Chess Piece Face – In Which We Meet a Face Made of Chess Pieces
"Chess Piece Face" by They Might Be Giants was once a quirky mystery to me—until I learned the heartbreaking truth behind the song.
Yeah, yeah, Happy New Year, etc. Let’s keep this thing moving—time is an illusion anyway.
"Chess Piece Face" is a significant song for me because it’s the first time I encountered continuity and world-building lore in music. That I’m aware of, anyway. I have no idea exactly how old I was when I first heard it, but it was early in my They Might Be Giants fandom. It’s tied directly to the first time I experienced The Pink Album in all its glory, and with it, the realization that TMBG were not just making random, quirky songs—there was something deeper going on here.
Rabid Child Calls: The Plot Thickens
So here’s the thing—"Chess Piece Face" shows up as a character in another song on this album, "Rabid Child." I’ve written about Rabid Child already, where we learn that Chess Piece Face and The Big Duluth call Rabid Child every day, speaking only in trucker CB lingo (using terms like “hammer down” and “rabbit ears”).
And now, a few tracks later, we’re hearing about Chess Piece Face again!? What does it mean? Who exactly is Chess Piece Face?? I remember having these conversations with my best friend, poring over the liner notes and obsessing over every lyric, trying to find clues. We came up short. Chess Piece Face remained an enigma, but that mystery made the song even more alluring—right up there with those haunting Shepard Tone synths that kick off the track.
What's Gonna Happen to Chess Piece Face?
The song opens with a question:
"What’s gonna happen to Chess Piece Face?"
That’s the thing about this track—it’s not just quirky or weird for the sake of it. The song itself poses an existential question. There’s this sense that something is going to happen to Chess Piece Face, but what? Is it just part of TMBG’s surreal narrative web? Or is there something more under the surface?
To Google or Not to Google: The Interpretation Dilemma
I’ve always avoided searching out interpretations for songs online. For me, the meaning of a song is whatever you feel when you listen to it. If a song speaks to you in a certain way, then that’s your truth. I like to let my emotions guide me, to let the song’s meaning unfold naturally as I experience it.
But with "Chess Piece Face," I got curious. I wanted to know more. I wondered if there was something I was missing—some puzzle piece (pun intended) that could shed light on this mysterious character.
Plot Twist! The Song's Actually Sad
Here’s where things get heavy.
I learned that John Flansburgh once shared in an interview that the song was inspired by a co-worker who had Proteus Syndrome, a condition more commonly known as “elephant man disease.” Flansburgh said he often wondered what it was like to live with that syndrome, knowing that “everything he does is defined by his appearance.” Chess Piece Face, he explained, is “the closest thing to a sincere, sad song on the album.”
This completely shifts the way I hear this song. What I once interpreted as a quirky, somewhat silly character who ties into Rabid Child is actually the subject of a song about a disfiguring disease and the isolation that comes with it. That realization hits hard.
Schrodinger's Song: It's Complicated
This new understanding changes my relationship with the song in a profound way. It’s like Schrodinger’s Cat, but instead of a cat in a box, it’s a song—one that was, for years, a strange, fun enigma to me. But now, after learning about its true inspiration, it’s transformed into something much heavier.
I’ll be honest—sometimes, learning the true meaning behind a song can alter the experience forever. It’s like Pandora’s box in that once it’s opened, you can’t go back. This song is no longer just a quirky piece of TMBG’s oddball world-building; it’s a reflection on appearance, perception, and the sadness of being defined by how others see you.
Forget what I said earlier about how a song’s meaning is whatever it feels like to you when you hear it. Sometimes, the artist’s intent can reshape the entire experience.
Final Thoughts: Chess Piece Face, Revealed
"Chess Piece Face" was a mystery to me for years, and now, knowing its inspiration, I feel both enlightened and a little heartbroken. This is one of the rare times when learning the true meaning behind a song has drastically changed how I feel about it. What once felt like a quirky side character in the TMBG universe now feels like a reflection on identity and the weight of living with something as defining as Proteus Syndrome.
What about you? Did this song ever stump you? Did it take on a different meaning for you over time? I’d love to hear your thoughts, interpretations, and any other theories you might have about Chess Piece Face. Drop a comment or shoot me an email—let’s dive into the mystery together.
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