No Children


"No Children" is a 2002 song by American band the Mountain Goats from their album Tallahassee, about a married couple who hate each other. Songwriter John Darnielle said that he is "not laughing with " but rather "laughing at them".

Reception

The A.V. Club stated that it is "the most cheerful song you'll ever hear about two people who would kill each other if they could just work up the energy to do it". Pitchfork Media noted its "bright piano line" and its "delightfully/horrifically bitter singalong chorus"; similarly, The Quietus cited it as an example of Darnielle's ability to "somehow remain uplifting despite oppressively heavy lyrics".
Stephen Thompson has called it "one of favorite songs of all time", while emphasizing that it is one of the least appropriate songs to play at a wedding. Stereogum observed that it has become a "shoutalong favorite" at live performances.
Orlando Weekly described it as an "unforgettably brutal anthem", while Deadspin praised it as a "gripping standout".

In popular culture

In 2008, the song was featured as the opening and closing theme on the premiere of the third and final season of Moral Orel on the episode Numb, in which the song plays when Clay and Bloberta grow to be more disinterested with each other as they sleep in separate beds. It also features in the 2019 series finale of You're the Worst.