Greg Kihn, the rock singer-songwriter who scored with “Jeopardy” and “The Breakup Tune (They Don’t Write ‘Em)” and helped particular an period of energy pop within the Nineteen Eighties, died Tuesday at age 75, his household introduced in a press release. The reason for demise was problems from Alzheimer’s illness.
With the Greg Kihn Band, the singer reached No. 15 on the Billboard Scorching 100 in 1981 with “The Breakup Tune,” scaling even higher heights in 1983 with “Jeopardy,” which hit No. 2 on the nationwide chart and have become an early staple of the nascent MTV. The latter track continues to be a part of the general public consciousness not simply due to its personal enduring earworm qualities, however due to a preferred parody by “Bizarre Al” Yankovic, “I Misplaced on Jeopardy.”
Kihn was a part of the Beserkley Information secure of artists to come back out of the Bay Space within the mid-’70s, having launched his first track as a solo artist on the influential compilation “Beserkley Chartbusters Vol. 1” in 1976, arising alongside such labelmates as Jonathan Richman, the Rubinoos and Earth Quake.
“We weren’t like the opposite SF bands,” Kihn mentioned in a 2018 interview. “Our music was derived from the British bands just like the Who and the Faces. We had been all the time writing new songs, and the followers got here again week after week to see what we’d provide you with. It was all in regards to the songs, not the jamming.
Earlier than transferring to San Francisco in 1972, Kihn grew up in Baltimore, and gained a expertise contest sponsored by a neighborhood radio station whereas nonetheless in highschool. He signed with Beserkley in 1973, although it will not be until 1976 that he launched his first album, “Greg Kihn.”
Ultimately he established a sample of pun-fueled titles, with album releases that included “Subsequent of Kihn” (1978), “RocKihnRoll” (1981), “Kihntinued” (1982), “Kihntagious” 1984) and “Rekihndled” (2017).
Kihn additionally revealed six novels, beginning with “Horror Present” in 1996.
Kihn was grateful to Yankovic for giving his No. 2 hit much more of an afterlife than it in any other case would have had. “I beloved his model of ‘I Misplaced on Jeopardy’,” he mentioned. “It was an excellent parody. Al is an excellent gifted musician. He invited me to seem in his video and I had a ball. God bless that man! I nonetheless get mailbox cash from Bizarre Al!”
Kihn was additionally happy when “The Breakup Tune” received picked up for “Grand Theft Auto V,” saying the track “is attracting an entire technology of followers and it’s very thrilling. The track has endured a few years and exhibits no indicators of slowing down. It matches properly within the sport and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
He was the primary to file a Bruce Springsteen track, “Rendezvous,” due to the Boss being a fan. Kihn admitted he sang the phrases flawed, which concerned a joke. “Bruce would begin displaying up the gigs and he confirmed up once we performed on the Roxy in L.A.,” he recalled in a 2019 interview. “And right here comes Bruce and he’s hanging backstage with us and he beloved my model of ‘For You,’ so (he says) ‘I wish to provide you with one other track’ — it was ‘Rendezvous.’ So he writes the lyrics on a serviette from the Roxy. I stick it in my pocket. In these days we needed to do an early present and a late present, and I sweated like a pig! Effectively, I am going on the market and once I return to the lodge I attain in my pocket to have a look at the lyrics and it’s white pulp. I used to be freaking out and I am going, ‘Oh my God, Springsteen gave me a track and now I can’t do it!’ So I referred to as Jon Landau’s workplace and defined Bruce gave me the track and he says, ‘Okay, no drawback I’m going to ship you a cassette,’ so he sends me a cassette which I need to’ve listened to one million instances…
“Bruce shouldn’t be actually recognized for his diction, and there have been some lyrics I couldn’t determine what he was saying, just like the bridge completely sounds to me like he’s singing ‘And we need a lot greater than squirrels’ — I can’t be proper. I performed that cassette 1000 instances for everyone that I knew… the blokes within the band go ‘Yeah, it’s squirrels, it received to be squirrels.’ So I attempted to slur my voice once I did it… I didn’t actually sing it both means, however I knew it wasn’t squirrels. So a yr later Springsteen exhibits up at a gig and goes, ‘Hey Greg, there ain’t no squirrels in that track.’”
He was a morning radio host for KFOX for 18 years, starting in 1996, in addition to a syndicated nighttime radio host. “In fact, whereas I used to be there, it had been purchased and offered many instances: Clear Channel, Intercom, Cumulus, all these totally different varied ownerships, and so they moved it to San Francisco to a excessive stand up there, a penthouse suite of radio stations… I had nice scores, every part, however I believe they fired me as a result of they had been paying me an excessive amount of cash for too lengthy, and I can completely perceive that.” However, he famous, “The day that I received fired was the day I received inducted into the Bay Space Radio Corridor of Fame. So go determine.”
In a 2022 interview, Kihn admitted he hadn’t all the time had a wholesome life-style, and was blissful to nonetheless be round. “All people would have mentioned that I’d have been the primary one to go, I’m positive… I lucked out. And, , life has been excellent to me. I’ve had an exquisite profession, a number of careers: radio, information, and literary. I really feel like I’ve been blessed and I had an excellent life. And if all of it ended tomorrow, which I don’t suppose it’ll, I look again on it as a giant fats plus. I actually really feel like I’ve been very fortunate. And being a musician, you’re simply attempting to place one foot in entrance of the opposite. You simply observe your footsteps. And it’s like that being a author or a man on the radio. So for me, I observe my footsteps. And it has led me right here, and I don’t know the place it’s going to go away me subsequent, however I’m prepared, man.”
A personal memorial celebration for family and friends is predicted to be adopted by public celebration of life live performance for followers and fellow musicians, with particulars to be introduced.
Kihn is survived by Jay Arafiles-Kihn, his spouse; a son, Ryan Kihn, and daughter, Alexis Harrington-Kihn; Samora Harrington, his son-in-law; grandsons Nate Harrington-Kihn and Zuri Harrington-Kihn; his sister, Laura Otremba; Lou Otremba Jr., his brother-in-law), and nephews Larry Otremba, Lou Otremba III and Matthew Otremba.
In lieu of flowers, the household requested that donations be made in Kihn’s title to the Alzheimer’s Affiliation.