had no idea there was a video for Crane
the bridge makes the song imo
― Οὖτις, Monday, 29 October 2018 21:04 (five years ago) link
0 #1 votes for "Don't Let's Start" is a little surprising though in a poll with so few entries anomalies like that are expected. It was my #4.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:05 (five years ago) link
Ana Ng is the correct answer, I think. It's not my personal favorite (tho it's close), but it's songwriting of the highest level and the bolero-like rhythm makes it unlike anything else they've done.
― fred-a van vleet (voodoo chili), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:06 (five years ago) link
#2 and #1 are my #2 and #1 and two of the songs that mean the most to me in my life, not sure what more I can say.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:07 (five years ago) link
The highest placing post-"Flood" song being at #17 is harsh but fair.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:08 (five years ago) link
yea so many great things about that song. personally my favorite is the backing vocals on the chorus...the "Listen Ann" part
also love the opening lines, perhaps the most convoluted way to say "this is about a girl on the other side of the world" possible
― frogbs, Monday, 29 October 2018 21:09 (five years ago) link
Except maybe thanks to the somewhat conservative guy in my high school who sometimes wore a tie to school and in some ways got on my nerves but one day correctly intuited that I needed to hear what was playing on his walkman which was "ana ng," four minutes later I was the man you see before you today
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:09 (five years ago) link
Listen Ana hear my wordsThey're the ones you would think I would say if there was a me for you
― fred-a van vleet (voodoo chili), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:12 (five years ago) link
great #1. there is no better encapsulation in their catalog of what makes them unique and special: intense and clever wordiness that does not crowd out real feeling (anguish, loneliness, longing for connection, awareness of the desperation of the hail-mary gamble while still making it, how strange it is to believe that there's someone out there for you while also having full knowledge of how large the world is)....... and that incredible shift from the abstraction-of-a-rock-band starkness of the verse to the absolute explosion of MIDI glory that comes pouring out with the arrival of the chorus. and then back AGAIN to the stop-start just a few seconds later for "walked in the glow of each other's majestic presence." and then you get to go on the ride AGAIN with "listen ana..." it's like a whirlpool, and it never ends.also typically, one of the best turns of phrase isn't one of the showingly clever ones, just a wonderfully non-cliched way of saying something. "and in back of the edge of hearing, these are the words that the voice was repeating."
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:22 (five years ago) link
I didn't submit a ballot, but thanks to all who did and sic for compiling and posting links. I listened to every song in the list. Lincoln & Flood were big in my college radio days but then I forgot all about them until the mickey mouse clubhouse and here come the ABCs came along with my kids, who loved them. So we went to see them on the current tour (kids now in high school) and it was amazing! Got a signed copy of the new one "I like fun" at the show and it's great too! I think 2 or 3 songs off of it wouldn't be out of place in the top ten here had they been released in the 90s.
― BrianB, Monday, 29 October 2018 21:27 (five years ago) link
yea if indeed a 2002-present poll is done I think that one would be more interesting - I have no idea what the top 5 would look like.
― frogbs, Monday, 29 October 2018 21:35 (five years ago) link
Aaah okay, "Where Your Eyes Don't Go" was one was wasn't sure about placing. Its greatness always seemed self-evident, but don't recall anyone ever mentioning it. (Again likely a result of my fandom peaking in more isolated pre-internet days.) Seems I voted for most of the top ten then.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, 29 October 2018 21:41 (five years ago) link
for fun, here's the list according to voters on the TMBG wiki: http://tmbw.net/wiki/Special:Ratings
― fred-a van vleet (voodoo chili), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:46 (five years ago) link
And here's the list of their most-played songs in concert: https://www.setlist.fm/stats/they-might-be-giants-3bd6a404.html
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:48 (five years ago) link
This is the lowest rated TMBG song on that list ahahahahaha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnXeuc_XMA4
― 5th Ward Weeaboo (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:49 (five years ago) link
smh at "Dog Walker" being at 845th place. if Ween recorded that for Pure Guava everyone would say it was genius
― frogbs, Monday, 29 October 2018 21:50 (five years ago) link
it's also the 7th-lowest rated song tbf
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Monday, 29 October 2018 21:53 (five years ago) link
I avoided listening to "Ana Ng" until now. Still great innit. I think somewhere around "Who was at the DuPont pavilion? Why was the bench still warm? Who had been there?" was where tween me mumbled "Who the hell is this? I want this record" or similar.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, 29 October 2018 22:08 (five years ago) link
So Ana Ng is the *only* song we all voted for? Interesting.
(a canonical I skipped was "boss of me" bcs I'm fricking sick of it).
― Stoop Crone (Trayce), Monday, 29 October 2018 22:12 (five years ago) link
boss of me was never getting within a mile of my 99-track ballot
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Monday, 29 October 2018 22:35 (five years ago) link
"boss of me" is work for hire as far as i'm concerned
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 29 October 2018 22:38 (five years ago) link
let's do ween next
― 5th Ward Weeaboo (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, 29 October 2018 22:40 (five years ago) link
Weeny W. Weengarten
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Monday, 29 October 2018 22:53 (five years ago) link
this is the 92nd poll and there are another 65 in the queue already but if Weeny wants to run it he can add his name to the list
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Monday, 29 October 2018 22:55 (five years ago) link
The highest rated track I did not vote for was “Dead”. My two top 10 tracks to miss the top 78 were “Certain People I Could Name” and “Mrs. Train”
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, 29 October 2018 22:56 (five years ago) link
Here are the next 77:
78 AKA Driver 324 points, 8 votes79 Stand on Your Own Head 308 points, 7 votes80 Thermostat 305 points, 5 votes81 She Was A Hotel Detective 305 points, 5 votes82 (She Was A) Hotel Detective 305 points, 5 votes83 Hope That I Get Old Before I Die 301 points, 5 votes84 Exquisite Dead Guy 300 points, 7 votes85 Unsupervised, I Hit My Head 295 points, 5 votes86 The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) 277 points, 5 votes87 Hopeless Bleak Despair 276 points, 4 votes88 Dig My Grave 272 points, 5 votes89 Pet Name 266 points, 6 votes90 Certain People I Could Name 264 points, 4 votes91 I Am Not Your Broom 260 points, 3 votes92 Alienation's For The Rich 258 points, 6 votes93 The Songs of the 50 States 257 points, 4 votes94 Mrs Train 257 points, 5 votes95 The Edison Museum 252 points, 4 votes96 I Can Hear You 252 points, 5 votes97 Your Own Worst Enemy 249 points, 4 votes98 We're The Replacements 247 points, 6 votes99 She's Actual Size 245 points, 5 votes100 Now That I Have Everything 244 points, 4 votes101 Hearing Aid 244 points, 5 votes102 O, Do Not Forsake Me 243 points, 6 votes103 Working Undercover For The Man 235 points, 4 votes104 The Biggest One 235 points, 5 votes105 Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love 229 points, 3 votes106 First Kiss 222 points, 2 votes for First Kiss, 2 for Another First Kiss107 Theme From Flood 217 points, 5 votes108 When It Rains it Snows 215 points, 4 votes109 (She Thinks She's) Edith Head 214 points, 5 votes110 The Big Big Whoredom 213 points, 5 votes111 Space Suit 212 points, 4 votes112 Become A Robot 212 points, 5 votes113 Why Must I Be Sad? 210 points, 5 votes114 Violin 205 points, 3 votes115 Unrelated Thing 201 points, 4 votes116 Out Of Jail 201 points, 5 votes117 Where Do They Make Balloons? 200 points, 3 votes118 Spy 200 points, 4 votes, inc one specifying the Why Does the Sun Shine? EP version119 Lie Still, Little Bottle 200 points, 4 votes120 Rabid Child 198 points, 4 votes121 Cage & Aquarium 196 points, 5 votes122 Hypnotist Of Ladies 191 points, 4 votes123 Hovering Sombrero 189 points, 4 votes124 Robot Parade 188 points, 3 votes, inc. one for "rock version"125 My Man 178 points, 2 votes126 Hot Cha 170 points, 3 votes127 Montana 167 points, 2 votes128 Mr. Klaw 163 points, 2 votes129 Welcome To The Jungle 162 points, 3 votes130 The Day 157 points, 3 votes131 Nixon's The One 156 points, 2 votes132 Spider 155 points, 3 votes133 I’m Def 155 points, 3 votes134 Thunderbird 152 points, 2 votes135 Mink Car 148 points, 3 votes136 Maine 147 points, 3 votes137 I'll Sink Manhattan 147 points, 3 votes138 Hall Of Heads 147 points, 5 votes139 I've Got a Match 145 points, 3 votes140 I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die 140 points, 4 votes141 Chess Piece Face 139 points, 3 votes142 Sleepwalkers 137 points, 2 votes143 Rest Awhile 137 points, 3 votes144 You'll Miss Me 134 points, 2 votes145 Absolutely Bill's Mood 134 points, 4 votes146 It’s Not My Birthday 129 points, 2 votes147 Cyclops Rock 124 points, 5 votes148 Finished With Lies 119 points, 3 votes149 Bed Bed Bed 117 points, 2 votes150 Iowa 116 points, 2 votes151 I Am A Human Head 115 points, 2 votes152 S-E-X-X-Y 113 points, 2 votes153 Pennsylvania 105 points, 2 votes154 Drink! 104 points, 2 votes
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:03 (five years ago) link
What's up with It's Not My Birthday at 146 when it was also at #33 with 630 points?
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:06 (five years ago) link
ah dammit, that'll be apostrophes again
also I forgot to put the equalses so I've redone the list and will have that deleted
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:07 (five years ago) link
It's nuts how 100-150 all still basically get me nodding my head saying "yeah, great song"
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:08 (five years ago) link
after recount with apostrophes merged new #1 is "I'm Def"
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:09 (five years ago) link
It's Not My Birthday is now 22a
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:11 (five years ago) link
the hopefully-correct next 77 now neatly covers everything that could have been somebody's #1
78 We're The Replacements 344 points, 8 votes79 AKA Driver 324 points, 8 votes80 Stand on Your Own Head 308 points, 7 votes81= Thermostat 305 points, 5 votes81= She Was A Hotel Detective 305 points, 5 votes81= (She Was A) Hotel Detective 305 points, 5 votes84 Hope That I Get Old Before I Die 301 points, 5 votes85 Exquisite Dead Guy 300 points, 7 votes86 Unsupervised, I Hit My Head 295 points, 5 votes87 The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) 277 points, 5 votes88 Hopeless Bleak Despair 276 points, 4 votes89 Dig My Grave 272 points, 5 votes90 Pet Name 266 points, 6 votes91 Certain People I Could Name 264 points, 4 votes92 I Am Not Your Broom 260 points, 3 votes93 Alienation's For The Rich 258 points, 6 votes94= The Songs of the 50 States 257 points, 4 votes94= Mrs Train 257 points, 5 votes96= The Edison Museum 252 points, 4 votes96= I Can Hear You 252 points, 5 votes98 Your Own Worst Enemy 249 points, 4 votes99 She's Actual Size 245 points, 5 votes100= Now That I Have Everything 244 points, 4 votes100= Hearing Aid 244 points, 5 votes102 O, Do Not Forsake Me 243 points, 6 votes103= Working Undercover For The Man 235 points, 4 votes103= The Biggest One 235 points, 5 votes105 Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love 229 points, 3 votes106 First Kiss 222 points, 2 votes for First Kiss, 2 for Another First Kiss107 Theme From Flood 217 points, 5 votes108 When It Rains it Snows 215 points, 4 votes109 (She Thinks She's) Edith Head 214 points, 5 votes110 The Big Big Whoredom 213 points, 5 votes111= Space Suit 212 points, 4 votes111= Become A Robot 212 points, 5 votes113 Why Must I Be Sad? 210 points, 5 votes114 Violin 205 points, 3 votes115= Unrelated Thing 201 points, 4 votes115= Out Of Jail 201 points, 5 votes117= Where Do They Make Balloons? 200 points, 3 votes117= Spy 200 points, 4 votes, inc one specifying the Why Does the Sun Shine? EP version117= Lie Still, Little Bottle 200 points, 4 votes120 Rabid Child 198 points, 4 votes121 Cage & Aquarium 196 points, 5 votes122 Hypnotist Of Ladies 191 points, 4 votes123 Hovering Sombrero 189 points, 4 votes124 Robot Parade 188 points, 3 votes, inc. one for "rock version"125 My Man 178 points, 2 votes126 Hot Cha 170 points, 3 votes127 Montana 167 points, 2 votes128 Mr. Klaw 163 points, 2 votes129 Welcome To The Jungle 162 points, 3 votes130 The Day 157 points, 3 votes131 Nixon's The One 156 points, 2 votes132= Spider 155 points, 3 votes132= I’m Def 155 points, 3 votes134 Thunderbird 152 points, 2 votes135 Mink Car 148 points, 3 votes136= Maine 147 points, 3 votes136= I'll Sink Manhattan 147 points, 3 votes136= Hall Of Heads 147 points, 5 votes139 I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die 140 points, 4 votes140 Chess Piece Face 139 points, 3 votes141= Sleepwalkers 137 points, 2 votes141= Rest Awhile 137 points, 3 votes143= You'll Miss Me 134 points, 2 votes143= Absolutely Bill's Mood 134 points, 4 votes145 Cyclops Rock 124 points, 5 votes146 Finished With Lies 119 points, 3 votes147 Bed Bed Bed 117 points, 2 votes148 Iowa 116 points, 2 votes149 I Am A Human Head 115 points, 2 votes150 S-E-X-X-Y 113 points, 2 votes151 Pennsylvania 105 points, 2 votes152 Drink! 104 points, 2 votes153 Window 101 points, 2 votes154 Wicked Little Critta 100 points, 2 votes
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:19 (five years ago) link
Highest ranker I didn't vote for is "Where Your Eyes Don't Go." Highest on my ballot that didn't place is "Montana" (my #8.)
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:27 (five years ago) link
i considered voting for "i'm def," for some reason it really tickled me back thenwonder how many of those voting for the pastichey b-side hotel detective meant to vote for the honking o.g. great results anyway. love how many votes some of these deep deep cuts got.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:37 (five years ago) link
thunderbird, out of jail, sapphire bullets and i'll sink manhattan were ROBBED tho
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:39 (five years ago) link
xpost: there's only one voter who could have done so accidentally - three of us voted for both, and two specified Back To Skull to be extra clear. wait that means that MORE people (six) voted for the sequel song! look, I'm very hungover today.
― Sing The Mighty Beat (sic), Monday, 29 October 2018 23:48 (five years ago) link
Highest ranker I didn't vote for is "Don't Let's Start."
Highest on my ballot that didn't place in the top 77 is "I Am Not Your Broom" (my #6).
Highest on my ballot that didn't place in the top 154 is "The House at the Top of the Tree" (my #27).
Further details when we post our full ballots, I guess.
― SlimAndSlam, Monday, 29 October 2018 23:57 (five years ago) link
Raise your hand if, like me, you voted for "Walk on Water."
It's okay, I can wait.
― SlimAndSlam, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 00:00 (five years ago) link
I don't think "(She Was a) Hotel Detective" is very good, probably my least favorite song on the album. baffling to me that they made it a single
I am so happy that "We Want a Rock" made the top 10, thought it might miss the list. I don't know why but the lyrics have probably stuck with me more than any other TMBG song. Great poll everyone
― Vinnie, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 00:08 (five years ago) link
I was one of the 2 votes for “Thunderbird”. I had it at #11
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 00:20 (five years ago) link
Has anyone listened to The World's Address podcast? They don't particularly like the drum machine years albums and one of them has only bothered to listen to Flood all the way through for the purpose of that week's episode. A good listen if you want to drive yourself insanehttp://theworldsaddress.com/
― PaulTMA, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 00:29 (five years ago) link
Highest ranker I didn't vote for: "Birdhouse in Your Soul"
Highest on my ballot that didn't place in the top 77: "Space Suit", "I Can Hear You", "Counterfeit Fake", "The Day", "Rabid Child" (all in my top 20, IIRC)
Thanks for putting it together, sic!
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 00:37 (five years ago) link
yes, bravo! good times all around and, i think, a very fine turnout with fascinating but not suspect results. has also led to me listening to, and thinking about, Them for a really sustained period. am now convinced john linnell is one of the great unheralded songwriters of the late 20th century. hell of a portfolio.my god that podcast sounds insane. bizarro world. might give it a try just as a window into their contemporary fandom (?). i guess it's cool that they have enough life as a band that people could be getting into them thru the new stuff (or from growing up on the kids' albums?) and still be just now getting around to the stuff that actually made their place in musical history.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 00:43 (five years ago) link
Wow, "Ana Ng" is really good.
― jmm, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 00:45 (five years ago) link
Why is it called "The World's Address" if they don't dig the early records?
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 01:09 (five years ago) link
I didn't vote, but Thermostat would have been near the top of any ballot I submitted, surprised that it's so low
Idaho as well, which I don't see at all
― soref, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 01:15 (five years ago) link
"thermostat" is one like "a self called nowhere" that i know i really dug when i was first getting into the band and which for whatever reason doesn't speak to me as much now. maybe it's the chorus, "turn it up turn it down" gets a little old or something.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 01:19 (five years ago) link
It reminds me of Smooth by Santana and Rob Thomas. Maybe it’s just me
The song that was robbed was “Now that I Have Everything”. Though I believe it’s only available as a bonus track on Then so it’s understandable.
― frogbs, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 01:31 (five years ago) link
great little zippy keyboard part on that.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 02:12 (five years ago) link
the Then bonus tracks are so good
IIIN BUENOOOOS AAAAAAAAIIREEEEEES
― 5th Ward Weeaboo (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 02:18 (five years ago) link