Grapthar's Daily Hive Music Feature: Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers - 'Dancin' in the Night'

but until this past week, The Modern Lovers are a band I had never really gotten into. There isn't any reason, and I had always heard they were awesome, influential, and definitely important in the world of proto-punk bands, plus I am a huge Jerry Harrison fan as a member of Talking Heads, so I decided to correct this oversight and check them out. I've since listened to the Modern Lovers discography, as well as some of Jonathan Richman's (the singer/lead songwriter of the band) solo material. The Modern Lovers were, in the early and mid '70s, their own stand alone band, though down the road, Richman would use the name for various line-ups acting as a backing band for his solo material, though he always was the force behind the music. This song is the opening on the 1987 album Modern Lovers 88, released under the name Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. I love Richman's '50s influences, rock and roll, country, rockabilly, etc., and his ability to weave those sounds into a modern context, while retaining the elements that make them classic and timeless genres.