described "Never Relaxed" as 'The funniest thing that Johnston ever recorded,' and 'Living Life' as 'A bloodied but unbowed power-pop tune.' Wolk also compared the album to 'More Songs of Pain,' which he called 'A more accomplished if less bracing take on a lot of the same themes.' [9] On Billboard's '12 essential Daniel Johnston Tracks' article, both 'Urge' and 'Joy Without Pleasure' were included. [16] Willoughby Thom, writing for The Observer's retrospective on Daniel Johnston, describes Songs of Pain favorably, calling it 'Emotional and intensely beautiful,' praising its sincerity, truth, and simplistic lyrics. [17]

In July 2021, the RO2 Gallery in Dallas, Texas, hosted an exhibition of Johnston's art named after the album, 'Story of an Artist & Songs of Pain'. [18] In 2023, a 2xLP version of the album was released, featuring eight bonus tracks. [19]

Influence

In Hi How Are You, a book written on Johnston's career, Songs of Pain was listed as one of Kathy McCarty's most favored albums by the artist [20] and she included five songs from the album on her 1994 tribute to Johnston, Dead Dog's Eyeball. [21] In 1995, her cover of "Living Life" was featured in the romantic drama Film, Before Sunrise. [22]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Daniel Johnston. All tracks produced by Johnston

Side One
No.TitleLength
1."Grievances"2:49
2."A Little Story"3:30
3."Joy Without Pleasure"1:55
4."Never Relaxed"3:28
5."Brainwash"2:40
6."Pot Head"3:23
7."Wicked World"2:35
8."Lazy"2:41
Total length:23:01
Side Two
No.TitleLength
9."I Save Cigarette Butts"5:26
10."Like a Monkey in a Zoo"3:28
11."Wicked Will"1:45
12."An Idiot's End"4:36
13."Wild West Virginia"2:39
14."Since I Lost My Tooth"1:21
15."Urge"2:36
16."Living Life"4:08
17."Tuna Ketchup"2:06
18."Premarital Sex"3:05
19."Don't Act Nice"0:37
20."Hate Song"2:07
Total length:33:54

2023 vinyl re-issue bonus tracks

No.TitleLength
21."Lead Belly Was An Outlaw" 
22."I Love You (I'd Like To Read You Some Poetry)" 
23."Why Don't You Love Me True?" 
24."I'm A Rambling Kinda Guy" 
25."Sleepy Lagoon" 
26."Natalie Queen Of Weirton" 
27."Golly Gee" 
28."You Need A Reason" (With Tom Gruda. Sr) 

Release history

YearLabelFormatRegionNotes
1988Stress RecordsCassetteUSA
2003 Dualtone CDAs part of The Early Recordings, a 2-CD box set also containing 'More Songs of Pain'
2009Stress RecordsCassette
2010Munster RecordsCDSpainAs part of The Story Of An Artist, a 6-disc box set containing Johnston's albums recorded while living with his parents between 1980-1983.
LP
Eternal Yip Eye MusicCassetteUSA
2014
2019 CD-R
2023Eternal Yip Eye Music / BMG LPUSAWith eight outtakes as bonus tracks.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Johnston</span> American musician (1961–2019)

Daniel Dale Johnston was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded alone in his home, and his music was frequently cited for its "pure" and "childlike" qualities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Album</span> Collection of audio recordings

An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records collected in a bound book resembling a photo album; this format evolved after 1948 into single vinyl long-playing (LP) records played at 33+1⁄3 rpm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jed Davis</span> American musician

Jed Davis is an American musician based in New York City. He sings and plays keyboards as a solo artist and with The Hanslick Rebellion, Collider, and Skyscape.

<i>Weed Forestin</i> 1990 studio album (home-recorded album) by Sebadoh

Weed Forestin is an album by the American indie rock band Sebadoh. It was originally self-released by Barlow on cassette in 1987, under the Sentridoh name, the solo home-recording project of American rock musician and Sebadoh member Lou Barlow, and sold at record stores in his native Massachusetts in an approximate run of 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joyful Noise Recordings</span> American independent record label from Indianapolis, Indiana

Joyful Noise Recordings is an independent record label from Indianapolis, Indiana. The label was founded in 2003 in Bloomington, Indiana by Karl Hofstetter, who also played drums on many of the label's first releases. Joyful Noise maintains an active roster of over 30 bands playing various musical styles, though according to the label, each artist "in one way or another bridges the gap between pop and noise."

<i>Dont Be Scared</i> 1982 studio album by Daniel Johnston

Don't Be Scared is singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston's second self-released album, released in 1982. It was re-released on cassette in 1989 by Stress Records, a label run by Johnston's friend and manager Jeff Tartakov, on mp3 by emusic.com in 2000, and on CDR by Eternal Yip Eye Music in 2004.

<i>The What of Whom</i> 1982 album by Daniel Johnston

The What of Whom is the third self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in 1982.

<i>More Songs of Pain</i> 1983 album by Daniel Johnston

More Songs of Pain is the fourth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded late 1982 and early 1983. The album was re-released on cassette in 1988 by Stress records, made available in downloadable mp3 format by Emusic in 2000, and in 2003 released on CD by Dual Tone, as the second half of the compilation Early Recordings Volume 1.

<i>Yip/Jump Music</i> 1983 album by Daniel Johnston

Yip/Jump Music is the fifth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded over the summer 1983. The album was re-released on cassette in 1986 by Stress records, and in 1988 released on CD and double LP by Homestead Records. The album has been re-released twice by Eternal Yip Eye Music: once in 2003 on CD and CD-R, and once in 2007 as a double vinyl LP.

<i>Hi, How Are You</i> 1983 album by Daniel Johnston

Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album is the sixth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in September 1983. The subtitle refers to the length of the album; Johnston had intended for it to be an hour-long release, as a majority of his earlier releases were.

<i>Its Spooky</i> 1989 studio album by Daniel Johnston and Jad Fair

It's Spooky is a collaborative album by musicians Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston. It was first released in 1989 on 50 Skidillion Watts Records, under the title Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston. Although receiving praise from critics and fans alike, the record was commercially overlooked. Both Johnston and Fair play the majority of instruments, including vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards and drums.

"Walking the Cow" is a song written and recorded by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston from his 1983 album Hi, How Are You. The title was inspired by an illustration on a wrapper for Blue Bell ice cream depicting a young girl attempting to lead a reluctant cow by its reins.

<i>Artistic Vice</i> 1991 studio album by Daniel Johnston

Artistic Vice is the first studio album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, and his twelfth overall, counting his nine widely distributed demo tapes, two earlier aborted attempts at studio albums,, and collaboration with Jad Fair, It's Spooky. It was his first full-length album recorded after a three-year hiatus. The album is considered more light-hearted than its predecessor, 1990.

<i>1990</i> (Daniel Johnston album) 1990 album by Daniel Johnston

1990 is the eleventh album by American singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston. It was released in January 1990, through record label Shimmy Disc. Like Continued Story before it, 1990 was intended to be Johnston's first studio album, but had to be completed using live recordings and home demos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Johnston discography</span>

This is a list of the discography of Daniel Johnston, who lived in Austin, Texas.

<i>Retired Boxer</i> 1984 album by Daniel Johnston

Retired Boxer is the seventh self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in 1984. The album's nine songs are performed in Johnston's usual confessional piano ballad style. This album, like those before it, was recorded with a consumer grade tape player. Evidence of this is found in the warbling tape hiss and distortion.

<i>Respect</i> (Daniel Johnston album) 1985 album by Daniel Johnston

Respect is the 8th self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, released in 1985. It features covers of the Elvis Presley song "Heartbreak Hotel" and the Bert Berns song "A Little Bit of Soap", made popular by The Jarmels.

<i>Continued Story with Texas Instruments</i> 1985 studio album by Daniel Johnston

Continued Story is the ninth self-released album by Daniel Johnston, released on cassette tape in 1985. The album includes a cover of the Beatles song "I Saw Her Standing There." It was released on CD in 1991 by Homestead Records and re-released in 2003 on a dual-album CD, along with the 1983 album Hi, How Are You, by Johnston's own label, Eternal Yip Eye Music.

<i>Merry Christmas</i> (Daniel Johnston album) 1988 album by Daniel Johnston

Merry Christmas is the tenth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in 1988. The back of the cover features a typed message from Daniel: "Thanks to everyone who's helped in the past year, especially those who have bought and played my album. Thanks again."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Microphones discography</span>

The Microphones is an American indie folk, indie rock, and experimental band, founded and fronted by Phil Elverum. The band has released 5 studio albums, 13 miscellaneous albums, 3 extended plays, and 8 singles. Elverum began the Microphones initially as a solo project, releasing cassette demos of tests and experiments. Between 1996 and 1998, Elverum released four demos, mostly on Bret Lunsford's label Knw-Yr-Own. The CD Tests, released in June 1998, was a compilation album comprising tracks from previous cassettes. The same year, the band released the 7" single "Bass Drum Dream". The band's first studio album, Don't Wake Me Up, was released on K Records in August 1999 and gave the band a small following. Two more 7-inches were released in 1999: "Feedback " and "Moon Moon".

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. 1 2 3 "Daniel Johnston: Songs of Pain: The Early Recordings, Vol. 1". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  3. ↑ The Austin Chronicle: Songs of Pain Was Not in Vain, Louis Black
  4. ↑ Doherty, Kelly (2023-01-12). "Daniel Johnston's Songs of Pain is being released on vinyl for the first time". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  5. 1 2 3 4 The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Dr. Jeff Feuerzeig, 2005
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Daniel Johnston - Songs Of Pain (Dan Johnston 1980-81) [2023, LP, Eternal Yip Eye Music/BMG - EYE-301 CE
  7. ↑ Williams, Luann (2021-09-18). "Daniel Johnston's End of Innocence". Pop Culture Press. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  8. ↑ Yazdani, Tarssa; Goede, Don (2006). Hi, how are You?: The Life, Art & Music of Daniel Johnston. Last Gasp. pp. 6–7. ISBN   978-0-86719-667-2.
  9. 1 2 "Daniel Johnston: The Story of an Artist". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  10. ↑ Doherty, Kelly (2023-01-12). "Daniel Johnston's Songs of Pain is being released on vinyl for the first time". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  11. ↑ Songs Of Pain - Dan Johnston 1980-81, Stress Records, 1988
  12. ↑ The Austin Chronicle: The Continuing Story of Daniel Johnston - Genius of Love, Ken Lieck
  13. ↑ Daniel Johnston - Museum Of Love (Chords) , retrieved 2021-10-11
  14. ↑ "Daniel Johnston Song Lyrics". rejectedunknown.com. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  15. ↑ "Daniel Johnston Song Lyrics". rejectedunknown.com. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  16. 1 2 "R.I.P. Daniel Johnston: 12 Essential Tracks From the Outsider Music Legend". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  17. ↑ "Hi, how are you Daniel Johnston? // The Observer". The Observer. 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  18. ↑ "Exhibition at Ro2 gallery reveals late artist Daniel Johnston wasn't his family's only creative soul". Dallas News. 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  19. ↑ Doherty, Kelly (2023-01-12). "Daniel Johnston's Songs of Pain is being released on vinyl for the first time". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  20. ↑ Yazdani, Tarssa; Goede, Don (2006). Hi, how are You?: The Life, Art & Music of Daniel Johnston. Last Gasp. ISBN   978-0-86719-667-2.
  21. ↑ K. McCarty - Dead Dog's Eyeball: Songs Of Daniel Johnston (Justine, JUSCD002, 1994)
  22. ↑ Before Sunrise (1995) - IMDb , retrieved 2022-03-21
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.