Jonathan Coulton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonathan Coulton
|
|
|---|---|
Coulton in 2011
|
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | JoCo |
| Born | December 1, 1970 |
| Origin | Colchester, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, radio musician, in-house musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, banjo, ukulele, zendrum, accordion, harmonica, mandolin, glockenspiel, analog synthesizers |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Associated acts | Paul and Storm, Kristen Shirts, John Hodgman, Molly Lewis, Ellen McLain, Ze Frank, They Might Be Giants, John Roderick, Aimee Mann, Andy Bates, Sara Quin |
Jonathan William Coulton (born December 1, 1970), often called "JoCo" by his fans, is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for his funny songs about "geek culture" and how he used the internet to connect with his fans.
Some of his most popular songs include "Code Monkey", "Re: Your Brains", "Still Alive", and "Want You Gone". The last three songs were even featured in popular video games like Left 4 Dead 2, Portal, and Portal 2. From 2012 to 2021, he was the house musician for the NPR puzzle show Ask Me Another.
His album Artificial Heart was very successful. It reached the top of Billboard magazine's Top Heatseekers chart.
Contents
Jonathan Coulton's Music Career
Jonathan Coulton's music often sounds like folk rock, with some pop and indie rock mixed in.
Early Days and Geeky Songs (1990s–2005)
Jonathan Coulton graduated from Yale in 1993. In the 1990s, he was part of a band called SuperGroup. Before becoming a full-time musician, he worked as a computer programmer.
He describes himself as a "geek," and his songs often have clever, funny lyrics about science fiction and technology. Most of his songs feature his singing along with guitar, bass, and drums. He also plays many other instruments, including the accordion, harmonica, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and glockenspiel.
His first album, Smoking Monkey, was released in November 2003. Early podcasters, like Adam Curry, helped share Coulton's music with more people. He also worked with Popular Science magazine and hosted their "PopSci Podcast from the Moon."
"Thing a Week" Albums (2005–2006)
From September 2005 to September 2006, Coulton did a project called "Thing a Week". He wrote and recorded a new song every single week for 51 weeks! He wanted to see if he could be creative under a deadline. He also wanted to find out if an artist could make a living using the internet and Creative Commons licenses to share their music.
This project helped him gain many fans. By 2007, he was earning more money from his music than he did as a programmer. About 40% of his income came from digital song downloads. The other 40% came from selling merchandise and performing live shows.
In 2006, Coulton started touring with the comedy duo Paul and Storm. At first, he opened their shows, but as he became more popular, he started headlining his own concerts.
"Still Alive" and More Games (2007–2008)
Jonathan Coulton wrote and performed the song "Still Alive" for the ending of the video game Portal in 2007. The vocals in the game were sung by Ellen McLain. This song became very popular and was even added as free content for the game Rock Band.
"Still Alive" is considered one of the most important songs in video game music. In 2011, Coulton wrote another song for the end of Portal 2, called "Want You Gone". He also wrote "You Wouldn't Know" for Lego Dimensions, which was also Portal-themed.
Another famous song by Coulton is "Code Monkey". It was featured on popular websites like Slashdot and the webcomic Penny Arcade. It even became the theme song for an animated TV show called Code Monkeys.
Coulton also worked with author John Hodgman. He played guitar on Hodgman's promotional tracks and in the audiobook for The Areas of My Expertise.
New Albums and Collaborations (2009–2012)
In 2009, Coulton released an album called The Aftermath. It included songs he had recorded after his "Thing a Week" project.
A live concert DVD and CD, Best. Concert. Ever., was released in 2009. It featured Coulton playing "Still Alive" with special guests. He also toured with the band They Might Be Giants in 2010 and 2012.
On May 25, 2010, Coulton announced he was working on a new album. It was produced by John Flansburgh from They Might Be Giants. This was his first album recorded with a full band in a professional studio. The album, Artificial Heart, came out on November 8, 2011. It had 18 songs, including his two songs from the Portal games.
In May 2012, Coulton became the house musician for the NPR game show Ask Me Another. He performed his own songs and covers related to the show's trivia.
Since 2011, Coulton has hosted his own yearly cruise called the JoCo Cruise. It's a week-long trip that attracts fans of board games, video games, and "nerdy" music. Jonathan Coulton performs live on these cruises and joins in the fun.
Recent Projects (2013–Present)
In 2013, Coulton announced he was working with comic book writer Greg Pak on a graphic novel. It was based on characters from his songs and called Code Monkey Save World. The project quickly raised money through Kickstarter.
In 2013, it was announced that Coulton would write lyrics for The SpongeBob Musical. The musical premiered in Chicago in June 2016. Coulton wrote the opening song, "Bikini Bottom Day," which became SpongeBob's main theme. He also helped with other songs in the show. Coulton and the other musical contributors won an award for Outstanding New Score.
In June 2016, Coulton started writing a one-minute "Previously On" song for the beginning of the CBS TV series BrainDead.
On April 28, 2017, Coulton released a new album called Solid State. He also co-wrote songs with Aimee Mann for her 2017 album "Mental Illness." He joined her on tour, playing guitar and singing backup.
In 2018, an episode of the TV show The Good Fight featured a song by Coulton. It was a short, animated song about efforts to impeach Donald Trump.
On March 29, 2019, Coulton released Some Guys. This album was a collection of cover songs from the 1970s.
Coulton provided the opening theme for The Adventure Zone: Abnimals in 2024.
Sharing Music and Licensing
Jonathan Coulton releases most of his songs under a Creative Commons license. This means people can use his songs in their own non-commercial projects, as long as they give him credit. Because of this, many fan-made music videos have been created using his songs.
Most of Coulton's songs are available on his website as MP3 and FLAC downloads. Many are free, and none of them have digital rights management (DRM). This makes it easy for fans to listen to and share his music.
The songs "Still Alive", "Want You Gone", and "Wikipedia Chanukah" are a bit different. Coulton gave the rights for "Still Alive" and "Want You Gone" to Valve, the company that made the Portal games. "Wikipedia Chanukah" has a different license to fit with Wikipedia's rules.
The "Glee" Situation
One of Jonathan Coulton's well-known songs is his 2005 acoustic cover of "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot. Coulton created a new melody for his version.
In 2013, the TV show Glee covered Coulton's version of the song without his permission. They even used a line from his original cover. Coulton had released his cover under a Creative Commons 3.0 license. This license requires people to give him credit and says they cannot use it for commercial purposes without permission.
Glee's lawyers said they had the right to use it and that Coulton should be happy for the exposure. However, Coulton received no credit. Because of how his original cover was licensed, it was difficult for him to sue.
Instead, Coulton released a new single called "Baby Got Back (In the Style of Glee)." He said it was a "cover of Glee's cover of my cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot's song." It sounded exactly like his original version. Coulton decided to donate the money from sales of this song to two charities related to Glee: the VH1 Save the Music Foundation and the It Gets Better Project.
In January 2014, the TV show The Good Wife even based an episode on this situation.
Jonathan Coulton's Music Albums
Studio Albums
- Smoking Monkey (2003)
- Thing a Week One (2006)
- Thing a Week Two (2006)
- Thing a Week Three (2006)
- Thing a Week Four (2006)
- The Aftermath (2009)
- Artificial Heart (2011)
- Solid State (2017)
- Some Guys (2019)
EPs (Extended Plays)
- Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow (2004)
- Our Bodies, Ourselves, Our Cybernetic Arms (2005)
Compilations (Collections)
- JoCo Looks Back (2008)
- Jonathan Coulton's Greatest Hit (Plus 13 Other Songs) (2012)
Live Albums
- Best. Concert. Ever. (2009)
- JoCo Live (2014)
Other Songs and Appearances
- Other Experiments (Rarities Collection) (2005)
- Unplugged (Live on Second Life) (2006)
- The Orange Box Original Soundtrack (2007)
- "Still Alive" (Sung by Ellen McLain)
- "Still Alive" (Sung by Jonathan Coulton)
- Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti (2010)
- "The Princess Who Saved Herself"
- Portal 2 Soundtrack: Songs to Test By – Volume 3 (2011)
- "Want You Gone" (Sung by Ellen McLain)
- One Christmas at a Time (with John Roderick) (2012)
- Lego Dimensions (2015)
- "You Wouldn't Know" (Sung by Ellen McLain)
- SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical (2017)
- "Bikini Bottom Day" (performed by the cast of SpongeBob SquarePants)
Other Versions of His Songs
- Pianist Louis Durra made an instrumental version of "Code Monkey" for his albums "Mad World EP" and "Arrogant Doormats" (2011).
- The band I Fight Dragons covered "The Future Soon" on their "IFD Super Secret Exclusives" EP (2009).
- The Yale Whiffenpoofs, a singing group Jonathan Coulton used to be part of, covered his song "Re: Your Brains" on their album The Best Whiffenpoofs Ever.
JoCo Cruise: A Fun Trip for Fans
The JoCo Cruise is a special week-long cruise that Jonathan Coulton started in 2011. It's a popular event for fans of board games, video games, and "nerdy" music. Jonathan Coulton performs his music live on each cruise and enjoys the trip with his fans.
See also
In Spanish: Jonathan Coulton para niños
