A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants is a 2005 compilation album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

 by the group They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...

.

In the April 29, 2005 "TMBG News" online newsletter, bandmember John Flansburgh

John Flansburgh

John Conant Flansburgh is an American musician. He is half of the longstanding Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, for which he writes, sings and plays rhythm guitar...

 describes the album as such:

"Rhino

Rhino Entertainment

Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...

 is releasing the single disc compilation A User's Guide To They Might Be Giants – kind of a simple reduction of Dial-A-Song

Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants

Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants is a 2002 compilation album by They Might Be Giants. Despite the name, it is not a compilation of tracks from the band's "Dial-A-Song" service. It is instead an anthology of various album and live tracks from the band's history, spanning their full...

 – on May 3. It is a very interesting introduction to the band. If you were looking for a single disc to lay on the uninitiated, this might be the one. The liner notes, put together with our pal Barbara Glauber, are quite extensive. We've tried to compile all the songs and all the shows since the band's inception. Obviously this was a bit of a research nightmare (I'm not even sure if the show list includes in-stores!) but it is a very interesting object to look at, especially if you have good near-field vision."

Although it is referred to as a condensed version of Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants, it includes two songs not on Dial-A-Song, "John Lee Supertaster" and "Clap Your Hands", it deletes the single "Man, It's So Loud In Here", and adds two different versions of songs, the original versions of "Why Does the Sun Shine?", and "Don't Let's Start" as opposed to the live and single versions respectively found on Dial-A-Song.

Song origins

• Tracks 1, 3, 7, 10 and 18 originally from Flood (1990)
• Track 2 originally from John Henry
  John Henry (album)
  John Henry is the name of They Might Be Giants' fifth original album, although it is the sixth disc in their discography. It was released in 1994. It is the first album in which John Linnell and John Flansburgh utilized a full band, as opposed to playing most or all of the instruments themselves....
  
  (1994)
• Tracks 4, 5 and 22 originally from They Might Be Giants
  They Might Be Giants (album)
  They Might Be Giants is the eponymous debut album from Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants, also known as The Pink Album. It was released by Bar/None in 1986....
  
  (1986)
• Tracks 6, 13 and 24 originally from Mink Car
  Mink Car
  Mink Car is the eighth studio album by They Might Be Giants, released in 2001 on Restless Records, on the same morning as the September 11 attacks....
  
  (2001)
• Tracks 8, 11 and 20 originally from Lincoln
  Lincoln (album)
  Lincoln is the second album by the band They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1988 . The album is named after John Linnell and John Flansburgh's boyhood home of Lincoln, Massachusetts. The two men pictured are Linnell's great-grandfather, Lewis T...
  
  (1988)
• Tracks 9 and 15 originally from Factory Showroom
  Factory Showroom
  Factory Showroom is the sixth studio album by the band They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1996 through Elektra Records....
  
  (1996)
• Tracks 12, 14, 21 and 29 originally from Apollo 18
  Apollo 18 (album)
  Apollo 18 is They Might Be Giants' fourth studio album. It was released in 1992 and named after the Apollo missions, the last of which was Apollo 17....
  
  (1992)
• Track 16 originally from Severe Tire Damage
  Severe Tire Damage (album)
  Severe Tire Damage is a primarily live album by They Might Be Giants, released in 1998 . It also features a few studio tracks, including a new single ....
  
  (1998)
• Track 17 originally from Boss of Me
  Boss of Me
  "Boss of Me" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song was written as the theme song for the television show Malcolm in the Middle, and was released as the single from the soundtrack to the show. In 2002, "Boss of Me" won the band their first Grammy Award, in the category of...
  
  EP (2000) and is the theme song for Malcolm in the Middle
  Malcolm in the Middle
  Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
  
  , although a shorter version is usually used
• Track 19 originally from Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)
  Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)
  7" vinylPersonnelMusic* John Linnell – accordion, saxophone, bass clarinet, vocals* John Flansburgh – electric guitar, vocals* Brian Doherty – drums, glockenspiel* Kurt Hoffman – clarinet, saxophone* Frank London – trumpet...
  
  EP (1993)
• Tracks 23, 27 and 28 originally from No!
  No!
  No! is the ninth studio album by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released in 2002 on Rounder Kids. It is their first album of children's music....
  
  (2002)
• Track 25 originally from Don't Let's Start EP (1987), and later Miscellaneous T
  Miscellaneous T
  Miscellaneous T is a b-side and remix compilation album released by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants in 1991. It is a US re-release of Don't Let's Start which was only released in the UK and West Germany. The differences include cover art, track order, and the song "Hello Radio",...
  
  (1991)
• Track 26 originally from More Music from the Motion Picture Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
  Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
  Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in 1999, is the second film in the Austin Powers series that began with 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and continued with Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film was directed by Jay Roach, co-written by Mike Myers and screenwriter...
  
  (1999)

Track listing

All songs by They Might Be Giants unless otherwise noted

1. "Minimum Wage" – 0:46
2. "Meet James Ensor
   James Ensor
   James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor was a Flemish-Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for almost his entire life...
   
   " – 1:33
3. "Particle Man
   Particle Man
   "Particle Man" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song is the seventh track on the band's 1990 release, Flood. It has become one of their most popular songs, despite never being released as a single.- Lyrical content :...
   
   " – 1:58
4. "Don't Let's Start
   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...
   
   " – 2:36
5. "She's an Angel" – 2:36
6. "Cyclops Rock" – 2:42
7. "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
   Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
   "Istanbul " is a swing-style song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. The tune is reminiscent of "Puttin' on the Ritz," written by Irving Berlin in 1929, but the song is said to be a response to "C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N-O-P-L-E," recorded in 1928 by Paul Whiteman and His...
   
   " – 2:35
8. "Purple Toupee
   Purple Toupee
   -Track listing:# "Purple Toupee"# "Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal"# "Lady Is A Tramp"# "Birds Fly"The latter three tracks would later be included on Miscellaneous T.- External links :*Purple Toupee EP on This Might Be A Wiki...
   
   " – 2:38
9. "James K. Polk
   James K. Polk
   James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
   
   " – 3:05
10. "Birdhouse in Your Soul
    Birdhouse in Your Soul
    "Birdhouse in Your Soul" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released in March 1990 as a single from the album Flood. It reached #3 on the United States Modern Rock Tracks chart and #6 on the UK Singles Chart and remains their highest-charting single in both...
    
    " – 3:19
11. "Ana Ng
    Ana Ng
    "Ana Ng" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released as the lead single from the band's 1988 album Lincoln. Although the song was their first US chart appearance, hitting #11 on the US Modern Rock chart, the single was never officially released in the US...
    
    " – 3:21
12. "The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
    The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
    The Guitar is a song and EP by They Might Be Giants. The title song also appears on Apollo 18 , released by Elektra Records.-Track listing:# "The Guitar" - 4:13...
    
    " – 3:51
13. "Bangs" – 3:14
14. "The Statue Got Me High
    The Statue Got Me High
    "The Statue Got Me High" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song was released as the lead single from the band's 1992 album, Apollo 18. The song reached number 24 on the Billboard magazine Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart...
    
    " – 3:06
15. "New York City
    New York City
    New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
    
    " – 3:04
16. "Doctor Worm
    Doctor Worm
    "Doctor Worm" is a song by They Might Be Giants. It first appeared on the primarily live album Severe Tire Damage, being one of only three studio-recorded songs on the album. It was also released as a single and featured in a music video directed by band member John Flansburgh.The lyrics describe a...
    
    " – 3:02
17. "Boss of Me
    Boss of Me
    "Boss of Me" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song was written as the theme song for the television show Malcolm in the Middle, and was released as the single from the soundtrack to the show. In 2002, "Boss of Me" won the band their first Grammy Award, in the category of...
    
    " – 2:59
18. "Your Racist Friend" – 2:55
19. "Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)
    Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)
    7" vinylPersonnelMusic* John Linnell – accordion, saxophone, bass clarinet, vocals* John Flansburgh – electric guitar, vocals* Brian Doherty – drums, glockenspiel* Kurt Hoffman – clarinet, saxophone* Frank London – trumpet...
    
    " – 2:54
20. "They'll Need a Crane
    They'll Need a Crane
    They'll Need a Crane is an EP and song by They Might Be Giants. "They'll Need a Crane" was the first song the band performed on network television, in 1989 on the Late Night with David Letterman.-Track listing:#"They'll Need a Crane"...
    
    " – 2:31
21. "I Palindrome I
    I Palindrome I
    I Palindrome I is an EP from They Might Be Giants. The title song also appears on Apollo 18 , released in 1992 by Elektra Records.The "I Palindrome I" track itself contains numerous visual, musical, word, letter and conceptual palindromes....
    
    " – 2:21
22. "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head" – 2:10
23. "John Lee Supertaster" – 2:01
24. "Older" – 1:54
25. "We're the Replacements" – 1:50
26. "Dr. Evil" – 1:50
27. "No!" – 1:29
28. "Clap Your Hands" – 1:22
29. "Spider" – 0:51

External links

• A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants on This Might Be a Wiki