Lucky Ball & Chain

Album: Flood (1990)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is set to an untempo, mandolin-heavy Country & Western melody, while featuring lyrics about a nasty breakup. It is one of the funny-but-sad songs that They Might Be Giants are known for. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Eli Rosen - Melrose Park, PA
  • A "ball & chain" is of course old slang for marriage, particularly from the man's point of view of being arrested from the life of the happy-go-lucky bachelor. A ball & chain, we have to explain these days, used to be fastened around the ankle of convicts to prevent them running off. This was especially common in prison work crews, who would have to be out in the open to do roadwork. Typically any work of fiction depicting a prisoner wearing black-and-white stripes will also show a ball & chain on one ankle.
  • We can't prove it in court, but if you listen to this song and then to the Darlene Love hit "Today I Met The Boy I'm Gonna Marry," (written by Phil Spector) you'll notice similarities including whole chucks of the tune lifted and the line "there goes the bride as she walked out the door" changed from "here comes the bride as he walked through the door." TMBG does this often in the spirit of homage.
  • The brilliantly innovative They Might Be Giants once promoted themselves by hosting a Dial-A-Song service to promote themselves. Using a Brooklyn phone number hooked up to an answering machine (it had cassette tapes, ask your grandparents), it would play songs for callers and other one-of-a-kind routines including fake commercials the band had created.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

John Kay of Steppenwolf

John Kay of SteppenwolfSongwriter Interviews

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay talks about "Magic Carpet Ride," "Born To Be Wild," and what he values more than awards and accolades.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

Gavin Rossdale of Bush

Gavin Rossdale of BushSongwriter Interviews

On the "schizoid element" of his lyrics, and a famous line from "Everything Zen."