Mainstream U.S.A.

From This Might Be A Wiki

song name Mainstream U.S.A.
artist They Might Be Giants
releases Dial-A-Song, Power Of Dial-A-Song, Free When You Call From Work, Then: The Earlier Years
year 1997
run time 1:15
sung by John Flansburgh


Trivia/Info

  • This song features John Linnell playing free-hand acoustic guitar, similar to "The Big Big Whoredom," another '80s outtake on Then: The Earlier Years.
  • John Flansburgh in ICE Newsletter, 1996: "It's been a piñata for the band ever since a producer told us it was an example of how obtuse and unlistenable our material can be."
  • Flansburgh called this song "weird" in the April 8, 1987 issue of the Indianapolis Star.[1]
  • Some Dial-A-Song recordings of this song are extended, featuring a stripped back, spoken-word repeat of the first verse, and another repeat of the chorus.
  • Main Street, U.S.A. has been a staple of Disney theme parks since Disneyland opened in 1955.
  • Cultural references include the songs "Back Off Boogaloo," a 1972 single by Ringo Starr and "We Are The World," a 1985 song that raised over $50 million for famine relief.

Song Themes

Geography, Letters Of The Alphabet, Microtones, Reading, References To Other Songs Or Musicians, Swear Words

Videos

Current Rating

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Mainstream U.S.A. is currently ranked #903 out of 1005. (43 wikians have given it an average rating of 7.03)