Editing Don't Let's Start

{{about|the single|the rarities compilation|Don't Let's Start (album)|the ''Grey's Anatomy'' episode|Don't Let's Start (Grey's Anatomy)}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = Don't Let's Start
| cover         = Dontletsstartcover.jpg
| alt           = 
| type          = single
| artist        = [[They Might Be Giants]]
| album         = [[They Might Be Giants (album)|They Might Be Giants]]
| B-side        = "We're the Replacements", "When It Rains It Snows", "The Famous Polka"
| released      = November 2, 1987
| format        = 
| recorded      = January 8, 1986<ref>{{Cite web |title=TMBGareOK. The Official They Might Be Giants tumblr |url=https://tmbgareok.tumblr.com/post/685335206027247616 |access-date=2022-05-26 |website=TMBGareOK. The Official They Might Be Giants tumblr |language=en}}</ref>
| studio        = [[Dubway Studios|Dubway Studio]], [[New York City]]
| venue         = 
| genre         = [[Alternative rock]]
| length        = 2:36
| label         = [[Bar/None Records|Bar/None]], [[Restless Records|Restless]]<br />[[Elektra Records|Elektra]] <small>(Re-issue)</small>
| writer        = [[John Flansburgh]], [[John Linnell]]
| producer      = Bill Krauss
| prev_title    = 
| prev_year     = 
| next_title    = [[(She Was A) Hotel Detective]]
| next_year     = 1988
| misc          = {{External music video|{{YouTube|yT8cnAeWKZE|"Don't Let's Start"}}}}
               {{Extra album cover
 | header  = 1990 Elektra Re-issue
 | type    = Single
 | cover   = Don'tlet'sstartre-release.png
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption =
}}
}}
"'''Don't Let's Start'''" is a song by the [[alternative rock]] band [[They Might Be Giants]], from their 1986 [[They Might Be Giants (album)|eponymous debut album]]. It was the first single released from the album, released as a [[maxi-single]]. The single peaked at number 94 on the Australian [[ARIA Charts|ARIA]] singles chart in 1988.<ref name="AUS">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716153430/http://i.imgur.com/oyPN1pW.jpg|url=http://i.imgur.com/oyPN1pW.jpg|archive-date=2015-07-16|title=Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2015-07-15|access-date=2015-10-03|publisher=[[Imgur]]}}</ref> It was re-released by [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] in 1990 after the success of the band's third album, ''[[Flood (They Might Be Giants album)|Flood]]''.

==Lyrical content==
The lyrics of "Don't Let's Start" include a number of dark, pointed statements, such as "everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful." [[John Linnell]] has repeatedly insisted that some of the song's lyrical twists, though pondered extensively by fans, were constructed to complement the melody and were not necessarily meaningful.<ref>[http://tmbw.net/upload/1069891843-2003-11-26-fresh-air-tmbg-2.mp3 Fresh Air interview with They Might Be Giants] [[NPR]]. Retrieved 2009-12-10.</ref> Asked about the origin of the song's obscure lyrics, Linnell replied "where did it come from? I made it up."<ref>They Might Be Giants interview on ''Request Video'', 1990.</ref>

==Music video==
A [[music video]] was produced for the song, and it found some success at that time on [[MTV]]. It was included on MTV's 1999 list of the "100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made" at #89.<ref>[[MTV]]'s [http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1999/mtv100.htm 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made], 1999. Archived on [http://www.rockonthenet.com/ rockonthenet.com]. Retrieved 2012-05-26.</ref> The video was directed by [[Adam Bernstein]]<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002835/ Adam Bernstein] IMDb.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.</ref> and was filmed inside the [[1964-1965 New York World's Fair New York State Pavilion|New York State Pavilion]] in [[Flushing Meadows Park]], the site of the [[1964 New York World's Fair]]. The band is featured wearing tall hats which, according to John Flansburgh on Tumblr, consist of "a large piece of semi-rigid cardstock (cut in a little arc) covered with a light bolt of red velvet fabric from a fabric store." The video also features large cardboard cutouts of the face of [[William Allen White]]. His face also appears on the "Don't Let's Start" [[Compact disc|CD]] single, and it has frequently been used in other contexts associated with They Might Be Giants.

==Track listing==
; Maxi-single
# "Don't Let's Start" (single mix) &ndash; 2:35
# "We're The Replacements" &ndash; 1:55
# "When It Rains It Snows" &ndash; 1:36
# "The Famous Polka" &ndash; 1:32

; 1990 maxi-single re-release
# "Don't Let's Start" (single mix) &ndash; 2:35
# "Your Racist Friend" (remix) &ndash; 3:50
# "She's an Angel" &ndash; 2:37
# "Absolutely Bill's Mood" &ndash; 2:38

; 1990 single re-release
# "Don't Let's Start" (single mix) &ndash; 2:35  			
# "Letterbox" &ndash; 1:25  			
# "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" &ndash; 1:36

==Personnel==
*[[John Flansburgh]] – electric guitar, bass guitar
*[[John Linnell]] – lead vocals, keyboards

== Chart performance ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Chart (1988)
!Peak<br />position
|-
| US Alternative ([[CMJ|CMJ New Music Report]])<ref>https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1980s/1988/RR-1988-03-04.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref>
|align="center"| 11
|-
| Australia ([[ARIA|ARIA Charts]])<ref name="AUS"/>
|align="center"| 94
|}

==Other versions==
*The song was covered by the band [[Common Rotation]] on their 2003 album ''The Big Fear''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Joyce |first=Mike |date=August 15, 2003 |title=COMMON ROTATION "The Big ... |work=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2003/08/15/common-rotation-the-big/73a54d39-9c1f-4e62-9ea6-34aa18373cdc/ |access-date=January 9, 2023}}</ref>
*[[Jimmy Eat World]] quotes the song in "[[A Praise Chorus]]" on their 2001 album ''[[Bleed American]]''. The part is sung by guest vocalist [[Davey von Bohlen]] of [[the Promise Ring]].<ref>{{Cite web |author=Nathan Rabin |author2=Kyle Ryan |author3=Josh Modell |author4=Steven Hyden |author5=Marc Hawthorne |author6=Erik Adams |author7=Michaelangelo Matos |author8=Claire Zulkey |author9=Sam Adams |author10=Leonard Pierce |date=October 11, 2010 |title=Davey, sing me something that I know: 28 songs that mention other songs by name |url=https://www.avclub.com/davey-sing-me-something-that-i-know-28-songs-that-men-1798222558 |access-date=January 9, 2023 |website=AV Club}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[[TMBW:Don't Let's Start (EP)|"Don't Let's Start"]] (releases)  at This Might Be A Wiki
*"[[TMBW:Don't Let's Start|Don't Let's Start]]" (song) at This Might Be A Wiki

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[[Category:1986 songs]]
[[Category:1987 debut singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by John Flansburgh]]
[[Category:Songs written by John Linnell]]
[[Category:They Might Be Giants songs]]
[[Category:Restless Records singles]]