YOUTH CULTURE POLLED MY DOG: They Might Be Giants (first 21 years) POLL RESULTS

And no one cares enough about "Mammal" to comment on it. I've never liked it much myself and honestly have always been a big cool on Apollo 18 in general.

another track on the imaginary 1999 wallet-chain-aimed best-of that was released to accompany their Warped Tour afternoon slot:

27: The Statue Got Me High
694 points, 11 votes

single from Apollo 18, 1992:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO5iUDBK7TA

live on Jonathan Ross, backed by Steve Nieve & The Love Band, 1992
live on the Tonight Show without Johnny Carson, 1992

Though I am, as stated above, cool on Apollo 18 generally that doesn't apply to this song. TMBG's best self-consciously 'rocking' song and I do like the lyrics nonsense though they might be. I remember reading a semi-convincing analysis on a TMBG message board c. 2001 that the song is about Mozart's opera Don Giovanni.

"Mammal" is great fun to sing and a brilliantly-curated set of syllables ("main-taining the ver-y high me-tab-o-lis-m rate they have") but hard for me to say much about.

"Statue Got Me High" is another hook-monster with some really striking and memorable turns of phrase "the truth is where the sculptor's chisel chipped away the lie," "a monument of granite sent a beam into my eye," "my coat contained a furnace where there used to be a guy" - really giving the sense of total transformation, as in some kind of sublime mind-blowing experience or perhaps brainwashing by a cult. That a "statue" could be either a work of art or a religious icon further enriches this ambiguity I think - it's both exciting and terrifying to have your mind totally taken over by some new obsession, artistic or personal or even romantic (there aren't many cues here to read this as a Pygmalionesque tale, but you could). And it's contagious! Your turn to hear the stone, and then your turn to burn.

god what the hell was i doing with my ballot that "statue" was down at 53? that's indefensible.

26: Spiraling Shape
695 points, 10 votes

1992 demo of Rocket Ship, released on TMBG Unlimited
rewritten as Spiraling Shape on the soundtrack of the Kids In The Hall movie Brain Candy, 1996, later on Factory Showroom
live in studio on Studio 360 (audio only)

Surprised to see this so high, never knew it had so many fans. I had it at #61 on my ballot. I like the song my only problem is simply that it is too long.

when I was 13 I thought this was one of the best songs ever written. that chorus was in my head for like, an entire year

great juxtaposition of this and "statue."

don't spennnnnd the rest of your life wondering!

25: Everything Right Is Wrong Again
708 points, 10 votes

1984 demo version as Everything Right Is Wrong
Their debut single on "Wiggle Diskette" flexi-disc, as Everything Right Is Wrong
re-recorded as Everything Right Is Wrong Again for The Pink Album

perfect "first song on first album." and now the song is over now.

the early versions are fascinating, and really bring out the countrified edge that crops up elsewhere on the debut. what's missing is that WHAM WHAM! combo of drum programming and electric guitar, and i'm guessing access to the gadgets or extra recording tracks to create the phasey wobbley effect in the bridge.

and i mean the general busy-ness of the mix. the refrain after the bridge in the final version has this great busy synth harpsichord part going behind it. it's like the gauntlet soundtrack suddenly barged into the studio. pocket symphonies for the MIDI era.

24: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
743 points, 10 votes

original by The Four Lads, 1953

single from Flood LP, 1990:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsRuurcTTSk

Brownsville Mix, 1990
live version on Severe Tire Damage, 1998
Electronic Istanbul, 2011

I am among the 50% of spoilsports who did not vote for this.

tiny toons 4 lyfe

genius cover selection, a catchy but nearly-forgotten vocal hit from a profoundly square and unloved genre, souped up with a steady and sometimes pounding-and-stuttering rhythm section and some all-new instrumental hooks. the main "oriental" instrumental figure of the original is scrapped or just forgotten - i've read that the johns supposedly did not listen to the original while working out theirs). they make this into a real manic racket. wish i could hear it without picturing the tiny toons animation, wonder what i'd think of it just encountering it as the next track on a new tmbg album.

it's suuuch a tmbg song that it's kind of remarkable that they didn't write it. maybe there was some sort of temporal lapse caused by a statue with laser eyes that sent one of the johns back in time to workshop some quirky ideas with vocal groups in the 50s

yea count me in the "couldn't believe this was a cover" crowd

I still like it but kinda wish they'd drop this and "Particle Man" from their set list

Greg also didn't vote for the song that beat Istanbul

23: Narrow Your Eyes
751 points, 11 votes

on Apollo 18, 1992

Hey that's not true I had it at #43.

I think this was my #3. IMO this is an even more heartwrenching breakup song than "Match" or "Crane". the "we'll race to the bottom of a glass" line is so good.

whoops! (#44). I must have not clicked into the sheet before searching

by far my favorite track on Apollo 18--my #9

The beginning part of the chorus is one of my all time favorite TMBG parts, I just think it falls a tiny bit flat.

surprised to see it this high - i put it on my ballot but mainly for the "race to the bottom of a glass" part. solid little song, though.

IMO this is an even more heartwrenching breakup song than "Match" or "Crane". the "we'll race to the bottom of a glass" line is so good.

Seconded.

have to say, as the threadstarter for one of the only dedicated general TMBG threads I'm a little surprised at the level of enthusiasm here both for the band in general and for their post-Flood output, which I never gave much of a second thought to

was tempted to make the next one my #1, just because 2018

22: Your Racist Friend
772 points, 10 votes

on Flood LP, 1990
Sampla-Delic Remix by Super DJ Dmitry & Jungle DJ Towa Tei, 1990

live on Letterman 1990, backed by Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4_COOh4VXw

grade 5, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2010:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K3Pn3oTZD4

Richard Spencer getting punched, 2017

"Your Racist Friend" is not that good. "If anything was broken it surely could be mended" possibly the hackiest rhyme-dictionary rhyme they ever wrote. Glad I got that off my chest!

"Istanbul," on the other hand -- I mean, I'm tired of it too, to an extent, but I'm pretty surprised ANYONE didn't vote for it. Their "Yellow Submarine."

And I love the way they used to do it live where one John would just declaim "NOOOOOOOOOO. YOU CAN'T GO. BACK."

heard a recent interview with Linnell yesterday where he said he was taken aback by how dumb and basic and obvious Your Racist Friend was when Flans wrote it

(and has subsequently learnt that it was not obvious, and was worth being v direct)

Real comments on Youtube about Your Racist Friend

KyraKyraMyra

This has never felt more relevant.

Caifeng Mae

KyraKyraMyra I'm here for that

Scott Davis

Ha! I just went here to say the same thing... 11 months later, it's still getting worse!

Souven Ir

Scott Davis Well it's on the way out. Conservatism is on the rise and the racists beating people in the streets are actually getting arrested for it now.
Trump is turning it all around and he's still got 6 more years!

Lyrically, sure it’s a bit on the nose, but it’s heart is in the right place. Musically it’s one of Flans’s best tunes, imo

yeah i voted for this for the heaviness of the arrangement. the lyrics are unsubtle, but why does everything have to be so subtle all the time

if nothing else I do like the Seinfeld bass on this one

although I guess it probably wasn't called that then

Jonathan Wolff failed to respond to the

21: Rhythm Section Want Ad
784 points, 10 votes

on The Pink Album, 1986

First from my top 10! I can’t explain why exactly I like the so much. It just somehow captures the freedom and joy and confusion of that first record so perfectly. Laugh hard, it’s a long way to the bank.

one fun (and probably unintentional) thing about this tune is how it ends the album on "...and here's the reason why", which on CD would often loop back to the first track

definitely one of my favorites from the first LP, there's something really incredible about these breakneck pop songs that almost have this Zolo feel to them. plus Modest Mouse stole a line from this - Issac Brock being a fan of this album is pretty amusing to me

(googles)

bluetooth earphones feel?

First from my top 10!

Three of my top five have already shown up.

“Confusion” up there was meant to be “concision”

last call to place your bets on what has a chance of placing top 20

Call me crazy but I think “Ana No” might show up somewhere

Ana Ng screw you autocorrect for messing up my joke