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 1991
Format 7" record
Recorded Sing-Sing Studios
1989
Genre Alternative rock
Length 4:07
Label Phonogram
Writer(s) TISM
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 a single by TISM. It was their third off Hot Dogma (1990) and the first off the album to have a video clip.

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.

Track listing

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

Track 2 is performed by Rebecca's Empire, making this single TISM's only split 7" (despite the artist for the B-side only being listed as "Performed by Rebecca Barnard and Shane O'Mara"). Barnard and O'Mara didn't use the name "Rebecca's Empire" until 1995. On the iTunes release, the B-side is listed as the "Rebecca's Umpire version".

References

  1. ↑ Official TISM History (1991)

External links