‘The Beautiful Shitholes’: David Byrne’s favourite African and Caribbean songs
Although born in Scotland, David Byrne became the quintessential American artist in the late 1970s and early ’80s. As the frontman of Talking Heads, he found inspiration in the nation’s materialistic tendencies and social nuances, presenting quotidian themes against a backdrop of vibrant and innovative music.
The band’s 1977 debut album was deeply associated with the contemporary punk wave, but Byrne’s eccentric lyrical whim already exhibited zany, new wave shoots. Pivotally, the early Talking Heads material reached the ears of the former Roxy Music synth-controller Brian Eno, who didn’t hesitate to acquaint the band.
With Eno on board as a creative collaborator and producer, Talking Heads entered their most critically praised run, with the masterpiece albums More Songs About Buildings and Food, Fear of Music and Remain In Light arriving between 1978 and 1980. Each album improved upon the last, and although Remain In Light is regarded as Talking Heads’ ultimate masterpiece, Eno wasn’t involved in the follow-up, Speaking In Tongues.
Eno and Talking Heads buried their collaborative timeline on a high note, but Byrne has maintained a solid working relationship with the British producer. In 2008, the pair worked together on Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, which served as a reunion of sorts following their previous release as a duo, My Life In the Bush of Ghosts.
The pair worked on the instrumental 1981 release as a Talking Heads side project. With no commercial objectives, My Life In the Bush of Ghosts was markedly experimental, tapping into the world music and Afrobeat influences that inspired Remain In Light. Songs like ‘Qu’ran’ and ‘A Secret Life’ drew from Middle Eastern influences, while the more rhythmic and funky songs like ‘Help Me Somebody’ and ‘The Jezebel Spirit’ tapped into the pair’s infatuation with Fela Kuti.
World music, especially that of African and Caribbean musicians, has stuck with Byrne for the past four decades, during which he has folded some of the lessons into his quirky solo oeuvre. In 2018, he celebrated some of his favourite overseas artists by creating his ‘The Beautiful Shitholes: Creative Music From Africa & the Caribbean’ playlist.
In his synopsis for the playlist, Byrne took a jab at former President Donald Trump, who infamously referred to Haiti and African nations as “shithole” countries in a 2018 interview. “I assume I don’t have to explain where the shithole reference came from,” Byrne wrote in his description. “Here’s a playlist that gives just the smallest sample of the depth and range of creativity that continued to pour out of the countries in Africa and the Caribbean.”
Byrne’s passionate opposition to Trump is somewhat ironic, given that, in a 2022 interview with Far Out, the Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth described the frontman as “Trumpian”. Weymouth described Byrne as a bully during the band’s final years together. “He could be unfaithful, but you have to be loyal – it’s very Trumpian, in a way,” she said. “One needed sacrifices in order to keep it going because we absolutely adored our fans. David never cared about people, but we did, and we loved our team.”
It is important to note that Weymouth used the expression to describe Byrne’s political position in the band as opposed to the wider world. Fortunately, Talking Heads seem to be on much better terms these days, with talks of a reunion returning following the successful Stop Making Sense reissue in 2023.
Below, you can listen to David Byrne’s ‘The Beautiful Shitholes’ playlist and enjoy some of the best music from Africa and the Caribbean.
