I Like Fun

I Like Fun is the twentieth studio album from New York City-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released on January 19, 2018.

I Like Fun
Studio album by They Might Be Giants
Released	January 19, 2018
Recorded	April 2017
Studio	Reservoir (Manhattan) The Governor's Bluff (Sullivan County) Collyer Brothers (Brooklyn)
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	40:51
Label	Idlewild
Producer	Pat Dillett, They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants chronology
Phone Power (2016) I Like Fun (2018) My Murdered Remains (2018)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	74/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Paste	8.9/10[3]

Background

The band began recording on April 3, 2017,^[4] at Reservoir Studios (former site of Skyline Studios),^[5] using the same studio space the band used to record Flood.^[6] In October 2017, the band confirmed the album was scheduled to be released on January 19, 2018, along with the return of their Dial-A-Song service.^[7]

The album's track listing was revealed on October 23, alongside an early download of the track "I Left My Body".^[8]

Release

Before the release of the full album, three songs—one with a music video—were uploaded to YouTube, with uploads to iTunes following shortly afterward. The songs were, in order of release, "I Left My Body",^[9] "Last Wave" (December 1, 2017),^[10] and "All Time What" (January 3, 2018), the latter of which featured a video.^[11]

I Like Fun was available for pre-release streaming on January 11, 2018.^[12] The album was released physically and digitally on January 19, 2018.^[13]

After the release of the full album, as part of Dial-A-Song 2018, They Might Be Giants continued to release videos for all but three of the songs. A music video for the title track "I Like Fun" was created by Canadian artist Joren Cull.^[14][15]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Let's Get This Over With"		3:07
2.	"I Left My Body"		2:36
3.	"All Time What"		2:29
4.	"By the Time You Get This"		2:17
5.	"An Insult to the Fact Checkers"		2:34
6.	"Mrs. Bluebeard"		2:43
7.	"I Like Fun"		3:00
8.	"Push Back the Hands"		3:00
9.	"This Microphone"		2:36
10.	"The Bright Side"		2:29
11.	"When the Lights Come On"		3:17
12.	"Lake Monsters"		2:56
13.	"McCafferty's Bib"		2:35
14.	"The Greatest"	They Might Be Giants, Christopher Albert Anderson	1:48
15.	"Last Wave"		3:24
Total length:			40:51

All tracks are written by They Might Be Giants, except where noted.

Personnel

Credits adapted from CD liner notes.^[16]

They Might Be Giants

• John Linnell – vocals, keyboards, woodwinds, etc.
• John Flansburgh – vocals, guitars, programming, etc.

Additional musicians

• Marty Beller – drums, percussion
• Danny Weinkauf – bass guitar
• Dan Miller – guitars
• Curt Ramm – trumpet (7, 15)
• Chris Anderson – Mellotron (14)

Technical

• Pat Dillett – producer, mixing
• They Might Be Giants – producers
• James Yost – engineer
• UE Nastasi – mastering
• Paul Sahre – design
• Joe Hollier – photography

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[17]	108

References

1. "I Like Fun by They Might Be Giants Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic.
2. Phares, Heather. "They Might Be Giants - I Like Fun Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic.
3. Salmon, Ben (January 24, 2018). "They Might Be Giants: I Like Fun - Paste Magazine". Paste.
4. They Might Be Giants [@tmbg] (March 30, 2017). "We formally start recording our next album on Monday. Until then..." (Tweet). Retrieved January 12, 2018 – via Twitter.
5. "ABOUT". reservoirstudiosnyc.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
6. "I Like Fun Download". They Might Be Giants. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
7. Reed, Ryan. "They Might Be Giants Preview New LP With Jovial Power-Pop Song". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
8. "I Like Fun - Album by They Might Be Giants - Apple Music". Apple Music. January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
9. They Might Be Giants (October 23, 2017). They Might Be Giants - I Left My Body (Official Audio) (YouTube video). ParticleMen. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
10. They Might Be Giants (December 1, 2017). They Might Be Giants - Last Wave (Official Audio) (YouTube video). ParticleMen. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
11. They Might Be Giants (January 3, 2018). They Might Be Giants - All Time What (Official Video) (YouTube video). ParticleMen. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
12. Moon, Tom (January 11, 2018). "First Listen: They Might Be Giants, 'I Like Fun'". NPR. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
13. "I Like Fun - They Might Be Giants". Bandcamp. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
14. Salisbury, Drew (January 17, 2018). "Video: They Might Be Giants – "I Like Fun"". Spin. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
15. They Might Be Giants (January 17, 2018). They Might Be Giants - I Like Fun (Official Video) (YouTube video). ParticleMen. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
16. I Like Fun (CD liner notes). Palisades, New York: Idlewild Recordings. 2018. IDLE 144. {{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |people= ignored (help)
17. "They Might Be Giants Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2018.