On October 19, 1984, new wave outfit Talking Heads released their concert movie, Stop Making Sense, in the United States. The film follows the band on their 1983 tour in promotion of Speaking In Tongues, specifically during a four-night stay at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California. The film features a few solo songs from David Byrne, as well as performances by Tom Tom Club. Stop Making Sense ends up making an impressive $5 million on a budget of just over $1 million. The band was certainly happy about that, as they had financed the film themselves.
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This concert movie was extremely unique for its time, as it does not feature much in the way of backstage footage of the band or broad shots of their audience during the recorded concert in question. And despite being a bit out there, Stop Making Sense has since been hailed as one of the greatest concert films ever made. It was even selected to be preserved by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry for its significance.
Why ‘Stop Making Sense’ Is Still Such a Good Concert Movie
So what makes this concert movie so incredible? Well, to start, you need to watch it yourself. A24 re-released the film in gloriously restored 4K in recent years, and it’s pretty easy to find.
Directed by Jonathan Demme and written by the band, Stop Making Sense does not feel like your typical concert movie almost immediately. It’s about as unconventional as one would expect from a band like Talking Heads. The concept for the film was conceived by Byrne, and the band’s performances over that four-night stay feature increasingly unpredictable performances.
For one performance of “Psycho Killer”, Byrne dresses up as a victim of gun violence. For “Life During Wartime”, he wiggles around on stage like a jellyfish. Things get more and more bizarre throughout each set. Every person performing wears toned-down colors, and the equipment has been painted black. Byrne wears his signature big suit during “Girlfriend Is Better”, the song that also inspired the title of the film. And it’s enthralling from start to finish.
The sets feature the musical talents of other artists outside of Talking Heads, too. Several backup singers accompany them on stage, in addition to keyboardist Bernie Worrell and others. Musically, it’s an incredible experience. Visually, it’s an absurd delight that nobody expected from a concert doc. You won’t see any wild pyrotechnics or shots of fans screaming their lungs out. It’s a carefully curated piece of work. And yet, this concert movie isn’t overdone or pretentious. It’s very uniquely Talking Heads.
Photo by Sire Records/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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