What's That Song Olive Sings While Following the Pigeon in 'Pushing Daisies'?

Posted on Oct 30th 2007 5:00PM by Christina Lang
Comments

'Birdhouse in Your Soul,' by They Might Be Giants

When Kristen Chenoweth happens to appear in a TV show, it's a good bet she's going to sing. Olive Snook, Chenoweth's character in ABC's fantasy drama 'Pushing Daisies,' has already performed a version of the 1978 hit 'Hopelessly Devoted to You,' from 'Grease,' but this past week the television actress -- and Broadway musical star -- sang 'Birdhouse In Your Soul,' originally performed by They Might Be Giants on their 1990 release, 'Flood.'

The lead character in 'Pushing Daisies' is Ned, the owner of the Pie-Hole bakery shop. The piemaker has learned of his ability to bring people back from the dead at a very young age and has been suffering with the consequences ever since. In this episode of the seemingly Tim Burton-influenced series, Olive finds a dead bird outside the Pie-Hole. After picking it up, she accidentally brushes the lifeless animal on Ned's hand. Olive names the recently resurrected pigeon "Pidge" and heads off to have its wing repaired (and, surprisingly, bejeweled, as well). After Olive finds a parcel attached to the bird and removes the message within, Pidge takes flight. Chasing after the pigeon in a car, Olive and Vivian Charles (played by cabaret singer Ellen Greene) break out into their rendition of 'Birdhouse In Your Soul.'

John Linnell and John Flansburgh formed the alt-rock duo in 1982 and released their first album in 1988. The Johns -- as they are commonly called -- started writing music together while they attended high school in Massachusetts but split when they both went off to college. As fate would have it, the two were reunited when they coincidentally moved into the same apartment building in Brooklyn on the same exact day. Their innovative marketing methods, such as their use of, first, a telephone answering machine and then the Internet, pushed them into the limelight. TMBG, who have scored a gold album and Top 10 singles on both the U.S. and international charts, are officially the first major-label artists to release an album completely in the mp3 format, in 1999. They have also released monthly podcasts via their Web site and contributed to several soundtracks including Disney's 'Meet the Robinsons.'

Listen to the Song!
Buy it on iTunes

Next: 'Heroes' Song

Watch the video for 'Birdhouse In Your Soul'

TMBG live show for "Mature Audiences Only"

Can't find the name of that song? Send the commercial, movie or TV show to us at whatsthatsong@aim.com.