"Jonathan David" is a song by Scottish

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

band

Belle and Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released twelve studio albums. They are often compared with acts such as the Smiths and Nick Drake. The band took their name from ...

. The song gets its name from the

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

duo of Jonathan and David, while

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

"The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner" is a reference to

Alan Sillitoe Alan Sillitoe FRSL (4 March 192825 April 2010) was an English writer and one of the so-called " angry young men" of the 1950s. He disliked the label, as did most of the other writers to whom it was applied. He is best known for his debut novel ...

's short story " The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner." The front cover features band members Mick Cooke and

Bobby Kildea Robert Michael "Bob" Kildea is a musician from Northern Ireland. He plays bass and guitar in the Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, after joining in 2001 to replace departing bassist Stuart David, and had previously been in V-Twin. In D ...

with Gill Dodds. All three tracks from the single were later collected on the ''

Push Barman to Open Old Wounds ''Push Barman to Open Old Wounds'' is a 2005 two-disc/triple-LP compilation released by Belle and Sebastian. ''Blender'' described the collection as "25 charming tales of shy girls dabbling in photography and bookish boys dabbling in shy girls." ...

'' compilation. The title track was the band's first single to feature lead vocals from guitarist

Stevie Jackson Stephen Thomas Jackson (born 16 January 1969) is a Scottish musician and songwriter. He plays lead guitar and sings in the Glasgow-based indie band Belle and Sebastian. Career Jackson's early musical influences include Madness, ABBA, OMD, ...

. Upon its release on 18 June 2001, the single reached number nine in Canada, number 31 in the United Kingdom, and number 46 in Sweden.

Reception

Online magazine ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' said the song "isn't just guitarist

's most triumphant non-album contribution to the Belle and Sebastian canon, it might be the best example of what his songwriting is capable of. timpeccably blends in with his band's MO, with its dense '70s-ish melody and pitch-perfect orchestration. Thematically, it fits with Belle and Sebastian's underdog narrative too."

Track listings

CD and 12-inch EP # "Jonathan David" # "Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It" # "The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner" 7-inch single :A. "Jonathan David" :B. "The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

External links

"Jonathan David" at belleandsebastian.com

"Jonathan David" at jeepster.co.uk
{{Authority control Belle and Sebastian songs 2001 singles 2001 songs Jeepster Records singles