Don't Let's Start

"Don't Let's Start" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, from their eponymous debut album They Might Be Giants. It was the first single released from the album, released as a maxi-single. The song is one of the band's most popular and well-known songs, despite failing to chart or achieve commercial success.^[1] The single was later re-released by Elektra in 1990 after the success of the band's third album, Flood.

Music and lyrics

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.^[2] This is re-instated by Linnell's ambiguity when asked about the meaning of the song, stating the song was simply about "not let's starting".

Music video

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.

Impact

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.

Don't Let's Start is also the name of an upcoming film, with characters that take their names from various They Might Be Giants' songs, such as Ana Ng.^[3]

Track listing

Maxi-single

1. "Don't Let's Start" (single mix) – 2:35
2. "We're The Replacements" – 1:55
3. "When It Rains It Snows" – 1:36
4. "The Famous Polka" – 1:32

1990 maxi-single re-release

1. "Don't Let's Start" (single mix) – 2:35
2. "Your Racist Friend (Remix)" – 3:50
3. "She's an Angel" – 2:37
4. "Absolutely Bill's Mood" – 2:38

1990 single re-release

1. "Don't Let's Start" (single mix) – 2:35
2. "Letterbox" – 1:25
3. "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" – 1:36

References

External links

• "Don't Let's Start" (releases) at This Might Be A Wiki
• "Don't Let's Start" (song) at This Might Be A Wiki