They Might Be Giants on Kid Tune Tuesday...

They Might Be Giants have been around for a long time. So long my memories of songs like “Istanbul, Not Constantinople” and “Ana Ng” are meshed with nightmares of my awkward teenage perm.

I don’t think it’s a secret that They Might Be Giants have done very well creating music for kids. I love that my kids can enjoy their music as much as I did when I was younger. And I’m glad that they’ve put out albums for children, though many of their “adult” songs can stand in as well. Actually, even before their children’s music came out, I had collected a playlist of They Might Be Giants songs to play in the car, and Mr. B devoured them.

The brilliance of They Might Be Giants is that they don’t water down their music for the younger masses. They retain their same smart and edgy writing but can be easily accessible to the Beyblades and My Little Petshop circuit.

Their latest children’s music album Here Comes Science has gifted gems like “Electric Car” and “I Am a Paleontologist” which we featured before here on Kid Tune Tuesday, and have gotten lots of exposure in television advertising campaigns.

But They Might Be Giants’ first album for kids, No! is by far my favorite. TMGB’s website states that this album was recorded around the same time they created music for the TV show “Malcom in the Middle”, and to my ears the relationship isn’t all that distant.

There’s a bevy of fantastic songs on this album, including “In the Middle, In the Middle, In the Middle” (which gives the sound advice of crossing the street at the corner, lest you become an eyeless paraplegic) and “Clap Your Hands”, a funky call-and-response dance song that gives way to toddler stomping.

And then, there’s “The House at the Top of the Tree.” I’m a sucker for accumulative songs. Must be the choreographer in me that appreciates experiencing a pattern unfolding before me. But this song is more sophisticated than my childhood favorite “I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.” If you haven’t heard the song, I won’t ruin the ending, but I love the twist of events They Might Be Giants gives us. Don’t worry, no one sees dead people or anything.

And now for the results (“Out of 5″ Sippy Cup Rating System):
MR B: Ah, I see what they did there…