Tag Archives: lincoln

#701: They Might Be Giants – Kiss Me, Son of God

Leave a reply

When listening to They Might Be Giants’ second album Lincoln you wouldn’t think that, after starting with ‘Ana Ng’, the record would then go on to close with ‘Kiss Me, Son of God’. Musically uplifting, it’s led by a soundscape of rising violins, saxophones and a cello that provide the backdrop to Linnell’s lyrics which detail a dictator who has lost the respect of his closest friends and associates.

In typical TMBG fashion the song juxtaposes happy music and darker lyrical subject matter to create this undertone of tension and uneasiness. The listener however isn’t able to tell unless they really search out those lyrics just because of how upbeat and strident the melodies are. I’m thinking that, as the track is from the point of view of this awful, awful person, the music is meant to reflect the fact that the narrator truly doesn;t care about the hurt he’s causing these people and is in fact very happy about his situation.

Very descriptive in its language and vivid in its imagery, the lyrical highlight arguably occurs in the bridge:

I look like Jesus, so they say
But Mr. Jesus is very far away
Now you’re the only one here who can tell me if it’s true
That you love me and I love me

You see, ’cause as a listener you’re expecting Linnell to sing ‘I love you‘ in that final line but he turns it around and sings ‘me’ instead. You have to hear it to appreciate it.

Linnell and Flansburgh had originally recorded the track during the sessions for the group’s first album. It was released a B-Side on the ‘(She Was a) Hotel Detective’ single, and is very different from how it appears on Lincoln. With no backing music by The Ordinaires, it’s just the two Johns singing in harmony with an accordion at hand. Here is that version:

#606: They Might Be Giants – I’ve Got a Match

Leave a reply

Lincoln is the second album by They Might Be Giants, released in 1988 – two years following their debut. Comparing the two, I’ve always felt that Lincoln is a lot warmer in tone than its predecessor. The band’s first album contains a majority of tracks with massive drums slathered in reverb and, I guess some would say, dated production in general. It’s my personal favourite of theirs. But there’s none of that on Lincoln. Instrumentals are virtually stripped back allowing to really let the band’s lyricism and melodies shine through. There are also a lot of sincere songs concerning romantic relationships on Lincoln which tend to detail the downfalls and break-ups that can occur. ‘I’ve Got a Match’ is one of them.

Whenever They Might Be Giants write about relationships they tend to skip the melodrama that comes with a lot of standard love songs. No over-exaggerated lyrical clichés or musical elements. Sung by John Linnell, ‘I’ve Got a Match’ details a relationship that begs to wonder how it even started – one that totally lacks in sympathy, trust and commitment. Its verses consist of overbearing demands and backhanded insults before building into a chorus that denounces love as ‘smelly’ and states the futility of the couple’s romance.

Musically, the song is characterised by a quiet verse/loud chorus dynamic. The first verse its just Linnell’s lone vocal, John Flansburgh’s soft guitar chords on the right, a synth-harp (I’ll guess) on the left and the rhythm section. Then just as Linnell finishes the last line, the track suddenly bursts into a soaring chorus with the introduction of an accordion, vocal harmonies and a pulsating drum rhythm. Linnell also belts out the highest note of the whole track during this time too. It’s a very cathartic release that comes after the agitated vibe of the verses.

It’s a real gem. I almost feel like it could have a been a single in its day. The group have rarely ever played it live because the two Johns supposedly got too burned out on it. Perhaps they spent a lot of time trying to perfect it in the studio? It came out rather well if that’s the case.

My iPod #215: They Might Be Giants – Cowtown

1 Reply
 

“Cowtown” is the second song from They Might Be Giants’ second album “Lincoln”. I first heard the track on the old LaunchCast radio/website that Yahoo used to own. I won’t go on about that; I’ve talked about it before in many posts that I can’t be bothered to link into this sentence.

I was probably about nine/ten and what instantly struck me, apart from the galloping clarinet introduction, was the overall tone and mood of the song when John Flansburgh starts singing the chorus and the rest of the instruments come in. There is something very warm, inviting, and full of pride about it. Almost got me thinking Cowtown was an actual place that existed somewhere, and if it didn’t could someone think of a plan to construct it right away.

Although primarily written by Linnell, both Johns sing the track which is great because their voices work of each other so well. And with so many rhymes in the lines and lyrical wordplay, it is a shoe in with the many They Might Be Giants tunes that rely on those kinds of things on… well, almost all of their albums. But the first four especially.

My iPod #35: They Might Be Giants – Ana Ng

3 Replies

:’) Another great song.

One of the best They Might Be Giants songs ever. It’s got everything you want. A great chorus, an edgy guitar riff in the verses, and their typical trait of being able to write a melody that gets stuck in your head and never leaves.

The video of this song was one of the first of theirs I saw. I’ve told you guys about the Launchcast site Yahoo had, and how it basically introduced to what is my favourite band. When I saw it, I didn’t know who was singing. Neither John was lip-syncing to the song. The video just gave me everything I needed to know about them. They were synchronising in everything, their pounding on the table, their ‘dancing’, their general (I don’t want to say it) quirkiness just attracted me to them.

I had a good friend in primary school, and I was ten when I watched the video. So seeing that just made me want to force him to watch it so we could mimic the things they did during lunchtime or whatever. Everything is fun when you’re in year five.

Then primary school finished, and it was the summer holidays before I would start year seven. From being the oldest in the school, back to the youngest. I couldn’t handle it. I went out with my sister to Woolworths to buy stationery (pens, pencils, all the stuff) to prepare, and I saw one of my good friends from primary school there. I saw her, but I don’t think she saw me. I realised that’s how it would be from then on. I would never have the same relationship I had with my friends once I moved to my new school. The fact that I was the only person from my school to get into the one I did only emphasised that. I barely saw any of them, when I did it was a small exchange of:

“Hi! How are you?”
“I’m good.”
“Haven’t seen you for aaaaaaages!”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Well, see ya then! :)”
“See ya. :)”

😦 It was never the same.

I remember getting on the bus with my sister after finishing at the shop, ‘Ana Ng’ came into my head and I just kept on humming it and singing it quietly to myself whilst looking out the window feeling the time go by.

‘Ana Ng’ is a really important song for me. It reminds of me of the good times.

Until next time.

Jamie.