Patti Smith: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Patti Smith built rock out of French symbolist poetry, Detroit garage rawness and the downtown New York art scene, then became a memoirist and photographer of equal standing. This mix traces the lineage from Rimbaud and Dylan through CBGB's stage to the women who picked up her phrasing. It also follows her second career on the page, where Just Kids reframed the same myth.

The Kynda mix for Patti Smith

• Key Influence · Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud (1886). Smith has described discovering Rimbaud as a teenager in South Jersey and claiming him as kin — she called him her 'boyfriend,' kept his portrait with her, and later visited his grave in Charleville. The prose-poem bursts of Illuminations underwrite the declamatory free-verse passages of 'Land' and 'Birdland,' where narrative dissolves into imagery, and her book Babel is openly modeled on his visionary derangement of the senses.
• Influencia Obscura · The Village Fugs by The Fugs (1965). Before punk existed, Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg put Lower East Side poetry readings onto rock instrumentation, setting Blake and Swinburne beside scatological doggerel. The Fugs were the working model for what the Patti Smith Group did at St. Mark's and CBGB: poets who refused to stay off the bandstand. Lenny Kaye's rock criticism of the period took the band seriously, and their mimeograph-and-amplifier ethos maps directly onto her early readings.
• Local Roots · Marquee Moon by Television (1977). Smith and Television effectively opened CBGB to the new scene with a shared residency in spring 1975. She wrote admiringly about the band in the rock press, was romantically involved with Tom Verlaine, and produced their first single 'Little Johnny Jewel' on Ork Records; Verlaine plays on her Radio Ethiopia. Marquee Moon's long, interlocking guitar lines are the other half of the same Bowery conversation about rock as a literate art.
• Beyond the Medium · Pierrot le Fou by Jean-Luc Godard (1965). Smith's visual imagination is cinematic: she has spoken of French New Wave films and of Godard's Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo as figures she absorbed alongside Rimbaud. Pierrot le Fou's collage of quotation, color-block tableaux and lovers fleeing into the sea is the method of 'Land' and 'Redondo Beach' — narrative fragments cut together rather than developed, with literary citation worn openly on the surface.
• Peer · Blank Generation by Richard Hell and the Voidoids (1977). Hell shared the Bowery with Smith from the start — a fellow poet who arrived in New York to write and ended up with a bass. He and Smith both read at St. Mark's Poetry Project and circulated in the same small-press world before either had a record deal. Blank Generation is the closest contemporary analogue to Horses: literary ambition delivered with deliberate amateurism, and the record that gave punk its slogan.
• From the Canon · Horses by Patti Smith (1975). Recorded at Electric Lady with John Cale producing and Mapplethorpe's androgynous portrait on the sleeve, Horses is the hinge of her career: 'Gloria' hijacks Van Morrison's garage standard with a blasphemous opening line, and 'Land' stretches 'Land of a Thousand Dances' into nine minutes of Rimbaudian hallucination. It is the document of poetry reading becoming rock band in real time.
• Key Collaborator · Paris 1919 by John Cale (1973). Smith chose Cale to produce Horses specifically because of his work as a literate Welsh avant-gardist rather than a studio professional, and both have described the sessions as a combative, exhausting collision. Paris 1919 is his own masterpiece from just before: orchestrated, allusive art-rock with European literary references everywhere. It shows the sensibility he brought to bear on her band's raw material.
• Legacy · Rid of Me by PJ Harvey (1993). Harvey has acknowledged Horses as formative, and the comparison followed her from her first records: a woman using rock to be unnerving rather than ingratiating, with a voice that moves from mutter to shriek within a line. Rid of Me's abrupt dynamics and biblical, bodily imagery extend Smith's fusion of scripture and desire, and Harvey's refusal of conventional femininity in presentation follows the Horses cover's lead.

What influenced Patti Smith

• Arthur Rimbaud. Smith names Arthur Rimbaud as a major early artistic influence. (also via Illuminations) “I had devoted so much of my girlish daydreams to Arthur Rimbaud . Rimbaud was like my boyfriend.” (Wikipedia)
• The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground. Patti Smith inducted the Velvet Underground into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (also via The Velvet Underground & Nico) “At the ceremony, the band was inducted by Patti Smith” (Wikipedia)
• Bob Dylan. Horses (Patti Smith) — legacy for Bob Dylan (via Horses, Blonde on Blonde) “Musicians who have acknowledged Dylan's influence include John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Jerry Garcia, Pete Townshend, Syd Barrett, Tim Buckley, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, Patti Smith, Joe Strum…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Theatre and Its Double by Antonin Artaud (1938). The Theatre and Its Double (Antonin Artaud) — ghost for Patti Smith “She composed the film's music and contributed poem reading of works by Antonin Artaud, René Daumal and Arthur Rimbaud.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Pierrot le fou by Jean-Luc Godard (1965). Pierrot le Fou (Jean-Luc Godard) — culture for Patti Smith “=== Film and TV appearances === Smith made a cameo appearance in Jean-Luc Godard's Film Socialisme, which was first screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• MC5. Smith cited MC5 as an influence on Radio Ethiopia. “She has said that Radio Ethiopia was influenced by the band MC5 .” (Wikipedia)
• Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud (1886). Illuminations (Arthur Rimbaud) — titan for Patti Smith “In a 1996 interview on artistic influences during her younger years, Smith said, "I had devoted so much of my girlish daydreams to Arthur Rimbaud.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dylan (1966). Blonde on Blonde (Bob Dylan) — titan for Patti Smith “At an early age, Smith was exposed to music, including the albums Shrimp Boats by Harry Belafonte, The Money Tree by Patience and Prudence, and Another Side of Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan's fourth album, released in 1964, which her mother gave …” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Gospel According to St. Matthew by Pier Paolo Pasolini (1964). The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Pier Paolo Pasolini) — culture for Patti Smith “Correspondences explores themes such as the impact of seismic airguns on the oceans, the resilience of nature after the Chernobyl disaster, the anarchist visions of Peter Kropotkin, and the final landscapes of Pier Paolo Pasolini.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Here's Little Richard by Little Richard (1957). Here's Little Richard (Little Richard) — titan for Patti Smith “Patti Smith said, "To me, Little Richard was a person that was able to focus a certain physical, anarchistic, and spiritual energy into a form which we call rock 'n' roll ...” (en.wikipedia.org)
• William Blake (1757). Horses (Patti Smith) — legacy for William Blake (via Horses) “The Vintage anthology of Blake edited by Patti Smith focuses heavily on the earlier work, as do many critical studies such as William Blake by D.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Blue Poles by Jackson Pollock (1952). Blue Poles (Jackson Pollock) — culture for Patti Smith (wikidata.org)
• The Village Fugs by The Fugs (1965). The Village Fugs (The Fugs) — ghost for Patti Smith “A benefit for Kupferberg was held in Brooklyn, New York, in February 2010, featuring all of the Fugs minus Kupferberg, as well as Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye, and others.” (en.wikipedia.org)

Peers and kindred spirits

• Soundwalk Collective by Soundwalk Collective. Soundwalk Collective’s founder recalls Smith recording for their first collaboration. “CORRESPONDENCES is an ever-evolving project between Soundwalk Collective and Patti Smith. Spanning over 10 years, it traverses a wealth of geographies and their natural environments” (Soundwalk Collective)
• Michael Stipe. Smith collaborated with Michael Stipe on R.E.M.'s 'E-Bow the Letter'. (also via Horses, Last Call) “she collaborated with Stipe on " E-Bow the Letter ", a song on R.E.M.'s New Adventures in Hi-Fi” (Wikipedia)
• U2 by U2 (1976). Smith performed live with U2 at their concert. (also via Horses) “performing " Bad " and " People Have the Power " with U2.” (Wikipedia)
• Bruce Springsteen by Bruce Springsteen (1949). Smith co-wrote 'Because the Night' with Bruce Springsteen. (also via Darkness on the Edge of the Town) “her most widely known song, " Because the Night ", co-written with Bruce Springsteen” (Wikipedia)
• E-Bow the Letter by R.E.M.. Smith sang backing vocals on two R.E.M. songs. “We were there rolling tape and we captured it all and we put it together as a chorus and it became E-Bow The Letter .” (Louder)
• Robert Mapplethorpe by Robert Mapplethorpe. Smith’s words from Just Kids describe choosing Mapplethorpe to photograph the Horses cover. “There was never any question that Robert would take the portrait” (Mastermind)
• Kevin Shields by Kevin Shields. A contemporaneous review describes Shields’s accompaniment to Smith’s The Coral Sea. “Kevin Shields has recently been boosting demand for earplugs with his My Bloody Valentine live shows, but here he is perfectly restrained, supplying sounds and textures to a gripping, if demanding, two-hour listen.” (The Guardian)
• Tom Verlaine by Tom Verlaine. Smith co-wrote a poetry book, The Night, with Tom Verlaine. “The couple co-wrote a book of poetry, The Night , with Smith's poems on the odd-numbered pages and Verlaine's on the even ones.” (Wikipedia)
• John Cale. Horses was produced by John Cale. (via Horses, Paris 1919) “the Patti Smith Group recorded their debut album, Horses , produced by John Cale amid some tension.” (Wikipedia)
• Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 by Various Artists (1972). Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 (Various Artists) — collaborator for Patti Smith “Kaye authored a 1972 anthology of garage rock during the 1960s, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Talking Heads (1975). Horses (Patti Smith) — geography for Talking Heads (via Horses) “I adored watching Patti onstage, but while Debbie was very much a team player, Patti was very diva-like. She was this grand poetess.” (Classic Pop Magazine)
• The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground (1967). The Velvet Underground & Nico (The Velvet Underground) — geography for Patti Smith “At the ceremony, the band was inducted by Patti Smith, and the trio performed "Last Night I Said Goodbye to My Friend", written in tribute to Morrison.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Lenny Kaye by Lenny Kaye. Smith credits Kaye with helping develop much of the material on Horses. “He, Lenny Kaye and I developed most of the work that’s on Horses together.” (The Bad Penny)
• Words of Love by Buddy Holly. Smith covered Buddy Holly's 'Words of Love' for a tribute album. “Smith recorded a cover of Buddy Holly 's " Words of Love " for the CD Rave on Buddy Holly” (Wikipedia)
• Paris 1919 by John Cale (1973). Paris 1919 (John Cale) — collaborator for Patti Smith “Later that year, the Patti Smith Group recorded their debut album, Horses, produced by John Cale amid some tension.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Io come persona by Giorgio Gaber. Smith covered Giorgio Gaber's 'Io come persona'. “Smith recorded a cover of Io come persona by Italian singer-songwriter Giorgio Gaber .” (Wikipedia)
• Sam Shepard. Smith co-wrote the play Cowboy Mouth with Sam Shepard. “Smith performed in the one-act play Cowboy Mouth , which she co-wrote with Sam Shepard .” (Wikipedia)
• Marquee Moon by Television (1977). Marquee Moon (Television) — geography for Patti Smith “In March 1975, the Patti Smith Group began a two-month weekend set of shows at CBGB in New York City with the band Television.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Parallel Lines by Blondie (1978). Parallel Lines (Blondie) — peer for Patti Smith “By the spring of 1975, O'Connor had left the music business and Smith replaced Richard Hell in Television, while Kral eventually joined the Patti Smith Group.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• New York Dolls by New York Dolls (1973). New York Dolls (New York Dolls) — geography for Patti Smith “The New York Dolls were the catalyst for New York's early punk rock scene, which included Television, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, the Ramones, Blondie, and Richard Hell and the Voidoids, in addition to being one of the most influential b…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• When Doves Cry. Smith's Land compilation includes a cover of Prince's 'When Doves Cry'. “includes a cover of Prince 's " When Doves Cry ".” (Wikipedia)
• Blue Öyster Cult. Smith wrote lyrics for several Blue Öyster Cult songs. “She contributed lyrics to several Blue Öyster Cult songs, including "Debbie Denise"” (Wikipedia)
• Ray Manzarek. Smith performed a poem on Ray Manzarek's album. “she performed "I Wake Up Screaming", a poem, on The Whole Thing Started with Rock & Roll Now It's Out of Control , an album by The Doors ' Ray Manzarek .” (Wikipedia)
• Darkness on the Edge of the Town by Bruce Springsteen (1978). Darkness on the Edge of the Town (Bruce Springsteen) — collaborator for Patti Smith “In 1978, her most widely known song, "Because the Night", co-written with Bruce Springsteen, reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number five on the UK Singles Chart.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Catholic Boy by Jim Carroll Band (1980). Catholic Boy (Jim Carroll Band) — peer for Patti Smith “He dated Patti Smith.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Blank Generation by Richard Hell and the Voidoids (1977). Blank Generation (Richard Hell and the Voidoids) — peer for Patti Smith

Who Patti Smith influenced

• Jeff Buckley by Jeff Buckley (1966). Buckley named Patti Smith as an influence. “He cited singers including Joni Mitchell , Nina Simone , Billie Holiday , Patti Smith and Siouxsie Sioux as influences” (Wikipedia)
• Sonic Youth. Sonic Youth dedicated an album to Patti Smith. “Sonic Youth released an album called Hidros 3 (to Patti Smith) .” (Wikipedia)
• Hole. Hole's 'Violet' alludes to lyrics from Smith's 'Kimberly'. (via Kimberly, Live Through This) “Hole 's " Violet ", song released in 1994, features the lyrics, "And the sky was all violet / I want it again, but violent, more violent," alluding to lyrics from Smith's song "Kimberly".” (Wikipedia)
• Florence and the Machine (2007). Florence and the Machine dedicated a song to Patti Smith as a 'North Star' figure. “the English band Florence and the Machine dedicated the High as Hope album song "Patricia" to Smith.” (Wikipedia)
• Todd Rundgren. Rundgren dedicated a song on Something/Anything? to Patti Smith. “Dedicated to Miss Patti Lee Smith.” (Wikipedia)
• The Waterboys. The Waterboys' debut single is a tribute to Patti Smith. “The Waterboys ' debut 1983 single, " A Girl Called Johnny ", is a tribute to Smith.” (Wikipedia)
• KT Tunstall. KT Tunstall's single is a tribute to Patti Smith. “KT Tunstall released " Suddenly I See ", a single, as a tribute of sorts to Smith.” (Wikipedia)
• Shirley Manson. Manson cited Patti Smith as an influence. “Shirley Manson of Garbage spoke of Smith's influence on her in Rolling Stone ' s issue "The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time"” (Wikipedia)
• Live Through This by Hole (1994). Live Through This (Hole) — legacy for Patti Smith “== Legacy == Smith's music substantially influenced singers-songwriters and bands throughout late 20th century and 21st century, including Madonna, Todd Rundgren, The Waterboys, Hole, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, U2, Maria McKee, Florence Wel…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Rid of Me by PJ Harvey. Rid of Me (PJ Harvey) — legacy for Patti Smith “Many critics have compared Harvey to Patti Smith, which Harvey dismisses as "lazy journalism".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Murmur by R.E.M.. Murmur (R.E.M.) — legacy for Patti Smith “Michael Stipe of R.E.M.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Go-Betweens. The Go-Betweens dedicated a song to Patti Smith. “the Australian alternative rock band The Go-Betweens dedicated the song "When She Sang About Angels" on their album The Friends of Rachel Worth to Smith.” (Wikipedia)
• Courtney Love. Love describes Horses as a formative, subversive influence on her. (via Horses) “realized that you could do something that was completely subversive that didn't involve violence [or] felonies. I stopped making trouble.” (Wikipedia)
• The Smiths. The Smiths reworked Patti Smith's 'Kimberly' into their own song. (via Kimberly) “their song "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" is a rework of one of the album's tracks, "Kimberly".” (Wikipedia)
• Orville Peck. Orville Peck credits Horses with influencing his approach to music. (via Horses) “Orville Peck cited Smith as having had a big impact on him, stating that Smith's album Horses introduced him to a new and different way to make music.” (Wikipedia)
• Vivienne Westwood (1941). Horses (Patti Smith) — titan for Vivienne Westwood (via Horses) (musicbrainz.org)