Talk:Don't Let's Start

It's seems to be that Don't Lets Start has begun to get some air on VH1 recently. I know its been nothing long or credited, but I was wondering what other people thought about it. I mean, why do they choose this song when there are plenty of others out their that would suffice? ~ fingertips

Well, I dunno about that. I am curious, though, if anyone has found the Don't Let's Start video anywhere except YouTube. YouTube is blocked at my school and I absolutely LOVE that video. Thanks --ArAn 21:58, 23 Jan 2006 (EST)

Well, if your school PCs have DVD drives:

http://store.yahoo.com/tmbg-catalog/dirfrombrook.html -CapitalQ ♫ talk ♪ 09:01, 24 Jan 2006 (EST)

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Does anyone know where I could find full-length versions of the YTMND remixes? I especially love the one with Linell's vocal. Thanks. Martorano

What do you mean by full length YTMNDs? They are just loops.

How was DLS recorded?

I wanted to see if anyone knew how the Johns recorded Don’t Let’s Start. Specifically: microphones/guitars used, drum machine models, and synthesizer types. I'm in my last year at the University of Colorado for a Recording Arts degree. An assignment I have is to record a copy-cat song (making a cover, and getting it as close as possible to the original). We chose DLS to work on. I thought this community would be the perfect place to go to find some specific details on this. Thoughts?

Then:The Earlier Years and Miscellaneous T

I'm wondering why Don't Let's Start doesn't have Then: The Earlier Years or Miscellaneous T listed as albums. On those respective pages Don't Let's Start is listed as being the 'single mix'. Is that the reason those albums aren't listed as containing Don't Let's Start? 63.249.22.109 02:06, 18 Mar 2006 (CST)

Missing video...

Where's the video link on this page? Not to be stuck up or anything, I just wanted to see the video. =) --Lemita 19:30, 27 Mar 2006 (CST)

Try launch.com or something. Or you could always buy the Direct From Brooklyn or Gigantic DVDs. :D -CapitalQ ♫ talk ♪ 19:34, 27 Mar 2006 (CST)

Ok, thanks. {nod nod} --Lemita 19:41, 27 Mar 2006 (CST)

Even then, we should probably have it here for completion.

PBS?

So recently on a PBS kids Go! ad, this song (or at least the instrumental backing) was being played. (Oh yes, I was watching PBS). well thats about all I have to say on the matter, seems PBS has taken somewhat of a liking to their songs. hm....--Josherz 23:53, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, a month or so ago, my sister said she heard it on PBS too. --Valerie 17:59, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Versions of the song?

I'm just curious to know which version is preferred. The single mix from Miscellaneous T or from the Pink Album? I heard the Single Mix first but I like the original better. Just, what version do you guys here prefer? --Sparkling_Omelets 16:59, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't have Misc. T, but I've got Dial A Song, so that's just as good. I actually like the single mix more, it has a better guitar sound. The demo from Then is pretty bad, though. -- DidgeGuy (आ ज) 17:07, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

The Pink Album version is really good. Though I still don't know for sure. I'll have to listen to them more... -- Buzzmusic100 ("Keep your voice down...")

The Then: The Earlier Years demo is probably the best demo of anything ever. -Apollo. 18:23, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

No, the best would be Which Describes How You're Feeling. -- DidgeGuy (आ ज) 18:27, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

there's no way i could possibly read this and not put down my feelings that the dls demo; even if it is not the best demo of anything ever, is at the very very least what i would call "incredibly beautiful." also the album mix blows the single mix away, but my support of that will have to wait until i have more time later today. -- 18:30, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

What? No. No no no no. No on single mix vs. Pink mix first of all, the single mix frightens and confuses me, and NO especially on the demo, the demo is raw and beautiful and AMAZING and makes me cry, basically. I have no idea what the hell you are talking about. --Self Called Nowhere 00:17, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

How could DidgeGuy really say that?! Don't Let's Start (1985 Demo) is awesome!! -- Buzzmusic100 ("Keep your voice down...")

OK, OK. Jeez. -- DidgeGuy (आ ज)

What am I hearing the beginning of the song? When the instrumental part is going on. -- DidgeGuy (आ ज) 20:57, 31 May 2010

If I had to guess, I'd say Linnell is having a hell of a time messing with that Fairlight synthesizer that they had access to during the 85 Demo sessions, and that's probably what those sounds are.--Ehsteve14 15:04, 21 December 2011 (EST)

"Ready Player One"

The line "No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful" is used as a password by the main character in Ready Player One, a new novel by Ernest Cline. Check out the book here. There is also a segment where the character "burned through the entire They Might Be Giants discography in under two weeks" in order to further his knowledge of 1980s trivia, which is a very important part of the book. Amazingly, here is an excerpt from the book with the exact passage I'm talking about. I don't know if this is worthy of putting on the main page but it certainly is fascinating, and I initially couldn't believe it when I first saw it. --MisterMe 10:58, 19 June 2012 (EDT)

In the video

Linnell "blows up" an accordion right after the "I don't want to live in this world anymore" part. Does anyone know if it was a real one? The determinedly low-fi quality of the video makes it difficult for me to tell if it was real or just a cardboard cutout or model...--MisterMe (talk) 13:17, 20 September 2013 (EDT)

they have confirmed that it was real, and sad. i think it was in the dfb commentary? -Apollo (colloquia!) 15:22, 20 September 2013 (EDT)

It made the ultimate sacrifice for art. Very noble.--MisterMe (talk) 15:45, 20 September 2013 (EDT)

Don't Let's Start MIDI?

Does anyone know if a MIDI file of this song exists? Somebody somewhere is bound to have made it...

unfortunately, i'm not aware of anything, but there are a couple other singles here, if you're interested. Apollo (colloquia!) 21:19, 29 January 2014 (EST)

in all my searching i've never seen one. i maintain a repository of all i've seen here. -- 22:42, 29 January 2014 (EST)

If you count Mario Paint as MIDI, here's a fine example. --MisterMe (talk) 09:26, 30 January 2014 (EST)

Is anyone up to the task of making a midi of the song? I once made a midi of the basic beat from the 1985 demo version. I could try uploading that and having someone add on to it.

alright, i got you. maybe tonight, definitely tomorrow. -j2

If you could do it, that would be so awesome!

So.... Is no one gonna make it? A lot of people can benefit from finally get a MIDI of Don't Let's Start. We have MIDI files of obscure TMBG songs and yet we don't a MIDI of one of their most well known songs? That's utter bullcrap, in my opinion

Hey it was made now if anyone is curious https://freemidi.org/download-25654-dont-lets-start-they-might-be-giants not sure if you're still looking for it, but whatever.

How was this video made?

I have a plan to remake this video with a friend of mine, and I'd like to know how exactly it was filmed? By that, I mean the majority of the video is played very fast, and I can assumed that it was sped up in post-production, but how was it shot? Was everything lip synced fast and acted out slowly and sped up? Or was everything at half speed and then sped up? Can someone help me with this? I'd like to know

the Then booklet mentions that they filmed the whole thing at half speed, iirc. -- 16:18, 1 May 2014 (EDT)

Yes, and all day they had to listen to the horribly exaggerated "DAWWWNT, DAWWWNT". :-) --MisterMe (talk) 16:56, 1 May 2014 (EDT)

So, I would lip sync to a slightly slowed down version of the song along with doing to movements slightly slowed down?

This is where it started!

I first heard They Might Be Giants (single version) around 87 or 88 on a kids Saturday TV show. My first impression, and you may laugh, is that they were like a modern version of the Rolling Stones! Linnell had a Jagger vibe going, but moreover, the song sounded incredibly heavy to my young ears. Remember it was the 80s and I'd been brought up on 80s synth and my favourite music at the time were things like A-ha, Howard Jones, Duran Duran ect. Too young for Punk and stuff like the Smiths (which I got into later) I followed chart music. I was still at the age where I thought that the best music got into the charts and I was perplexed when the Giants song, sank like a stone and was never heard of again. I'd expected it to go to Number 1 for six weeks (and in a parallel universe this is exactly what happened). I remembered the chorus, which I hummed along for a couple of years, but I could never remember the name of the band and in those pre-internet days you couldn't just look this stuff up. It would only be when Birdhouse came out that I first bought their stuff (starting with They'll Need a Crane EP and Birdhouse, followed by Lincoln and Flood).

As for Don't Let's Start, just where to start? The song is both lyrically and musically very strong. Adrenalin courses through the single, and it has everything you want: musically, the killer riff that goes impatiently into the chorus, the verses that are at a slightly less breakneck and then a middle eight that is over so quickly due to a restlessness and desire to sing the chorus just one last time! Lyrically, it's a sophisticated take on the romantic song genre, but with surreal imagery that melds the 60s surrealism "wake up smell the catfood" to the money obsessed 80s "in your bank account". Lennon could have written the first part of the sentence but never the second. To me it is the perfect summer song and if I'm listening to music in a car on a hot summers day this alongside Summer in the City by the Lovin' Spoonful is the tune I want to hear.

A friend of mine (and he's not a fan of the Giants) saw them play to a tiny crowd in a pub, in the UK, on a short tour they did back in 87/88. I think they were supporting a friend of his band. He said they were very good (just not his genre really). As a guitar player himself he said he couldn't believe how Flans chucked himself around as he played guitar, as he used to do back in the day, as apparently it's very hard to do! Just so you know. It's easily in my Top 10 Giants songs and it was the start of my love affair with the band. (Mr Tuck)