"Doctor Worm" is a song by They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...

. It first appeared on the primarily live album Severe Tire Damage

Severe Tire Damage (album)

Severe Tire Damage is a primarily live album by They Might Be Giants, released in 1998 . It also features a few studio tracks, including a new single ....

, being one of only three studio-recorded songs on the album. It was also released as a single and featured in a music video directed by band member John Flansburgh

John Flansburgh

John Conant Flansburgh is an American musician. He is half of the longstanding Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, for which he writes, sings and plays rhythm guitar...

.

The lyrics describe a new drummer learning to play his instrument better. He invents a stage name for himself ("Doctor Worm"), and the song's narrator also describes his friend, a bassist known as "Rabbi Vole

Vole

A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars . There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America...

".

The song has been covered by The Deli Dude's Band on their album Cats Hey!, and by New York Anti-folk

Anti-folk

Anti-folk is a music genre that takes the earnestness of politically charged 1960s folk music and subverts it. The defining characteristics of this anti-folk are difficult to identify, as they vary from one artist to the next...

 Musician Jason Trachtenburg. Additionally an a cappella rendition was recorded by the Boston University Dear Abbeys

Boston University Dear Abbeys

The Boston University Dear Abbeys, or Dear Abbeys, are an all male a cappella group from Boston University. Since their founding in 1992, the singers have gained a reputation in the Boston area for "their energetic style of live performance, which blends musical precision with a lighthearted stage...

 on their album Sincerely, Lost in Boston. Relient K

Relient K

Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...

 has recorded the song for their 2011 cover album "is for Karaoke

Is for Karaoke

Is For Karaoke is a 2011 cover album by American rock band Relient K. The first seven songs were released on July 28 as Is for Karaoke EP, and on October 4 the remaining songs were released as Is for Karaoke Pt...

."

This song was also featured as a music video in an episode of KaBlam!

KaBlam!

KaBlam! is an American animated television series that ran on Nickelodeon from 1996 to 2000. Then it moved to The N on April 15, 2002 as part of its The N's Saturday Nights block...

. In it, a cartoon version of Doctor Worm (an actual worm in medical attire) earns the respect of a musical group in search of a percussionist.

The song placed as #13 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1998

Triple J Hottest 100, 1998

The 1998 Triple J Hottest 100, announced in January, 1999, was the sixth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. As in previous years, a CD featuring 36 of the songs was released...

and appears on the compilation CD.