One
of the many successful acts born of the burgeoning mid-1970s punk scene from New
York City, the Talking Heads adopted a literate yet funky approach to their
music that heralded the birth of new wave. Although the lyrics of songs by the
Talking Heads are generally sophisticated, they broach rather prosaic topics
revolving around various aspects of life routine and human relationships. Thus,
the mundane subjects of songs by the Talking Heads are effectively elevated to
an extraordinary level by their worldly take on music. While the sophomore
record of the Talking Heads was aptly titled More Songs About Buildings and Food, such simple topics were
originally addressed in their first record
Talking Heads: 77, which I chose to review here. “Uh-Oh, Love Comes to
Town” opens the record with a catchy tune, where the band resorts to the use of
steel drums to accentuate the tropical feel of the song. Exotic sounds are also
present in “Tentative Decisions”, which deals with boys and girls concerned
with decisiveness. In “Don’t Worry About the Government”, David Byrne
personifies the U.S. government and pays tribute to its civil servants, while
“Pulled Up” reminds us that the road to success in life is built with the help
of our loved ones. Here’s a stripped-down version of “Psycho Killer”, filmed by
Jonathan Demme and included in the highly recommended documentary “Stop Making
Sense”:
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