"Boss of Me" | ||||||||
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Single by They Might Be Giants | ||||||||
from the album Music from Malcolm in the Middle | ||||||||
B-side | "Reprehensible" | |||||||
Released | July 16, 2001 | |||||||
Format | CD single, cassette | |||||||
Genre | Pop punk, alternative rock | |||||||
Length | 2:56 | |||||||
Label |
Restless / PIAS (EU) Restless / Shock (AU) Rykodisc (US) |
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Songwriter(s) | John Flansburgh, John Linnell | |||||||
Producer(s) | Pat Dillett, John Flansburgh, John Linnell | |||||||
They Might Be Giants singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Boss of Me" is a song by alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. The song is famously used as the opening theme song for the television show Malcolm in the Middle, and was released as the single from the soundtrack to the show. In 2002, "Boss of Me" won the band their first Grammy Award, in the category of Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The song was one of the band's most commercially successful singles and is one of their best-known songs. The song was originally written with the chorus "Who's gonna guess the dead guy in the envelope" for a contest presented by the Preston and Steve show during their Y-100 days.
"Boss of Me" was released commercially in the United Kingdom, Australia and mainland Europe. Mainland Europe was given a separate release from the British release, which had different cover artwork and a different track listing. The single was marketed as the single from the soundtrack album, Music from Malcolm in the Middle, but the B-sides to all releases were all tracks from They Might Be Giants albums, as opposed to being other tracks from the soundtrack album. "Reprehensible" comes from the band's 1999 internet-only album, Long Tall Weekend. "Mr. Xcitement" went on to be included on their album Mink Car, released two months after the single. "Boss of Me" charted in three countries, reaching number 21 in the UK, 89 in the Netherlands, and saw the band's first appearance on the Australian Singles Chart, reaching number 29.