Take a listen to this terrific twenty-minute set from 1978 by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers (not the original Modern Lovers but a different iteration of the group). It was filmed for TopPop, which ran from 1970-1988 and which their YouTube channel describes as "the first regular dedicated pop music TV show in the Dutch language area."
The set is terrific—they are clearly having great fun, and 27-year-old Richman is as charming as ever. The set includes some of Richman's most delightful songs—"New England," "Abominable Snowman," and "I Am a Little Airplane"—which showcase his youthful enthusiasm (which somehow he still retains even now that he's in his 70s) and his silly dance moves. But the set also includes the quite somber "Affection," whose lyrics seem even more relevant as time passes, as they captures a mood many are currently feeling:
People all over the world,
Everywhere we go,
We find people all over the world simply starving
For affection, for affection
If you enjoy the video and want to see JoJo live, you're in luck—he's touring June 23-July 3 through the Pacific Northwest, and then heads to Newport, Rhode Island for the Newport Folk Festival on July 30.
