Pat DiNizio’s friend Marc Jonson pays tribute to him with new song (WATCH VIDEO)

by JAY LUSTIG

MARC JONSON

Marc Jonson — who co-wrote “Groovy Tuesday,” a song on The Smithereens’ 1986 debut album Especially for You — has written a song, “Smash,” that pays tribute to the band’s late frontman, Pat DiNizio. He performed it at a Feb. 25 DiNizio tribute concert at Crossroads in Garwood, and has made a video for it, featuring vintage photos and film clips of DiNizio and the band. You can watch it below.

In the song, he reminisces about meeting DiNizio when they were both starting out in the music business in New York, and DiNizio was chasing a “distant sound.”

“The Beatles and The Who, they echoed through his Jersey head/Dennis, Mike and Jimmy just for luck showed up instead,” Jonson sings.

He also sings, in the song’s clever and catchy chorus: “They turned their amps up loud and smashed those songs to smithereens.”

Jonson, who wrote “Groovy Tuesday” with DiNizio and Steve Forbert, spelled his name Mark Johnson at the time. He is a veteran singer-songwriter who has also written songs recorded by The Roches (“Love Radiates Around,” “No Trespassing”), Dave Edmunds (“King of Love”), Robert Gordon (“Are You Gonna Be the One?,” “Lover Boy,” “Take Me Back”), Paul Butterfield (“Bad Love”) and many others. For more about him, visit marcjonson.com.

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4 comments

Michael Mitsch March 1, 2018 - 11:52 pm

wow, great lyrics. Powerful melody

Reply
Matthew Pollack March 2, 2018 - 1:33 am

Yes…between the lyrics and the visuals…brought back some great memories.

Reply
Gene Turonis March 2, 2018 - 9:37 pm

Good solid rockin’!
Good song dynamics,
singing & band & arrangement.

A Tribute, nice.

Reply
Dr. Van March 3, 2018 - 5:54 pm

Sounds great Marc!
More power to ya!
Feel so privileged you performed at my house the other night. Even if it was without a pic. It was awesome! Thank you.
Hope you’and Maria will come back and spend some more time with us.
Hot tub and flotation spa!! Same good vegan foods!
Van & florence

Reply

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