THE LYRICS

Talking Heads

70 verified fragments · 9 albums 1977–1988

citybodyhomeworkdancefearwitlovepoliticsanimalslifeall

all albumsFear of MusicLittle CreaturesMore Songs About Buildings and FoodNakedRemain in LightSand in the Vaseline (compilation)Speaking in TonguesTalking Heads: 77True Stories

“Psycho killer, qu’est-ce que c’est? Better run, run, run, run, run, run, run away.”

Psycho Killer · Talking Heads: 77 · 1977

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1975 - 1991 · NYC · ART-ROCK QUARTET

Talking
Heads

SMS · REMAIN IN LIGHT · SPEAKING IN TONGUES

“I wanted my head to look like it was fighting the suit.”

STOP MAKING SENSE·HOLLYWOOD → NEW YORK·1984 · DECEMBER · PANTAGES

Talking Heads were a quartet who became nine. They formed at the Rhode Island School of Design, played their first gig at CBGB in 1975, put out eight albums in eleven years, and made the best concert film anyone ever shot. The quartet stopped in 1991. The film never stopped.

I. Stop Making Sense (1984)

A24 · 4K RESTORATION · 2023

Stop
Making
Sense

A FILM BY JONATHAN DEMME · DEC 1983 · PANTAGES, HOLLYWOOD

Filmed over four nights at the Pantages, December 1983. Sixteen songs in the original cut, seventeen in the 2023 A24 restoration. Roger Ebert: “the best concert film ever made.” Pauline Kael: “close to perfection.”

The structure is a building. David enters alone with a boombox and an acoustic guitar for “Psycho Killer.” Tina arrives second. Chris third. Jerry fourth. By song five the stage is a full nine-piece. The set is stripped to the studs: black backdrop, stark white lighting, three floor-lamps, a giant slide-projected screen. Byrne’s choreography is jerky, studied, almost semaphoric. The Big Suit arrives in the back half.

THE NINE-PIECE

• David Byrnevox
• Tina Weymouthbass
• Chris Frantzdrums
• Jerry Harrisonkeys
• Bernie Worrellkeys
• Alex Weirguitar
• Steve Scalespercussion
• Ednah Holtvocals
• Lynn Mabryvocals

STOP MAKING SENSE·PANTAGES, HOLLYWOOD·DEC 1983 · FILMED · DEC 1984 · RELEASED

II. The Setlist - click any track

THE PROGRAM · 17 SONGS

Stop
Making
Sense

DIR. JONATHAN DEMME · PANTAGES · DEC 1983 · A24 4K · 2023

click a track to jump to its card ↓

TH:77MORE SONGSFEAR OF MUSICREMAIN IN LIGHTSPEAKING IN TONGUESCATHERINE WHEELTOM TOM CLUB

1. 01Psycho KillerTH:77↓ JUMP
2. 02HeavenFEAR OF MUSIC (1979)↓ JUMP
3. 03Thank You for Sending Me an AngelMORE SONGS (1978)↓ JUMP
4. 04Found a JobMORE SONGS (1978)↓ JUMP
5. 05Slippery PeopleSPEAKING IN TONGUES (1983)↓ JUMP
6. 06CitiesRESTORED 2023FEAR OF MUSIC (1979)↓ JUMP
7. 07Burning Down the HouseSPEAKING IN TONGUES (1983)↓ JUMP
8. 08Life During WartimeFEAR OF MUSIC (1979)↓ JUMP
9. 09Making Flippy FloppySPEAKING IN TONGUES (1983)↓ JUMP
10. 10SwampSPEAKING IN TONGUES (1983)↓ JUMP
11. 11What a Day That WasCATHERINE WHEEL (1981)↓ JUMP
12. 12This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)SPEAKING IN TONGUES (1983)↓ JUMP
13. 13Once in a LifetimeREMAIN IN LIGHT (1980)↓ JUMP
14. 14Genius of LoveTOM TOM CLUB (1981)↓ JUMP
15. 15Girlfriend Is BetterSPEAKING IN TONGUES (1983)↓ JUMP
16. 16Take Me to the RiverTH:77↓ JUMP
17. 17Crosseyed and PainlessREMAIN IN LIGHT (1980)↓ JUMP

STOP MAKING SENSE·PANTAGES, FOUR-NIGHT SHOOT·1983 - 1984

01.

TRACK 01 · OPENING

Psycho Killer

TALKING HEADS: 77 · 1977

TALKING HEADS: 77·WRITTEN AT 81 LISPENARD ST · SOHO·1977

02.

TRACK 02 · ENTER TINA

Heaven

FEAR OF MUSIC · 1979

FEAR OF MUSIC·THE HÖFNER ARRIVES · TINA & DAVID, IN UNISON·1979

03.

TRACK 03 · ENTER CHRIS

Thank You for Sending Me an Angel

MORE SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND FOOD · 1978

MORE SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND FOOD·ENO PRODUCING · SUNDRAGON STUDIOS, NYC·1978

04.

TRACK 04 · ENTER JERRY

Found a Job

MORE SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND FOOD · 1978

MORE SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND FOOD·JERRY (EX-MODERN LOVERS) ARRIVES·1978

05.

TRACK 05 · ENTER FIVE MORE

Slippery People

SPEAKING IN TONGUES · 1983

SPEAKING IN TONGUES·STAPLES SINGERS COVER · WORRELL ON YAMAHA CS-80·1983

06.

04

Cities

FEAR OF MUSIC · 1979

FEAR OF MUSIC·LONG VIEW FARM, MASS.·1979

07.

TRACK 07 · FIRST TOP-10

Burning Down the House

SPEAKING IN TONGUES · 1983

SPEAKING IN TONGUES·P-FUNK CHANT → MANHATTAN·1983

08.

TRACK 08 · THE JOG

Life During Wartime

FEAR OF MUSIC · 1979

FEAR OF MUSIC·THREE MINUTES OF AEROBIC DREAD·1979

09.

TRACK 09 · LAMP IN

Making Flippy Floppy

SPEAKING IN TONGUES · 1983

SPEAKING IN TONGUES·WORRELL ON CS-80 · TINA’S OCTAVE BASS·1983

10.

TRACK 10 · CIGARETTE BURN

Swamp

SPEAKING IN TONGUES · 1983

SPEAKING IN TONGUES·THE ONLY MINOR-KEY SONG IN THE SET·1983

11.

TRACK 11 · ALONE AGAIN

What a Day That Was

THE CATHERINE WHEEL · 1981

THE CATHERINE WHEEL·TWYLA THARP DANCE-THEATRE SCORE·1981

12.

TRACK 12 · NAÏVE MELODY

This Must Be the Place

SPEAKING IN TONGUES · 1983

SPEAKING IN TONGUES·WRITTEN AT THE FRANTZ-WEYMOUTH HOUSE, COMPASS POINT·1983

13.

TRACK 13 · THE HAND-CHOPS

Once in a Lifetime

REMAIN IN LIGHT · 1980

REMAIN IN LIGHT·ENO + BYRNE LOOP · BIG BLUE · COMPASS POINT, NASSAU·1980

14.

TRACK 14 · TOM TOM CLUB

Genius of Love

TOM TOM CLUB · 1981

TOM TOM CLUB·CHRIS & TINA’S OWN BAND · BYRNE BACKSTAGE·1981

15.

TRACK 15 · THE BIG SUIT

Girlfriend Is Better

SPEAKING IN TONGUES · 1983

SPEAKING IN TONGUES·SUIT DESIGNED BY GAIL BLACKER · NYC·1983

16.

TRACK 16 · AL GREEN COVER

Take Me to the River

TALKING HEADS: 77 · 1977

TALKING HEADS: 77·THEIR FIRST SINGLE · A WHOLE STAGE DANCING·1977 cover (orig. 1974)

17.

TRACK 17 · THE ENCORE

Crosseyed and Painless

REMAIN IN LIGHT · 1980

REMAIN IN LIGHT·THE ENCORE · NINE PEOPLE JUMPING · CUT TO BLACK·1980

III. The Big Suit

PANTAGES · DEC 1983 · 18 LB. WOOD & FOAM

The
Big Suit

Weight

~18 pounds

Material

wood frame, foam, wool

Influence

Japanese Noh costume

First worn

Pantages, Dec 1983

“I wanted my head to look like it was fighting the suit.”

STOP MAKING SENSE·PANTAGES THEATRE·1983

IV. The Four

The Four

FOUR FACES · RED ON BLACK · REMAIN IN LIGHT, 1980

David Byrne

VOCALS · GUITAR

Scottish-born in Dumbarton, raised in Baltimore. RISD dropout. The one in the Big Suit.

AFTERSolo since 1991. American Utopia (2018) on Broadway, then HBO. Reasons to Be Cheerful, 2019.

Tina Weymouth

BASS

Married Chris Frantz before the band existed. Taught herself bass. Made the low end the groove.

AFTERCo-founded Tom Tom Club in 1981. “Genius of Love” sampled everywhere from Mariah onward.

Chris Frantz

DRUMS

Kentucky-born. Met Tina at RISD. Funk pocket that sounded like the Meters at CBGB.

AFTERTom Tom Club co-founder. 2020 memoir, Remain in Love.

Jerry Harrison

KEYS · GUITAR

Modern Lovers in 1971. Joined Talking Heads in 1977 as fourth, with a Harvard music degree.

AFTERProducer. Live (Throwing Copper, 1994), Crash Test Dummies, No Doubt, Violent Femmes.

NYC · CBGB → PANTAGES·1975 - 1991

V. Fear of Music - Deep Cuts

Produced by Brian Eno. The band’s darkest and most paranoid record. Song titles are mostly one-word nouns - Mind, Cities, Drugs, Air, Animals, Heaven. Recorded mostly at Chris and Tina’s Long Island City loft on a mobile truck. (Cities and Heaven are in the setlist above as tracks 6 and 2.) The two album cuts the film didn’t pick:

Drugs

09

Drugs

FEAR OF MUSIC · 1979

FEAR OF MUSIC·ENO PRODUCING·1979

Animals

08

Animals

FEAR OF MUSIC · 1979

FEAR OF MUSIC·THE BAND ACCUSES THE ANIMALS·1979

VI. Sugar on My Tongue

A B-side that sat on tape for three decades.

B-SIDE

Sugar on My Tongue

TALKING HEADS: 77 (DELUXE) · 1977 / 2006

TALKING HEADS: 77 (DELUXE)·CBGB SESSIONS·1976 - recorded · 2006 - released

VII. Wild Wild Life

The biggest hit and the most fun video the band ever made.

SINGLE

Wild Wild Life

TRUE STORIES · 1986

TRUE STORIES·DIR. DAVID BYRNE · WRITTEN WITH BERYL CRUTCHFIELD·1986

VIII. Five Moves

David Byrne’s stage choreography is unlike anyone else’s. Here are five he made famous.

FIG. I - V

Five Moves

DAVID BYRNE · STAGE CHOREOGRAPHY · 1980 - 1984

1. FIG. IHand-chop
2. FIG. IIIn-place jog
3. FIG. IIILamp dance
4. FIG. IVBig-Suit walk
5. FIG. VBird-shoulder shimmy

STOP MAKING SENSE·THE PANTAGES STAGE·1980 - 1984

IX. Byrne in Prose

Self-Interview, How Music Works, Bicycle Diaries - three books in one card.

DAVID BYRNE · IN PROSE

A Singer Who Writes

Three works: a deadpan press-conference device, a 350-page treatise on why music sounds the way it sounds, and a notebook kept on bicycles in twelve cities.

Byrne first answered his own questions in a 1979 press kit, on a folded sheet sent to journalists who wanted an interview. He kept doing it for thirty years.

QWhy are you doing this interview with yourself?

AIt seemed like the most efficient way to ensure that the questions were answered.

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THREE BOOKS·ON STAGE PRESENCE, MUSIC, AND CITIES·1979 - 2012

IX-a. The Signature Devices

What made Talking Heads sound like Talking Heads, and what made Stop Making Sense look like Stop Making Sense. Eight specific repeating tricks.

THE SIGNATURE MOVES

Eight Devices

What made Talking Heads sound like Talking Heads, and what made Stop Making Sense look like Stop Making Sense. Eight specific repeating tricks, all of them deliberate.

1. 01The One-Bar LoopBuild the song from a single repeating bar. Add layers on top until the texture, not the chords, is the song.

   On Remain in Light (1980), Eno and Byrne abandoned conventional verse-chorus-bridge structure. They cut a one-bar groove (often based on Fela Kuti or Hugh Masekela) and looped it for the duration of the song. Then, over hours, the band overdubbed lines, moves, fills, calls and responses. The harmonic information is essentially zero; the textural information is enormous. Once in a Lifetime stays on the same chord for three minutes.

   Example. "Once in a Lifetime" - same chord, four minutes, dozens of overdubbed parts.

2. 02The Found-Lyric MethodDon’t write the lyric. Hear it - on the radio, in a sermon, in a phone book - and copy it down.
3. 03The Noh SuitIn Japanese Noh theatre, the costume is enormous so the head looks small. The Big Suit is a Noh suit.
4. 04The Lamp ChoreographyBring household objects on stage. Treat them as cast members. Dance with the lamp.
5. 05The JogChoose one repeated body motion per song and never break it.
6. 06The Oblique StrategiesWhen stuck, draw a card. The card says "Honour thy mistake as a hidden intention." Honour the mistake.
7. 07The African PolyrhythmStop writing rock songs. Start writing layered polyrhythmic grooves with no harmonic motion.
8. 08From Quartet to NineBegin alone. Add a member every song until the stage is a small civilisation.

X. Albums

Eight LPs

1977 → 1988 · FOUR WITH ENO · ONE FILM · ONE VALEDICTION

1977

Talking Heads: 77

PSYCHO KILLER · UH-OH, LOVE COMES TO TOWN · NEW FEELING

1978

More Songs About Buildings and Food

TAKE ME TO THE RIVER · THE BIG COUNTRY · WARNING SIGN

1979

Fear of Music

LIFE DURING WARTIME · CITIES · DRUGS · ANIMALS · HEAVEN

1980

Remain in Light

ONCE IN A LIFETIME · CROSSEYED AND PAINLESS · HOUSES IN MOTION

1983

Speaking in Tongues

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE · THIS MUST BE THE PLACE · GIRLFRIEND IS BETTER

1985

Little Creatures

AND SHE WAS · ROAD TO NOWHERE · STAY UP LATE

1986

True Stories

WILD WILD LIFE · LOVE FOR SALE · CITY OF DREAMS

1988

Naked

(NOTHING BUT) FLOWERS · BLIND · MR. JONES · TOTALLY NUDE

STUDIO LPS ONLY·SIRE · EMI·1977 - 1988

XII. After

After 1991

The band stopped playing in 1988 after Naked. Byrne announced the end publicly in 1991. What followed is the long afterlife.

1. DAVID BYRNE

   Solo from Rei Momo (1989) to American Utopia (2018). The Broadway show became a Spike Lee–directed HBO film. Bicycle advocate; founded Reasons to Be Cheerful (2019).

2. TOM TOM CLUB

   Weymouth and Frantz, since 1981. “Genius of Love” (1981) and “Wordy Rappinghood” keep getting sampled. Still performing.

3. JERRY HARRISON

   Producer. Live (Throwing Copper, 1994), Crash Test Dummies, No Doubt, Violent Femmes, Rusted Root. Also co-led The Heads in 1996, on No Talking, Just Head.

4. REUNION

   One last time: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 18 March 2002, four songs. No reunion since.

5. A24 / 2023

   A24 released a 4K restoration of Stop Making Sense in September 2023, bringing the four together for press for the first time in twenty-one years.

NYC · BROADWAY · PARIS · EVERYWHERE·1991 - PRESENT