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They Might Be Giants — Why Does The Sun Shine?
Album: Severe Tire Damage
Avg rating:
6.1

Your rating:
Total ratings: 577









Released: 1998
Length: 2:09
Plays (last 30 days): 0
(no lyrics available)
Comments (161)add comment
If lessons had been delivered like this I may have done better at School.
Please stop!   Oh wait.....MUTE!
Great song for the Muppet Show not RP....sorry {#Undecided}
Schoolhouse rock? 
Bang Bang Bang Bang

Bang Bang Bang Bang

Bang Bang Bang Bang

Bang Bang Bang Bang
 
Fun song. Is it a masterful example of musicianship? Probably not. But it's a fun song. 
Noise
 Art_Carnage wrote:
... and that's how TMBG started their trek from a cutting-edge band, to total irrelevance.

 
Says you.
 jmsmy wrote:
To Loosely quote Bruce Springsteen - I've learned more from a 3 minute song then I ever learned in school.

This song wasn't exectly what he meant - but I sure learned a lot from it.
 

NeuroJoe wrote:

Apparently it's not a song about spelling {#Wink}
 
{#Iamwithstupid} LOL!
 SchoepTone wrote:
Reminds me of Monty Python.
 
Reminds me of The Animaniacs. 

https://youtu.be/OmfAyK6CeIg
Absolutely loved the first 4 albums and saw them live in Brisbane at that point.  They played a 3hr 15 min set which caused me to miss my last bus but I didn't mind the 5 mile walk at all.  Though I think my neighbours may have been a bit upset when we woke them up with TMBG and a room full of hyped up jumping idiots at about 3am.
 jmsmy wrote:
To Loosely quote Bruce Springsteen - I've learned more from a 3 minute song then I ever learned in school.

This song wasn't exectly what he meant - but I sure learned a lot from it.
 
Apparently it's not a song about spelling {#Wink}
 cc_rider wrote:
I wonder if they play this song in Constantinople.
 
It's Istanbul, not Constantinople.
Yeah, I can think of many many many other TMBG songs I'd rather hear than this one.
To Loosely quote Bruce Springsteen - I've learned more from a 3 minute song then I ever learned in school.

This song wasn't exectly what he meant - but I sure learned a lot from it.
Kind of funny. Kind of musical.
 lafcadio wrote:
Actually, the sun is a miasma of incandescent plasma.  Both science and TMBG are self-correcting!
 
but incandescent gas rhymes better!
I wonder if they play this song in Constantinople.
Reminds me of Monty Python.
I should love this band, right?  I like quirky, I have kids, I like creative — they annoy me to no end...

Hi Ho.
 lafcadio wrote:
Actually, the sun is a miasma of incandescent plasma.  Both science and TMBG are self-correcting!
 
Let's see...what rhymes with "plasma"? 
silly but fun
 
Actually, the sun is a miasma of incandescent plasma.  Both science and TMBG are self-correcting!
Great album for kids—smart kids.
FUCK YEAH!
Huzzah for science!


I could do without the whine


... and that's how TMBG started their trek from a cutting-edge band, to total irrelevance.
The best part is, they recently gave a musical correction to the assertions of this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLkGSV9WDMA 

{#Sunny} 
These guys crack me up!  Love it, love it, love it!  (They bring out the geek in me, I'm afraid.)

My kids love this!!

 

So do I actually.


Holy cow, our class sang this song back in 3rd grade (early 70s...).

Talk about the WayBack Machine™....
They want to be Squeeze.
I love this album.  They somehow managed to get all the energy of one of their shows into that shiny plastic disc!
ugggghhhh
 garycha wrote:


Turd rock.
 
Get a sense of humor.  This is funny, informative stuff. If you want introspective, hang out for five minutes here, and it'll show up. That's just the way RP is.{#Sunny}
Lmao, funny stuff

 rtrudeau wrote:
Nerd rock.
 

Turd rock.
This is awesome; I grew up with the original version and all of the Science Song records way back in the early 60s. All of the originals are at:  https://www.acme.com/jef/singing_science/


 flyboy wrote:
You mean the sun heats the Earth?  That can't be good for global warming.  We must do something about this.
 
{#Roflol} Absolutely right!  Let's get Maria McKee and Grace Potter to sing the rings off Saturn, then use the rings to lasso the sun and move it somewhere else...

I can't help it - I grin whenever I hear this song.  Kinda hard to pogo through the house to it, but I do it anyway.

 Govi wrote:
Humorous and intelligent lyrics can't overcome the Pogue-ness of this mindblasting rhythm: bang bang bang bang bang bang bang...
 

I like that, too. These guys are brilliant!!!!!!!
Humorous and intelligent lyrics can't overcome the Pogue-ness of this mindblasting rhythm: bang bang bang bang bang bang bang...


this is really helping me study for my qualifying exam....
Thank you for the astronomical instruction.
I'm always impressed how these guys can write a song about virtually anything and it sounds great.
a bruce springsteen quote "i learned more from a 3 minute song then i ever learned in school"


I live in the mountains above San Jose. I get what you're saying, Bill. We've had rain, sleet, snow, and hail... and that's just in the last 3 hours! Come on Spring time! {#Clap}
...so now you know, and knowing is approximately fifty percent of the conflict...
This version is so much better than the re-recorded version they did for their recent Here Comes Science kids' album.

Just got their Science album.

 

Cool stuff for us geeks.{#Cowboy}


you nailed it.

 
dggeek wrote:
{#Dancingbanana}{#Roflol}{#Dancingbanana_2}
 


{#Dancingbanana}{#Roflol}{#Dancingbanana_2}
Cute once.
 yodasan_magoo wrote:

Hello Comrade Flyboy...can you see me waving to you?

  Yes, yes I can.


Nerd rock.
This describes how i'm feeling all the time
 flyboy wrote:
You mean the sun heats the Earth?  That can't be good for global warming.  We must do something about this.
 
Hello Comrade Flyboy...can you see me waving to you?

The most hilarious part is just after the song ends, and one of the Johns says "The sun, ladies and gentlemen!"  That cracks me up.


 azdcryan wrote:
of course we all know "don't let's start" "particle man" and others, and I enjoyed them back in high school when they were released in the late 80's.  but now, as a man, and a father I have re-discovered TMBG as an exceptional children's music act.  This song and especially "zeroes" are awesome sing-alongs for kids, and there is truly a million times more important information contained in this music than Dora the Explorer's entire cannon of skin-crawling drivel...(assuming that the sum of multiplying by zero creates a result greater than zero, only in this special circumstance) 

IMO, of course,
 
{#High-five} What an excellent suggestion!

Crapity, Crap, Crap...
You mean the sun heats the Earth?  That can't be good for global warming.  We must do something about this.
 redeyespy wrote:
9 out of 10 Gen Xers might cite Schoolhouse Rock to illustrate.
 
conjunction junction what's your function?

{#Dancingbanana_2}
These guys are so smart
anyone other than me bored to bloody tears by this drivel?
Hilarious (if heretical :) seggy from Richie Havens!

Love it!
utter crap
of course we all know "don't let's start" "particle man" and others, and I enjoyed them back in high school when they were released in the late 80's.  but now, as a man, and a father I have re-discovered TMBG as an exceptional children's music act.  This song and especially "zeroes" are awesome sing-alongs for kids, and there is truly a million times more important information contained in this music than Dora the Explorer's entire cannon of skin-crawling drivel...(assuming that the sum of multiplying by zero creates a result greater than zero, only in this special circumstance) 

IMO, of course,
Realizing that the Sun is not actually a huge ball of gas, they have a sequel to this song now, called, "The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLkGSV9WDMA 


 copymonkey wrote:
My kids once listened to this version of this song about 28 times in a row. Go ahead—ask one of them how far away is the sun, I dare ya.
 
hey kids, how far away is the Sun?

Add to this track list for a great album if you want

They Might Be Giants: Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass Of Incandescent Gas)
Blind Melon: 3 Is A Magic Number

 

clever song. very listenable and informative
fredriley wrote:
I don't know about absurd - sounds like an exemplary lesson in basic astronomy to me. Listen and learn kids :o)
Since we're being utter nerds here, {#Sunny} {#Propeller}
the most nerdy, smart alec, humourless comment that i could think of is:

isn't the sun a mass of incandescent plasma, and not gas? {#Naughty} {#Doh}
("The sun is a mass of ionized gas"; hmmm, I think that would work.
Sorry, sorry ... 
{#Cheesygrin} )

Then turn it off and let me enjoy it.  I love TMBG.  You get them or you don't.

 
arissimo wrote:
my dogs are hiding under the bed, BEGGING me to turn this off..... and yes, BARF, is the `perfect` word!!!! 

>^..^< 
 


Bleh.
for a minute this song made the sun come out in London {#Cool} {#Sunny}
The Weird Al Yankovic's. {#Crashcomp}
My kids once listened to this version of this song about 28 times in a row. Go ahead—ask one of them how far away is the sun, I dare ya.
 bentonian wrote:
Research has shown that putting facts into a song makes things easier to remember - don't be afraid to learn!
 

9 out of 10 Gen Xers might cite Schoolhouse Rock to illustrate.
Good fun.
 DrLex wrote:
This is utter nerdiness condensed into music!
 

PROUD TO BE A NERD-FAN
my dogs are hiding under the bed, BEGGING me to turn this off..... and yes, BARF, is the `perfect` word!!!! 

>^..^< 
Yes! The Sun approves of this song! {#Sunny}
 Beanie wrote:

Aw....c'mon!  Doesn't it make you smile at least a little, just because it's so absurd?

 
I don't know about absurd - sounds like an exemplary lesson in basic astronomy to me. Listen and learn kids :o)

So, what's next for the TMBG singing scientists? The search for the Higgs Boson? Dark Matter? Quantum mechanics? They could have a long and interesting career ahead of them purely as musical science popularisers :). 7 from the Nottingham jury.

Radio Disney?
{#Sunny}
Research has shown that putting facts into a song makes things easier to remember - don't be afraid to learn!
This is utter nerdiness condensed into music!
 Papernapkin wrote:
This is my second favorite song about the solar system and the periodic table of elements.
 
Dig. Eric Idle's song is number one of course, but this is great too.

Nerds RULE!

mabye "Nine" by Loudon Wainwright III?

joan_c wrote:

And your first favorite would be....?? {#Ask}




smile is not exactly the word I'd use. Maybe "barf".   Beanie wrote:

Aw....c'mon!  Doesn't it make you smile at least a little, just because it's so absurd?

 


 LennytheB wrote:
Please, please, please, don't ever play this song again. It has me searching my keyboard for the channel changer!!!
 
Aw....c'mon!  Doesn't it make you smile at least a little, just because it's so absurd?

Please, please, please, don't ever play this song again. It has me searching my keyboard for the channel changer!!!
 Papernapkin wrote:
This is my second favorite song about the solar system and the periodic table of elements.
 
And your first favorite would be....??  {#Ask}

Well, this is a fun one of theirs that I've never heard before.  Me like-ee!  I'll give it an 8.  {#Yes}
This is my second favorite song about the solar system and the periodic table of elements.
crap

They should bring back School House Rocks with TMBG in the lead!


This song blows.


Trey wrote:
Let's all just go back to Constantinople.
That's nobody's business but the Turks.
sutcliff wrote:
music in a science class! What's next dancing? I can only hope.
"...She blinded me with sci-ence..."
Suppose they have a milk-and-cookies rider in their touring contract?
ScottishWillie wrote:
The Sun?........... Oh yes that thing we Scots see in the sky when we are on vacation.
reminds me of the quote from Michael Palin (i think) - the UK is the only nation looking forward to global warming ;)
kestrel wrote:
OMG I went to itunes to buy this. Playing it in Earth Science class tomorrow will verify my total lack of sanity.
music in a science class! What's next dancing? I can only hope.
OMG I went to itunes to buy this. Playing it in Earth Science class tomorrow will verify my total lack of sanity.
ktnsb wrote:
That's not pedantic, it's informative, and I thank you for providing an example, and an implied definition of the term 'plasma'. A "pedantic" response would imply or state outright that anyone who called it gas was in dire need of proper education, upon which your shoulders the job must inevitably rest because no one else in sight has the training and intellect to perform it. You did nothing of the kind, because you're not a condescending ass, and merely want to share knowledge. That's a cool example for us all. You even capitalized "Sun".
I do believethat the Sun IS a gas under all of the pressure of it' gravity, which at the outer edges is burning and THEN expelling the charged Ions, known as Plasma.
Let's all just go back to Constantinople.
TMBG is one of the very few groups who can ROCK YOUR FACE OFF and EDUCATE YOU at the same time. Go Giants, Go! c.
What an irritating song. This sounds like something that should be on "Bill Nye the Science Guy," not on Radio Paradise. Blech.
WOW, this takes me back to college. Their live show is...interesting. But good.
Cruithne3753 wrote:
Well I could be pedantic and say that the Sun is actually too hot to be a true gas, under that kind of temperature the atoms are stripped of their electrons making it plasma.
That's not pedantic, it's informative, and I thank you for providing an example, and an implied definition of the term 'plasma'. A "pedantic" response would imply or state outright that anyone who called it gas was in dire need of proper education, upon which your shoulders the job must inevitably rest because no one else in sight has the training and intellect to perform it. You did nothing of the kind, because you're not a condescending ass, and merely want to share knowledge. That's a cool example for us all. You even capitalized "Sun".
The Sun?........... Oh yes that thing we Scots see in the sky when we are on vacation.
Great stuff!!! Love this song!
Yes! I love this song, even though it will be stuck in my head for days. B-)
Well I could be pedantic and say that the Sun is actually too hot to be a true gas, under that kind of temperature the atoms are stripped of their electrons making it plasma.
Hehe... I was just reading this page when the song came on =)
Here's a link to the original song from a 50s album called Space Songs. www.acme.com/jef/singing_science/
trekhead wrote:
Why did I automatically figure this was them? 8
Because... who else would it be? LOL Gotta love TMBG!
How cute.
Nice astrophysics lecture. The music was pretty good, too.