Retired Boxer

Retired Boxer was Johnston's first album recorded in Austin, Texas, a location where he found much success. During the recording of 'Hi, How Are You' the previous year, Johnston was living with his sister Margie but disappeared in April of 1984[2] after his mother suggested institutionalizing him.[3] He only told his parents where he was on Fathers Day of that year. He had purchased a moped and rode it to the local carnival where he began working at the Corn Dog Stand.[2] Six months later[4] the carnival arrived in Austin, and Johnston had upset someone with how long he was taking on the porta-potty resulting in Johnston being punched. The assault left Johnston badly hurt, and he began searching for a nearby Church for help, eventually arriving at the Austin University Church of Christ. The staff there took Johnston to a doctor and leased him an apartment.[2] Whilst in Austin, Johnston also began working at McDonalds.[4] His assault is referenced in the song 'Bye-Bye Barbie', with the lyric 'A knock in the skull sure changes a man'.

Most of the album features Johnston playing the piano, save for the final track, 'True Love Will Find You In The End', where he plays acoustic guitar. Johnston was influenced to start playing the guitar by the legacy of Austin based guitar players.[2]

As had been done with 'Hi, How Are You', Johnston began to give away copies of Retired Boxer to anyone he could. Since he was now living in Austin, these often ended up in the hands of influential figures in the local music scene, such as Louis Black of the Austin Chronicle, who was also given copies of Hi, How Are You, and Yip/Jump Music. Black began playing the material for other music writers as well as musicians, whilst Johnston himself continued to hand out copies, inciting a local interest.[2]

"True Love Will Find You in the End", with over 20,000,000 streams on Spotify for its 1988 re-recording,[6] is perhaps Daniel Johnston's most popular song, and has been covered by countless artists. Whilst some covers, like Jad Fair & Kramer's, Mathew Good's, Adrian Crowley & James Yorkston's and Kate Davis', retain the original 2 minute structure of the song, it's more common for artists to expand upon the original either through a slower tempo or repeated sections;[7] this is seen in covers by Headless Heroes, Wilco, Beck, Richard Walters, Spectrum, Mates of State, Spiritualised, Steve Harley, The Legendary Tigerman with Cibelle, Elizabeth & the Catapult, A Whisper In The Noise, Svavar Knútur, Fritz Ostermayer, Kevin Blechdom, Noël Akchoté & Brad Jones, Milky Wimpshake & Tape Deck Mountain.[8]

Johnston's original "True Love Will Find You in the End" was used in a 2012 commercial for a men's hair care product.[9]

Kathy McCarty recorded a cover of 'Oh No' for her Dead Dogs Eyeball cover album.

As a benefit for the mental health charity Hi How Are You Project, American singer-bassist Kate Davis released her own re-recording of the album, titled Strange Boy, which was released on January 29, 2021, with "Oh No" acting as the album's lead single, released to Soundcloud in November of 2020.[10] Davis' appreciation for the album comes from the DIY aspects of it as well as its lyrical themes, saying Johnston's music was 'complete, while leaving room for you to take it wherever you want it to go'. Johnston's death, which took place during production of the album, was influential on her performance of it, in particular for the song 'Too Young To Die', which was also dedicated to her deceased father.[11]