History Music / RichardThompson

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Sergeant McCrae in '1952 Vincent Black Lightning', who summons Red Molly to the bedside of her dying lover.

* ApocalypseWow: 'Wheely Down' plays with this, to unnerving effect.
* BadassBiker: The hero of '1952 Vincent Black Lightning'

* DrunkenSong: Subverted by 'God Loves A Drunk'.
* DualMeaningChorus: Seen in 'Shane & Dixie'. The chorus 'Fame and Love will never die' is sung at first as a quote from the titular Shane as a total sincere expression of his beliefs. By the end of the song (When Shane has committed suicide and Dixie has got married to a journalist) the lyrics become ironic as Shane is totally forgotten.

* IntercourseWithYou: 'Hokey Pokey', a song supposedly about ice cream with lyrics such as 'Some like it round/Some like it fat/Some like a poke or two'
* LyricalDissonance: Most times the downbeat nature of the music will match the lyrics, but he will often produce an upbeat tune such as 'Wall of Death' (a jolly number about a mutually destructive couple) 'Read About Love' (a upbeat song about a boy who ends up raping a girl through misconceptions about sex) and 'Bad Monkey' (a bouncy little ditty about drug addiction).

* DrunkenSong: Subverted by 'God Loves A Drunk'

** See also 'I Agree With Pat Metheney', a live-only tune savaging (in hilarious fashion) Kenny G for overdubbing himself onto Louis Armstrong's 'What A Wonderful World.' "He does play sharp, but let's be fair/ He has such lovely crinkly hair."

Richard Thompson is a highly regarded British singer/songwriter/guitarist, admired for his virtuosity and his incredibly dark but brilliant lyrics. He began as songwriter for the British Folk-Rock group Fairport Convention before striking out as a solo artist (recording a number of albums with his then wife Linda). Highly regarded amongst his peers including [[TalkingHeads David Byrne]], ElvisCostello and Christy Moore, he has somehow avoided commercial success.

Studio Albums:

[[AC:Albums with Danny Thompson ([[NamesTheSame no relation]]]])

[[AC:Albums with Danny Thompson ([[NamesTheSame no relation]])

[[AC:Solo]]

* ''Industry'' (1997, collaboration with Danny Thompson)

[[AC:with Linda Thompson]]

Studio Albums

* WorkingWithTheEx: ''Shoot Out The Lights'', made during the dissolution of his marriage to Linda. The supporting tour had Linda tripping him as he went onstage, and guitarist and fellow FairportConvention alum Simon Nicol said that the first thing he would do was look for the exits.

* NoHitWonder: No entries on either the US or UK pop charts. He does however, have two entries on the Billboard Alternative chart ("Turning the Tide" made #30 in 1988 and "It Feels So Good" made #15 in 1991).

** In the 2000's their relationship as friends had been repaired enough that Richard appeared on Linda's 2002 album ''Fashionably Late''. In 2010, the two performed their first show together since 1982 at a tribute to their recently deceased mutual friend, folk singer Kate [=McGarrigle=], at the Meltdown Festival.

!! Tropes include in his work include

* DrunkenSong: Brutally subverted by 'God Loves A Drunk'

* CreatorCouples: The years with Linda Thompson.

** See also 'I Agree With Pat Metheney', a live-only tune savaging (in hilarious fashion) Kenny G for overdubbing himself onto Louis Armstrong's 'What A Wonderful World.' "He does play sharp, but let's be fair/ He has such lovely crinkly hair."

** His latest album features 'Here Comes Geordie' - a particularly blatant TakeThat against Sting.

* LyricalDissonance: Most times the downbeat nature of the music will match the lyrics, but he will often produce an upbeat tune such as 'Wall of Death' (a jolly number about a mutually destructive couple) 'Read About Love' (a upbeat song about a boy who ends up raping a girl through sexually innocence) and 'Bad Monkey' (a bouncy little ditty about drug addiction).