Jonathan Richman makes it clear his love for his home region. Even on his first album, The Modern Lovers, Richman name checks places throughout the city of Boston.
“See, I come from Boston,
I’m gonna tell you all about how I love New England
It’s my favorite place
I’ve been all around the world, but I love New England best”
- “New England” from the album, Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
Go Jojo!
Jonathan Richman is considered by some to be the godfather of punk rock for his role as the leader of the Modern Lovers, a garage rock band from Boston who influenced the future purveyors of the burgeoning punk movement. Their songs were simple, two or three chords, with guitar, bass, drum, and keyboard. What a change from the excessively produced rock hits of the day! The songs were about girls, growing up, and Boston. In a few short years, Richman went from a bratty leader of the seminal punk movement to a singer of songs about dinosaurs, Martians, and ice cream, as well as lyrics penned in different languages. All throughout his 45 plus year career, a constant through his music has been his love of place.
Whether Jonathan Richman is singing about Amsterdam, Venice Beach, or New York City; concurrently he has always stressed the importance of his hometown, Boston. The Modern Lovers (featuring future members of The Cars and the Talking Heads) recorded the sessions to become their debut album in 1972. The tracks to become their first album were produced by John Cale, a member of Richman’s idolized band, the Velvet Underground. Their debut album was not released until 1976, by then Richman’s sound had progressed from the raw garage rock to a more relaxed style combining the influences of fifties rock and roll and world music with the pop sensibilities of early Beatles.
Jonathan Richman in Boston
Nevertheless the genre, Jonathan Richman has made a career writing honest, catchy pop songs; many with childlike wonder. Another consistency in his music has been the references to Boston and its environs in his lyrics. Even though he today lives in California, his lyrical references to Massachusetts are abundant. In the song “New England” Richman name-checks the whole region!
His most descriptive song about Massachusetts is “Twilight in Boston.” We will follow his twilight route to destinations mentioned in his songs as well as to his other haunts including the Fenway, Harvard Square, and Cleveland Circle. Richman’s twilight walk is best by foot while other places from his songs are accessible via public transit or automobile. Jonathan Richman’s Massachusetts will take us from the grand (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum) to the inane (the Dunkin Donuts in Mattapan). Richman and the Modern Lovers are included with such diverse performers as J Geils Band, Aerosmith, the Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom, Gang Starr, and New Edition as Boston bands, all who have hailed from Boston, creating a historically vibrant scene. Without further ado, follow in the footsteps of Natick, Massachusetts’ beloved son, Jonathan Richman.
“Twilight in Boston” from the album I, Jonathan
The song “Twilight in Boston” is light and airy, a spoken monologue over meandering acoustic guitar. The walk begins at the Boston Public Garden, a gorgeous public park at the end of the Back Bay. The park is beautiful with an array of flowers in bloom throughout the warmer months. Its focal point is the centrally located lagoon. A small stone suspension bridge allows walkers to travel over the water and is a prime spot for a photograph. Inside the lagoon is the famed Swan Boats. These are pleasure boats with wooden benches as seats and a large decorative swan situated at the rear of the boat. For a small fee, visitors can take a short ride on the boats as they crisscross the lagoon and duck under the suspension bridge.
Large weeping willows overhang the lagoon. The placement of statues and monuments are all around the park including the imposing statue of George Washington on horseback which greets visitors at the Arlington Street entrance. Among the many statues and monuments is Clergyman Edward Everett Hale, a Japanese lantern on the banks of the lagoon, a fountain that commemorates the use of ether (first used as an anesthetic at nearby Massachusetts General Hospital), and of course, Mrs. Mallard and her bevy of ducklings from the beloved children’s book Make Way for Ducklings. Along with Boston Common, the Public Garden are the first two jewels in Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace, a series of green spaces that connect with each other, ending up at Franklin Park in Roxbury.
Keep on walking with Jonathan Richman
After the garden, Richman walks through the Back Bay on Beacon Street. Beacon Street is the northernmost of the major parallel roads that traverse the Back Bay. Its architecture is magnificent, as townhomes built in the second french empire style mix with brownstones and brick facades. The street is primarily residential, enjoy the relative quiet in relation to nearby Newbury or Boylston Street (which Richman mentions in the song “Modern World”).
Trees overhang the wide sidewalks as Beacon emits a true European feel. Walk eight blocks up Beacon towards Kenmore Square, take a left (south) onto Massachusetts Avenue and then a right onto Boylston Street. The song “My Career as a Homewrecker” references the Boston rock scene which thrived around Kenmore and nearby Lansdowne Street. The underground rock scene was centered around Kenmore Square at venues like The Rat and Boston Tea Party in the Back Bay with bands like the Real Kids, the Lyres, the Del Fuegos, and of course, the Modern Lovers.
To the Fenway with Jonathan Richman
After a block or two, Boylston reaches The Fenway. In the Fenway, either wander an interior path or stay on the roadside. Look for a small walking bridge over the pond in the Fenway (across from the backside of the Museum of Fine Arts). On the other side of the bridge are the Kelleher Rose Garden and the Victory Gardens which Richman mentions in the song. By the way, if you feel like ducking into the Museum of Fine Arts, make sure to see a painting by Paul Cezanne. Currently, his “Turn in the Road” is able to view in the Sidney and Esther Rabb Gallery at the museum. Make sure to bring along a date, to help see through the paintings, as Richman sings on “Girlfriend.”
Back in the park, Richman’s twilight walk continues on the Riverway and eventually to the Jamaicaway, which connects to the Fenway. The Riverway’s path follows the banks of the Muddy River. Along the way, pass through Olmsted Park and Leverett Pond eventually ending at Jamaica Pond. There is a circular path along the perimeter of the pond and a boathouse with boats available to rent at one end.
The Twilight in Boston walk brings together some of the best spots along the Emerald Necklace, a string of connected green space. In the song, Richman references that he has been on many lonely walks like this through the city and its surroundings.
“As We Walk to Fenway Park in Boston Town” from Fever Pitch soundtrack
“The Fenway” from Rockin’ and Romance
These two tracks chronicle Jonathan Richman’s love for the same area of Boston that “Twilight in Boston” ended with. The first, “As We Walk to Fenway Park in Boston Town” begins geographically close to the conclusion of the last song, on a journey from Jamaica Plain up towards Fenway Park to attend a Red Sox game whereas “The Fenway” is an ode to a section of town that he adores.
The trip begins after Jamaica Pond at the Arborway, which is the location of Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum. An arboretum is like a living museum of trees. Reference tags mark each tree species. A variety of trees and plants are here including rhododendron, hemlock, and even bonsai. The park is known for its collection of lilac trees with its Lilac Sunday festival held each Mother’s Day. Paths wander their way through the arboretum which lets visitors meander through at their leisure.
Our walk leads us back through the Jamaicaway and the Riverway, back to the Fens near Longwood Avenue. This is also close to the Beth Israel-Deaconess Hospital where he references being born. The ending point of this walk is Fenway Park. He refers to it in the song as being between Lansdowne and Jersey Streets. Jersey Street does not allow automobile traffic during game days and becomes an extension of the ballpark with souvenir stores, food, and entertainment. Lansdowne gained notoriety for its bars and clubs which still exist today, but a tamer version of their former selves.
Fenway Park
As the home of the Boston Red Sox since 1912, Fenway’s cozy confines are a perfect place to take in a ballgame. As the home to such greats as Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Pedro Martinez, it is the most historic ballpark experience in the country. If it is a first visit to the ballpark, be ready to witness all of the iconic sites like the Pesky Pole, the Green Monster, and the retired numbers overhead. Fenway’s architecture is much different than the mega-stadiums of the mid-20th century, and for the last twenty years, its architecture has been the inspiration for other big-league ballparks looking for a more intimate feel. In “The Fenway”, Richman mentions seeing Ted Williams hit a home run over the right-field wall.
The Fenway
“The Fenway” brings to light other places in this area too including the old Mechanics Hall auditorium which is the current location of 111 Huntington, which is the space age-looking building with the dome on top near the Prudential Center. Also mentioned, as he spent his days dreaming his dreams on the Fenway is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. This museum is a real treasure. Unlike most which are housed in structures built for an art collection, this mansion was the home of Isabella Stewart Gardner, a wealthy Bostonian, and collector of art. In her will was left that her collection is preserved as a museum. A simple house this is not.
Named “Fenway Court”, it’s built reminiscent of an Italianate villa with an ample courtyard with displays of flowers. There are three stories of rooms on all four sides that surround the courtyard. The inside is truly magnificent. The art collection contains important work from around the world by the likes of Botticelli, Degas, and Manet. It was also the location of an infamous art heist in 1990 where thirteen pieces went missing including by Vermeer and Rembrandt. The paintings are displayed in what was once living spaces which include wallpaper, candelabras, tables, and chairs. The frames of the missing paintings still line the walls, just missing the content inside.
“Modern World” from The Modern Lovers and “Winter Afternoon by B.U. in Boston” from O Moon, Queen of Night on Earth
Boston University is mentioned in the song “Modern World” as to “put down your cigarette and drop out of B.U.” and is name-checked in the song “Winter Afternoon by B.U. in Boston” on a later album by Jonathan Richman. While you’re out walking around the Fenway, B.U. is just a stone’s throw away. The campus is primarily a cluster of nondescript buildings lining both sides of Commonwealth Avenue that showcase architectural styles from the early 20th century to the present. The main campus extends from Kenmore Square into its West Campus on the brink of Allston. B.U.’s campus and the Fenway are close to the affluent suburb of Brookline which is mentioned in the song “Tonight.”
Near the borders of Brighton, Brookline and Newton is Cleveland Circle, Jonathan Richman describes walking by the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and by the streetcar lines in his song “Not so much to be loved as to love.” Cleveland Circle is the terminus of the MBTA’s C branch of the Green Line, and close to the Reservoir stop on the D Line branch of the Green Line. Route 9 (also referred to in “Modern World” a major thoroughfare connecting Boston to western Massachusetts runs through Brookline and eventually into Natick, the hometown of Richman, and is in the name of the instrumental “Maybe a Walk Home From Natick High School.”
“Government Center” from The Modern Lovers and “Lonely Financial Zone” from Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
Back downtown, Richman references the center of Boston, Government Center in the song of the same name. This is the area surrounding Boston City Hall Plaza. It’s full of courthouses, government buildings, and a parking garage. This along with the “Lonely Financial Zone” are primarily work destinations that empty out at night. Although this area is full of lunch spots and some nightlife establishments. Government Center was the location of the notorious Scollay Square of yore, full of bars and brothels.
“They Showed Me the Door to Bohemia” from Jonathan Richman’s Keith single,
This track chronicles Richman in his early days hanging out in Harvard Square. This was a hotbed of the folk music movement in the 1960s with the likes of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan performing here. Harvard Square represented the non-conformist side of Boston for years with underground record stores, boutiques, a visual arts scene, and venues that featured bands that pushed the musical envelope. Today’s Harvard Square still retains its hip feel, but many of the independent stores have given way to chains, unfortunately.
Harvard Square attractions
There are still a few holdovers from the past though including Planet Records, located just off the square on Mt. Auburn Street, Cardullo’s on Brattle Street, Out of Town News, newspaper kiosk with print papers from all over the world, and Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage, with its interior that resembles a collage of local memorabilia like old advertisements, subway signs and posters and whose burgers share names with celebrities, with emphasis on politicians and athletes. Bartley’s has been around since 1960.
The square has its share of upscale pubs like Grafton Street and Grendel’s Den, which offer fine food and a superb beer selection with brands like von Trapp, Castle Island, and Single Cut on tap. Another Harvard Square institution is Charlie’s Kitchen, a no-fuss, hip diner with the fare you’d expect (hot dogs, hamburgers). Club Passim is a tiny basement music venue that still features folk music acts nightly. Although there is no chance to hear Bob Dylan or Joan Baez at this tiny space nowadays, it still hosts national acts like Tom Russell, John Gorka, and Jim Kweskin.
Books & Music
The Harvard Coop fits the bill for all necessary Harvard memorabilia as well as an extensive bookstore (which has become an outpost of Barnes and Noble in the past few years). What’s very neat about Harvard Square is that even when it no longer is the center of fringe culture in the Boston area, nor the hippest and gentrification skyrocketed rents way above that of the average, it still retains a bit of that Bohemia that Richman so longingly referred to. In the present day when the printed word is on the endangered species list, it still has places to buy books and newspapers (including the Harvard Book Store too).
Vinyl records and CDs can still be bought at Planet Records, In Your Ear, or Newbury Comics, there are only a few of these stores left where there used to be a dozen or so. Music can be heard in places like Passim and Sinclair, but also on the street corners. Gastropubs and chain restaurants abound, but still, holdovers like Charlie’s Kitchen and Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage thrive.
“Fender Stratocaster” from Jonathan Richman
No neighborhood goes untouched from Richman as he one-offs a reference to the Dunkin Donuts in Mattapan in his song “Fender Stratocaster.” For all you diehard Jonathan aficionados, this franchise from the behemoth Dunkin Donuts chain is located at 1621 Blue Hill Avenue in the Mattapan section of Boston. Never fear, just like everywhere else in New England, there are two others close by to this neighborhood.
“Road Runner” from The Modern Lovers
For the casual Jonathan Richman/Modern Lovers fan, the song “Road Runner” may be the only track that is familiar. The song itself is two-chord bliss. A revved-up anthem about being young, listening to the radio, driving at night, and enjoying life. There have actually been three different motions to make this the official song of Massachusetts in the statehouse. So far the bill hasn’t passed, but let’s hope it perseveres. The lines “I’m in love with Massachusetts, I’m in love with the radio on” should warrant its approval alone!
Unlike songs like “Twilight in Boston” and “The Fenway”, the locations in this song are a bit more general. The song describes driving down Route 128 also today’s Route 95 late at night, seeing the neon and the trees go by. The grocery store Stop and Shop also has a prominent place in the song. It’s rumored to be the Stop and Shop of his hometown, Natick. The location on Route 128 in one version of the song does actually mention the Needham radio towers. The best part about working this part of the trip into a travel route is that there is a good chance that by just getting to another destination, you will encounter Route 128 and a Stop and Shop. Maybe if 128’s congested (when is it not?) humming along with “Road Runner” may lift your spirits.
On a rare Modern Lovers track called “Winters in New England”, the town of Saugus, Nantasket Beach in Hull, and Cape Cod are all mentioned
Clearly, Jonathan Richman has an affinity for the area that he grew up in. From his earliest tracks with the Modern Lovers, through his first solo days to his current incarnation with him, an acoustic guitar with Tommy Larkins on drums, Boston, and its surroundings are prominent in his lyrics. Richman has the keen ability to use the sense of place in his music where most artists struggle. Listeners from around the world that have never been to Boston can still achieve a mental picture of it from his words. He is a gifted singer and songwriter who brings a tangible honesty to his music. For those of you that are fans of his, enjoy taking a walk or a ride through his lyrics, and for those of you that are not, these routes are still highly enjoyable, taking in some of the finest sites of the Boston area.
Jonathan Richman, at almost 70, is as prolific as ever. Lately, he has been releasing new tracks twice a month as part of a series, “Just a Spark, on the Journey from the Dark.” And for a guy that shies away from modern technology, check out this great session with Richman and Andrew Bird on Youtube.
