User:Everett0408/They Might Be Giants Opinions
Contents
Don't, don't, don't let's start...[edit]
Hello there! Welcome to User:Everett0408/They Might Be Giants Opinions, an extension of my main page, User:Everett0408. After I made this, I realized that I could have just attached this to my main page, but it is too late now! This page is a place for me to document my reviews and opinions on my favorite band, They Might Be Giants, go figure. I hope I do not disturb anybody with my editing, but if I do, just tell me to shut up and move on with your day! I'll also mark the dates on my reviews just for my own documentation. My eventual goal is to have reviewed every single They Might Be Giants song, but since I am not a member of the Instant Fan Club I might not be able to fulfill my mission. Maybe one day I will get enough money to sign up. Anyways, enjoy my TMBG insanity.
June 2nd, 2026: My review of The Pink Album[edit]
For my first update on here, I thought that I would review all the tracks on the Pink Album, a gigantic task. To begin with, we have Everything Right Is Wrong Again, an absolute classic. Great song all around, and I especially like the slower bridge section. I am glad they decided to put this as the opener over Don't Let's Start. Second is Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head, which is another banger. This is definitely one of my favorite early Flansburgh tracks. My favorite lyric is "As you take a bath in the beaten path". Also, great, confusing music video. For number three is Number Three, an aptly named slice of fun. Not as memorable or psychedelic as the previous two songs, but it does has charms of its own. Nice sample.
Don't Let's Start is incredible, but I probably do not need to state it. Another great music video, which is surprisingly more ordinary than the previous. Some parts are a tad bit insane sounding, but it is still one of my favorites. Next up is an underrated tune, Hide Away Folk Family. I love the scary, melodic country sound on it. The breakdown is possibly too heavy for the rest of it, but it still works. The "backwards" singing is funny as well. 32 Footsteps is an interesting song, which while nice does not reach the highs of the last few. The chorus does rock though. There's not much to say about Toddler Hiway, it is yet a simple ballad of a forgotten store, but Rabid Child is awesome. Once again, another delightful Flansburgh song. Great lyrics, great song, probably great music video judging by the screenshots available. We may never know in our limited lifetimes.
Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes is very strange, with gibberish lyrics, but I do like it. The screaming at the end is very cartoon like. (She Was A) Hotel Detective is the first song I genuinely do not like. It is too punk for me, and the lyrics just don't do anything for me. She's An Angel however, is brilliant. While it is not my favorite, I would say it's objectively the "best" on the album. Youth Culture Killed My Dog shows how weird my taste is, because while I did not like (She Was A) Hotel Detective, I do love this song. The ending fade-out is so epic. Rest in peace to Flansburgh's dog. Boat Of Car is another mediocre slice of surrealism, but I kind of like the concept of the lyrics. Absolutely Bill's Mood is a great song, if not quite weird. What am I saying though, this is They Might Be Giants. The "Thank you's" are fun. Chess Piece Face is another track I do not like much. The vocal is so unfamiliar sounding that I cannot latch onto the lyrics properly. Good idea, wrong execution. My condolences for Mr. Chess Piece Face however.
I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die is such a fun, lovable song with dark, almost comically grim lyrics. The harmony on the chorus is awesome and is especially nice during live performances. Next up, Alienation's For The Rich is the final song that I do not really like. Once again, the vocal just feels awkward and clunky. The Day is fine I guess, but just does not have much too it. Finally though, is Rhythm Section Want Ad, my all time favorite They Might Be Giants song. The lyrics are insanely clever, the backups are so fun, and I love the solo. Phenomenal vocals as well. Such a jolly tune, with a personal connection. I used to listen to it every day when I had a break during school. I've got to do that again sometime, I love that song.
Overall, I do enjoy the Pink Album, but it is far from one of my favorite albums. While I love Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head, Don't Let's Start, She's An Angel and Rhythm Section Want Ad, it has some clunkers. I also think the production is a bit strange, but you cannot blame them. Sometime I will do the EP, Miscellaneous T and Then: The Earlier Years songs, although I do not like the majority of them. I hope you enjoyed this, it took me the whole evening to type, along with some later edits on June 4th. Enjoy!
June 6th, 2025: And Lincoln follows after...[edit]
Greetings, I am on this page once again to talk about They Might Be Giants' second album, Lincoln. To begin with we have Ana Ng, an absolute staple of the band's expansive catalog. Great lyrics, especially with the line "And the truth is we don't know anything...", and great instrumentation. Nothing is more TMBG than that gated guitar. However, that start and stop fade-out has always bothered me. Still an epic tune though. For the music video, it is one of my favorite from them, and in general! I love the use of the cover art picture at points. Next is Cowtown, one of the oldest songs they ever wrote. I love the clashing clarinets from the introduction and the singing from both Linnell and Flansburgh is quite good. The screaming is a bit brash, but it doesn't disrupt the song that much. "The cow beneath the sea" will never make sense to me, but I am happy going along with it. Lie Still, Little Bottle is nice overall, but feels a bit bare bones in general. Live performances with the stick are better in my opinion, whoever decided to do that deserves a pat on the back. There is a reason why the stick is a legend in the fandom, it makes the song so much more entertaining and appealing.
Following this is Purple Toupee, an absolute giant. The lyrics are incredibly funny to me, and the music is absolutely beautiful. Flansburgh's backup vocals are nice, and the freak out at the end is cool, especially with the off timing. Another music video, I also like the overlapping John's with the differing colors. I wish I could express my love for this song in a more structured way, but I will simply leave it here. Then we have Cage & Aquarium, which is skipped over much too often. It is not the best, but it still has some charm. The instrumental is the main thing that stands out to me, with the paranoid sounding horns. Then we have one of my favorites, Where Your Eyes Don't Go. This song has my favorite lyrics of any other, with the line "Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders what the part that isn't thinking isn't thinking of." The singing is also fantastic, and that fade-out is so scary. The whole song is scary in fact. Absolutely breathtaking track.
Piece Of Dirt is one of the saddest tracks from the album, and I love it. I remember jamming to this song after getting home from the grocery store with my mother. I am glad they chose the drums that they did. Credit to Bill Krauss. I also listened to Mr. Me at that time, which I also adore. It is actually mentioned in Piece Of Dirt, which I find fun because of the fact that it comes before. I have seen some people say they love this as much as me, but some who hate it. I want to ask what when wrong in the lives of those who said this. I have not said much of the song itself, but after this I don't think that I can. Pencil Rain is also a track I have seen many dislike, while I love it. I remember the day I discovered it. It was a dry summer day. I loved it from the start. Also a terrifying track, the idea of a war with ginormous pencils and splintering wood is haunting.
Coming after this is The World's Address, a Linnell tune sung by Flansburgh. I didn't understand the pun of the song for much too long. Great song though, if not a bit forgettable. I need to listen to it more. I've Got A Match is a very nice track, with beautiful accordion on it. Nice lyrics on it as well. I like the line "Which one of us is the one that we can't trust?" Next up are the two songs on the album that I don't like, Santa's Beard and You'll Miss Me, which I often group together for multiple obvious reasons. Santa's Beard both feels much too punk for its instrumental and much too nice for its lyrics. I believe the mix of the two does not work properly. You'll Miss Me can be seen as an interesting experiment or a flailing mess. I will let you decide.
Next is the single from late on the album, They'll Need A Crane. What a beautiful, melancholic song. He should have pronounced "again' differently though. The music video is probably my least favorite music video from the era, although it's not bad. Just nothing very special. Once again though, phenomenal song. Shoehorn With Teeth is a nice little ditty, and I especially like the glockenspiel played by... well, we'll never know. Crazy lyrics on it, especially with "People should get beat up, for stating their beliefs," which is too accurate today. I also love Stand On Your Own Head with its cobbled together sayings. Weird timing, I don't know how they have been able to perform that live. That song is also criticized too much, its pretty good.
For the final two we have Snowball In Hell and Kiss Me, Son Of God, both incredible tracks. For Snowball In Hell, I love the accordion on it. This album might have my favorite accordion out of any other. I also love the bridge audio from that time management tape. For the finale, we have Kiss Me, Son Of God, one of the greatest from the band. The lyrics are once again too accurate for nowadays, but they are glorious. The strings are beautiful and so is the singing. What a way to end an album. And what an album. If you have not gathered, I really like Lincoln, much more than the Pink Album. It also has some tracks I don't like, but it is just more consistent. I also feel like Linnell got better at songwriting, although I know that the songs were written along with those from the Pink Album. I hope you enjoyed my review of it. This took me even longer than my previous. I hope I'm not updating too frequent, I just love this band and this wiki. I also made some edits to my previous, as I said. Have a great day, goodbye!
June 9th: The ocean levels are still rising up...[edit]
Greetings once again, I am here today to review They Might Be Giants's third album and their first on Elektra Entertainment, Flood, their best-selling album to date. To begin with is the introductory track, Theme From Flood, an anthem for the following album. I enjoy the trombone parts played by Rick McRae and the singing, but other than that it does not have much to it. It is simply an opening for the rest of the project. Right after this is Birdhouse In Your Soul, possibly the band's most famous and acclaimed track. It would be meaningless for me to state the importance and appeal of this song, but I will compliment its lyrics. Who knew that a song about a sentient blue canary nightlight could be so universal? The keyboards are also enjoyable. This is one of three songs I heard before I knew about They Might Be Giants, with the others being Istanbul (Not Constantinople) and Doctor Worm.
Next up is Lucky Ball & Chain, a nice, classic country song and the first by Flansburgh on the album. I really enjoy the song's drums and singing, and of course, its lyrics. Sadness put to joyous music, the bread and butter of this band. As I said, Istanbul (Not Constantinople) is one of few songs I knew before I knew about the band. Somehow it ended up being a Christmas classic in my household, even though it has nothing do with the holidays. I still love this song like I did long ago, and it is definitely much better than the original version, however it is nice. While I love the crazy live versions, nothing beats the original. I would recommend the remixed version from Album Raises New And Troubling Questions.
Then comes one of my favorites from the album, the aptly named Dead. Nothing but Linnell's singing and a piano, but it is still so effective. The main thing that shines is the lyrics, which both make you sad for the narrator and hate them. Whenever I have played this for someone they always criticize nasally "and's", but I personally love them. Following this Your Racist Friend, which sounds exactly like the time in which it was made. I still love it though, although I hate the lyrics. I guess I don't hate them, just that they are based on a real experience. The world is a rotten place. That trumpet solo never fails to make me smile though, it is just so grand and joyous. Credit to Flansburgh for the great singing performance.
I might have briefly heard Particle Man before I got into They Might Be Giants, but I have no distinct memories of it like the others. Overall, while I enjoy the song, I feel that it is a bit overrated. Funny lyrics, but not the best performance from the band. Feels a bit too cartoon-like, but I guess that makes since it was featured on one. The live performances, especially when they perform Rocket Number Nine Take Off For The Planet Venus. Check out the performance on KEXP. I enjoy Twisting a decent bit, but often forget about it. It has got some good lyrics though. I especially like the line "She set your goldfish free" for some reason. It is a real rocker, and I love the backup singing on it.
Next is the grand production that is We Want A Rock. The lyrics have always been very perplexing to me, but I still love them. I especially love seeing the confused faces of people reacting to them for the first time. I wish they turned up the banjo on the song more, from what I hear it sounds nice. Also great singing from Linnell, as always. Then is my favorite from the album, Someone Keeps Moving My Chair. Very dark, humorous lyrics with phenomenal instrumentation. Once again, it sounds like the time it was made in, but it is still great. Confusing chorus melody, but it is still fun to sing along with. I could go on and on about this song, but I have more songs to talk about, such as Hearing Aid.
Hearing Aid is another favorite of mine. The lyrics are in my opinion the most bleak the band has even written, even more ominous and terrifying than Where Your Eyes Don't Go and Last Wave. The lines "Don't say the electric chair's not good enough for king lazybones like myself" and "More coffee for me boss, cause I'm not as messed up as I want to be" are wonderfully horrible. It contrasts greatly with the chipper Caribbean music. The ending does go on too long in my opinion, something I can rarely say about this band, but it does not take away from the rest of the song too much. Great percussion all around. This song perfectly transitions into Minimum Wage, a funny little snippet of pure They Might Be Giants greatness. My uncle loves this one. Nothing much to say about it though, just a laugh and a nice interlude in the middle of the album.
Letterbox is pretty nice, but I think is also kind of overrated. I think that the reversed parts of the song kinda throw it off, but I still like the lyrics of it. I have no idea how they play this live, it is the biggest tongue twister imaginable. Next is Whistling In The Dark, which is an absolute classic. Hilarious lyrics, and fun horns. Maybe a bit out of tune though, but I think that is what they were going for. Linnell's deep voice is so unnatural but works with the rest of the song well. Flansburgh's drumming is also epic, although I am not sure if it is in the actual song.
Hot Cha is kind of scary and grim, but also jazzy. I also forget about this song and have criticized it too much. It is not the best song out there, especially for this band, but it does what it needs to do. Following this is Women & Men, a nice slightly outdated jig. I once tried to extend this song with a crap editing software, and it was so confusing. I remember I had a big sheet with my horrible jumbled version of the chorus timing. My grandfather looked at me like I was crazy. I love the song though, that's why I extended it. The backups are also good.
Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love is such a delightful tune. The singing is some of my favorite from Flansburgh, especially from the earlier years. Great, confusing lyrics, and phenomenal instrumentation. I used to think of it as just another okay song at the end of the album, but I now see how idiotic I was. Then is the band's iconic theme, They Might Be Giants (Song). A great, goofy song with not much to say about it. Once again though, the horns are a bit crass. Finally is Road Movie To Berlin, which might be my least favorite from the album. It is fine, but there is nothing really special about it. The big heavier part also feels a bit too different from the rest of the song. I wish they had ended the album with another more monumental song like Dead or Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love, but alas, this song was chosen. Maybe if they had more time it'd be better.
Overall, I like the album a lot, but near the end it begins to fall off a bit. The first half will always be great though. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my review and at least somewhat agree with me. Once again, I will do the songs from the EP's and the remixes eventually, but for now, I will say goodbye, and thank you to They Might Be Giants for yet another classic album!