"Birdhouse in Your Soul"
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
#6 (UK) #3(US Modern Rock)
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. Image File history File links BirdhouseInYourSoulcover. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... They Might Be Giants (commonly abbreviated to TMBG) is an American alternative rock duo consisting of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, collectively known as the two Johns or John and John. Known for their experimental pop music, they have been popular on college campuses and earned a reputation for intellectual... Flood is the third studio album by They Might Be Giants, and their first with a major label, Elektra Records. ... See also: 1988 in music, other events of 1989, 1990 in music, 1980s in music and the list of years in music // Events January 7 - Genesis 88 and Sunrise/Back to the Future stage large-scale illegal Acid House party in London January 14 - Paul McCartney releases Back in the... See also: 1989 in music, 1990 in British music, other events of 1990, 1991 in music, 1990s in music and the list of years in music // Events January 21 - MTVs Unplugged premieres on cable television with musical guest, Squeeze February 6 - Billy Idol is involved in a serious motorcycle... A vinyl EP from Crop Circles. ... Typical 60-minute Compact Cassette. ... CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit České Dráhy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers Datorförening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music[1] or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, and today operates under Atlantic Records Group. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes . ... Clive Langer is a British record producer active from the mid-1970s onwards. ... Alan Winstanley is a British record producer active from the mid-1970s onwards. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... Modern Rock Tracks is a music chart that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. ... They Might Be Giants (commonly abbreviated to TMBG) is an American alternative rock duo consisting of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, collectively known as the two Johns or John and John. Known for their experimental pop music, they have been popular on college campuses and earned a reputation for intellectual... Purple Toupee is an EP by They Might Be Giants. ... Istanbul (Not Constantinople) was the title to a song originally performed by The Four Lads in 1953, and was written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon. ... For the song by this name, see Birdhouse in Your Soul (song). ... They Might Be Giants (commonly abbreviated to TMBG) is an American alternative rock duo consisting of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, collectively known as the two Johns or John and John. Known for their experimental pop music, they have been popular on college campuses and earned a reputation for intellectual... This article is about the year. ... Flood is the third studio album by They Might Be Giants, and their first with a major label, Elektra Records. ... The Modern Rock Tracks chart is a music chart that has appeared in Billboard magazine since the early 1980s. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... Coleman lantern style nightlight A nightlight is a small, usually electrical, light source placed for comfort or convenience in indoor dark areas or areas that become dark at certain times. ...

Track Listing

1. Birdhouse In Your Soul
2. 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

For the song by this name, see Birdhouse in Your Soul (song). ... Severe Tire Damage is primarily a live album by They Might Be Giants, released in 1998 (see 1998 in music). ... Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants is a 2002 (see 2002 in music) double album by They Might Be Giants. ... A Users Guide to They Might Be Giants was a 2005 (see 2005 in music) compilation album by the group They Might Be Giants. ...

Trivia

Mark Feldman contributes some violin, while the Trumpet sample was played by Frank London. Frank London is a New York City-based trumpeter, bandleader, and composer, and one of the most prominent American musicians active in klezmer music. ...

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. Neil Cicierega performs live as Lemon Demon with bassist Alora Lanzillotta, guitarist Charles Chooch Sergio, and drummer Professor iPod Neil Stephen Cicierega (born August 23, 1986), a. ...

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 Argo, by Lorenzo Costa In Greek mythology, the Argonauts (Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest for the Golden Fleece. ... In a legislature or other decision making body, a filibuster is an attempt to extend debate upon a proposal in order to delay or completely prevent a vote on its passage. ... Longines Symphonette may refer to: A record label (the Longines Symphonette Society), owned by the Longines watch company, which specialized in releasing classic radio programs and multiple-record box sets [1]; A symphony orchestra sponsored by Longines, which produced many recordings for the record label; A trade name of electronic... A guardian angel is a spirit who is believed to protect and to guide a particular person. ... POV is an acronym for: Point of view Pyramid of vision — a 3D computer graphics term: the infinite pyramid into the real world with an apex at the observers eye and faces passing through the edges of the viewport (window). Persistence of Vision (raytracing program) Privately Owned Vehicle — Any...

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. Hall of Records is the mythical library that is supposedly buried under the pyramid complex at Giza, Egypt. ...

The band once performed the song on the Tonight Show with Doc Severinsen's orchestra. The First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush and current host Jay Leno. ... Carl Hilding Doc Severinsen (born July 7, 1927 in Arlington, Oregon) is an American pop and jazz trumpeter, most known for leading the Tonight Show Band in the Johnny Carson era. ...

External links

• "Birdhouse in Your Soul" at This Might Be A Wiki