Don't Let's Start

Template:About Template:Infobox song "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.<ref name="AUS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Fresh Air interview with They Might Be Giants NPR. Retrieved 2009-12-10.</ref> Asked about the origin of the song's obscure lyrics, Linnell replied "where did it come from? I made it up."<ref>They Might Be Giants interview on Request Video, 1990.</ref>

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.<ref>MTV's 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made, 1999. Archived on rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.</ref> The video was directed by Adam Bernstein<ref>Adam Bernstein IMDb.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.</ref> 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

Chart (1988)	Peak position
US Alternative (CMJ New Music Report)<ref>https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1980s/1988/RR-1988-03-04.pdf Template:Bare URL PDF</ref>	11
Australia (ARIA Charts)<ref name="AUS"/>	94

Other versions

• The song was covered by the band Common Rotation on their 2003 album The Big Fear.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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