John Henry (album)

Last updated
John Henry
TheyMightBeGiants-JohnHenry.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 13, 1994
RecordedNovember 1993–June 1994
Studio
  • Bearsville (Woodstock, New York)
  • Skyline (New York)
Genre Alternative rock, indie rock
Length57:07
Label Elektra
Producer Paul Fox, They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants chronology
Back to Skull
(1994)
John Henry
(1994)
Live!! New York City 10/14/94
(1994)
Singles from John Henry
  1. "Snail Shell"
    Released: August 15, 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Entertainment Weekly B [3]
NME 7/10 [4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Village Voice Scissors icon black.svg [6]

John Henry is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock group They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1994. It is the first album by They Might Be Giants to include a full band arrangement, rather than synthesized and programmed backing tracks. The album's name, a reference to the man versus machine fable of John Henry, is an allusion to the band's fundamental switch to more conventional instrumentation, especially the newly established use of a human drummer instead of a drum machine. [7]

Contents

John Henry is TMBG's longest record and was the band's highest-charting adult album, having peaked at #61 on the Billboard 200, until 2011's Join Us , which peaked at #32. [8] In 2013, the album was reissued across a double LP by Asbestos Records. [9]

Lyrical themes

The lyrics to the song "AKA Driver" refer to a "NyQuil driver". John Flansburgh offered an explanation of the legal issue with the inclusion of a brand name: [10]

It was a brief education for us in the difference between protected speech and trademark infringement. Although it was a possibility that we could have gotten away with it, or settled with the NyQuil manufacturers for a small amount of money, the path of least hassle was simply omitting the name from the package. According to our lawyer you can say pretty much anything in a song about a product, and that expression is a protected part of every American's freedom of speech. However when you title a song after a trademarked product and then start selling your recording (which is also a product) you run the risk of the trademark holder suing you for infringing on their trademark. To make matters tougher on ol' NyQuil Driver, trademark holders are compelled by the law to protect their trademark or they run the risk of their product name falling into the public domain.

"I Should Be Allowed to Think" excerpts the first line ("I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving, hysterical") of the poem Howl by Allen Ginsberg. The song is also, according to its author, John Linnell, an example of the use of an "unreliable narrator". [11] "Meet James Ensor" refers to an eccentric Belgian expressionist painter whose works excited John Flansburgh. In an interview, Flansburgh explained that "the line 'Dig him up and shake his hand' is actually very specific – a parallel idea to a lot of his paintings which involve resurrections, skeletons and puppets being animated. [...] With the song, I'm trying to encapsulate the issues of his life – an eccentric guy who became celebrated and was soon left behind as his ideas were taken into the culture and other people became expressionists." [12] "Why Must I Be Sad?" is a string of references to Alice Cooper song titles and lyrics, involving several titles from the Billion Dollar Babies album including "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "I Love the Dead," and others.

Appearances in other media

Instrumental excerpts from "No One Knows My Plan" and "The End of The Tour" were used as the opening and closing themes, respectively, during the first season of the animated variety show Cartoon Planet in 1995. "No One Knows My Plan" was also used in a 30-second PBS Kids web promo in 2005. [13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by They Might Be Giants, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Subliminal"2:45
2."Snail Shell"3:20
3."Sleeping In the Flowers"4:30
4."Unrelated Thing"2:30
5."AKA Driver" (They Might Be Giants, Tony Maimone, Brian Doherty)3:14
6."I Should Be Allowed to Think" (They Might Be Giants, Tony Maimone)3:09
7."Extra Savoir-Faire"2:48
8."Why Must I Be Sad?"4:08
9."Spy"3:06
10."O, Do Not Forsake Me"2:30
11."No One Knows My Plan"2:37
12."Dirt Bike"3:05
13."Destination Moon"2:27
14."A Self Called Nowhere"3:22
15."Meet James Ensor"1:33
16."Thermostat"3:11
17."Window"1:00
18."Out of Jail"2:38
19."Stomp Box"1:55
20."The End of the Tour"3:18
Total length:57:07

Personnel

John Henry is the first album credited to They Might Be Giants as a full band, rather than a duo:

Additional musicians

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">They Might Be Giants</span> American alternative rock band

They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a musical duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG expanded to include a backing band. The duo's current backing band consists of Marty Beller, Dan Miller and Danny Weinkauf. They have been credited as vital in the creation and growth of the prolific DIY music scene in Brooklyn in the mid-1980s.

<i>Flood</i> (They Might Be Giants album) 1990 studio album by They Might Be Giants

Flood is the third studio album by Brooklyn-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, released in January 1990. Flood was the duo's first album on the major label Elektra Records. It generated three singles: "Birdhouse in Your Soul", "Istanbul ", and the domestic promotional track "Twisting". The album is generally considered to be the band's definitive release, as it is their best-selling and most recognizable album. Despite minimal stylistic and instrumental differences from previous releases, Flood is distinguished by contributions from seasoned producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. John Linnell and John Flansburgh also took advantage of new equipment and recording techniques, including unconventional, home-recorded samples, which were programmed through Casio FZ-1 synthesizers. The album was recorded in New York City at Skyline Studios, which was better equipped than studios the band had worked in previously.

<i>They Might Be Giants</i> (album) 1986 studio album by They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants, sometimes called The Pink Album, is the debut studio album from Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants. It was released by Bar/None in 1986. The album generated two singles, "Don't Let's Start" and "(She Was A) Hotel Detective". It is included on Then: The Earlier Years, a compilation of the band's early material, in its entirety, with the exception of "Don't Let's Start", which is replaced with the single mix for the compilation.

<i>Lincoln</i> (album) 1988 studio album by They Might Be Giants

Lincoln is the second studio album by the band They Might Be Giants. It was released by Bar/None in 1988. The album is named after John Linnell and John Flansburgh's boyhood home of Lincoln, Massachusetts. The album produced three singles—"Ana Ng", "They'll Need a Crane", and "Purple Toupee". It is included on Then: The Earlier Years, a compilation of the band's early material, in its entirety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Flansburgh</span> American musician (born 1960)

John Conant Flansburgh is an American musician. He is half of the long-standing Brooklyn, New York–based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants with John Linnell, for which he writes, sings, and plays rhythm guitar.

<i>Apollo 18</i> (album) 1992 studio album by They Might Be Giants

Apollo 18 is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants. It was released in 1992 through Elektra Records and was named after the cancelled Apollo 18 mission that was scheduled to have followed Apollo 17. The album was also associated with International Space Year, for which They Might Be Giants were declared the official "musical ambassadors" by NASA.

<i>Long Tall Weekend</i> 1999 studio album by They Might Be Giants

Long Tall Weekend is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, released in 1999. It was released exclusively online through the digital music service eMusic. The album was the band's first since their departure from the major label Elektra. Long Tall Weekend was also the first full-length album released exclusively on the Internet by an established major label band. Although the album's primary release was digital, CDs of the album were issued promotionally. Following the success of the album's release through eMusic, TMBG went on to issue a digital series of rarities collections — TMBG Unlimited — through their website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birdhouse in Your Soul</span> 1990 single by They Might Be Giants

"Birdhouse in Your Soul" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released in early 1990 through Elektra Records as the lead single from the album Flood, making the single the band's first release on a major label. "Birdhouse in Your Soul" is the band's highest-charting single in both the US and the UK, and is one of their best-known songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(She Was A) Hotel Detective</span> 1988 single by They Might Be Giants

"(She Was A) Hotel Detective" is a song and single by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released as a single on May 5, 1988, two years after the release of They Might Be Giants, the album on which it originally appeared. The "Hotel Detective" title has become a somewhat recurring theme for the band.

"Particle Man" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released and published in 1990. The song is the seventh track on the band's third album, Flood. It has become one of the band's most popular songs, despite never having been released as a single. John Linnell and John Flansburgh performed the song, backed by a metronome, for their 1990 Flood promotional video. Although it was released over a decade before the band began writing children's music, "Particle Man" is sometimes cited as a particularly youth-appropriate TMBG song, and a precursor to their first children's album, No!, which was not explicitly educational. The song is partially influenced by the theme of the 1967 Spider-Man TV series.

<i>Here Come the ABCs</i> 2005 studio album by They Might Be Giants

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.

<i>Back to Skull</i> 1994 EP by They Might Be Giants

Back to Skull is an EP released by American alternative rock group They Might Be Giants in 1994. The EP was issued contemporaneously with the band's 1994 album John Henry. Artwork for the EP was done by Mike Mills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)</span> 1992 single by They Might Be Giants

"The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)" is a song and single by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released in 1992. The track is one of three singles from Apollo 18. The song has also appeared on several compilation albums, including Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants and A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants.

<i>Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)</i> 1993 EP by They Might Be Giants

Why Does the Sun Shine? is an EP by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released in 1993. It is notable for being the band's first release with a full-band line-up, rather than only the two original members performing. It was also released as a single on 7-inch vinyl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple Toupee</span> 1989 single by They Might Be Giants

"Purple Toupee" is a 1988 song by alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants from their second album, Lincoln. It was released as a promotional single in 1989. In 1994, a live performance of the song was recorded for the promotional live album, Live!! New York City 10/14/94, which was released by Elektra Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Miller (guitarist)</span> American musician and songwriter (born 1967)

Daniel Adam Miller is an American musician and songwriter.

"Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, from their eponymous debut album They Might Be Giants. It has also been released on several compilation albums, including Then: The Earlier Years and A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants.

<i>Nanobots</i> (album) 2013 studio album by They Might Be Giants

Nanobots is the sixteenth studio album from Brooklyn-based alternative rock group They Might Be Giants. Uncharacteristically for the band, the album's title comes from an album track, as the second track shares a title with the album. The album was released on March 5, 2013 on Idlewild Recordings — the band's independent imprint — with Megaforce Records in the US. The album was also separately released on March 8 in Australia through Breakaway Records and on March 11 in Europe, through Lojinx. One week before its physical release, Nanobots was released digitally for streaming in its entirety through the band's SoundCloud, announced by Rolling Stone. Prior to this, "Call You Mom", "Black Ops" and "Lost My Mind" were released through the advance digital Nanobots EP in January 2013. The EP, released through Amazon.com and iTunes, was met with fairly positive responses.

<i>My Murdered Remains</i> 2018 studio album by They Might Be Giants

My Murdered Remains is the 21st album by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released on December 10, 2018, for digital download and pre-order. The standard disc consists entirely of songs from the band's 2018 Dial-A-Song project, and a 16-track bonus disc is included, entitled More Murdered Remains. The album was released simultaneously with The Escape Team.

<i>The Escape Team</i> 2018 studio album by They Might Be Giants

The Escape Team is the 22nd album by New York City-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released on December 10, 2018 for digital download and pre-order. The digital download and pre-order was released simultaneously with My Murdered Remains. The physical album was released in May 2019.

References

  1. Anderson, Rick. "John Henry – They Might Be Giants". AllMusic . Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  2. Caro, Mark (September 29, 1994). "They Might Be Giants: John Henry (Elektra)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  3. Mirkin, Steven (September 16, 1994). "John Henry". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  4. "They Might Be Giants: John Henry". NME . September 17, 1994. p. 50.
  5. Considine, J. D. (2004). "They Might Be Giants". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  808–09. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  6. Christgau, Robert (March 11, 1997). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  7. "tmbg.com information on John Henry". Archived from the original on June 6, 1997. Retrieved 2017-04-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  8. Billboard.com TMBG chart history. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  9. "They Might Be Giants - John Henry 2xLP". Asbestos Records. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  10. tmbg.com John Henry track information.
  11. Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) , 2003. Dir. AJ Schnack.
  12. Consumable Online interview with John Flansburgh.
  13. "PBS Kids BIG BIG Friend Day Web Promo". YouTube. April 25, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2024.