They Might Be Giants discography

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They Might Be Giants discography
Studio albums23
Live albums11
Compilation albums12
Video albums7
EPs15
Singles30

The following is a discography of They Might Be Giants (TMBG), an American alternative rock band comprising several artists including John Flansburgh, John Linnell, Marty Beller, Dan Miller, and Danny Weinkauf. The band's first release was the November 4, 1986 eponymously titled They Might Be Giants, but TMBG did not gain commercial success until their March 1990 single "Birdhouse in Your Soul" from the album Flood. "Birdhouse in Your Soul" 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. Over the next two decades, They Might Be Giants released studio albums on a near-biennial fashion and currently have a total of 23 studio albums along with 11 live albums, 12 compilation albums, 15 extended plays and 30 singles.

Albums[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Year Title Chart peaks Certifications
(sales thresholds)
Notes
US
[1]
US
Alt

[2]
US Kids
[3]
US Indie
[4]
US
Rock

[5]
AUS
[6]
UK
[7]
1986 They Might Be Giants
  • Debut album
1988 Lincoln
  • Release date: September 25, 1988
  • Label: Bar/None / Restless
  • Format: Vinyl, CD, cassette
89
1990 Flood
  • Release date: January 15, 1990
  • Label: Elektra
  • Format: Vinyl, CD, cassette
75 99 14
  • Major label debut
1992 Apollo 18
  • Release date: March 24, 1992
  • Label: Elektra
  • Format: Vinyl, CD, cassette
99 59
1994 John Henry
  • Release date: September 13, 1994
  • Label: Elektra
  • Format: CD, cassette
61
  • First album with a backing band.
1996 Factory Showroom
  • Release date: October 8, 1996
  • Label: Elektra
  • Format: CD, cassette
89
1999 Long Tall Weekend
  • Download-only album, released on eMusic.com
  • First full-length download-only album released by a major artist
2001 Mink Car
  • Release date: September 11, 2001
  • Label: Restless
  • Format: CD, digital download
134
2002 No! 1
2004 The Spine
  • Release date: July 13, 2004
  • Label: Idlewild/Zoë
  • Format: CD, digital download
130
2005 Here Come the ABCs
  • Release date: February 15, 2005
  • Label: Idlewild/Disney Sound
  • Format: CD, DVD, digital download
6
  • Second children's album
  • Major label children's album debut
2007 The Else
  • Release date: May 15, 2007
  • Label: Idlewild/Zoë
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
118
  • Released for download on the iTunes Store almost two months before physical release
  • The CD release included a bonus disc, Cast Your Pod to the Wind
2008 Here Come the 123s
  • Release date: February 5, 2008
  • Label: Idlewild/Disney Sound
  • Format: DVD/CD, digital download
172 9
2009 Here Comes Science
  • Release date: September 1, 2009
  • Label: Idlewild/Disney Sound
  • Format: CD/DVD, digital download
91 23 4 34
  • Fourth children's album
2011 Join Us
  • Release date: July 19, 2011
  • Label: Idlewild/Rounder
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
32 8 8 8
  • First "rock" album since 2007
2013 Nanobots
  • Release date: March 5, 2013
  • Label: Idlewild, Lojinx
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
57 13 10 19
2015 Glean
  • Release date: April 21, 2015
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
67 6 5 7
  • Composed entirely of songs from the band's 2015 Dial-A-Song project.
Why?
  • Release date: November 27, 2015
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
181 12 6 15
  • Fifth children's album
  • Composed largely of songs from the band's 2015 Dial-A-Song project.
2016 Phone Power
  • Release date: March 8, 2016
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
122 8 11 14
  • Composed entirely of songs from the band's 2015 Dial-A-Song project.
2018 I Like Fun
  • Release date: January 19, 2018
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
108 8 3 17
  • Composed entirely of songs from the band's 2018 Dial-A-Song project.
My Murdered Remains
  • Release date: December 10, 2018
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
[A] 9
  • Composed entirely of songs from the band's 2018 Dial-A-Song project.
  • Included bonus disc composed mostly of songs from the band's 2015 Dial-A-Song project.
The Escape Team
  • Release date: December 10, 2018
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
[B] 10
  • Composed largely of songs from the band's 2018 Dial-A-Song project.
2021 Book
  • Release date: November 12, 2021
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: CD, vinyl, cassette, digital download, 8-Track
88 7 14 10

Live albums[edit]

Year Title Chart peaks Notes
US
[1]
1994 Live!! New York City 10/14/94
  • Label: Elektra
  • Release date: November 1994
1998 Severe Tire Damage
  • Label: Restless
  • Release date: August 11, 1998
186
  • First major live album
1999 Live
  • Condensed version of Severe Tire Damage
2004 The Spine Hits the Road
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Release date: August 31, 2004
Almanac
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Release date: December 10, 2004
  • Download-only album
Venue Songs
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Release date: December 10, 2004
  • Download-only album
2012 At Large
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Release date: August 2012
  • Distributed to members of the They Might Be Giants Instant Fan Club
2014 First Album Live!
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Release date: July 2014
  • Released as a free digital download through NoiseTrade
2015 Flood Live In Australia
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Release date: February 25, 2015
  • Released as a free digital download through their website[11]
2016 Live in Brooklyn
  • Release date: July 19, 2016
  • Distributed to members of the They Might Be Giants Instant Fan Club
2018 TMBG Live 2018
  • Release date: December 4, 2018
  • Distributed to members of the They Might Be Giants Instant Fan Club

Compilation albums[edit]

Year Title Chart peaks Notes
US
Current

[10]
US Indie
[4]
1989 Don't Let's Start
  • B-side and rarities collection
  • Released exclusively in Europe
1991 Miscellaneous T
1997 Then: The Earlier Years
  • Release date: March 25, 1997
  • Label: Restless
  • Collects the band's first two studio albums and early rarities and B-sides
1999 Best of the Early Years
2002 They Got Lost
  • Release date: July 23, 2002
  • Label: Idlewild, Zoë
Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants
  • Release date: September 17, 2002
  • Label: Rhino
  • Best-of compilation
2005 A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants
  • Release date: May 3, 2005
  • Label: Rhino
Venue Songs DVD/CD
  • Release date: November 11, 2005
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Collection of "venue songs": songs the band wrote about various venues in which they performed
2011 Album Raises New and Troubling Questions
  • Release date: October 28, 2011
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Rarities collection, including five music videos
  • Part of the July 26, 2012 Humble Music Bundle
2014 Idlewild
  • Release date: May 27, 2014
  • Label: Idlewild, Lojinx
  • Contains 17 songs released between 1999 and 2013
2018 John Henry Demos
  • Release date: December 2018
  • Label: Idlewild
91 12
  • Demos of almost every John Henry song, with the exception of Stomp Box.
2020 Modern
  • Release date: April 15, 2020
  • Self-released

EPs[edit]

Year Title Chart peaks
US Indie
[4]
1993 Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)
  • Released: September 14, 1993
  • Label: Elektra
  • Format: CD
1994 Back to Skull
  • Released: August 16, 1994
  • Label: Elektra
  • Format: CD
2000 Working Undercover for the Man
  • Released: May 16, 2000
  • Label: Good Noise
  • Format: Digital download, limited CD release
2001 They Might Be Giants In...Holidayland
  • Released: November 6, 2001
  • Label: Restless
  • Format: CD
2003 Bed, Bed, Bed
  • Released: 2003
  • Label: Simon & Schuster
  • Format: Book with CD
2004 Indestructible Object
  • Released: April 4, 2004
  • Label: Barsuk
  • Format: CD
36
The Spine Surfs Alone
  • Released: 2004
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: CD
2011 Other Thing Brass Band
  • Released: 2011
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: Vinyl, download
Cave Fish/Tesla
  • Released: September 2011
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: Vinyl, download
2012 Four Covers
  • Released: August 2012
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: Vinyl
Reptiles/Head in a Suitcase
  • Released: August 2012
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: Vinyl
2013 Nanobots EP
  • Released: 2013
  • Label: Idlewild/Megaforce
  • Format: Download only
For Kids
  • Released: 2013
  • Label: Idlewild/Megaforce
  • Format: Download only
2016 Songs for Chop
  • Released: June 2016
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: Download only
2021 Pamphlet EP
  • Released: 2021
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: Download

Singles[edit]

List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released, certifications and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
Alt.

[12]
AUS
[6]
NLD
[13]
UK
[14]
"Don't Let's Start" 1987 94 They Might Be Giants
"(She Was A) Hotel Detective" 1988
"Ana Ng" 11 Lincoln
"They'll Need a Crane" 1989
"Purple Toupee"
"Birdhouse in Your Soul" 1990 3 125 6 Flood
"Twisting" 22
"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" 61
"The Statue Got Me High" 1992 24 155 92 Apollo 18
"The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)"
"I Palindrome I"
"O Tannenbaum" 1993 Non-album single
"Snail Shell" 1994 19 John Henry
"S-E-X-X-Y" 1996 Factory Showroom
"Doctor Worm" 1998 Severe Tire Damage
"Boss of Me" 2001 29 89 21 Music from Malcolm in the Middle
"Man, It's So Loud in Here" 86 Mink Car
"Experimental Film" 2005 The Spine
"T-Shirt" 2005 Non-album single
"I'm Impressed" 2007 The Else
"Can't Keep Johnny Down" 2011 Join Us
"Never Knew Love"
"Cloisonné"
"Old Pine Box"
"You're on Fire" 2013 Nanobots
"Erase" 2015 Glean
"I Left My Body" 2017 I Like Fun
"The Communists Have The Music" 2018 My Murdered Remains
"I Lost Thursday" 2020 BOOK
"Who are the Electors?" Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Contributions and other releases[edit]

Videography[edit]

Year Title Certifications
(sales thresholds)
1999 Direct from Brooklyn
2003 Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)
2005 Here Come the ABCs
  • Released: February 15, 2005
  • Label: Disney Sound/Idlewild
  • Format: DVD
Venue Songs DVD/CD
  • Released: November 11, 2005
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: DVD
2008 Here Come the 123s
  • Released: February 5, 2008
  • Label: Disney Sound/Idlewild
  • Format: DVD
2009 Here Comes Science
  • Released: September 1, 2009
  • Label: Disney Sound/Idlewild
  • Format: DVD
2012 Them Ain't Big Eye Ants
  • Released: December 3, 2012
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: DVD
2015 Live in Berlin[16]
  • Released: July 2015
  • Label: Idlewild
  • Format: DVD

Music videos[edit]

The band has released 25 main music videos for songs from their rock albums.[17] All of their children's albums have also included video content or run alongside DVD releases. The band also has videos for each of the Dial-A-Song tracks from 2015 and 2018 on their main YouTube channel, ParticleMen.

Direct from Brooklyn[edit]

In 1999, They Might Be Giants released Direct from Brooklyn, a VHS compilation of their music videos from 1986 up to that point. It was reissued on DVD in 2003. The following music videos were included:

Other videos[edit]

  • "Rabid Child" (unreleased, filmed in 1986)
  • "Boss of Me" (2001)
  • "Experimental Film" (animated) (2004)
  • "Bastard Wants to Hit Me" (animated) (2004)
  • "Here in Higglytown" (animated) (2004)
  • "With The Dark" (animated) (2007)
  • "The Shadow Government" (animated) (2007)
  • "I'm Impressed" (animated) (2007)
  • "The Mesopotamians" (animated) (2007)
  • "Can't Keep Johnny Down" (2011)
  • "Cloisonné" (2011)
  • "In Fact" (2011)
  • "You Probably Get That a Lot" (2011)
  • "Spoiler Alert" (2011)
  • "Marty Beller Mask" (2011)
  • "When Will You Die" (2012)
  • "Icky" (animated) (2013)
  • "Nanobots" (animated) (2013)
  • "Insect Hospital" (animated) (2013)
  • "Black Ops" (2013)
  • "You're on Fire" (2013)
  • "Am I Awake?" (2014)

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ My Murdered Remains did not enter the Billboard 200 but peaked at number 68 on the Top Current Albums chart.[10]
  2. ^ The Escape Team did not enter the Billboard 200 but peaked at number 71 on the Top Current Albums chart.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "They Might Be Giants Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "They Might Be Giants Chart History: Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "They Might Be Giants Chart History: Kid Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "They Might Be Giants Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "They Might Be Giants Chart History: Top Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Australian (ARIA Charts) peaks:
  7. ^ "They Might Be Giants | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e "American certifications – They Might Be Giants". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "British certifications – They Might Be Giants". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 27, 2023. Type They Might Be Giants in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  10. ^ a b c "They Might Be Giants Chart History (Top Current Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  11. ^ "A free present for you!". Archived from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  12. ^ "They Might Be Giants – Chart History: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  13. ^ "Discografie They Might Be Giants". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  14. ^ "They Might Be Giants". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  15. ^ "27: The Most Perfect Album". WNYC Studios.
  16. ^ "Live In Berlin - TMBW: The They Might Be Giants Knowledge Base". tmbw.net.
  17. ^ "TMBG Facts". tmbg.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2007.