Album · Father John Misty
Pure Comedy by Father John Misty
Pure Comedy is an album by Father John Misty, released in 2017. 4 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 16 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Ballad of the Dying Man”, on 6 lists with a best position of #5.
Pure Comedy, Josh Tillman's third album as Father John Misty, came out on April 7, 2017, on Sub Pop, with Bella Union handling the UK and Europe, and it swaps the romance of I Love You, Honeybear for something much darker: a concept album that looks at society, consumerism and politics and sees one long, bleak joke. Tillman produced it himself with Jonathan Wilson, sound engineer Trevor Spencer and the composer and double bassist Gavin Bryars.
The music is plush chamber pop and baroque folk, all slow-blooming swells and stately balladry, which only makes the satire land harder. "Total Entertainment Forever", the title track, "Leaving LA" and "Ballad of the Dying Man" find the former Fleet Foxes drummer playing the sardonic preacher who has given up on his congregation but can't stop delivering the sermon.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Pure Comedy on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballad of the Dying Man | 6 | #5 | – | 2017 | |
| 2 | Total Entertainment Forever | 7 | #16 | – | 2017–2025 | |
| 3 | Pure Comedy | 2 | #48 | – | 2017–2024 | |
| 4 | Leaving LA | 1 | #38 | – | 2017 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.