09 Jonathan Richman “Since She Started To Ride”

I had heard of Jonathan Richman as well as The Modern Lovers, but never really listed to them. This song, “Since She Started to Ride,” popped up on something or other and I was smitten. Some might not appreciate my writing this, but so far no other Jonathan Richman song has stuck with me. 

I enjoyed the folk country groove, but the lyrics are what sold me. I knew two people growing up that were horse people. One I was related to and later played bass in my post-college Baltimore rock band, the poorly named Sankari.* The second was a high school friend who I was with in marching band. She was cool, friendly, and would clearly much rather be riding a horse. 

The lyrics to this song capture the feeling of being around horse-folk. It may be a song about a romantic relationship being lost to a new hobby, but it works just as well without any of the romantic baggage. They’re looking at you and talking to you, but their soul is in the saddle. 

*Pronounced something close to Shawn-kree, which was how it would sometimes appear in print for ads where we were playing. Who thought it would be a good idea to name their band something that most people in the US would never be able to pronounce? Oh yeah, me. That may be one of the reasons I’m a philosophy professor now.