South Carolina

From This Might Be A Wiki

song name South Carolina
artist John Linnell
releases State Songs, TMBG Clock Radio, Podcast 55, 50,000,000 They Might Be Giants Songs Can't Be Wrong
year 1999
first played October 7, 1995 (16 known performances)
run time 3:46
sung by John Linnell


Trivia/Info

  • This is the same recording as the Hello EP version (1994), but mixed differently.
  • Originally this song would have been the single accompanying State Songs, but because it was too long and there wasn't enough room for it on the die-cut vinyl, the record company went with "Montana" instead.
  • This is a song about getting rich after getting hurt—here, in a bicycle accident—and successfully suing the offender. Notably, TMBG's Dial-A-Song service was created after John Linnell himself was injured in a bicycle accident.
  • The line "Lift that fork, eat that snail" alludes to the Hammerstein/Kern song "Ol' Man River", which includes the line "Tote dat barge, lift dat bale".
  • From the State Songs liner notes:
The Official State Shell of the Palmetto State is the Lettered Olive. The State Dance is the Shag, and the State Insect is the Praying Mantis.
  • The chord progression used in the intro and verses appears to be inspired by the intro of the The Kinks’ song “Wonder Where My Baby is Tonight,” a band Linnell is a fan of.

Song Themes

Accidents, Addiction, Compulsion, Bodily Mutilation, Colors, Drinks, Food, French, Funny But Sad, Heads, Language, Letters Of The Alphabet, Medical, Mirrors And Reflections, Money, Occupations, References To Other Songs Or Musicians, Shapes, Size, Tableware, Transportation, Upside-Down, US States

Videos

Current Rating

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South Carolina is currently ranked #16 out of 1009. (162 wikians have given it an average rating of 9.23)