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Here Come the ABCs facts for kids

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Here Come the ABCs
TMBG ABC.jpg
Studio album by
They Might Be Giants
Released February 15, 2005
Recorded 2003–2004
Studio Kampo Studios,

Skyline Studios, Hello Studio,

Collier Bros. Studio
Genre Children's music
Length 41:47
Label Disney Sound/Idlewild
Producer They Might Be Giants and Pat Dillett
They Might Be Giants chronology
Venue Songs
(2004)		 Here Come the ABCs
(2005)		 A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants
(2005)
 Professional ratings
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars [ link]
Common Sense Media 5/5 stars link
Robert Christgau (choice cut) link

Here Come the ABCs is a fun album by the band They Might Be Giants. It's their second album made especially for kids and their eleventh studio album overall. This album helps young children learn the alphabet! It first came out in 2005 as a separate CD and DVD. Now, you can often find them together as a combo pack. The CD has 25 songs, and the DVD has 36 videos.

This album was released by Walt Disney Records. What's cool is that They Might Be Giants had full control over how the album was made. This was quite unusual for Disney at the time. They usually had strict rules for artists.

Because the band had creative freedom, the DVD features many different styles. You'll see puppets, animation, and live-action scenes. These were created by friends of the band. One friend was AJ Schnack, who directed a movie about the band. For some songs, family members even sang along! John Flansburgh's wife, Robin Goldwasser, and John Linnell's son, Henry, lent their voices. Parts of the music videos from the DVD were also shown on the Disney Channel's kids' block, Playhouse Disney.

Here Come the ABCs was a big hit for They Might Be Giants. The video version sold over 50,000 copies in 2005, earning a Gold award. The album also reached number one on Billboard’s Children’s Music charts. It won "Children’s DVD of the Year" from Parenting Magazine. It also received two National Parenting Publications Awards (NAAPA). Amazon.com even called it "the best Children's Music album of 2005." Later, the band released two more educational albums: Here Come the 123s in 2008 and Here Comes Science in 2009.

While the CD is considered a regular album, some songs are best understood with their videos.

Songs on the Album

This album has many songs and videos to help you learn the alphabet.

CD Tracks

All songs are by They Might Be Giants, unless noted.

  1. "Here Come the ABCs" – 0:11
  2. "Alphabet of Nations" – 1:26
  3. "E Eats Everything" – 2:43
  4. "Flying V" – 1:34
  5. "Q U" – 1:09
  6. "Go for G!" – 1:14
  7. "Pictures of Pandas Painting" – 2:07
  8. "D & W" – 1:37
  9. "Fake-Believe" – 1:51
  10. "Can You Find It?" – 2:55
  11. "The Vowel Family" – 1:59
  12. "Letter/Not a Letter" – 1:08
  13. "Alphabet Lost and Found (Marty Beller) – 2:49
  14. "I C U" – 1:49
  15. "Letter Shapes" – 1:22
  16. "Who Put the Alphabet in Alphabetical Order?" – 1:46
  17. "Rolling O" – 1:26
  18. "L M N O" – 1:43
  19. "C Is for Conifers" – 2:37
  20. "Fake-Believe (Type B)" – 1:56
  21. "D Is for Drums" – 2:21
  22. "Z Y X" – 1:21
  23. "Goodnight My Friends" – 0:25
  24. "Clap Your Hands" – 1:21
    • This is a bonus track.
  25. "Here in Higglytown (Theme to Playhouse Disney's Higglytown Heroes)" (Dan Miller, They Might Be Giants) – 0:58
    • This is another bonus track.

DVD Videos

  1. "Here Come The ABCs" 0:25
  2. "Alphabet Of Nations" 1:26
  3. "E Eats Everything" 2:43
  4. "Flying V" 1:34
  5. "I Am A Robot" 1:29
  6. "Q U" 1:09
  7. "Go For G!" 1:14
  8. "Pictures Of Pandas Painting" 2:07
  9. "D & W" 1:37
  10. "Fake-Believe" 1:51
  11. "Can You Find It?" 2:55
  12. Introducing The Vowel Family 0:11
  13. "The Vowel Family" 1:59
  14. "A To Z" 0:24
  15. "Letter / Not a Letter" 1:08
  16. "Letter Shapes" 1:22
  17. "Alphabet Lost And Found" 2:49
  18. "I C U" 1:49
  19. "I Am A Robot (Type B)" 0:56
  20. John And John Introduce... 0:10
  21. "Who Put The Alphabet In Alphabetical Order?" 1:46
  22. "Rolling O" 1:26
  23. "L M N O" 1:43
  24. Introducing C Is for Conifers 0:12
  25. "C Is For Conifers" 2:37
  26. "Fake-Believe (Type B)" 1:56
  27. "A To Z (Type B)" 0:29
  28. "D Is For Drums" 2:21
  29. "Introducing ZYX" 0:09
  30. "Z Y X" 1:21
  31. "Goodnight My Friends" 0:25
  32. "Here Come The ABCs' 0:11
  33. Introducing The Bonus Tracks 0:14
  34. "Clap Your Hands" 1:21
  35. "Here in Higglytown (Theme to Playhouse Disney's Higglytown Heroes)" 2:05
  36. "End Credits" 2:15

Special Bonus Songs and Videos

Some special versions of the album came with extra songs and videos. These were made for different stores or online platforms.

  • On the Amazon.com CD, you could find "Hovering Sombrero '05." The Best Buy CD had "I Never Go To Work." Both of these songs were on the Amazon.com CD/DVD combo.
  • The Amazon.com DVD had two special videos: "Violin" and "Stalk of Wheat." The Amazon.com CD/DVD combo had these two, plus "Robot Parade" and "Sleepwalkers."
  • An iTunes single for "T-Shirt" was released. It was a companion song to Here Come the ABCs.

Who Made the Music?

Here are the people who helped create Here Come the ABCs.

They Might Be Giants

  • John Flansburgh – He sang lead and backing vocals and played guitar.
  • John Linnell – He sang lead and backing vocals, played piano, accordion, and saxophone.

Additional Musicians

  • Dan Miller – Played guitar and piano.
  • Danny Weinkauf – Played bass guitar.
  • Marty Beller – Played drums and sang lead on "Alphabet Lost and Found."
  • Dan Levine – Played trombone and tuba on various songs.
  • Mark Pender – Played trumpet on several tracks.
  • Dan Hickey – Played drums on "Clap Your Hands."
  • Pat Dillett – Played piano on "Goodnight My Friends."
  • Robin Goldwasser – Sang lead on "Who Put the Alphabet in Alphabetical Order?"
  • Henry Linnell – Sang lead on "Letter/Not A Letter."
  • Desi Tomaselli – Also sang lead on "Letter/Not A Letter."

Production Team

  • Pat Dillet and They Might Be Giants were the producers.

Behind the Scenes Crew

  • Executive Producer: David Agnew
  • Audio Engineer/Mixer: Pat Dillett
  • Audio Mastering: UE Nastosi at Sterling Sound Studios NYC
  • Recorded at: Kampo Studios and Skyline Studios, Manhattan, New York
  • Additional Recording at: Collier Brothers Studios and Hello Studios, Brooklyn, New York
  • Band Manager: Jamie Lincoin Kitman at Homblow Studios USA

Making the Videos

  • Music Performed by They Might Be Giants
  • DVD Produced by Bonfire Films of America
  • Directed by AJ Schnack
  • Starring Chris Anderson, John Flansburgh, John Linnell, AD Miles
  • Animated by Courtney Booker, Euan Mitchell, Greg Rozum and Divya Srinivasan
  • Animation Produced at Asterisk, The Chopping Block Studios Inc. and Colourmovie

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Here Come the ABCs para niños

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