| "Purple Toupee" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional single artwork | ||||
| Single by They Might Be Giants | ||||
| from the album Lincoln | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, art pop | |||
| Length | 2:40 | |||
| Label | Bar/None, Restless | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Flansburgh, John Linnell | |||
| Producer(s) | Bill Krauss | |||
| They Might Be Giants singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| Purple Toupee on YouTube | ||||
"Purple Toupee" is a 1988 song by alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants from their second album, Lincoln. It was released as a promotional single in 1989. In 1994, a live performance of the song was recorded for the promotional live album, Live!! New York City 10/14/94, which was released by Elektra Records.
According to John Linnell, the song's disjointed lyrics recount a warped memory of the 1960s. The song comments on a contemporary "sixties revival", which Linnell perceived as a "one-dimensional caricature" of the decade.[1] In a nod to this inauthenticity, the lyrics are intentionally misleading, and do not accurately represent the events that they reference.[2] Two Prince songs—"Purple Rain" and "Raspberry Beret"—also served as sources of inspiration for "Purple Toupee".[1]