‘Warning Sign’: The early Talking Heads song that was written as The Artistics
When David Byrne and Chris Frantz wrote ‘Warning Sign’ in 1973, Talking Heads had not yet taken form. Back then, they operated under the moniker ‘The Artistics’ after uniting at the Rhode Island School of Design. The track ‘Warning Sign’ was performed in 1974 under their earlier name, but it would go on to become a pivotal fixture in Talking Heads’ repertoire, alongside ‘Psycho Killer’, when the band officially adopted the iconic title in 1975.
The standout feature of ‘Warning Sign’ is undoubtedly its groove: the lead guitar and vocals don’t make their entrance until after one minute in, at which point Byrne delivers the cryptic lyrics. Interestingly, this song stands out in Talking Heads’ catalogue as the only original track where Byrne didn’t have a hand in crafting the lyrics.
The words were penned by Frantz, who mentioned he drew inspiration from The Velvet Underground in one uninterrupted burst while reclining on the floor of their bassist Hank Stahler’s apartment. He also unintentionally sprinkled a bit of The Beatles in there — according to Frantz, he didn’t realise it at the time, but the drum beat was owed to Ringo Starr’s drumming on The Beatles song ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’.
After leaving their old name behind, Talking Heads garnered a lot of attention within a short space of time due to the impact of their live shows. However, they waited until 1977 to sign a record deal as they were keen to refine their studio sound before officially releasing anything. Then, by the time they recorded their debut album, they had so many songs to choose from that ‘Warning Sign’ got discarded. Luckily for fans, though, it appeared on their second album, More Songs About Buildings And Food, in 1978.
Despite Byrne becoming the executive leader of Talking Heads, his contributions to the band wouldn’t always be plain sailing. In fact, the band’s relationship with Byrne became so difficult that they weren’t able to ever officially fully reunite, despite participating in several brief appearances, including in 1999 for the 15th-anniversary re-release of Stop Making Sense and in 2002 for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem like it will change any time soon, either, as Byrne suggested during his guest spot on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast. When O’Brien mentioned former Italian leader Benito Mussolini, Byrne discussed the similarities between his approach and the ex-prime minister’s.
“I remember being like that at various points. Being a control freak and saying, ‘It has to be this way. We’re gonna do it again,’” Byrne said. “Then years go by, and you realise, whatever the phrase is: you catch more flies with sugar or whatever it might be.” This followed Tina Weymouth’s comments about Byrne’s leadership in The Sunday Times: “I recently described David Byrne as Trumpian, which didn’t go down well with everybody. What I meant was that, from my experience, everything with David is transactional – he will use you until he has no more use for you.”
Despite the conflicts that simmered behind the scenes, ‘Warning Sign’ served as both an introduction to the emerging powerhouse that would later be known as Talking Heads and a showcase of the band’s early artistic prowess. Coupled with hits like ‘Psycho Killer’, the group garnered immense anticipation, ultimately making the release of their debut album well worth the wait.
