Artist · chart history · #835 in indie & aaa artist polls
The Modern Lovers
Band Natick United States Active 1970–1974 1970–1974 lineup of Jonathan Richman’s band
The Modern Lovers formed in 1970 in Natick, United States and was active until 1974. The Modern Lovers has 36 chart appearances on 33 radio countdowns from 10 stations on RockLists, spanning 1976–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Roadrunner”, which appears on 32 lists with a best position of #22. The station that charted The Modern Lovers most often is 100.7 WZLX (Boston, MA), with 9 appearances.
The Modern Lovers were Jonathan Richman's band, formed in Natick, Massachusetts, in 1970, and they sounded like nothing else on the East Coast: a nervy, stripped-down garage rattle built on an unshakeable belief in the power of the Velvet Underground and the Stooges. Richman sang in a gawky, unashamed voice, Ernie Brooks played bass, David Robinson drummed and Jerry Harrison played keyboards, and both Robinson and Harrison would go on to bigger things, in the Cars and Talking Heads respectively.
The band came apart in 1974 with its recordings still in the can, and the self-titled album didn't appear until 1976 on Beserkley. It's a strange, wonderful record, full of songs about awkward dates, growing up in Massachusetts, loving life and loving America, delivered with a straight face and pounding keyboards. "Roadrunner" is the heart of it, a relentless, hypnotic blast that sounds like it could run forever. Listen now and you can hear punk, new wave and indie rock all being born at once. The Original Modern Lovers followed in 1981.
From 1976 Richman kept the name for a string of backing bands, billed as Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, which played softer, simpler, almost childlike songs, with Robinson the only original member to pass through, and briefly at that.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by The Modern Lovers on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roadrunner | 32 | #22 | – | – | |
| 2 | Astral Plane | 1 | #684 | – | – | |
| 3 | Pablo Picasso | 1 | #800 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
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