Let's Form a Company

"Let's Form a Company"
Single by TISM
from the album Hot Dogma
B-side The Judeo-Christian Ethic
Released 1989
Format 7" record
Genre Alternative rock
Length ??:??
Label Phonogram
Writer(s) TISM
Producer ?
TISM singles chronology
The History of Western Civilisation
(1990)
Let's Form a Company
(1990)
(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River
(1995)

Let's Form a Company is the name of a single by TISM. It was their third off Hot Dogma (1990) and the first off the album to have a video clip.

Contents

Song

The song follows the same basic lyrical structure of the Ira/George Gershwin song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" even opening with the same line "You say tomato/I say tomato" with the same pronunciations of the original song. However, the similarities there end, when the singer begins comparing two things which are (supposedly) antithetical, such as in the verse:

You, you say Bono/I say credible,
You say McDonalds/And I say edible,
You, you say art/I say relevant,
You say rock/I say intelligent.

Video

The video was a parody of late night television and featured rapid cuts and transitions, including items which were actually on sale at TISM concerts (such as Official TISM String) and things mentioned in passing on the album (such as TISM No interest, No repayment loans).

Also cut into the video were brief shots of pornography which flashed towards the camera and other make believe items such as TISM on the cover of five Time Magazines, the titles of which read "Trash Conquers World", "TISM "Music" Kills Sheep", "Lost Wild Cultism", "TISM Sells Out" and "TISM Stole My Baby...".

The video also featured a large portion of The TISM Guide To Little Aesthetics which scrolled past too fast to read. This occurred with various other pieces of text throughout the video.

Reception

The song at the time failed to capture audiences as their previous singles did, gaining little radio airplay and the music video becoming "a hugely expensive white elephant."[1] Let's Form A Company would be TISM's last single off Hot Dogma, and they would not release another single until 1995's (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River.

During TISM's performance of the song on the popular ABC show The Big Gig, band members completely ignored the directions of and abused ABC staff and camera crew, performed numerous stage dives and other dangerous stunts with expensive studio equipment, drank alcohol on the stage, and scrawled offensive messages on the screen wherever close-up camera shots were attempted. TISM were banned from performing on the show ever again due to their behaviour.

Track listing

  1. "Let's Form A Company"
  2. "The Judeo-Christian Ethic"

Track 2 is performed by Rebecca's Empire.

References

External links