Song of the Day 10/19: Jonathan Richman, “Velvet Underground”

I haven’t seen the new Todd Haynes documentary about the Velvet Underground yet, but many of the reviews make a point of praising his affecting interview with Jonathan Richman. Though VU influenced thousands of bands, Richman is the sole musician Haynes shows talking about that. Richman met the Velvets as a teenager — the documentary shows a photo that proves it — and even wrote a song about his love for the band that appeared on his “I, Jonathan” LP, which came out in 1992. They were “America at its best” in Richman’s view, and he even busts out a dead-on imitation midway through this otherwise rockabilly tune.