They Might Be Giants
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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They Might Be Giants (commonly abbreviated to TMBG) is a double Grammy Award-winning American alternative rock band which began as a duo of John Flansburgh and John Linnell, and currently also includes Marty Beller, Dan Miller, and Danny Weinkauf. Formed in 1982, they are best known for an unconventional and experimental style of alternative music. The group has found success on the modern rock and CMJ charts, in the children's music genre, and in theme music for several television programs and films.
TMBG's best-known songs include "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and their cover of "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" (both from the 1990 album, Flood), "Don't Let's Start" (from 1986's They Might Be Giants), and "Ana Ng" (from 1988's Lincoln). Their appearances on the show Tiny Toon Adventures also gained recognition for the song "Particle Man" and for their cover version of the Four Lads song "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)". Their song "Doctor Worm" was a surprise hit in Australia, ranking 13th in the Triple J Hottest 100 for the year 1998. Two TMBG albums have been certified gold: Flood and the 2005 children's music album Here Come the ABCs.
Their song "Boss of Me" served as the theme to the Fox Television Network comedy series Malcolm in the Middle and earned them a Grammy Award in 2002. They have also contributed theme songs to Comedy Central's The Daily Show, The Oblongs, Adult Swim's The Drinky Crow Show, Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Higglytown Heroes, along with a commercial for Dexter's Laboratory and Cartoon Network's Courage the Cowardly Dog.
The band was the subject of the 2003 documentary film Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns), directed by AJ Schnack. The band has sold over 4 million records in total.
