"They'll Need a Crane" is a single and song by

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...

. In addition to vinyl and cassette releases, the single was released as a 3-inch CD. "They'll Need a Crane" was the first song the band performed on network television, in 1989 on ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

''. of the performance on ''

''. Retrieved 2012-09-17.

Background

The song's lyrics focus on the breakup of a dysfunctional heterosexual relationship between a male "lad" and a female "gal". The band makes reference to the couple's respective flaws and make use of construction imagery to describe the relationship's degradation. The melancholic subject matter of the song is somewhat uncharacteristic for the band.

Music video

A music video for the single was directed by

Adam Bernstein Adam Bernstein (born May 7, 1960) is an Emmy Award-winning American film director, music video director and television director. For his work on the television show '' Fargo'' in 2014, he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for O ...

, a frequent collaborator of the band during their earlier years. It was filmed at the Bethesda terrace in Central park, New York City. The video primarily features the band playing with a group of elderly musicians, most notably jazz drummer

Johnny Blowers John G. Blowers Jr. (April 21, 1911 – July 17, 2006) was an American drummer of the swing era. Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States, Blowers ("Blau-ers") learned to play percussion during his schooldays and began performing with t ...

who worked with

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

during the 1940s.The article of the song
on This Might Be a Wiki

Track listing

#"They'll Need a Crane" #"It's Not My Birthday" #"I'll Sink Manhattan" #"Nightgown of the Sullen Moon"

References

External links

*''

They'll Need a Crane "They'll Need a Crane" is a single and song by They Might Be Giants. In addition to vinyl and cassette releases, the single was released as a 3-inch CD. "They'll Need a Crane" was the first song the band performed on network television, in 1989 o ...

'' EP at This Might Be A Wiki *"

" (song) at This Might Be A Wiki Restless Records singles 1989 songs They Might Be Giants songs Songs written by John Linnell Songs written by John Flansburgh {{1980s-alt-rock-album-stub