"Don't Let's Start" is a song by an

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band,

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a dr ...

from their 1986 eponymous debut album. It was the first single released from the album, released as a

maxi-single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, " In the Summertime" was th ...

. The single peaked at #94 on the Australian

ARIA In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

singles chart in 1988. It was re-released by

Elektra Electra was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. Electra or Elektra may also refer to: Greek mythology *Electra (Pleiad), one of the Pleiades * Electra, one of the Danaids, daughter of Danaus and Polyxo * Electra (Oc ...

in 1990 after the success of the band's third album, ''

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

''.

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 John Sidney Linnell ( ; born June 12, 1959) is an American musician, known primarily as one half of the Brooklyn-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants with John Flansburgh, which was formed in 1982. In addition to singing and songwri ...

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

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

was produced for the song, and it found some success at that time on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. 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 Adam Bernstein (born May 7, 1960) is an Emmy Award-winning American film director, music video director and television director. For his work on the television show ''Fargo'' in 2014, he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for O ...

Adam Bernstein
IMDb.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25. and was filmed inside the

New York State Pavilion The New York State Pavilion is a historic world's fair pavilion at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Flushing, Queens, New York. It was designed in 1962 for the 1964 New York World's Fair by architects Philip Johnson and Richard Foster, with ...

Flushing Meadows Park Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushi ...

, the site of the

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...

. 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 William Allen White (February 10, 1868 – January 29, 1944) was an American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement. Between 1896 and his death, White became a spokesman for middle America. At a 1937 ...

. His face also appears on the "Don't Let's Start" CD single, and has frequently been used in other contexts associated with They Might Be Giants.

In popular culture

*The song was covered by the band

Common Rotation Common Rotation is an American indie folk rock band consisting of Eric Kufs, (vocals, guitar), Adam Busch (vocals, saxophone, harmonica, glockenspiel), and Jordan Katz (vocals, trumpet, banjo). The three are childhood friends from New York City ...

on their album ''The Big Fear''. *

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They ...

quotes the song in "

A Praise Chorus "A Praise Chorus" is a song by American rock band Jimmy Eat World. It was released in 2002 as the fourth single released from the band's fourth album ''Bleed American'', which was later retitled ''Jimmy Eat World''. Songs "praised" by this son ...

" on their 2001 CD ''

Bleed American ''Bleed American'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Jimmy Eat World, released on July 24, 2001, by DreamWorks Records. The album was re-released as ''Jimmy Eat World'' following the September 11 attacks; that name remained un ...

'' (although the part is sung by guest vocalist

Davey von Bohlen Davey von Bohlen (born August 11, 1975) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known for serving as lead vocalist and guitarist of the emo band The Promise Ring and also as guitarist and backing vocalist in short-lived cult band Cap' ...

the Promise Ring The Promise Ring was an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that is recognized as part of the second wave of emo. Among various other EPs and singles, the band released four studio albums during their initial run: ''30° Everywh ...

). *The song is referenced in Ernest Cline's novels ''

Ready Player One ''Ready Player One'' is a 2011 science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopia in 2045, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality g ...

'' and ''

Ready Player Two ''Ready Player Two'' is a 2020 science fiction novel by American author Ernest Cline. It is the sequel to his 2011 debut novel ''Ready Player One''. Plans for a ''Ready Player One'' sequel were first announced in 2015, though Cline did not begin ...

''. *The sixth episode of the 11th season of ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into ...

'' was named after the song.

Track listing

; Maxi-single # "Don't Let's Start" (single mix) – 2:35 # "We're The Replacements" – 1:55 # "When It Rains It Snows" – 1:36 # "The Famous Polka" – 1:32 ; 1990 maxi-single re-release # "Don't Let's Start" (single mix) – 2:35 # "Your Racist Friend" (remix) – 3:50 # "She's an Angel" – 2:37 # "Absolutely Bill's Mood" – 2:38 ; 1990 single re-release # "Don't Let's Start" (single mix) – 2:35 # "Letterbox" – 1:25 # "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" – 1:36

References

External links

* "Don't Let's Start" (releases) at This Might Be A Wiki *"

Don't Let's Start "Don't Let's Start" is a song by an 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 #94 on the Australian ARI ...

" (song) at This Might Be A Wiki {{authority control 1986 songs 1987 debut singles Songs written by John Flansburgh Songs written by John Linnell They Might Be Giants songs