Doctor Worm
"Doctor Worm" | ||||
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Single by They Might Be Giants | ||||
from the album Severe Tire Damage | ||||
Released | 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, ska | |||
Length | 3:01 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Flansburgh, John Linnell | |||
Producer(s) | Pat Dillett, Tom Durack, They Might Be Giants | |||
They Might Be Giants singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
Doctor Worm on YouTube | ||||
"Doctor Worm" is a song by They Might Be Giants. It first appeared on the primarily live album Severe Tire Damage, being one of only three studio-recorded songs on the album. It was also released as a single and featured in a music video directed by band member John Flansburgh.
Details
The lyrics describe a worm going by the stage name of "Doctor Worm" learning to play the drums better. The narrator also describes a friend, a bass-playing vole known as "Rabbi Vole".
Discussing the lyrical inspiration, Flansburgh said, "For a long, long time we have been riffing on the song 'Dr. Love' by the band Kiss. And I think just the weirdness of the conceit of that song was kind of rolling around in John Linnell's head. I know a million, billion times we've talked about the song 'Dr. Love'. It's such an absurd song. So I think 'Dr. Love' was kind of the springboard for the idea behind 'Dr. Worm'."[1]
The song placed as #13 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1998 and appears on the compilation CD.[2]
Music video
The music video directed by John Flansburgh, shot in black-and-white, features the band performing the song in an apartment office surrounded by medical paraphernalia.[3]
An alternate music video for the song directed by the cartoonist Kaz was featured in an episode of the Nickelodeon television series KaBlam!. In the video, Doctor Worm (an actual worm in medical attire) earns the respect of a musical group in search of a percussionist.[4]
Cover versions
- In 2006, Jason Trachtenburg of Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players covered the song for the They Might Be Giants tribute album, Hello Radio.
- In 2011, Relient K covered the song for their cover album, Is for Karaoke. In the cover, the band altered the lyrics "Rabbi Vole" to "Rabbi Warne", as a reference to John Warne, Relient K's bassist.
References
- ^ "They Might Be Giants". Song Facts.
- ^ http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100/history/1998.htm Archived 2013-01-29 at the Wayback Machine Triple J Hottest 100, 1998
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ Video on YouTube
External links
- Doctor Worm at This Might Be A Wiki
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- John Flansburgh
- John Linnell
- Dan Miller
- Danny Weinkauf
- Marty Beller
- Hal Cragin
- Brian Doherty
- Jonathan Feinberg
- Dan Hickey
- Kurt Hoffman
- Graham Maby
- Tony Maimone
- Eric Schermerhorn
Rock albums |
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Children's albums |
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- Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas) (1993)
- Back to Skull (1994)
- Working Undercover for the Man (2000)
- They Might Be Giants In... Holidayland (2001)
- Bed, Bed, Bed (2003)
- Indestructible Object (2004)
- The Spine Surfs Alone (2004)
- "Don't Let's Start"
- "(She Was A) Hotel Detective"
- "Ana Ng"
- "They'll Need a Crane"
- "Purple Toupee"
- "Birdhouse in Your Soul"
- "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"
- "The Statue Got Me High"
- "I Palindrome I"
- "The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)"
- "O Tannenbaum"
- "Snail Shell"
- "S-E-X-X-Y"
- "Doctor Worm"
- "Boss of Me"
- "Man, It's So Loud in Here"
- "Experimental Film"
- "I'm Impressed"
- "Can't Keep Johnny Down"
- "You're on Fire"
- "Super Cool"
- "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head"
- "Particle Man"
- "James K. Polk"
- Live!! New York City 10/14/94 (1994)
- Severe Tire Damage (1998)
- Live (1999)
- The Spine Hits the Road (2004)
- Almanac (2004)
- Venue Songs (2004)
- First Album Live! (2014)
- Flood Live in Australia (2015)
- Live in Brooklyn (2016)
- Don't Let's Start (1989)
- Miscellaneous T (1991)
- Then: The Earlier Years (1997)
- Best of the Early Years (1999)
- They Got Lost (2002)
- Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants (2002)
- A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants (2005)
- Venue Songs DVD/CD (2005)
- Album Raises New and Troubling Questions (2011)
- Idlewild (2014)
- Direct from Brooklyn (1999)
- Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) (2003)
- Here Come the ABCs (2005)
- Venue Songs DVD/CD (2005)
- Here Come the 123s (2008)
- Here Comes Science (2009)
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