Jonathan Richman: She Doesn't Laugh At My Jokes
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Jonathan Richman's first marriage was nearing that seven year itch stage when he celebrated domestic life in a series of songs on 1991's amusing, often hilarious Having a Party. It's probably not fair to read too much into Richman's lyrics ("I wake up hilarious / how come she's so serious?"), but couples who can't laugh together are usually in trouble.
The album also contains "When I Say Wife":
"When I Say Wife/It's because I can't find another word/for the way we are
/but 'Wife' sounds like your mortgage/it sounds like the family car"
Funny? Yes.
But as Jonathan told Julia Sweeney in a 1993 article for Spin Magazine he's often misunderstood:
"Partly because, even when something's serious, I think it's funny so people think I'm putting them on even though I really mean it."
Jonathan and Gail divorced in 1996. The ageless 61 year old singer has been happily remarried since 2003.
