My iPod #293: They Might Be Giants - Don't Let's Start

Wonderful news, I am now back in university after a three week break with the family. Will my style of writing change because of it? Probably not. And why would it?

That seems a strange way to begin this post. To be honest, I am just writing down whatever comes to my head because I didn't plan what to write about "Don't Let's Start", one of They Might Be Giants' most popular songs which can be found on their debut album from 1986. I have never taken the time out to really think about what I would type for all the songs that have preceded this, but for some reason I have no clue where I could 'start' with this track.

It is definitely one of the group's best. And one of Linnell's, seeing as he wrote it. The thing is I couldn't tell you what its subject matter is. Linnell vaguely stated that it is about 'not let's starting' and also admitted that he wrote the music first, and the syllables in the lyrics were able to fit in with the melody. Maybe it's not about anything important. Maybe it's about nothing at all. But that doesn't matter. What matters is how it's all delivered to the listener, right?

Well, it's pretty quick. But a lot happens in just under three minutes. This track contains one of Linnell's most eccentric vocal takes, singing softly one second before passionately yelling the next and then throwing out a random tongue twister. It also contains the band's most dramatic yet most memorable lyrics: "Everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful" and "I don't want to live in this world anymore". A bit morbid, true. But the happy, stop-starting music makes them all sound hilarious and nonsensical.

The track got They Might Be Giants 'noticed' for obvious reasons, and they went on to dominate the world with their drum machine, and eventually their actual backing band. Still going strong today, too.

* Here is the interesting demo for "Don't Let's Start". I don't know why, but I get an image of a boombox and kids playing hopscotch in the street in time to the music when I hear it. It sounds real old school.

** Plus, the version in the video at the beginning of the post is the single version. The album version is only slightly different, but they're both the same track. I do prefer the album version though.