Misplaced Pages

"Don't Let's Start"
Single by They Might Be Giants
from the album They Might Be Giants
B-side	"We're the Replacements", "When It Rains It Snows", "The Famous Polka"
Released	November 2, 1987
Recorded	January 8, 1986
Studio	Dubway Studio, New York City
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	2:36
Label	Bar/None, Restless Elektra (Re-issue)
Songwriter(s)	John Flansburgh, John Linnell
Producer(s)	Bill Krauss
They Might Be Giants singles chronology
"Don't Let's Start" (1987) "(She Was A) Hotel Detective" (1988)
Music video
"Don't Let's Start" on YouTube
1990 Elektra Re-issue

"Don't Let's Start" is a song by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, from their 1986 eponymous debut album. It was the first single released from the album, released as a maxi-single. The single peaked at number 94 on the Australian ARIA singles chart in 1988. It was re-released by Elektra in 1990 after the success of the band's third album, Flood.

Lyrical content

The lyrics of "Don't Let's Start" include a number of dark, pointed statements, such as "everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful." John Linnell has repeatedly insisted that some of the song's lyrical twists, though pondered extensively by fans, were constructed to complement the melody and were not necessarily meaningful. Asked about the origin of the song's obscure lyrics, Linnell replied "where did it come from? I made it up."

Music video

A music video was produced for the song, and it found some success at that time on MTV. It was included on MTV's 1999 list of the "100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made" at #89. The video was directed by Adam Bernstein and was filmed inside the New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Park, the site of the 1964 New York World's Fair. The band is featured wearing tall hats which, according to John Flansburgh on Tumblr, consist of "a large piece of semi-rigid cardstock (cut in a little arc) covered with a light bolt of red velvet fabric from a fabric store." The video also features large cardboard cutouts of the face of William Allen White. His face also appears on the "Don't Let's Start" CD single, and it has frequently been used in other contexts associated with They Might Be Giants.

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

Personnel

• John Flansburgh – electric guitar, bass guitar
• John Linnell – lead vocals, keyboards

Chart performance

Other versions

• The song was covered by the band Common Rotation on their 2003 album The Big Fear.
• Jimmy Eat World quotes the song in "A Praise Chorus" on their 2001 album Bleed American. The part is sung by guest vocalist Davey von Bohlen of the Promise Ring.

References

1. "TMBGareOK. The Official They Might Be Giants tumblr". TMBGareOK. The Official They Might Be Giants tumblr. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
2. ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2015-07-15". Imgur. Archived from the original on 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2015-10-03.
3. Fresh Air interview with They Might Be Giants NPR. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
4. They Might Be Giants interview on Request Video, 1990.
5. MTV's 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made, 1999. Archived on rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
6. Adam Bernstein IMDb.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
7. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1980s/1988/RR-1988-03-04.pdf
8. Joyce, Mike (August 15, 2003). "COMMON ROTATION "The Big ..." The Washington Post. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
9. Nathan Rabin; Kyle Ryan; Josh Modell; Steven Hyden; Marc Hawthorne; Erik Adams; Michaelangelo Matos; Claire Zulkey; Sam Adams; Leonard Pierce (October 11, 2010). "Davey, sing me something that I know: 28 songs that mention other songs by name". AV Club. Retrieved January 9, 2023.

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

• 1986 songs
• 1987 debut singles
• Songs written by John Flansburgh
• Songs written by John Linnell
• They Might Be Giants songs
• Restless Records singles