Pablo Picasso" is a song written by Jonathan Richman for his proto punk group The Modern Lovers. <br /><br />The song was recorded in early 1972, at Whitney Studios in Los Angeles, with producer John Cale, but was not released until 1976, on the Modern Lovers' self-titled debut album. The recording featured Richman (lead guitar, vocals), Ernie Brooks (second guitar), Jerry Harrison (bass) and David Robinson (drums), with Cale playing the repetitive hammered piano part. <br />The central character of the song is the charismatic 20th Century artist Pablo Picasso. The phrase "Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole" is repeated throughout the song
