Dial-A-Song

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This article is about the They Might Be Giants telephone service. For the TMBG album, see Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants.

Established by rock band They Might Be Giants (TMBG), Dial-A-Song consists of an answering machine with a tape of the band playing various songs. The machine plays one track at a time, ranging from demos and uncompleted work to fake advertisements the band has created.

Based in Brooklyn, NY, Dial-A-Song can be reached at (718) 387-6962, but it is often difficult to access. In reference to this, Dial-A-Song's tongue-in-cheek slogan is "Always Busy, Often Broken." Some TMBG fans consider it a mark of pride even to have been able to reach Dial-A-Song. The number is a local Brooklyn number and is charged accordingly, but the band advertises it with the line: "Free when you call from work," meaning you don't have to pay the phone bill at the office.

Due to the nature of an answering machine, only one caller can listen to the current song at any given time. This has been noted as creating a special bond between the song and the person calling as it is playing just for them.

Longtime listeners to Dial-A-Song have counted at least 500 distinct songs and variations recorded by They Might Be Giants, making them one of the most prolific rock bands in history.

The Dial-A-Song system should not be confused with TMBG's record of a similar name: Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants. This "best-of" anthology is not in fact a compilation of Dial-A-Song rarities; the name is simply a tribute.

For a short time, Issac Brock of the indie rock band Modest Mouse started his own Dial-A-Song service. Tracks 16-24 of the album Sad Sappy Sucker are experiments that were used for it.

In March 2000, TMBG started dialasong.com, which was more reliable than the original, phone-based version, as it utilized a flash document to stream the songs. This was replaced in August 2006 however, with a page promoting the They Might Be Giants podcasts.

[edit] External links

They Might Be Giants
John Flansburgh | John Linnell
Dan Miller | Danny Weinkauf | Marty Beller
Brian Doherty | Dan Hickey | Graham Maby | Tony Maimone | Eric Schermerhorn
Discography
Albums: They Might Be Giants (1986) | Lincoln (1988) | Flood (1990) | Apollo 18 (1992) | John Henry (1994) | Factory Showroom (1996) | Long Tall Weekend (1999) | Mink Car (2001) | No! (2002) | The Spine (2004) | Here Come the ABCs (2005) | The Else (2007) | Here Come the 123s (2007)
EPs: Wiggle Diskette | 1985 Demo Tape | Don't Let's Start | (She Was A) Hotel Detective | They'll Need a Crane | Purple Toupee | Birdhouse in Your Soul | Istanbul (Not Constantinople) | The Statue Got Me High | The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) | I Palindrome I | Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas) | O Tannenbaum | Back to Skull | S-E-X-X-Y | Working Undercover for the Man | Boss of Me | Man, It's So Loud in Here | They Might Be Giants in Holidayland | Bed, Bed, Bed | Indestructible Object | The Spine Surfs Alone
Live albums: Live!! New York City 10/14/94 | Severe Tire Damage | Live | The Spine Hits the Road | Almanac | Venue Songs
Compilations: Don't Let's Start | Miscellaneous T | Then: The Earlier Years | Best of the Early Years | They Got Lost | Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants | A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants | Venue Songs DVD/CD
Songs
"Don't Let's Start" | "Ana Ng" | "Birdhouse in Your Soul" | "Particle Man" | "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" | "Doctor Worm" | "Experimental Film"
Video Releases
Direct from Brooklyn | Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) | Here Come the ABCs DVD/CD | Venue Songs DVD/CD
Related Articles
Dial-A-Song | Mono Puff | State Songs (John Linnell solo album)
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