Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head explained

Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head
Artist:They Might Be Giants
Album:They Might Be Giants
Recorded:New York City, 1985–1986
Genre:Alternative rock, synthpop
Length:2:12
Label:Bar/None
Producer:Bill Krauss

"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 and A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants.

Background

The song's music and chorus were written by John Linnell; John Flansburgh wrote the verses.[1] Linnell used a Casio MT-100 to play the music. Although "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head" was included on They Might Be Giants' first album on Bar/None Records, the song was recorded before the band became associated with the label.[2]

Music video

"Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head" was the first song for which They Might Be Giants created a music video. The video, directed by Adam Bernstein, was filmed on a budget of about in a waterfront area of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It featured a number of homemade props, such as large red papier-mâché hands and large cardboard cutouts of William Allen White's face.[3] [4] According to commentary in the group's video compilation Direct from Brooklyn, the film Married to the Mob was being filmed in the same location.[5] Adam Bernstein has stated that some shots from the music video were filmed on the tails of the film used to shoot Married to the Mob, and that, in total, only about five minutes of film were shot.[6] The video aired on AL-TV, an MTV special hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic, prior to the release of the band's debut album.[7] [8] Previously, it had also aired on a local music video station.

Reception

An Allmusic review identified "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head" one of the best songs on They Might Be Giants and described it as "Costello-esque".[9] Jim Faber, reviewing They Might Be Giants for Rolling Stone, called the song "irresistibly catchy" and cited it as an example of Flansburgh's "character" vocals.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Linnell . John . John Linnell . Yosha Bourgea . They Might Be the Hottest Show to Hit the Hilltop . . . April 1994 . 5 December 2012.
  2. Pendergast . Tom . Myke Weiskopf . Myke Weiskopf Interviews Tom Pendergast . 1995 . 8 December 2012.
  3. Web site: Giant Steps: A Peculiar Rock Duo Makes a Big Noise . Del Tyre . Peg . 6 February 1989 . New York . 5 December 2012.
  4. Web site: TMBG Information Bulletin Winter 1991 . 1991 . TMBG Info Club . 8 December 2012.
  5. Direct from Brooklyn. Dir. Adam Bernstein, Nico Beyer, John Flansburgh. Restless, 2003. DVD.
  6. Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns). Dir. AJ Schnack. 2002. Plexifilm, 2003.
  7. Bernstein . Adam . Adam Bernstein . Myke Weiskopf . Myke Weiskopf Interviews Adam Bernstein . 1995 . 5 December 2012.
  8. Web site: They Might Be Giants' John Flansburgh: The Catskills Is The New Williamsburg . Del Signore . John . 18 July 2011 . . 5 December 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120504040322/http://gothamist.com/2011/07/18/john_flansburgh_they_might_be_giant.php . 4 May 2012 .
  9. Web site: They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants . Erlewine . Stephen Thomas . . 5 December 2012.
  10. Web site: They Might Be Giants . Farber, Jim . April 9, 1987 . . 5 December 2012 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20080304144959/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theymightbegiants/albums/album/230881/review/5946220/they_might_be_giants . March 4, 2008 .

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