Richard P. Havens, 1983
Encyclopedia
Richard P. Havens, 1983 is a 1969 double album set by folk rock
musician Richie Havens
featuring a combination of studio recordings and live material recorded in concert in July, 1968. The album combined original material with several of the covers for which Havens is known. Notable songs include "Handsome Johnny" and the singles "Stop Pushing and Pulling Me" and "Indian Rope Man", the latter of which has been multiply covered under its own name and in retooled identity as "African Herbsman." The genre-bending album was critically and commercially well-received, reaching #80 on the Billboard
"Pop Albums
" chart. Initially released on the Verve
label, it has been reissued multiple times in various formats, including by Verve subsidiary Verve Forecast Records
, PolyGram
and Australian label Raven Records
. It has also been compiled with albums Mixed Bag
and Something Else Again
in multi-cd set Flyin' Bird: The Verve Forecast Years on the Hip-O Select label.
, world music
and folk blues
. As critic Richie Unterberger
described it in 2003's Eight Miles High, the album "worked towards a folk-rock-world-music fusion of sorts, though one grounded in the sort of bluesy folk [Havens]...and others had pioneered in the Village back in the early 60s." Producer Elliott Mazer said that Havens' method of playing presented some difficulties to the many musicians who joined him, as "Richie was not very interested in learning the chords for the songs" but "made up his own".
Described as a concept album
, this was Havens' first experience co-producing
one of his albums. Additional production on the album was provided by Mazer and Mark Roth, while John Court lent production to the song "Indian Rope Man." For the cover, Roth photographed Havens in infrared
.
"Pop Albums
" chart, and critically well received. 2004's Rip It Up: The Black Experience in Rock'n'Roll indicates that this album, along with Havens' Mixed Bag and Alarm Clock, "should be considered staples of the rock canon." The Rough Guide to Rock praises it as "an excellent mix of originals and covers, with a darker, brooding feel." In a more modest assessment, Unterberger's review in Allmusic summarizes, "As with many double albums, it perhaps could have used some pruning, although in general it was a worthy expansion of his sound as captured on record."
Notable songs on the album include "Handsome Johnny", which is among Havens' best known songs. Havens and actor Lou Gossett, Jr. had written the tune for 1967's Mixed Bag
, and it would become a standard by the time he notably updated it during his 1969 performance at Woodstock
.
The album also includes several of the covers for which Havens is known, particularly the "imaginative covers" of Beatles and Bob Dylan
which Unterberger indicated "he was able to recast as his own". However, while Rough Guide suggested that the album bears "witness to Havens' compelling ability as a live performer", Unterberger discerned on this particular recording "an over reliance on Beatles covers" and felt "the live stuff on side four...seems like an afterthought to push the set to double-LP length."
Singles released from the album include "Stop Pulling and Pushing Me", the B side of a cover of "Rocky Raccoon
", in July of 1969, and "Indian Rope Man", which was released twice in May 1969: as an "A" side with "Just Above My Hobby Horses Head" and a "B" side with Beatles' cover "Lady Madonna
." "Indian Rope Man" has proved enduring, with multiple covers by Brian Auger
, Julie Driscoll
and Phaze, among others. It was also retooled and retitled as "African Herbsman", under which title it was performed by Bob Marley
.
in 1969 on Verve Records. It was re-released as a compact disk in 1990 on Polygram. In 2004, Richard P. Havens, 1983 was combined with two other Havens albums on a Hip-O Select double CD titled Flyin' Bird: The Verve Forecast Years.
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
musician Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
featuring a combination of studio recordings and live material recorded in concert in July, 1968. The album combined original material with several of the covers for which Havens is known. Notable songs include "Handsome Johnny" and the singles "Stop Pushing and Pulling Me" and "Indian Rope Man", the latter of which has been multiply covered under its own name and in retooled identity as "African Herbsman." The genre-bending album was critically and commercially well-received, reaching #80 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
"Pop Albums
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
" chart. Initially released on the Verve
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
label, it has been reissued multiple times in various formats, including by Verve subsidiary Verve Forecast Records
Verve Forecast Records
Verve Forecast Records is a record label specializing in cutting-edge material which was founded in 1967 by Verve Records and since been revived twice....
, PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
and Australian label Raven Records
Raven Records
Raven Records is an Australian record label that specializes in retrospectives and reissues or recordings by American, British and Australian artists.Raven Records was established in 1979 by Glenn A. Baker, Kevin Mueller and Peter Shillito....
. It has also been compiled with albums Mixed Bag
Mixed Bag
Mixed Bag is a 1967 album by Richie Havens. Although often mistaken as his debut, this was actually Havens's third record. It followed two earlier, lesser-known releases on Douglas Records...
and Something Else Again
Something Else Again
Something Else Again is an album by American folk singer and guitarist Richie Havens, released in 1967. "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" was later reworked by Yes on their second album, Time and a Word. The track, "Run, Shaker Life" was reworked from Havens' old band, The Last Men,...
in multi-cd set Flyin' Bird: The Verve Forecast Years on the Hip-O Select label.
Background
Richard P. Havens, 1983 compiles a number of studio tracks with live material recorded for a concert in July of 1968. Musically, it displays Havens' multi-instrumental approach and demonstrates the influence of several genres, including folk rockFolk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
, world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
and folk blues
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
. As critic Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...
described it in 2003's Eight Miles High, the album "worked towards a folk-rock-world-music fusion of sorts, though one grounded in the sort of bluesy folk [Havens]...and others had pioneered in the Village back in the early 60s." Producer Elliott Mazer said that Havens' method of playing presented some difficulties to the many musicians who joined him, as "Richie was not very interested in learning the chords for the songs" but "made up his own".
Described as a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, this was Havens' first experience co-producing
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
one of his albums. Additional production on the album was provided by Mazer and Mark Roth, while John Court lent production to the song "Indian Rope Man." For the cover, Roth photographed Havens in infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
.
Music and reception
The album was commercially successful, reaching #80 on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
"Pop Albums
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
" chart, and critically well received. 2004's Rip It Up: The Black Experience in Rock'n'Roll indicates that this album, along with Havens' Mixed Bag and Alarm Clock, "should be considered staples of the rock canon." The Rough Guide to Rock praises it as "an excellent mix of originals and covers, with a darker, brooding feel." In a more modest assessment, Unterberger's review in Allmusic summarizes, "As with many double albums, it perhaps could have used some pruning, although in general it was a worthy expansion of his sound as captured on record."
Notable songs on the album include "Handsome Johnny", which is among Havens' best known songs. Havens and actor Lou Gossett, Jr. had written the tune for 1967's Mixed Bag
Mixed Bag
Mixed Bag is a 1967 album by Richie Havens. Although often mistaken as his debut, this was actually Havens's third record. It followed two earlier, lesser-known releases on Douglas Records...
, and it would become a standard by the time he notably updated it during his 1969 performance at Woodstock
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
.
The album also includes several of the covers for which Havens is known, particularly the "imaginative covers" of Beatles and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
which Unterberger indicated "he was able to recast as his own". However, while Rough Guide suggested that the album bears "witness to Havens' compelling ability as a live performer", Unterberger discerned on this particular recording "an over reliance on Beatles covers" and felt "the live stuff on side four...seems like an afterthought to push the set to double-LP length."
Singles released from the album include "Stop Pulling and Pushing Me", the B side of a cover of "Rocky Raccoon
Rocky Raccoon
"Rocky Raccoon" is a song by The Beatles from the double-disc album The Beatles . The song was primarily written by Paul McCartney, who was inspired while playing acoustic guitar with John Lennon and Donovan in India .-Composition:The song, a folk rock ballad, is titled from the character's name,...
", in July of 1969, and "Indian Rope Man", which was released twice in May 1969: as an "A" side with "Just Above My Hobby Horses Head" and a "B" side with Beatles' cover "Lady Madonna
Lady Madonna
"Lady Madonna" is a song by The Beatles, primarily written by Paul McCartney . In March 1968, it was released as a single, backed with "The Inner Light." The song was recorded on 3 and 6 February 1968 before the Beatles left for India...
." "Indian Rope Man" has proved enduring, with multiple covers by Brian Auger
Brian Auger
Brian Auger is a jazz and rock keyboardist, who has specialized in playing the Hammond organ.A jazz pianist, bandleader, session musician and Hammond B3 player, Auger has played or toured with artists such as Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy Williamson, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon...
, Julie Driscoll
Julie Driscoll
Julie Tippetts is an English singer and actress, known for her 1960s versions of Bob Dylan's "This Wheel's on Fire", and Donovan's "Season of the Witch", both with Brian Auger & The Trinity...
and Phaze, among others. It was also retooled and retitled as "African Herbsman", under which title it was performed by Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
.
Track listing
Except where otherwise noted, all tracks composed by Richie Havens.- "Stop Pulling and Pushing Me" – 1:48
- "For Haven's Sake" – 7:01
- "Strawberry Fields ForeverStrawberry Fields Forever"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. It was inspired by Lennon's memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named "Strawberry Field" near his childhood home."Strawberry Fields...
" (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) – 3:37 - "What More Can I Say John?" – 4:38
- "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) – 3:09 - "Lady MadonnaLady Madonna"Lady Madonna" is a song by The Beatles, primarily written by Paul McCartney . In March 1968, it was released as a single, backed with "The Inner Light." The song was recorded on 3 and 6 February 1968 before the Beatles left for India...
" (Lennon, McCartney) – 1:57 - "Priests" (Leonard CohenLeonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
) – 5:15 - "Indian Rope Man" (Havens, Joe Price, Mark RothMark RothMark Roth is a former professional bowler. He was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. As a youth he resided in Meiers Corners, Staten Island, New York City, New York.-Bowling career:...
) – 3:02 - "Cautiously" (Maurey Hayden) – 4:00
- "Just Above My Hobby Horse's Head" (Havens, Roth) – 2:58
- "She's Leaving HomeShe's Leaving Home"She's Leaving Home" is a song credited to Lennon–McCartney and released in 1967 on The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. McCartney wrote and sang the verse and Lennon the chorus...
" (Lennon, McCartney) – 4:05 - "Putting out the Vibration, and Hoping It Comes Home" (Havens, Roth) – 2:53
- "The Parable of Ramon" (live) (Havens, Roth) – 7:56
- "With a Little Help from My FriendsWith a Little Help from My Friends-Joe Cocker version:Joe Cocker's version was a radical re-arrangement of the original, in a slower, 6/8 meter, using different chords in the middle eight, and a lengthy instrumental introduction...
" (live) (Lennon, McCartney) – 5:19 - "Wear Your Love Like HeavenWear Your Love Like Heaven"Wear Your Love Like Heaven" is a song and US-single by Donovan, released in 1967. It became the opening title of his double album A Gift from a Flower to a Garden...
" (live) (Donovan LeitchDonovanDonovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
) – 4:55 - "Run, Shaker Life" (live) – 4:04
- "Do You Feel Good?" (live) – 4:52
- "Handsome Johnny" (Lou Gossett, Jr., Havens) – 3:54
- "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" – 2:58
Performance
- Warren BernhardtWarren BernhardtWarren Bernhardt is a noted pianist in jazz, pop and classical music.His father was a pianist, leading him to have early childhood exposure to piano, and he learned some rudiments of keyboarding from his friends. At five his parents moved to New York City where he began studying seriously under...
– keyboards, clavinetClavinetA Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various... - Brad Campbell – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Bob Chase – percussion
- Diane Comins – harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings... - Jim Fairs – bass
- Richie HavensRichie HavensRichard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
– acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, tamboura, handclappingClappingA clap is the sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often in a constant drone to express appreciation or approval , but also in rhythm to match sounds in music and dance...
, ondiolineOndiolineThe Ondioline is an electronic keyboard instrument, invented in 1941 by the Frenchman Georges Jenny, and is a forerunner of today's synthesizers.The Ondioline was capable of creating a wide variety of sounds... - Charles Howall – vocals
- Carol Hunter – bass
- Teddy Irwin – guitar
- Bruce LanghorneBruce LanghorneBruce Langhorne is an American folk musician. He was active in the Greenwich Village folk scene in the 1960s, primarily as a session guitarist for folk albums and performances...
– guitar - Ken LauberKen LauberKen Lauber is an American composer, arranger producer, musician, singer and playwright.-Early career:Born in New York City in 1941 and raised on Long Island, his first music lessons of note were drum lessons with the legendary drummers Gene Krupa and Cozy Cole when he was thirteen...
– keyboards - Donald McDonald – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Arnie Moore – bass
- Weldon Myrick – steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
- John Ord – organ, piano, celesteCeleste- People :* Celeste Holm , US actress* Madame Céleste , French dancer and actress* Celeste , American former pornographic actress* Dick Celeste , governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991...
, keyboards - Skip ProkopSkip ProkopRonn "Skip" Prokop is a Canadian drummer and band leader who was a driving force in Canadian rock music, creating seminal bands, including The Paupers...
– drums - Charlie SmallsCharlie SmallsCharlie Smalls was an African-American composer and songwriter, best known for writing the music for the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz....
– keyboard, piano - Jeremy SteigJeremy Steig-Biography:Steig is the son of New Yorker cartoonist William Steig,At age 19 Steig was involved in a motorcycle accident which left him paralyzed on one side...
– fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening... - Stephen StillsStephen StillsStephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
– bass - Collin WalcottCollin WalcottCollin Walcott was a North American musician. He was a student of Ravi Shankar and Vasant Rai. Collin expanded the role of the sitar in western music. Walcott studied music and ethnomusicology at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and at The University of California at Los Angeles...
– sitar, tablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres... - Paul "Dino" Williams – guitar
- Daniel Ben Zebulon – drums
Production
- Warren Barnett – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Bill Blachly – engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Carter Collins – conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
- John Court – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Richie Havens – arrangerArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, producer - Wally HeiderWally HeiderWally Heider was an American recording engineer and recording studio owner - History :After a distinguished career as an engineer in the 1940s and 1950s, he was instrumental in recording the San Francisco Sound in the late 60s and early 70s...
– engineer - Al Manger – engineer
- Elliot Mazer – producer
- Ian McFarlane – release preparation
- Kevin Mueller – release preparation
- Terry Reilly – liner notesLiner notesLiner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
- Mark Roth – producer, photography, cover design
- Peter Shillito – concept, release preparation
Chart position
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Pop Albums | 80 |
Releases
The album was initially released on vinylGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
in 1969 on Verve Records. It was re-released as a compact disk in 1990 on Polygram. In 2004, Richard P. Havens, 1983 was combined with two other Havens albums on a Hip-O Select double CD titled Flyin' Bird: The Verve Forecast Years.
| year | format | label | catalog # |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | LP | Verve | 3047 |
| 1983 | LP | Verve/Forecast | FTS-3047 |
| 1990 | CD | Polygram | 835212 |
| CD | Verve | 835212 | |
| CD | Verve/Forecast | SE-4700-2 | |
| 2004 | 2CD | Hip-O Select | 2569 |
| 2008 | CD | Raven | 274 |
External links
- Richie Havens lyrics, hosted with permission by MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....