Grapthar's Song of the Day: Daniel Johnston - 'Speeding Motorcycle'

Daniel Johnston - Speeding Motorcycle

Daniel Johnston is an artist

I didn't discover until a few years ago, which is strange because apparently everyone I knew was a fan for a long time, yet somehow I completely missed him. He was a singer/songwriter and artist who came to prominence in the underground alternative/lo-fi scenes of the mid '80s and into the '90s. All of his albums were recorded at his home onto cassettes, and generally released as such. His songs are very poppy, and known for their sort of child-like quality, though lyrically the content is often quite mature, although it may not seem so upon an initial listen. Unfortunately, Daniel was bi-polar, and diagnosed with schizophrenia, which resulted in him abandoning music and art for long periods of time, and going in and out of pysch wards over the years. Many people think he would've been a mainstream hit at some point if he had been able to continue with the musical trajectory he was on in his youth. He passed away last September at age 58.

Listen to Speeding Motorcycle by Daniel Johnston here.

This song is from Daniel's

1983 album/cassette, Yip/Jump. This song is probably one of his best known, and was covered by bigger artists like Yo La Tengo. A number of other tracks on this release had covers that helped them reach a wider audience, from artists like The Dead Milkmen, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O, and Tom Waits. The song is about heartbreak and emotional changes, with his heart (the Speeding Motorcycle) being taken for a ride by girls, who break it. It's sort of an odd metaphor, but it definitely fits with Johnston's whimsical, child-like vibe. Instrumentally, the song is just Daniel singing, and a single chord organ providing the backdrop.