Tina Weymouth picks her essential Talking Heads playlist
Tina Weymouth started out in the early 1970s offering her boyfriend Chris Frantz and his bandmate David Byrne lifts to their formative gigs. This chore morphed into one of the greatest jobs in the world by the mid-1970s, as she was welcomed to join the new band Talking Heads as a bassist. Over the next decade, the band, joined by guitarist Jerry Harrison, would take the New York scene by storm and, consequently, the whole world.
As with any rock and roll journey, Talking Heads’ emphatic rise to critical and commercial dominion wasn’t without its hurdles. In a recent interview with Far Out, Weymouth discussed the secrets of her long, happy marriage to drummer Frantz. It transpired that the loyal bond the rhythm section enjoyed in marriage was also the link that kept the band together for so long against the odds.
Weymouth revealed that frontman Byrne’s, at times, insensitive demeanour and wayward creative compass presented the largest of a series of hurdles to the band. In spite of these struggles, Weymouth was immensely proud of Talking Heads’ accomplishments and saw the setbacks as part of a bumpy ride she wouldn’t have traded for the world.
“All these sacrifices, they’re worth it,” she told Far Out. “I’m a sailor; I also like riding horses. You get sores and blisters, and you get banged up, but it’s worth it because you get out there, you’re in nature, and it’s just amazing.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Weymouth discussed the Talking Heads oeuvre, picking out 1979’s Fear of Music and its 1980 follow-up album, Remain In Light, as her two favourite albums. “I would say my favourite albums were Remain In Light and, even before that, Fear of Music. I really loved that one. That was our most ‘rock’ record, and I really enjoy it. I really enjoyed playing Fear of Music live; it was really nice and thriving. It had a lot of meat to it.”
When asked to pick out a few of her favourite Talking Heads tracks to play, Weymouth felt understandably spoiled for choice. “It’s like picking a favourite child,” she said. “But what’s the most fun one to play? I always love ‘Don’t Worry About the Government’. Oh, and ‘No Compassion’! I just love playing ‘No Compassion’, even though the sentiment is crazy.”
“Let’s see,” she added, scanning the band’s eight impressive albums in her mind. “‘Life During Wartime’, ‘Burning Down the House’, ‘Once in a Lifetime’, ‘Psycho Killer’. I really enjoy playing ‘Psycho Killer’.”
Below, we have compiled a list of Weymouth’s favourite Talking Heads songs based on the recent interview. With all of the tracks she name-checked and prominent picks from her two favourite albums, we hope to have collated her essential 15. We hope you enjoy it, whether you’re a seasoned Talking Heads fan or a newcomer looking for somewhere to start.
Tina Weymouth’s essential Talking Heads playlist:
- ‘I Zimbra’
- ‘Mind’
- ‘Cities’
- ‘Heaven’
- ‘Life During Wartime’
- ‘Burning Down the House’
- ‘Once in a Lifetime’
- ‘Psycho Killer’
- ‘Don’t Worry About the Government’
- ‘No Compassion’
- ‘Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)’
- ‘Crosseyed and Painless’
- ‘The Great Curve’
- ‘Houses in Motion’
- ‘Listening Wind’
