The Talking Heads album that made Lucinda Williams
After making their debut in 1977 with the aptly titled Talking Heads: 77, new wave pioneers Talking Heads would go on to hone one of the most beloved discographies of all time. Over the course of eight albums and a particularly iconic live outing, the band experimented with everything from polyrhythms to Dadaism, becoming a reference point for art-rockers and post-punk outfits for generations to come.
Between the grit of Fear of Music, the iconic Remain in Light, and the genre experimentalism of Speaking in Tongues, picking out your favourite Talking Heads record can seem like an impossible task. There’s a case to be made for almost all of their offerings, each of them sprinkled with their own idiosyncrasies and intricacies.
For Lucinda Williams, though, the Talking Heads record that endeared itself to her most was their 1978 debut follow-up, More Songs About Buildings and Food. Revealing her love for the album during a conversation with Pitchfork, she explained how discovering Talking Heads had a transformative effect on her.
Finding herself stuck in between the prevailing punk and disco spheres, Williams fell “completely, madly in love” with David Byrne’s new wave outfit when she first stumbled upon them. They existed outside of those two realms, creating a new sound of their own marked out by strange guitars and playful rhythms. They became the first band that Williams could really “relate to”.
Her interest in psych-rock translated into a love for Talking Heads and, amongst picks from fellow music giants like The Beatles and Buffalo Springfield, More Songs About Buildings and Food became one of her picks for the music that made her.
After the success of their debut, and particularly of their signature hit ‘Psycho Killer’, the Heads had high standards to live up to when it came to their sophomore record. Refusing to give in to this pressure, they linked up with sought-after producer Brian Eno to secure their place within the scene. They delivered yet another collection of strangely danceable rock, with much of the album going on to feature in their iconic live performance, Stop Making Sense.
Between the driving opener ‘Thank You for Sending Me an Angel’ and the bending tones of ‘The Big Country’, it’s easy to see why Williams was so drawn to the record. It was worlds away from the subcultures she couldn’t quite fit into, somehow telling tales of buildings and food with unparalleled excitement.
Williams was particularly enthusiastic about Talking Heads’ cover of Al Green’s ‘Take Me to the River’, which was released as the album’s only single. Turning the soulful original into an unhurried and sparse new wave classic, they reinvented the song for a new audience. Williams deemed it “one of those songs that just pulls you in,” an effect it still maintains to this day.
Though More Songs About Buildings and Food is often overlooked in discussions surrounding Talking Heads’ best work, giving way to more consistently critically acclaimed collections like Remain in Light and Stop Making Sense, it’s no less endearing or enduring. Unshrouded by mammoth critical acclaim and inclusions on “best of” lists, it’s easy to see how Williams was able to connect more with the album, taken in by the slow sway of ‘Take Me to the River’.
Listen to More Songs About Buildings and Food, Lucinda Williams’ favourite Talking Heads album, below.
