Don't Let's Start
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- For the EP by this name, see Don't Let's Start (EP).
"Don't Let's Start" is a They Might Be Giants song originally from the self-titled They Might Be Giants album. It was released as a single (Don't Let's Start (EP)) at this time. It has also appeared on Then: The Earlier Years and Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants.
Its lyrics are typically abstract for an early They Might Be Giants song, though its musings on love and life appear to stem from an impending romantic turmoil suggested in the chorus. Although the song is known for such dreary, pointed statements as "everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful," John Linnell has repeatedly insisted (as in a 2003 interview with NPR's Terry Gross) that some of its lyrical twists, though pondered extensively by fans, were constructed merely to complement the melody and have no deep meaning.
The song also led to a music video that was popular for some time on MTV. In it, the band is featured wearing rolled up cardboard with fabric stapled to the outside on their heads. The location in which the video was filmed is the site of the 1964 New York World's Fair in Queens, which would later be mentioned in "Ana Ng". The face used in the video is that of William Allen White. His face has also been used for props at TMBG concerts. It appears on the Don't Let's Start CD single, and otherwise can frequently be found associated with TMBG.
The song was covered by the band Common Rotation on their album The Big Fear, and is quoted by Jimmy Eat World in "A Praise Chorus" on their 2001 CD, Bleed American.
When asked about the meaning of the song, Linnell replied that it was about "not let's starting".
