Why Does The Sun Shine? (EP)

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Why Does The Sun Shine? ep cover
Why Does The Sun Shine?
EP by They Might Be Giants
First released September 14, 1993
Release details / collectors: Show | Hide
Tracks 4
Label Elektra <66272-2> Length 9:57


Why Does the Sun Shine? is an Apollo 18-era They Might Be Giants EP, comprising three covers and a recording of "Spy" concocted prior to its inclusion on John Henry. Why Does the Sun Shine? is the first TMBG release to have been recorded in-studio with a full band ("O Tannenbaum" having been recorded live at a soundcheck).

The EP was recorded at Excello Recording Studio in Brooklyn, NY, at the same sessions as the John Henry Demos.

The EP employs the same atomic-looking Elektra logo — designed by Barbara Glauber — as Apollo 18. The cover artwork was designed by Megan Cash, and the inner photo, which is an image of the character Pearl from The Night of the Hunter, is credited to Rolf Conant.

Purchase[edit]

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AAC $3.99 Purchase

Track listing[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
1 Why Does The Sun Shine? 2:53 
2 Jessica 2:24 
3 Whirlpool 2:10 
4 Spy (Original Version) 2:30  N/A

Trivia[edit]

  • The guy on the front cover is a piece of clipart that was created by the Stivers Studio in the 1930s or '40s in San Francisco. John Flansburgh came across it and passed him along to graphic artist Megan Cash.[1]
  • According to Flansburgh, the copy on the back cover of the album was "a collage of text drawn from a couple of found sources of text—pasting in our titles like you would in a mad lib. One was pretty ripe—very hypey piece of copy and one was a bit drier. I can't remember what they were. We changed it up a bit to fit our material."[2]

Gallery[edit]


7" Single[edit]

Why Does The Sun Shine? single cover
Why Does The Sun Shine?
Single by They Might Be Giants
First released September 14, 1993
Release details / collectors: Show | Hide
Tracks 2
Label Elektra <7-64602> Length 5:17

In 2020, in response to a fan's question on why the band chose this format to release the song on 7", John Flansburgh noted, "We made an EP, and it could fit on a 45 so it seemed like a nice promotional piece."[3]

Track listing[edit]

# Title Length  Lyrics Guitar Tab
1 Why Does The Sun Shine? 2:53 
2 Jessica 2:24 

Gallery[edit]