They Might Be Giants - Purple Toupee (BEST QUALITY Official Music Video)

From They Might Be Giants album 'Lincoln.' Support the band and get Lincoln directly from them: found.ee/TMBGM...
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[@PeachyFennec]

As a kid i loved this song because oh its all silly and fun but looking back at it in my late 20s and im like "woah this is really clever". Historical events through the 60s as seen through the eyes of a, not so reliable narrator, is just such a fun way to write about how drastically different people can see historical events. With the current issues of miss-information i feel like this song hits even harder now

[@berrypepperroni7708]

when i first listened to and or fell in love with this song-- a couple few months ago mind you-- i semi-interpretated this was somebody's weird ass dream and the "we're on some kinda mission, we have an obligation, we have to wear toupeeees...." bit was like, when the dream ended and you were still sleeping and your conscience comes back but you dont wake up from the dream and you're still asleep but the more "normal" interpretation you suggest of it--which i believe the johns themselves said something similar to in what i believe is from either an interview or part of a song by song guide of lincoln--also makes sense too

[@sharierich]

This is my fav song from them Lincon was a great album. :)

[@dylaninpieces2]

"['Purple Toupee' uses] a couple of Prince songs as a springboard, 'Purple Rain' and 'Raspberry Beret'. I guess part of the idea was that, at the time, it seemed like there was this '60s revival in the works. It reminded me of all the other revivals that had taken place that were reviving times that I wasn't around for. They must have been complete shams based on what the '60s revival was. It seemed like it was based on this utterly one-dimensional caricature of the time that it was supposed to [be] representing or reviving. That still goes on now. That's sort of what 'Purple Toupee' is about." - John Linnell

[@padregrande523]

Thanks for putting this here! I would not have seen it otherwise.

[@macdrown3892]

It's hilarious that he talks about this song being analogous to Purple Rain, they could not be more different.

[@finscontingencyplan7005]

I can’t believe I’m seeing it in non-2007 KZbin quality.

[@whyott]

Without it being ai altered too

[@computerfighter2000]

SILLYING OUT SO MUCH

[@Jaggerborzoi]

Sillying and slaying 💅🏻

[@computerfighter2000]

@@Jaggerborzoi so real

[@berrypepperroni7708]

YES YES YEA

[@rattyeely]

They're so cute and silly in this music video, just two Johns bouncing around and trading off singing parts while stock footage of amusement parks rolls by

[@emten7943]

Just came back from They Might Be Concert in Boston 2024. Party has only started. Amazing band, forever a favorite.

[@phlog_dog7336]

What if this all culminates with them releasing the video for "Rabid Child"?

[@GweanBeans]

phlog_dog don't give me hope...

[@dingdongtingtong]

Well it just videos from Direct From Brooklyn and Rabid Child isnt on that dvd.

[@mrwednesdaynight]

The video exists in someone's basement. I very much want to see it.

[@Rslb7.]

Oh... Rabid Child. That's my jam.

[@nixonbubble]

its been four year

[@emokittycats]

lol why did linnell get all silly like that at the end. fym "lalalalalalala"

[@spectscrawlz_]

That is a man full of wonder and joy don't "fym" him-

[@jr4915]

How much fun have these guys had in their musical live? Just fantastic.

[@floridaflamingogirl3119]

40 years and counting of making songs together. Musical besties.

[@rootbeer5356]

They made great with their $63 budget

[@E4439Qv5]

Expensive mini golf game.

[@macdrown3892]

Probably a few grand considering they had to buy all the film stock.

[@camerondodge2070]

One of the few 'alternative' acts that could actually still be classified as such. I feel that most alternative rock acts and styles have become normalized, if not exactly mainstream. Grunge, punk, metal, it's normalized, it's what we expect. Then there's They Might Be Giants, a band whose style was never truly replicated (except for maybe that one Weird Al song), and whose brand of alt rock never spread just them. They stayed weird, they stayed uniquely themselves, stayed outside of expectations instead of continuing the exact same thing. They are thus one of very few bands I would actually consider alternative.

[@gregmcgreg7817]

What Weird Al song?

[@camerondodge2070]

@@gregmcgreg7817 Apparently, the song "Everything You Know Is Wrong" was supposed to be in the style of TMBG. Really, it only captures a small slice of their sound, but there's only so much you can do with a three minute song.

[@funktional_ktk]

@@camerondodge2070 ...and yet TMBG manages to do so much in *each* three-minute song.🤯

[@camerondodge2070]

@@funktional_ktk Well, quite frankly I think they capture as much as any prog-pop or avant-rock act could in a three minute song. I have yet to find a single standard length song by TMBG that covers all of their sound. Of course, that gets harder to do the longer they go on, making the task near impossible at a certain point.

[@floridaflamingogirl3119]

@@camerondodge2070 it’s lovely to see how much they’ve evolved, while still staying fresh. Each album has its own unique sound.

[@ezyto]

God John is so goddamn cute I just can’t

[@E4439Qv5]

Ok, but _John_ tho...

[@lizastacy8704]

I’ve always been more partial to John.

[@computerfighter2000]

which one 😭

[@MetaDecker]

I hope John doesn't see this comment thread, he may get jealous of John

[@MichaelWacht]

Purple toupee will show the way. Trust it.

[@0okamino]

Purple toupee is here to stay.

[@buckettrent138]

They were so young

[@lforever_048]

Definitely my favorite They Might Be Giants music video because it makes little to no sense and I love that aspect of it

[@hinrik6331]

This is indeed the BEST QUALITY Official Music Video

[@floridaflamingogirl3119]

Bouncy and springy fellas.

[@NewWaveEnthusiast]

If I ever had a chance to meet the young Johns I'd never complain about anything ever again.

[@bonzodimduly]

john flansburgh looks scary in this video

[@rattyeely]

Just this video?

[@LikaLaruku]

This song sounds enough like Experimental Film to deserve a mashup.

[@FirstnameLastname-mb2ek]

Just got Lincoln on red vinyl 😩

[@midnightcowboy1969]

bragging in the comment section 🤤

[@FirstnameLastname-mb2ek]

@@midnightcowboy1969 Indeed 😫😫

[@midnightcowboy1969]

@@FirstnameLastname-mb2ek i mean it’s a great album and i’m jealous 😁👍👍

[@FirstnameLastname-mb2ek]

@@midnightcowboy1969 It’s the best tmbg albumin my opinion!

[@midnightcowboy1969]

@@FirstnameLastname-mb2ek What's with these homies dissin' my girl? Why do they gotta front? What did we ever do to these guys That made them so violent? But you know I'm yours (Ooh ooh) And I know you're mine (Ooh ooh) And that's for all of time Ooh-wee-ooh, I look just like Buddy Holly Oh oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore I don't care what they say about us anyway I don't care 'bout that Don't you ever fear, I'm always near I know that you need help Your tongue is twisted, your eyes are slit You need a guardian And you know I'm yours (Ooh ooh) And I know you're mine (Ooh ooh) And that's for all of time Ooh-wee-ooh, I look just like Buddy Holly Oh oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore I don't care what they say about us anyway I don't care 'bout that I don't care 'bout that Bang bang knockin' on the door Another bang bang get down on the floor Oh no, what do we do? Don't look now but I lost my shoe I can't run and I can't kick Whatsa matter babe, are you feelin' sick? Whatsa matter, whatsa matter, whatsa matter you? Whatsa matter, babe, are you feelin' blue? Oh And that's for all of time And that's for all of time Ooh-wee-ooh, I look just like Buddy Holly Oh oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore I don't care what they say about us anyway I don't care 'bout that I don't care 'bout that I don't care 'bout that I don't care 'bout that

[@michaelkappes8226]

also love that Danelectro Longhorn guitar, I want one of those...

[@pwobeatles509]

this sounds like what non tmbg fans think tmbg sounds like but in a good way

[@ragimm.1143]

Wow, how have I not heard this song before? Really good

[@sleepymaybe]

YES GOD THANK U SO MUCH AHHHHHHH

[@fimmiey6881]

My favorite tmbg song!

[@RM-bv1xm]

I prefer Ana NG personally but this one is great

[@FuchsiaShock]

Music which is always my antidote to stress and anxiety

[@spectscrawlz_]

So you could say...Purple Toupee *does* show you the way when summer brings you down-

[@YashicaMat]

So sad we never got to experience Prince in his old age as foretold by TMBG.

[@c4rots620]

this song is harder to understand than weird al with a mouthful of marbles but it's still great

[@SlippingJimbo]

it gets easier to understand once you realize john linnell's deliberately getting historic events wrong throughout the song because he is silly

[@SlippingJimbo]

this song is so silly. tmbg is so silly. i love silly music

[@threeminuteshate]

Huh? Which lyric isn’t perfectly enunciated?

[@notanotherjamesmurphy5574]

one if the best counterpoints ever

[@pichass9337]

Great song

[@TheGhostBoi64]

[Lyrics] I remember the year I went to camp I heard about some lady named Selma and some blacks Somebody put their fingers in the President's ears It wasn't too much later they came out with Johnson's wax I remember the book depository where they crowned the king of Cuba Now that's all I can think of, but I'm sure there's something else Way down inside me I can feel it coming back Purple toupee will show the way when summer brings you down (Purple toupee when summer brings you down) Purple toupee and gold lame will turn your brain around (Purple toupee and gold lame) Chinese people were fighting in the park We tried to help them fight, no one appreciated that Martin X was mad when they outlawed bell bottoms Ten years later they were sharing the same cell I shouted out, "Free the Expo '67" Till they stepped on my hair, and they told me I was fat Now I'm very big, I'm a big important man And the only thing that's different is underneath my hat Purple toupee will show the way when summer brings you down (Purple toupee when summer brings you down) Purple toupee and gold lame will turn your brain around (Purple toupee and gold lame) Purple toupee is here to stay after the hair has gone away The purple brigade is marching from the grave We're on some kind of mission We have an obligation We have to wear toupees

[@wesparsons5331]

Vote Purple Toupee 2024, all your dreams will come true.

[@tonymason6686]

Jeez how old are They? like, 12 at this point??

[@berrypepperroni7708]

probs in their 20s or something?

[@reaganwiles_art]

Lincoln. Maybe not a real Boss Hoss, but I think it is the best thing by them might be them. The most Kafkaesque record ever. Some of the sentiments in Lincoln were arrived at by Kafka seventy eighty years before, although I don't think it's a case of influence or theft but of universal images uncovered by parallel processes of automatic free-association, . . .

[@SpookyLuvCookie]

just as relevant as it always was

[@Saxdude26]

Something about this song with the world's current struggles kind of makes me... appreciate it more? TMBG were not afraid from the outset to be bold with their lyrics, be it in original meaning or new parallels.

[@nealbailey7506]

I'm a big important man.

[@0okamino]

But something must be different now.

[@ObjectorSnark]

ever since the advent of a big important man, i've firmly believed tmbg could change the title (and that one lyric) to "golden toupee" and give it new life again

[@itsnotfunnehx3623]

​@@0okamino did you check underneath your hat?

[@orpheus1138]

Epic

[@APetrus-r5x]

That day in Montreal…

[@listerinemouthwash415]

I wonder what they're saving for Christmas

[@Dirtbike-k2x]

super underrated 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@rhaselrig]

I just discovered these guys. I'm really enjoying them. Kinda like Barenaked Ladies on acid. Are these guys from Canada, too?

[@stanley-allen]

New England

[@ObjectorSnark]

as a creative unit at least, they hail from williamsburg, brooklyn at the time when it was still bombed out and settled by artists & bohemians, i.e., the first wave of gentrification

[@apb_134]

Brooklyn, actually

[@nightshade1807]

Am purple

[@Mr__Joe]

Am you toupee?

[@axolotlarson9384]

@@Mr__Joe no, he am purple

[@WannabeMarysue]

me in 2009: wow these special effects are dated lmao me in 2019: #aesthetic #retro #mood #fave

[@snakes7303]

Well you were right, its...an old video

[@tcd1289]

😬

[@GreenGergop]

me when a video from 1989 (more than 30 years ago) looks dated:

[@torta31]

so baller,,,,

[@SaraFaulkner]

PURPLE TOUPEE

[@beautykilledbeast]

Can’t believe they ignored those Secaucus 6 or 8.

[@robadams5799]

Here I thought John Linell sang lead in the entire song.

[@piupaupompompom]

and why he ourple 😂

[@torgosaves427]

I love the forgetful Hippy Song :)

[@JMDurden]

The Johns are old enough to be my dad.

[@skuzzbunny]

jammer!!!!!D

[@computerfighter2000]

weeee

[@camgood4884]

CHINESE PEOPLE FIGHTIN IN THA PARK

[@Dirtbike-k2x]

WE TRIED TO HELP THEM FIGHT, NO ONE APPRECIATED THAT

[@dildino6199]

Lapfox brought me here

[@RQLAJI2]

WAIT WHAT Is it just because of the man its so loud in here cover or am I missing something

[@Brettjnash]

I've never seen a purple cow...

[@marracinoxaveria]

New tmbg? Is this real life?

[@0okamino]

New, better quality upload of the video to a song from _Lincoln_ (1988). In the future, the past brings presents. :)

[@MrDarkapollox]

"Chinese people were fighting in the park"

[@imperiallegionnaire8344]

Stonewall Jackson freed the gays 🇦🇲

[@themoviedealers]

I need more cowbell.

[@colonialstraits1069]

The OG TMBG (first two LPs) is still the best TMBG.

[@rattyeely]

Not even Flood? Not even Apollo 18?

[@colonialstraits1069]

@ both fine records but the first two are my faves. Maybe it’s just sentiment clouding my judgement.

[@rattyeely]

They're so cute and silly in this music video, just two Johns bouncing around and trading off singing parts while stock footage of amusement parks rolls by

[@butterbee8193]

Turns out they weren't all alone at the 64' world's fair

[@acocork3565]

@@butterbee8193 80 dolls yelling "small girl after all"

[@E4439Qv5]

Who was at the DuPont Pavilion?

[@goodmorningbrainrot]

why was the bench still warm? who had been there?

[@Vileplume87]

@@goodmorningbrainrot like the time when the storm tangled up the wire