The classic Talking Heads song that reminds Chris Frantz of Neil Young
After opening Stop Making Sense with the tentative words, “Hi, I’ve got a tape I want to play”, and a solo rendition of ‘Psycho Killer’, David Byrne and Tina Weymouth slide effortlessly into a song called ‘Heaven’. Forming the eighth track from the band’s 1979 album, Fear of Music, ‘Heaven’ never quite received the acclaim of Talking Heads’ seminal new wave hit, though it certainly deserved to.
Soft and slow but retaining that unique Talking Heads flair, ‘Heaven’ contemplated the existence of its title. According to Byrne, Heaven is a party, a bar, and a place where nothing ever happens. Rather than seeming anxious about the prospect of nothing, of the same song playing on repeat, Byrne’s narrator finds comfort in it. “It’s hard to imagine that nothing at all could be so exciting, could be this much fun,” he declares with ease.
Since its first release, the track has become a firm fan favourite, and for good reason. It’s contemplative and calm, with instrumentals to match. Still, drummer Chris Frantz has admitted that he struggled to connect with its philosophical lyrics.
“I didn’t relate to the idea that heaven is a place where nothing ever happens,” the Tom Tom Club co-founder once stated in an interview. “I understand it’s kind of a zen thing, but I didn’t really connect with it.” The drummer suggested that he connected more with the words to ‘Warning Sign’, ‘The Girls Want To Be With The Girls’, and even ‘Psycho Killer’.
Though Frantz may not have appreciated Byrne’s lyricism on ‘Heaven’ specifically, he was a fan of the instrumentation, even likening it to Neil Young. “I did like the chord changes,” he stated, “It reminded me of a Neil Young song.”
Guitarist Jerry Harrison wrote the track alongside Byrne and once explained to ZigZag how they achieved those Young-esque guitar parts that Frantz admired. “With that one, David had two ways of it going, and I sort of put them together by changing keys and changing the way it fitted together,” he explained.
The track certainly deviated from Talking Heads’ new wave, post-punk style, veering away from angular guitars and danceable grooves. Instead, ‘Heaven’ delved into country rock, with gorgeous guitars and swaying percussion. There’s a sense of yearning comparable to Young’s works.
It’s not difficult to see why Frantz compared ‘Heaven’ to the Godfather of Grunge’s output – it would fit perfectly into a playlist alongside ‘Harvest Moon’. Contemplative and moving, ‘Heaven’ remains one of Talking Heads’ greatest songs, despite Frantz’s protests about the lyrics.
Revisit ‘Heaven’ by Talking Heads below.
