Talking Heads

Talking Heads

A little something about Talking Heads

One of the most critically acclaimed bands of the post-punk era, Talking Heads pursued an idiosyncratic path of (often) uncompromising brilliance up to their acrimonious break-up in 1991. After touring extensively, the quartet issued Talking Heads: 77, an exhilarating first album, which was widely praised for its verve and intelligence. The highlight of the set was the insistent "Psycho Killer", a tour de force in which singer Byrne displayed his deranged vocal dramatics to the full. His wide-eyed stare, jerky movements and onstage cool reminded many commentators of Anthony Perkins, star of Hitchcock's movie Psycho. For their second album, the band turned to Brian Eno as producer. More Songs About Buildings And Food was a remarkable work, its title echoing Talking Heads' anti-romantic subject matter. Byrne's eccentric vocal phrasing was brilliantly complemented by some startling rhythm work and the songs were uniformly excellent. The climactic "The Big Country" a satiric commentary on consumerist America, featured the scathing aside: "I wouldn't live there if you paid me". The album also featured one cover version, an interesting reading of Al Green's "Take Me To The River", which was a US Top 30 hit. Eno's services were retained for the more opaque Fear Of Music, which included the popular "Life During Wartime" and introduced African rhythms on the opening track "I Zimbra". Byrne next collaborated with Eno on the adventurous My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, before the band reunited for the striking Remain In Light. Recorded with additional personnel including guitarist Adrian Belew, the album explored "found voices" and African polyrhythms to great effect and boasted the superb "Once In A Lifetime". An edited version of this track provided one of the best UK hit singles of 1981. During the early 80s, the band's extra-curricular activities increased and while Byrne explored ballet on The Catherine Wheel, Frantz and Weymouth (man and wife since the first Talking Heads album was released) enjoyed club success with their spin-off project, Tom Tom Club. The live double The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads served as a stopgap until Speaking In Tongues appeared in the summer of 1983. As ambitious as ever, the album spawned the band's first US Top 10 single "Burning Down The House". While touring with additional guitarist Alex Weir (formerly of the Brothers Four ), the band were captured on film by director Jonathan Demme. The edited results were released as Stop Making Sense, a groundbreaking concert movie which also spawned a best-selling soundtrack. The excellent Little Creatures, a more accessible offering than their earlier experimental work, featured two strong singles in "And She Was" and "Road To Nowhere". The latter brought the band their biggest UK chart hit (number 6) and was accompanied by an imaginative and highly entertaining video.

Lyrics featured below: "Burning down the house", "And she was", "Road to nowhere", "Once in a Lifetime" , "Psycho Killer"

Burning down the House

Watch out, you might get what you're afterCool babies, strange but not a strangerI'm an ordinary guyBurning down the houseHold tight, wait till the party's overHold tight, We're in for nasty weatherThere has got to be a wayBurning down the houseHere's your ticket pack your bag: time for jumpin' overboardThe transportation is hereClose enough but not too far, Maybe you know where you areFightin' fire with fireAll wet, hey you might need a raincoatShakedown, dreams walking in broad daylightThree hun-dred six-ty five de-greesBurning down the houseIt was once upon a place sometimes I listen to myselfGonna come in first placePeople on their way to work  baby what did you exceptGonna burst into flameMy house, S'out of the ordinaryThat's might, Don't want to hurt nobodySome things sure can sweep me off my feetBurning down the houseNo visible means of support and you have not seen nuthin' yetEverything's stuck togetherI don't know what you expect starring into the TV setFighting fire with fire
And she wasAnd she was lying in the grassAnd she could hear the highway breathingAnd she could see a nearby factoryShe's making sure she is not dreamingSee the lights of a neighbor's houseNow she's starting to riseTake a minute to concentrateAnd she opens up her eyesCHORUS:The world was moving and she was right there with it (and she was)The world was moving she was floating above it (and she was) and she wasAnd she was drifting through the backyardAnd she was taking off her dressAnd she was moving very slowlyRising up above the earthMoving into the universeDrifting this way and thatNot touching ground at allUp above the yardCHORUSShe was glad about it... no doubt about itShe isn't sure where she's goneNo time to think about what to tell themNo time to think about what she's doneAnd she wasAnd she was looking at herselfAnd things were looking like a movieShe had a pleasant elevationShe's moving out in all directionsCHORUSJoining the world of missing persons (and she was)Missing enough to feel alright (and she was)



Road to nowhere

Well we know where we're going
But we don't know where we've been
And we know what we're knowing
But we can't say what we've seen
And we're not little children
And we know what we want
And the future is certain
Give us time to work it out 

Ye-ah 

We're on a road to nowhere
Come on inside
Taking that ride to nowhere
We'll take that ride 

I'm feeling okay this morning
And you know
We're on the road to paradise
Here we go, here we go 

We're on a ride to nowhere
Come on inside
Taking that ride to nowhere
We'll take that ride 

Maybe you wonder where you are
I don't care
Here is where time is on our side
Take you there, take you there 

We're on a road to nowhere (ha! ha!)
We're on a road to nowhere (ha! ha!)
We're on a road to nowhere (ha! ha!) 

There's a city in my mind
Come along and take that ride
And it's all right, baby, it's all right 

And it's very far away
But it's growing day by day
And it's all right, baby, it's all right 

Would you like to come along
You can help me sing this song
And it's all right, baby, it's all right 

They can tell you what to do
But they'll make a fool of you
And it's all right, baby, it's all right 

There's a city in my mind
Come along and take that ride
And it's all right, baby, it's all right 

And it's very far away
But it's growing day by day
And it's all right, baby, it's all right 

And would you like to come along
You can help me sing this song
And it's all right, baby, it's all right 

They can tell you what to do
But they'll make a fool of you
And it's all right, baby, it's all right 

We're on a road to nowhere (hey!)
We're on a road to nowhere (heugh!)
We're on a road to nowhere (ha! ha!) 

We're on a road to nowhere 


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Once in a lifetime

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful
wife
And you may ask yourself-Well...How did I get here?

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.

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!

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.

Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...

Water dissolving...and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground.

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.

And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right?...Am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
MY GOD!...WHAT HAVE I DONE?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground.

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.

Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...



Psycho Killer

I can't seem to face up to the facts
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax

I can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire
Don't touch me

I'm a real live wire

Psycho Killer
Qu'est Que C'est
 

Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better
Run run run run run run run away

Psycho Killer
Qu'est Que C'est

Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better
Run run run run run away

Oh oh oh, yeah yeah yeah yeah

You start a conversation you can't even finish it
You're talkin' a lot, but you're not sayin' anything

When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed
Say something once, why say it again?

Psycho Killer,
Qu'est Que C'est

Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better
Run run run run run run run away

Oh oh oh oh

Psycho Killer
Qu'est Que C'est

Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better
Run run run run run run run away

Ce que j´ai fais, ce soir la
Ce qu´elle a dit, ce soir la
Realisant mon espoir
Je me lance, que la fois

We are vain and
We are blind

I hate people when they´re not polite

Psycho Killer
Qu'est Que C'est

Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far
Run run run run run run run away

Oh oh

Psycho Killer,
Qu'est Que C'est

Fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better
Run run run run run run run away

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh