Songs for Dustmites is the debut album by American musician, actor, and television host Steve Burns. It was released on August 12, 2003, by PIAS America. The album was produced by Dave Fridmann and Ed Buller.
After quitting Blue's Clues, Burns described himself as being "in a position where I could do what I wanted". He decided to collaborate with Fridmann and members of the Flaming Lips, a band who had previously worked with Fridmann. After receiving multiple offers from various record labels, Burns chose PIAS America. Songs for Dustmites is a pop/rock or indie rock album, and its lyrics are mostly about "science and love". It received positive reviews from music critics, although some of them believed that the album was only good because of Burns's collaborators.
The song "Mighty Little Man" is used as the theme song to the CBS television show Young Sheldon.
Background and recording
Before acting in Blue's Clues, Burns had been in many high-school and college bands. When he left the show in 2002 after working there for six years, he "found [himself] in a position where [he] could do what [he] wanted," and he decided to become a musician. Burns started making Songs for Dustmites after he "was obsessed with a picture someone had shown [him] of a dustmite fighting with a micro gear."
Burns later sent producer Dave Fridmann an e-mail introducing himself and sent the demos the day after Fridmann's son had a Blue's Clues-themed birthday party. Burns stated of recording with members of the Flaming Lips that "There were definitely moments when I would run into the next room so I could giggle maniacally, jump up and down and clap my hands," calling the experience "a dream come true." According to Burns, "he and Fridmann gave [him] a lot of help in understanding the studio process, how it all works, how to take a musical idea and shine it up into a song." Ed Buller wrote to Burns, "sort of in disbelief." Burns suspects that Buller searched the internet for Burns and downloaded his songs, "expecting to make fun of [him]," and was surprised that the music was not bad. Burns also met and worked with Mike Rubin from Murmur Music, saying that "some of the best work on the album came out of that relationship." Burns received numerous offers from various record labels mostly due to him making an album being a "ridiculous story." He chose to sign with PIAS Records after talking with Kevin Wortis of the label, saying he "was the first one who sat me down and said, 'This makes sense. I don't know why, but there is a thread of logic between Blue's Clues, the Flaming Lips and your record'."
Composition
Songs for Dustmites received positive reviews from music critics; most of them were surprised that an album made by the former Blue's Clues host would be any good.
- Steve Burns – lead vocals, guitar (1–7, 9–12); harmonica (1, 3, 4), thinking chair (4); effects (5, 6, 11), tone generator (7), Rhodes piano (8), space oscillator (8, 9, 11)
- Steven Drozd – keyboards, drums (1–3, 5, 9); guitar (1, 5, 12), backing vocals (2, 3, 9), bass (5), piano (9, 12), Hammond organ (12)
- Dave Fridmann – bass (1)
- Ed Buller – keyboards (2, 3)
- Mary Gavazzi Fridmann – magic porpoise voice (5, 9)
- Michael Rubin – baritone guitar (6, 11, 12), keyboards (6, 10–12), trumpet and string arrangements (6)
- Jim O'Connor – trumpet, piccolo trumpet (6)
- Dorothy Lawson – cello (6)
- Ralph Farris – viola (6)
- Conrad Korsch – bass (10)
- Bernard Devlin – drums (10–12)
- Jim Whitney – bass (11, 12)
- Michael Gentile – flute (12)
- Peter Robbins – tambourine (12)