"Pablo Picasso" is a song written by Jonathan Richman for his proto punk group The Modern Lovers.
The song was recorded in early 1972, at Whitney Studios in Los Angeles, with producer John Cale, but was not released until 1976, on the Modern Lovers' self-titled debut album. The recording featured Richman (lead guitar, vocals), Ernie Brooks (second guitar), Jerry Harrison (bass) and David Robinson (drums), with Cale playing the repetitive hammered piano part.
The central character of the song is the charismatic 20th Century artist Pablo Picasso. The phrase "Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole" is repeated throughout the song.[1]
Selected list of recorded versions
- 1972 The Modern Lovers, not released until 1976 on The Modern Lovers
- 1975 John Cale, on his album Helen of Troy
- 1984 Burning Sensations on the Repo Man soundtrack
- 1991 Phranc's version of the song substitutes Gertrude Stein as the central character; it appears on her album Positively Phranc
- 2001 Arms of Kismet, on the album If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman
- 2003 David Bowie, on his album Reality; a live version recorded at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London on 8 September 2003 was released on the 'Tour Edition' of Reality
Appearances in popular culture
- British indiepop band, The Television Personalities, on a song entitled "An Exhibition By Joan Miró", pay tribute to the Richman song, with the lyrics, "Better than Picasso/Picasso was an asshole."
Notes
- ^ Allmusic.com "Pablo Picasso" review. Accessed August 15, 2007.
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