If you're new to They Might Be Giants -- or if you followed my bad example and stopped listening to them sometime in the '90s -- you've got some entertainment ahead.
For your listening pleasure, I've collected about 50 of my personal favorites from 38 years of creativity (including every song mentioned in our podcast episode with John Flansburgh). They're in no particular order. You can get the chronology elsewhere. This is just for fun.
You can compile your own playlist from my annotated list below.
Or here it is on Apple Music:
Click the titles below to watch Youtube videos for each song. Or click the lyrics links to read them on the encyclopedic TMBG knowledge base, This Must Be a Wiki.
Synopsis for Latecomers (from Book, 2021): The title seems appropriate for those of us who missed out on the band's progress for a few years. The video, made by fan Craig J. Clark, compiles silent video clips to enhance the music and lyrics, which have the tone of a nonsensical press conference.
Kiss Me Son of God (from Lincoln, 1988): When this came out, listeners felt it was about religion, but I always thought it was about politics. Aren't those lyrics a scary advanced warning about Donald Trump? Note: Be sure to hear the excellent stripped-down EP version of the song, which has more impact than the more ornate album version.
Unrelated Thing (from John Henry, 1994): One of John Linnell's wonderful songs about relationships. Listen to the lyrics and tell me who hasn't experienced this.
I Never Go To Work (from Here Come the ABCs, 2005): One of my recent revelations: The Giants' four albums for kids are very entertaining for adults too. The lyrics capture the essence of a happy retired person.
Part of You Wants to Believe Me (from Book, 2021): The Giants know how to put a new twist on a common expression, as you'll see in these funny lyrics. No visuals for the video yet. Fans, anything in the works?
Damn Good Times (from The Spine, 2004): Warning: Listen at your own risk. The lyrics get stuck in my head while pulling weeds in my garden. So catchy!
Moonbeam Rays (from Book, 2021): Such a happy rockin' melody, though the lyrics are about a relationship breakup. Apparently, each of the Johns independently came up with a song that begins with "By the time you hear this..."
Older (from Long Tall Weekend, 1999): Love the song, love the video, love the efficient lyrics -- and not just because the title applies to me. I laugh every time I hear the long pause in this phrase: "And time.... is still marching on."
Man, It's So Loud In Here (from Mink Car 2001): If you've ever been in a nightclub, or imagined it, or seen it in a movie, you'll get a laugh from this song's spot-on sound and lyrics: "Baby, check this out/I've got something to say/Man, it's so loud in here/When they stop the drum machine/And I can think again/I'll remember what it was." (This video shows them performing the song on Conan.)
Another First Kiss (from Mink Car, 2001) One of the sweetest love songs, and TMBG songs - the simple lyrics bring back happy memories.
Wicked Little Critta: (from Mink Car, 2001) Entire movies have been made with terrible Boston accents. But these guys got it exactly right. The lyrics confirm the band's origins in Lincoln Mass. where the word "dink" was once required in daily conversation.
Boss of Me (2000): The theme song to the TV Show Malcolm in the Middle. Won 'em a Grammy. (Lyrics here.)
Four of Two (from No!, 2001): Like the best kids' books, this song (inspired by a clock in New York's Madison Square that used to be stuck at four minutes to two) flies off on crazy wings of fancy. Fun for all ages. (Lyrics here.)
Hate the Villanelle (from Glean, 2014): Inspired by Dylan Thomas, John Flansburgh decided to try writing song lyrics in this 19-line poetic form. Then, as he reveals on our podcast, he handed it over to John Linnell to write the music.
The Cap'm (from The Else, 2007): The Giants have an ear for memorable word sounds, like this abbreviation of the word Captain -- which I always associate with Gilligan's Island. Yet another example of lyrics that get stuck in my head. In a good way. (The video was created by TMBG fan Amassadoratom, using characters from his comic book Dr. Pineapple.)
The Mesopotamians (from The Else, 2007) Bet you never thought you'd be singing along with a tune about a rock band consisting of famous Mesopotamians: Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal and Gilgamesh. But yes, start singin'. (Lyrics here.)
Answer (from Glean, 2015): Life's disappointments are rarely as funny as they are in this comedy of overstatement, with the reassuring lyrics: "This may not be the thing you requested/But I am the answer to all your prayers."
Madam, I Challenge You to a Duel (from Glean, 2015): The lyrics offer an unusually polite form of disagreement that may help you simmer down the next time you're feeling hot under the velvet collar.
Why Does the Sun Shine? (1993 EP) As John Flansburgh explains in our podcast, this amped-up cover version of a vintage song for children -- with its truly imaginative video -- has lyrics that are entirely inaccurate according to today's science. Oops. (Nickelodeon produced its own alternate version of the video.)
Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (from Here Comes Science, 2009): The Giants tried to correct to science in this follow-up song, with the lyrics "That thesis was rendered invalid." But as Mr. Flansburgh explains in our podcast, even this one isn't quite right.
9 Secret Steps (from Nanobots, 2013): Yes, the Giants have written a song with lyrics that encourage you to throw things out. As John F. mentioned on our podcast, he and John L. are big on tossing things. When I entered the picture, I brought down his average.
Meet James Ensor (from John Henry, 1994): There's a useful art history lesson in the lyrics, and in the great fan-created video.
End of the Rope (from Glean, 2015): With a melodramatic kind of 1950s vibe in the music, this song has lyrics that will ring a little too true for anyone who remembers reaching the breaking point in a relationship: "After you left me hanging on your words/Which hung down like a rope/Where did the end of it go?/I'll never know."
Cloissonne (from Join Us, 2011): Another excellent semi-nonsensical ear worm, inspired by a beautiful-sounding word that I never knew. (Cloissonne is a sort of mosaic-like art form.) One day, I walked into the house singing the lyrics, "Mind your business/Mind your business/Mind your never-shut, Quonset hut business." When I tried to explain that I was just singing for fun, my wife Cindy was skeptical.
Istambul (Not Constantinople)(from Flood, 1990): The original version -- recorded by The Four Lads in 1953 -- was a big hit with my mom who used to sing the kooky lyrics while doing the dishes. The Giants version, which is somewhat more musical, became one of their biggest hits. It was featured in a 2005 episode of the Simpsons. The animated version of the video has more than 10 million views on Youtube. The official video has a lot of views too.
Aaa (from Glean 2015): The sound you make when you see something scary gets a lot funnier when They Might Be Giants list possible sources of the horror. (Lyrics here.)
Stalk of Wheat (from The Spine, 2004): This is the kind of bouncy ditty you want to sing to yourself when you set out for a walk on a beautiful sunny day. It helps to put your brain at ease, with nonsensical lyrics that celebrate being "out of ideas/of ideas/of ideas/of ideas."
Canajohaire (from Join Us, 2011): Enough already with songs about New York City. The two Johns celebrate the upstate New York hamlet where they've both spent time -- the name so sounds so good, it just might increase tourism. (Lyrics here.)
Let Me Tell You About My Operation (from Glean 2015): Channeling the Bobby Darin school of music, the Giants get jazzy -- with lyrics that put a happy spin on an incantation you might hear every now and then from relatives and friends.
ICU (from Here Comes the ABCs, 2005): Who could resist a song where the lyrics consist exclusively of letters of the alphabet? OIC. The primary video is animated, and here's a live-action alternate.
I Haven't Seen You in Forever (from Why, 2015): An a capella round that provides a good alternative to "Row, row, row your boat," especially since it conveys the love, dependence, and annoyance that will seem familiar to anyone who spends a lot of time with kids. Or adults. (Lyrics here.)
All Time What (from I Like Fun, 2018) Another rockin' breakup song -- for when the situation is just beyond belief. The opening lyrics say it all: "I use my outside voice because I have no choice."
Experimental Film (from The Spine, 2004): A gentle parody of the creative projects of our friends. (Lyrics here.)
I Broke My Own Rule (from Book, 2021): The hysteria of the sentiment might make a few of us stop to realize how crazy perfectionism can be. Or at least get us to laugh about it. (Lyrics here.)
Museum of Idiots (from The Spine, 2004): The massive sound of a repeated horn fanfare gives impact to the cynical message in the lyrics: "If you and I had any brains, we wouldn't be in this place."
Brain Problem Situation (from Cast Your Pod to the Wind, 2007): A song with lyrics for adults who might be questioning the state of their mind, after losing the phone for the fourth time in one day. (It was written initially for the band's podcast, which is no longer active.)
Upside Down Frown (from The Else, 2007) Happy-sounding beach music -- with a dark surprise in the lyrics.
Particle Man (from Flood, 1990): The Tiny Tunes Adventures animated video for this song -- which has more than 3 million views on Youtube -- helped to make the song one of the Giants' biggest hits. The lyrics tell the tale of a fantasy competition between Particle Man, Triangle Man, Person Man, and others. The extremely through creators of the Don't Let's Start podcast have created a wonderfully enthusiastic video where they explore every detail in this song.
Other Father Song (from the 2009 animated movie Coraline): Initially, the Giants planned to make more musical contributions to the film, which is based on a Neil Gaiman novella of the same name. But this is the one song that made the final cut. (Lyrics here.)
Your Racist Friend (From Flood, 1990): A useful reminder that the ugly things we hear from others require some kind of response. The Giants sang it --in this video -- on the Letterman Show. (Lyrics here.)
(She Was A) Hotel Detective (from They Might be Giants, 1986): It's safe to say that this rockin' tribute honors the type of former hotel employee who has never before been heralded in song. (Lyrics here.)
Women and Men (from Flood, 1990): A jaunty tongue-in-cheek corrective for the histories of European migration that emphasize only the guys. (Lyrics here.)
Birdhouse in Your Soul (from Flood, 1990): One of the band's biggest hits, this song garnered extra attention for its catchy melody and for lyrics about, yes, a nightlight. For those who are interested, John Linnell has revealed the story behind the song.
Everything Right Is Wrong Again (from They Might Be Giants, 1986): The first song on TMBG's first demo tape, inspired to a large extent by the 1954 movie The Long Long Trailer, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The first verse of the lyrics: "Everything right is wrong again/Just like in the Long Long Trailer/All the dishes got broken and the car kept driving/And nobody would stop to save her." Which pretty much sums up the film.
She's an Angel (from They Might be Giants, 1986): In our interview, John Flansburgh mentioned that he loves this song (written by John Linnell) for its sweetness. It sure sounds pretty when performed in this video by a pop-up chorus in North Carolina in 2014. (Lyrics here.)
Number Three (from They Might Be Giants, 1986): A country knee slapper that sticks in your mind like the fiddle tunes at the hoe-down, only with more absurd humor and fewer ruffled skirts. Very nice performance in this video. (Lyrics here.)
Ana Ng (From Lincoln, 1988): A fantasy about a potential connection with someone on the exact opposite side of the earth. The name Ana Ng, which was spotted by the Giants in a phone book, has a ring to it that they couldn't resist. (Lyrics here.)
I've Got a Match (from Lincoln, 1988): One of John Linnell's intimate songs about a challenging relationship. The repeated chorus: "I've got a match/Your embrace and my collapse." (Lyrics here.)
Subliminal (from John Henry, 1994): Subliminal messages seem to haunt this song about subliminal messages. Makes sense. (Lyrics here.)
James K. Polk (from Factory Showroom, 1996): It's always appreciated when a song teaches you a bit of lost history you never would have remembered otherwise. The video, made by a fan for a history class 17 years ago, definitely deserves an A. (Lyrics here.)
Don't Let's Start (from They Might be Giants, 1986): With a video that has 1.2 million views on Youtube, this song established the Giants' special sense of style: ultra-tall fez hats and robotic dance moves. As one of John Linnell's first troubled relationship songs, it became so popular that they kinda have to play at most concerts. Or else there'll be trouble. (Lyrics here.)
And that's it... for now.
I know some people will feel strongly that the best songs are missing. But I can't add anymore -- too tired. Which is pretty crazy when you consider that John and John had the creative energy to write and perform all these songs. Some of us find it difficult just to list 'em. Those guys are something else!
Maybe we can all rest up while listening to John Flansburgh on the season 2 premiere episode of our podcast I Couldn't Throw It Out?
