Everything Right Is Wrong Again – Kicking Off They Might Be Giants' Journey
What makes this quirky TMBG track stick with me after all these years?
Starting off this enormous writing endeavor with They Might Be Giants’ self-titled album. Sometimes referred to as The Pink Album—and by "sometimes," I mean I think I’ve heard it called that once, and it may have even been me who said it. Who can know?
As someone who believes they suffer from perpetual unfortunate luck, I feel like the lyrics in "Everything Right Is Wrong Again" speak to me on a personal level.
"Don’t you want to know the reason why the cupboard’s not appealing?
Don’t you get the feeling that everything that’s right is wrong again?"
It’s an anthem for those moments when life just keeps tripping you up, even when things seem like they should be going well. A perfect theme to start off this chaotic journey through They Might Be Giants’ discography.
Wait, Should I Explain Who They Might Be Giants Are?
Should I back up and explain who They Might Be Giants are? I’m going to assume you’re here because you already know. And if I’m wrong, hopefully this blog will send you on a quest for knowledge to discover more about these two dudes named John and the music they make together. This isn't a biographical wiki—it’s a blog where I’m writing about every song from every They Might Be Giants album. Let's get back to "Everything Right Is Wrong Again."
That Keyboard Riff and Embarrassing Car Moments
Around the 1:39 mark, after the bridge, a keyboard riff kicks in that absolutely sets the stage for the melodic twists and turns John Linnell will be sending into our ears for decades to come. My fingers have spontaneously mimicked playing this part while driving. And by "spontaneously," I mean completely without my consent, as if I’ve been possessed by the ghost of a maniacal keyboard player. It’s absolutely embarrassing when I realize what I’m doing at a stoplight and the driver next to me is staring.
The Memory: Summer, Campers, and Cards
I’m sure I’ll mention this often while writing about songs from this album, but I listened to it repeatedly during long camping road trips with my best friend and his parents. Picture this: a big truck with a camper on top—the kind that sits over the cab and extends into the truck bed. In the back of the camper were me and my friend, sitting around a tiny table, playing cards, and listening to this album for an entire summer.
It wasn’t the first TMBG album I ever heard, though the song coming up in a few weeks was actually the second song I ever heard from them. Still, when I hear "Everything Right Is Wrong Again," I’m instantly transported back to that camper. A kid getting some much-needed distance from his tumultuous relationship with his mom, a brain full of chronic anxious thoughts, and just hanging out, having fun with my best friend.
Growing Up with TMBG: Finding New Meaning in the Absurd
As an adult, I've come to slowly understand deeper meanings from the words within this song. Sometimes in life (actually, pretty often in life), you go through something traumatic. Even though it feels like you’ve moved on—whether it’s from a breakup, a divorce, or a literal house fire that consumed all your belongings—you carry remnants of that trauma with you.
"You're a weasel overcome with dinge.
Weasel overcome but not before the damage done.
The healing doesn't stop the feeling."
I think about that last line a lot: The healing doesn’t stop the feeling. It’s a comforting reminder that just because you’ve healed doesn’t mean you stop feeling the weight of what happened. It doesn’t mean you’re broken (though I am, but for entirely different reasons), it just means that healing and numbness aren’t the same thing.
Conclusion: Embracing the Chaos
That’s about all I can say on this one for now. "Everything Right Is Wrong Again" is just the beginning of They Might Be Giants’ long, quirky journey—and it feels like the perfect opening track for my personal adventure in writing about every TMBG song. Thanks for coming along on this ridiculous idea for a blog.
And now the post is over.
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