Why? (They Might Be Giants album)
Why? (stylized as why?) is the fifth children's album (and eighteenth overall) from New York City-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released on November 27, 2015. It is composed largely of releases from the band's 2015 Dial-A-Song project.
| Why? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 27, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2015 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 38:31 | |||
| Label | Idlewild, Lojinx | |||
| Producer | They Might Be Giants, Pat Dillett | |||
| They Might Be Giants chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
Release
Why? was released on November 27, 2015. After several children's albums released through the Disney Sound label in the 2000s, this album was released on the band's own Idlewild Recordings. The Disney-released albums all had a theme, such as the alphabet, numbers, and science; this album was intended as a follow-up to the band's first children's album, No!, from 2002, and therefore had no overarching topic. "Or So I Have Read" was the first single from the album, released in October 2015.
A few of the songs had been released before. "And Mom and Kid" was written for the HBO documentary A Family Is a Family Is a Family: A Rosie O'Donnell Celebration. "Then the Kids Took Over" was written for the HBO documentary Saving My Tomorrow, but was extended and re-recorded for this album.
Track listing
All tracks are written by They Might Be Giants, except as noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oh You Did" (with Robin Goldwasser) | 2:16 |
| 2. | "Omnicorn" | 1:47 |
| 3. | "I Am Invisible" | 2:09 |
| 4. | "Definition of Good" | 1:59 |
| 5. | "And Mom and Kid" | 1:20 |
| 6. | "I Made a Mess" | 2:27 |
| 7. | "Moles, Hounds, Bears, Bees and Hares" | 2:11 |
| 8. | "Walking My Cat Named Dog" (Norma Tanega cover) | 2:12 |
| 9. | "Or So I Have Read" | 2:14 |
| 10. | "Elephants" (with Danny Weinkauf) | 2:38 |
| 11. | "Long White Beard" (with Robin Goldwasser) | 2:16 |
| 12. | "I Just Want to Dance" | 1:08 |
| 13. | "Thinking Machine" | 2:11 |
| 14. | "So Crazy for Books" | 2:10 |
| 15. | "I Haven't Seen You in Forever" | 2:12 |
| 16. | "Out of a Tree" | 2:36 |
| 17. | "Hello Mrs. Wheelyke" | 2:20 |
| 18. | "Then the Kids Took Over" | 2:25 |
Personnel
- They Might Be Giants
- John Flansburgh – vocals, guitars, etc.
- John Linnell – vocals, keyboards, woodwinds, etc.
- are joined by
- Marty Beller – drums, percussion
- Danny Weinkauf – bass, vocals on #10
- Dan Miller – guitars
- Robin Goldwasser – vocals on #1 and #11
- Production
- Pat Dillett – co-producer, mixing
- Melissa Jun – design
- Alison Cowles – illustrations
References
- Phares, Heather. "Why? - They Might Be Giants". Allmusic. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
