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"Snail Shell" | ||||
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Single by They Might Be Giants | ||||
from the album John Henry | ||||
Released | 15 August 1994 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, funk rock | |||
Length | 3:20 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Linnell, John Flansburgh | |||
Producer(s) | Paul Fox & They Might Be Giants | |||
They Might Be Giants singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
Snail Shell on YouTube |
"Snail Shell" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released on August 15, 1994 as the lead promotional single off of their fifth album, John Henry . It peaked at 19 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. [1] This was a commercial disappointment for the band, as the song was perceived by the band as having the potential to be as successful as their breakthrough hit, Birdhouse in Your Soul. [2] The day after the single's release, the group put out the E.P. Back to Skull , which features the song along with a version remixed by The Dust Brothers entitled "Snail Dust".
The song, if taken literally, regards a snail who wishes to direct gratitude to an unknown person for, as he puts it, "putting me back in my snail shell".
The song is written in first-person. The title snail states that he "fell out of my right place again." He politely attempts to get the attention of its savior, before profusely thanking them for returning him to his shell.
The song's video, which was directed by Nico Beyer in July 1994, [3] was filmed in a television museum in Berlin during a heat wave. [4] Brian Doherty and Tony Maimone, respectively the drummer and bassist on the track, would have been replaced by German actors miming their parts, had they not realized the day before the shoot that they didn't have plane tickets. [2]
They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and children’s 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.
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.
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.
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.
"Ana Ng" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released as the lead single from the band's 1988 album Lincoln. Although the song was their first US chart appearance, hitting number 11 on the US Modern Rock chart, the single was never officially released in the US. It was only released for promotional purposes in the US, and it saw official releases in 1989 in the United Kingdom, Australia, and later, in 1991, in Europe.
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.
Factory Showroom is the sixth studio album by the American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released in 1996 by Elektra Records. It was the band's first album to be produced by Pat Dillett, who would go on to work with the band on all subsequent albums, as well as their first album to feature a second guitarist, Eric Schermerhorn.
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.
Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants is a 2002 compilation album by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, issued by Rhino Records and compiled by the band's co-singer/songwriter and guitarist John Flansburgh. Despite its name, the compilation does not include tracks from the band's "Dial-A-Song" service. It is instead an anthology of various single, album and live tracks from the band's history, spanning their full career up to the time of its release. It includes tracks from every album starting with 1986's They Might Be Giants up through No!, their first children's album, which was released only three months before this compilation.
Live is a 1999 live album by They Might Be Giants. It was a condensed version of Severe Tire Damage. While most of the tracks were live, as the name implies, "Doctor Worm" was a studio-recorded track.
"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.
"(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.
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.
Brian Doherty is an American drummer, singer-songwriter, composer, music producer, educator, and podcaster based in New York City. After starting his career working with various jazz musicians, he worked with rock bands and artists such as The Silos, Freedy Johnston, They Might Be Giants, Ben Folds, and XTC. He has also contributed to movie soundtracks. In 2000 he became a music teacher, as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program. He has released two albums of royalty-free drum tracks for songwriters in a series called Keep It Simple, and in 2012 he released his debut solo project, Treat + Release. Now he is working on writing his memoirs, and recording podcasts.
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.
"The Statue Got Me High" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song was released as the lead single from the band's 1992 album, Apollo 18. The song reached number 24 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The B-sides "I'm Def" and "Which Describes How You're Feeling" are both taken from the band's 1985 demo tape, which was recorded using low-quality equipment.
Direct from Brooklyn is a compilation of music videos by American alternative rock group They Might Be Giants. It was released on VHS in 1999 and DVD in 2003. The title refers to the home of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, founding members of the band. Many of the music videos were filmed in Brooklyn and other parts of New York City.
Join Us is the fifteenth studio album from the rock band They Might Be Giants, released on July 19, 2011. It is the band's first adult album in four years since The Else in 2007. Following the success of their 2009 children's album, Here Comes Science, the band returned to their adult audience with Join Us, an eclectic collection of 18 songs.
"Can't Keep Johnny Down" is a song by American alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song was released as a promotional single from the band's 2011 album, Join Us. Like all the artwork surrounding the Join Us album, the cover art and labels for the disc were designed by the Office of Paul Sahre.
"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.