3 Musicians and Bands We Wouldn’t Have Today Without New Wave Outfit Talking Heads

Talking Heads and David Byrne have influenced countless musicians and bands since they first came to be in 1975. They were America’s most well-known new wave outfit for quite a while. They remain one of the most beloved avant-funk and post-punk outfits of all time. Remain In Light is a classic that keeps on giving. And the following musicians were clearly inspired by the band in major ways.

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Beck

Beck could easily be seen as the David Byrne of his era in the 90s, a weirdo with a creative ability to put together addictive, catchy, pop-leaning music that resonated with audiophiles and casual listeners without alienating either. In 2017, specifically, Talking Heads’ influence was pretty obvious with the release of Beck’s dance-rock album Colors. Particularly, the song “No Distraction” has a very Talking Heads vibe. Even Rolling Stone felt the same way, describing the song as a “dance-y, Talking Heads-like stomp.” I definitely agree.

St. Vincent

They say never meet your heroes, but art rock icon St. Vincent did exactly that and then went on to collaborate on an entire album (Love This Giant) with David Byrne in 2012. But she’s not just the luckiest fan in the world; St. Vincent’s music has always been in the same vein as Talking Heads to a degree, with out-there, artistic elements that can only be described as Byrne-esque, particularly on records like Strange Mercy from 2011. There’s no one quite like St. Vincent in indie pop and rock, but her influences make themselves known in her work to anyone who’s paying attention.

Radiohead

This one’s a shoo-in, but minor fans of Radiohead might not know how much Talking Heads influenced the band from their early beginnings in 1985. The band got their name from the Talking Heads song “Radio Head” from the 1986 album True Stories. Their music doesn’t sound enormously like Talking Heads, but Radiohead certainly thought outside of the box in a similar fashion.

“[‘Radio Head’] sums up all these things about receiving stuff,” said Thom Yorke of the band’s name and its inspiration. “It’s about the way you take information in, the way you respond to the environment you’re put in.”

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