Here Come the ABCs

Last updated
Here Come the ABCs
TMBG ABC.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 15, 2005
Recorded2000 ("Clap Your Hands"), January–April 2004 [1]
Studio
  • Kampo Studios, Manhattan
  • Skyline Studio, Manhattan
  • Hello Studio, Brooklyn
  • Collier Bros. Studio, Brooklyn
Genre Children's music
Length41:47
Label Disney Sound/Idlewild
Producer They Might Be Giants and Pat Dillett
They Might Be Giants chronology
Venue Songs
(2004)
Here Come the ABCs
(2005)
A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants
(2005)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg link
Common Sense Media Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg link
Robert Christgau Scissors icon black.svg link

Here Come the ABCs is the second children's album and eleventh studio album by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, aimed at young children learning the alphabet. The CD and DVD were originally released separately but have since been released as a combo. There are 25 songs in the CD and 38 in the DVD.

Contents

While it was produced and released by Walt Disney Records under their Disney Sound label, the band was reportedly given complete creative control over the project, which at the time was very unusual for Walt Disney Records; until then, they had followed a strict artist control policy. As a result, the DVD features puppetry, animation and live action supplied by personal friends of the group, including AJ Schnack, who directed the TMBG documentary Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) . Family members of the band, including John Flansburgh's wife Robin Goldwasser, and John Linnell's son, Henry, contributed some guest vocals. The music videos that appear on the DVD were also aired (in part or whole) on the Disney Channel's children's programming block, Playhouse Disney.

Here Come the ABCs was a great success for They Might Be Giants, the video being certified Gold (sales over 50,000) in 2005. The album reached #1 on Billboard’s Children’s Music charts, won Parenting Magazine ’s Children’s DVD of the Year Award and two National Parenting Publications Awards (NAAPA). [2] In addition, Amazon.com called it "the best Children's Music album of 2005" and the 13th best overall album of 2005. Two follow-ups were released, Here Come the 123s in 2008 and Here Comes Science in 2009.

Although the audio-only release is considered to be They Might Be Giants' 11th studio album, some of the songs make little sense without their visual accompaniment.

Track listing

CD

All songs by They Might Be Giants unless otherwise noted.

  1. "Here Come The ABCs" – 0:11
  2. "Alphabet Of Nations" – 1:26
  3. "E Eats Everything" – 2:43
  4. "Flying V" – 1:34
  5. "Q U" – 1:09
  6. "Go For G!" – 1:14
  7. "Pictures Of Pandas Painting" – 2:07
  8. "D & W" – 1:37
  9. "Fake-Believe" – 1:51
  10. "Can You Find It?" – 2:55
  11. "The Vowel Family" – 1:59
  12. "Letter/Not A Letter" – 1:08
  13. "Alphabet Lost And Found" (Marty Beller) – 2:49
  14. "I C U" – 1:49
  15. "Letter Shapes" – 1:22
  16. "Who Put The Alphabet In Alphabetical Order?" – 1:46
  17. "Rolling O" – 1:26
  18. "L M N O" – 1:43
  19. "C Is For Conifers" – 2:37
  20. "Fake-Believe (Type B)" – 1:56
  21. "D Is For Drums" – 2:21
  22. "Z Y X" – 1:21
  23. "Goodnight My Friends" – 0:25
  24. "Clap Your Hands" – 1:21
    • A bonus track
  25. "Here In Higglytown (Theme To Playhouse Disney's Higglytown Heroes )" (Dan Miller, They Might Be Giants) – 0:58
    • A bonus track

DVD

  1. "Here Come The ABCs" – 0:25
  2. "Alphabet Of Nations" – 1:26
  3. "E Eats Everything" – 2:43
  4. "Flying V" – 1:34
  5. "I Am A Robot" – 1:29
  6. "Q U" – 1:09
  7. "Go For G!" – 1:14
  8. "Pictures Of Pandas Painting" – 2:07
  9. "D & W" – 1:37
  10. "Fake-Believe" – 1:51
  11. "Can You Find It?" – 2:55
  12. Introducing The Vowel Family - 0:11
  13. "The Vowel Family" – 1:59
  14. "A To Z" – 0:24
  15. "Letter/Not A Letter" – 1:08
  16. "Letter Shapes" – 1:22
  17. "Alphabet Lost And Found" (Marty Beller) – 2:49
  18. "I C U" – 1:49
  19. "I Am A Robot (Type B)" – 0:56
  20. John And John Introduce... – 0:10
  21. "Who Put The Alphabet In Alphabetical Order?" – 1:46
  22. "Rolling O" – 1:26
  23. "L M N O" – 1:43
  24. Introducing C Is For Conifers – 0:12
  25. "C Is For Conifers" – 2:37
  26. "Fake-Believe (Type B)" – 1:56
  27. "A To Z (Type B)" – 0:29
  28. "D Is For Drums" – 2:21
  29. Introducing Z Y X – 0:09
  30. "Z Y X" – 1:21
  31. "Goodnight My Friends" – 0:25
  32. "Here Come The ABCs (Reprise)" – 0:11
  33. Introducing The Bonus Tracks – 0:14
  34. "Clap Your Hands" – 1:21
  35. "Violin" – 3:33
  36. "Stalk Of Wheat" – 1:19
  37. "Here In Higglytown (Theme To Playhouse Disney's Higglytown Heroes)" – 2:05
  38. "End Credits" – 2:15

Exclusive bonus tracks

Special editions with exclusive bonus tracks were produced for various outlets. Bonus tracks include:

Personnel

They Might Be Giants

Additional musicians

Production

Production Crew

Video Production Crew

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References

  1. "This Might Be a Podcast: MARTY BELLER EXCLUSIVE episode!". www.patreon.com. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  2. tmbg.com fact sheet Archived 2007-01-15 at the Wayback Machine .
  3. "They Might Be Giants' New CD and DVD - Here Come the ABCs". They Might Be Giants. Retrieved 19 February 2023.