Birdhouse in Your Soul (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Birdhouse in Your Soul" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by They Might Be Giants | ||
| from the album Flood | ||
| Released | USA: 1989; UK: 1990 | |
| Format | 7", Cassette, CD | |
| Recorded | 1989 | |
| Genre | Rock, Alternative rock | |
| Length | 3:19 | |
| Label | Elektra | |
| Producer(s) | Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| They Might Be Giants singles chronology | ||
| "Purple Toupee" (1989) |
"Birdhouse in Your Soul" (1989) |
"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" (1990) |
- For the EP by this name, see Birdhouse in Your Soul (EP).
"Birdhouse in Your Soul" is one of the biggest hits of the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released in March of 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 countries. The song is apparently sung from the point of view of a nightlight.
[edit] Track Listing
- Birdhouse In Your Soul
- Hot Cha
The track later appeared on many other They Might Be Giants releases, including:
- Birdhouse in Your Soul (EP)
- Direct from Brooklyn
- Severe Tire Damage
- Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants
- A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants: Melody, Fidelity, Quantity
[edit] Trivia
Mark Feldman contributes some violin, while the Trumpet sample was played by Frank London.
This song was covered by Lemon Demon on his Live From The Haunted Candle Shop album which was released on July 23, 2003. He also cites TMBG as a major influence in his music.
The song's lyrics allude to Jason and "countless screaming Argonauts," the lightbulb's primitive ancestry (depicted in a picture of a lighthouse on the opposite wall), filibustering, infinity, a Longines Symphonette (which doesn't rest), and guardian angels. The chorus line sings the praise of the "Blue canary in the outlet by the lightswitch / Who watches over you!"; the most widely held and logical interpretation is that the song is indeed sung from a nightlight's POV.
The song's video was filmed inside the New York County's Surrogate's Court and Hall of Records building located at 31 Chambers Street in Manhattan.
The band once performed the song on the Tonight Show with Doc Severinsen's orchestra.
