Alienation's For The Rich
From This Might Be A Wiki
| song name | Alienation's for the Rich |
| artist | They Might Be Giants |
| releases | 1985 Promotional Demo Tape #7, 1985 Demo Tape, They Might Be Giants, Then: The Earlier Years |
| year | 1985 |
| first played | July 18, 1982 (36 known performances) |
| run time | 2:25 |
| sung by | John Flansburgh |
Trivia/Info
- This song was originally written by John Flansburgh when he was in an earlier band known as The Turtlenecks. In November 2014, Flansburgh discussed the idea of alienation being for the rich[1]:
It's actually not a concept we invented, and I can't remember the older iterations of the expression but the current popular expression that runs parallel is "first world problems" (although I wouldn't ever want to make a song called that!). The notion is that because their troubles and issues are immediate, working people don't have time to feel alienated from the world in the abstract, highfalutin way that existential dread is described. THAT seemed like an interesting point of view to write a song from--just like "Okie from Muskogee" has an interesting point of view that isn't necessarily first person direct. But the more I write about the whole concept here the more suspect the basic notion seems!
- This song is one of the band's earliest songs known to have been performed live. It was mentioned to have been performed under the name "El Grupo De Rock And Roll" at the band's first ever live show in 1982, as well as on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade in 1983 alongside "Cowtown", "Maybe I Know", "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" and "Space Suit"[2].
- In live performances of "Alienation's For The Rich" in the 1980s, Flansburgh would credit his father Earl Flansburgh with writing the song. When asked about this in a 2024 TikTok live, Flansburgh clarified "No he didn't. I just thought it was a funny thing to say."[3] He has also credited him with writing "Hell Hotel"[4].
- Also in early live performances, Flansburgh would frequently replace the lyric "and the TV is in Esperanto" with "and the TV's talking Spanish". This alternate lyric is also present on the demo.
- Esperanto is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. The name derives from Doktoro Esperanto, the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof first published the Unua Libro in 1887. The word itself means "one who hopes". Zamenhof's goal was to create an easy and flexible language as a universal second language to foster peace and international understanding.
- Flansburgh's voice extends from a D2 to a Bb5 in this song as well as a Bb4 without falsetto, demonstrating well over three octaves of vocal range.
- At the end of the song in the 1985 Demo Tape and in the seventh 1985 promotional demo tape, someone can be heard saying "That last thing's kinda weird."
Song Themes
Criminal Activities, Drinking, Language, Loneliness, Money, Occupations, Self-Reference, School, Spoken Word, Swear Words, Swing Feel, Trade Names, Transportation
Videos
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