Where did Talking Heads meet?
With David Byrne at the helm, Talking Heads was always going to be an ambitious project. Like many others, they sought to reflect the world around them, though with an edge of abstraction that made them feel more like a visceral representation of disillusionment. While not every song centred around as such, most leaned into the power of stream of consciousness and instinct, resulting in a sound that felt grounded yet unhinged.
While most find it easy to condense the entire band’s legacy into songs like ‘Psycho Killer’ or ‘Once in a Lifetime’, they feel as fitting an entry as any as hallmarks of their appeal. For starters, songs like these epitomise the very reason Talking Heads became deserving of their spotlight, despite emerging from the same grounds that birthed countless other punk and new wave acts.
Before then, however, the groundwork was already being put into place, with Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth each attending the Rhode Island School of Design at the same time in the early 1970s. Before they joined forces, however, Byrne and Frantz were in a band called The Artistics, which never really went anywhere outside of their hobbyist realm, making way for them to come together for a new band that would take on the New York scene by storm.
Still, Weymouth remained in the firm role of providing transportation until the struggle to find a bassist landed her the role, which she learned from scratch after Frantz told her to study Suzi Quatro’s music. Their first gig together occurred at the CBGB in 1975, adorned with a name inspired by a term used to “describe a head-and-shoulder shot of a person talking as ‘all content, no action’.” A fitting description for a band that relied heavily on political vernacular.
What was Talking Heads’ first hit?
For a couple of years, Talking Heads struggled to find their footing. However, their debut, Talking Heads: 77, put them on the map with explosiveness, home to the pulsating anthem ‘Psycho Killer’. Aside from the obvious impressive credentials, like it being the band’s only song to appear on the charts, its lasting appeal as a standout lies in its ability to capture several facets of the Talking Heads viscera—darkness, paranoia, off-kilter lyricism, and catchy melodies.
While it sat firmly in the burgeoning new wave scenes they proved to be pioneers of, the song was initially inspired by Alice Cooper, though not for the reasons you might think. Instead, it sought to rectify the shortcomings of the shock-rock legend with music that felt far more “real” than anything he had done. As Byrne explained to the Financial Times, “Alice had all these safety gauges worked out so that it wouldn’t connect with anything remotely dangerous. I just liked the idea of writing a song that was more real.”
Instead of relying on visuals to shock audiences, Byrne created a song where the darkness lurked within the story and the lyrics, making sure that it had a lasting impact that far exceeded anything Cooper achieved on theatrics alone. On top of this, he didn’t tackle the concept of being a murderer lightly or impartially, he assumed the position itself, placing a level of unease at its very core.
