Alienation’s for the Rich by TMBG: From Skipped Track to Personal Anthem
They Might Be Giants’ "Alienation’s for the Rich" grew on me over time—especially during a tough summer in 2016.
History is not only written by the victors, but also by boomers who lied to kids in the pre-internet era.
"Alienation’s for the Rich" by They Might Be Giants led to my best friend and me learning about Esperanto. Upon writing this week’s post, I realized that what I was told decades ago by a relative about the origin of Esperanto was, well, wildly inaccurate. Like most of my relived childhood, this has me wondering how much of my adult life has been influenced by misplaced trust in the adults around me when I was growing up.
But, I digress.
Esperanto: The Global Language That Wasn't
For those unfamiliar, Esperanto is mentioned in the song and is a language that was invented with the goal of becoming the world’s official second language. It was meant to foster better communication and relationships across the globe. But back when I was a kid, I was told it was invented to confuse the Axis Powers during WWII. (Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.)
As I’m writing this, I realize I might have been mixing up stories about Esperanto with vague memories of the Navajo Code Talkers, whose Native language was used during WWII to keep U.S. military communications secure. Maybe there was a movie about it starring Nicolas Cage? It’s all a bit fuzzy.
The Country Conundrum: Skipping Songs I Didn’t Get
If homework and chores could be music, they would be contemporary country.
That’s how much I used to dislike anything that sounded even remotely like it. So, naturally, "Alienation’s for the Rich" was a song I skipped fairly often. That is, until more recent years—specifically, within the last two decades (oh god, did I just say two decades?). It wasn’t until then that the song began to take root in my ears and heart.
John Flansburgh takes the lead vocal on this track, dedicating it to “all the modern-day troubadours out there,” which I always interpreted as a nod to figures like Johnny Cash or Hank Williams. What follows is a lyrical tale of woe, about a man who isn’t feeling too great about his life. But still, as Flansy sings, “I’m working to make it better / with a six of Miller High Life.”
When Life Gets Low, Country Music Settles In
This song never hit me as hard as it did in the summer of 2016. I was unemployed, barely managing to scrape together a parent-student loan to help my son pursue a music degree at a private university, and living with a best friend I was head over heels in love with… along with her ex-fiancé/current boyfriend. Yeah, things were complicated.
I remember walking down to the piers in downtown Olympia, WA, with They Might Be Giants in my ears as usual. This song came on, and for the first time, I didn’t skip it. Instead, I let it wash over me while I sat on some rocks, watching the water. Between my lips was a Black & Mild Jazz cigarillo, and next to me, half-buried in the sand, was a can of cotton candy-flavored Bang! energy drink. These weren’t exactly markers of someone thriving in life.
These were my “six of Miller High Life,” and one look at the scene would tell you things were not going great.
Alienation and Reflection: The Song’s Personal Impact
I wouldn’t classify the decisions I was making back then as good ones. But there I was, relating deeply to a song I had once skipped because it sounded too much like country music. "Alienation’s for the Rich" had become something more than just a quirky tune on The Pink Album—it had become a reflection of some of my lowest moments, and the way I managed to push through them.
It’s funny how songs change over time, isn’t it?
Wrapping Up: A Song That Grew On Me
"Alienation’s" isn’t a song that makes it onto any of my top TMBG lists, and I don’t even think it’s on my Spotify playlist, The Big Steamy Thing. But it’s become a no-skip track for me—one that brings me back to a time when I was lost and still trying to find my way out of a dark place.
As a kid, I never thought I’d relate to or enjoy a country-sounding tune, but here we are—grown up and maybe a little wiser. How about you? How do you feel about "Alienation’s for the Rich"? Is it a sing-a-long good time for you, or a hard pass? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
Want more TMBG goodness? Hit subscribe and join the coolest corner of the internet!