Harvey sends us this visually stunning dance remix of the classic Istanbul:
This is good, but it lacks the magic and deep meaning of the lyrics of the song.
Many years ago Harvey sent me a mix tape (sorry, kids, if you don’t know what that is — no time to explain) entitled “Tunes Harv Digs” which really needs to be recreated as an an iTunes playlist for all the world to enjoy. I rediscovered the tape some years later, when my older daughter was five or six, and she loved it, especially the They Might Be Giants cover of Istanbul.
Here’s the TMBG version, as acted out by the Tiny Toons:
Hannah and I decided that Istanbul is the greatest song of all time. It has yet to be dethroned for me — haven’t checked in with her on it lately.
However, if it has any competition at all, it comes from the epic Birdhouse in Your Soul:
If you want more TMBG, check out their TED “talk:
Their last song, Alphabet of Nations, is pretty awesome.