The Talking Heads were pioneers. They revolutionized rock, blazing a trail with their new wave, art punk style that championed the underground and also grabbed the ear of the mainstream.
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The East Coast-formed band—composed of frontman David Byrne, drummer Chris Frantz, bassist Tina Weymouth, and multi-instrumentalist Jerry Harrison —began playing together in the mid-1970s and hit their commercial stride in the early ’80s. Over the course of nearly two decades together, the quartet had amassed a handful of chart-creeping hits, but left behind a catalog of innumerable masterpieces that are still favorites today.
[RELATED: Meaning Behind “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads]
Check out our top 10 below.
10. “Crosseyed And Painless”
Erratic and jumbled throughout, “Crosseyed And Painless” is characterized by its frenzied arrangement, the perfect accompaniment to the song’s equally crazed lyrics. The opening lines of Lost my shape, trying to act casual / Can’t stop, I might end up in the hospital set the scene for the 1980 new wave bop.
Part monologue of madness and paranoia—similar to that of the band’s classic “Psycho Killer” – “Crosseyed And Painless” is one of the many shining examples of the group’s propensity for the artfully off-kilter.
9. “Life During Wartime”
Despite what its chorus says: This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco / This ain’t no fooling around / No time for dancing, or lovey-dovey / I ain’t got time for that now, the Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime” is one grooveable tune.
Rife with apocalyptic imagery, but set to an irresistibly thumping beat, the 1979 song is about well, life … during wartime as told from another’s point of view.
8. “The Lady Don’t Mind”
With its pensive jazz-infused composition, “The Lady Don’t Mind” is another Talking Heads tune that perfectly matches the story unfolding within its lyrics. Well the lady don’t mind / No, no, no, the lady don’t mind / She just turns her head and disappears / I kinda like that style, the song plays against an alluring, but mysterious arrangement.
7. “Take Me to the River”
“Take Me to the River” is a long-covered Al Green original, but few re-imaginings have matched the Talking Heads’ 1978 take. Their cool, confident new wave rendition refreshes the classic with a kind of avant-garde sensuality.
6. “And She Was”
Bright, trilling synths and a foot-tapping beat make for punchy favorite in “And She Was.” Like many a Talking Heads tune, the 1985 hit tells a quirky tale, one that may be more fact than fiction.
“I used to know a blissed-out hippie-chick in Baltimore,” Byrne explained of the song’s inspiration in the liner notes of the compilation album, Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads. “She once told me that she used to do acid (the drug, not music) and lay down on the field by the Yoo-hoo chocolate soda factory. Flying out of her body, etc etc. It seemed like such a tacky kind of transcendence… but it was real. A new kind of religion being born out of heaps of rusted cars and fast food joints. And this girl was flying above it all, but in it too.”
5. “Road to Nowhere”
We’re on a road to nowhere / Come on inside / Takin’ that ride to nowhere / We’ll take that ride, plays the downright singable chorus to “Road to Nowhere,” exploding from a glorious choral opener. The 1985 tune is a relatable one about life’s uncertainties and going with the flow in spite of what may lie ahead.
4. “Burning Down the House”
Part spacey new wave track, part guttural funk hit, the fiery “Burning Down the House” finds the band existing perfectly in both worlds. One of the Talking Heads’ quintessential songs, the 1983 release is an undeniable bop from start to finish.
3. “Once in a Lifetime”
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down / Letting the days go by, water flowing underground / Into the blue again after the money’s gone / Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground, plays the art pop essential, “Once in a Lifetime.”
A persistent beat pummels the track as otherworldly synths bubble to the surface and burst. It is a tune under pressure, about a dissatisfaction with the life one has and the things one owns.
2. “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)”
Tiptoeing synths bring “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” to life against a battering rhythm. Home is where I want to be / But I guess I’m already there / I come home, she lifted up her wings / I guess that this must be the place, plays the song’s chorus, its words dancing along to the bright sounds.
The love song of all love songs, the Talking Heads’ 1983 hit has everything a ballad could need: swoon-worthy lyrics and a dance-able beat.
1. “Psycho Killer”
“Psycho Killer” is a Talking Head’s signature. The 1977 hit was released on the band’s debut and would set the stage for a unconventional catalog to come. The song’s meaning is a lot like how it sounds, but it’s not so much about a crazed murderer as it is a journey through the criminal mind.
Flowing along with the song’s iconic bass line, the lyrics are a stream of consciousness, revealing the unsettling thoughts of a killer with each passing line. The song may be a little terrifying in subject matter, but the song itself is also scary good.
Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns
