They Might Be Giants "Hey Mr. DJ I Thought You Said We Had A Deal"

Well, I of course have great affection for songs about DJs. I am a DJ, I am what I play. Fortunately, I don't play techno, because there ARE a lot of songs about DJs in dance music, but they're not as interesting as Bowie or Van Morrison or They Might Be Giants.

I love that this one is probably the happiest sounding DJ songs out there, but it's about Payola/Pay For Play. I'm a little too young to have experienced it firsthand, but some of the old Promo folks that I talk to on a weekly basis have Some Stories, if you can get them going. Anything to get the record on the radio. And by anything, I think they generally meant coke. Hey, it was the Eighties.

They Might Be Giants have a bevy of songs where they take on a character in first person, be it a Kid (the Malcolm In The Middle theme) or The Replacements ("Hi, We're The Replacements"). And the charm of them is that they are all sung, unmistakably, by the same characters, John and John. No attempt is made to embody the role. With the possible exception of the role of They Might Be Giants, who's voices and persona they effect, in the song "They Might Be Giants." Boyee!

Hear "Hey Mr. DJ I Thought You Said We Had A Deal"

Hear "We're The Replacements"

Hear "Boss Of Me"

Hear "They Might Be Giants"

See the video Here