Talking Heads

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Talking Heads

| background = group_or_band

| image = Talking Heads Remain In Light (1980 Sire publicity photo) (5-4 cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| landscape = yes

| caption = Talking Heads {{circa|1980}}. Left to right: David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz

| origin = {{ubl|Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.|New York City, U.S.}}

| genre = {{flatlist|

}}

| discography = Talking Heads discography

| years_active =

{{hlist|1975–1991|2002}}

| label = {{flatlist|

}}

| spinoffs = {{flatlist|

}}

| associated_acts = {{flatlist|

}}

| past_members = * David Byrne

| alias =

The Artistics
Shrunken Heads
The Heads

| website = {{URL|https://talkingheadsofficial.com/}}

| module = {{Infobox

| child = yes

| header1 =

| headerstyle = background:#b0c4de

| data2 = 240px

}}

Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1975.[https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/talking-heads Talking Heads] Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, retrieved November 23, 2008 It consisted of vocalist-guitarist David Byrne, drummer Chris Frantz, bassist Tina Weymouth and guitarist-keyboardist Jerry Harrison. Described as "one of the most critically acclaimed groups of the '80s," Talking Heads helped to pioneer new wave music by combining elements of punk, art rock, funk, and world music with "an anxious yet clean-cut image";{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|title=Talking Heads: Biography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/talking-heads-mn0000131650/biography|work=AllMusic|access-date=April 27, 2014}} they have been called "a properly postmodernist band".{{Cite journal |last=Mitchell |first=Tony |date=Oct 1989 |title=Performance and the Postmodern in Pop Music |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3208181 |journal=Theatre Journal |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=284 |doi=10.2307/3208181|jstor=3208181 |url-access=subscription }}

Byrne, Frantz, and Weymouth met as freshmen at the Rhode Island School of Design, where Byrne and Frantz were part of a band called the Artistics.{{r|Gans_198512|page=[https://archive.org/details/talkingheads0000gans/page/24/ 24]}} The trio moved to New York City in 1975, adopted the name Talking Heads, joined the New York punk scene, and recruited Harrison to round out the band. Their debut album, Talking Heads: 77, was released in 1977 to positive reviews.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/talking-heads-77-202805/|title=Talking Heads '77|last=Demorest|first=Stephen|date=November 3, 1977|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=August 3, 2019}} They collaborated with the British producer Brian Eno on the acclaimed albums More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), Fear of Music (1979), and Remain in Light (1980), which blended their art school sensibilities with influence from artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic and Fela Kuti. From the early 1980s, they included additional musicians in their recording sessions and shows, including guitarist Adrian Belew, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, singer Nona Hendryx, and bassist Busta Jones.

Talking Heads reached their commercial peak in 1983 with the U.S. Top 10 hit "Burning Down the House" from the album Speaking in Tongues. In 1984, they released the concert film Stop Making Sense, which was directed by Jonathan Demme. For these performances, they were joined by Worrell, guitarist Alex Weir, percussionist Steve Scales, and singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt. In 1985, Talking Heads released their best-selling album, Little Creatures. They produced a soundtrack album for Byrne's film True Stories (1986), and released their final album, the worldbeat-influenced Naked (1988), before disbanding in 1991. Without Byrne, the other band members performed under the name Shrunken Heads, and released an album, No Talking, Just Head, as the Heads in 1996.

In 2002, Talking Heads were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of their albums appeared on Rolling Stone{{'}}s 2003 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and three of their songs—"Psycho Killer", "Life During Wartime", and "Once in a Lifetime"—were included among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.{{cite web |url=http://rockhall.com/exhibits/500-songs-that-shaped-rock-and/ |title= The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll |website= The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum |access-date= January 12, 2008 |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317150057/http://rockhall.com/exhibits/500-songs-that-shaped-rock-and/ |archive-date= March 17, 2010}} The band also ranked number 64 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".{{cite web |title=The Greatest – Ep. 215 |website= vh1.com |url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/the_greatest/episode.jhtml?episodeID=171750 |access-date= April 29, 2015 |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910071803/http://www.vh1.com/shows/the_greatest/episode.jhtml?episodeID=171750 |archive-date= September 10, 2015}} In the 2011 update of Rolling Stone{{'}}s list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", they were ranked number 100.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/talking-heads-20110426|title=100 Greatest Artists of All Time|year=2011|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=January 8, 2016}}

History

= 1973–1977: Early years =

In 1973, Rhode Island School of Design students David Byrne (guitar and vocals) and Chris Frantz (drums) formed a band, the Artistics.{{r|Gans_198512|page=[https://archive.org/details/talkingheads0000gans/page/28/ 28]|quote=It was called the Artistics. We played real loud. It had more pieces than we have now.}}Gittins, Ian, Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime: the Stories Behind Every Song, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2004, p. 140. {{ISBN|0-634-08033-4}}, {{ISBN|978-0-634-08033-3}}. Frantz has described the Artistics as a "prototype punk band" that would perform a number of covers, including "Psycho" by the Sonics, the Who's "I Can't Explain" and Al Green's "Love and Happiness", live.{{Cite web |last=Wisgard |first=Alex |date=July 17, 2020 |title=Nine Songs – Chris Frantz from Talking Heads |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/talking-heads-chris-frantz-nine-favourite-songs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211232531/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/talking-heads-chris-frantz-nine-favourite-songs |archive-date=December 11, 2024 |access-date=April 18, 2025 |website=The Line of Best Fit}}

Fellow student Tina Weymouth, Frantz's girlfriend, often provided transportation. The Artistics dissolved the following year, and the three moved to New York City, eventually sharing a communal loft.Simon Reynolds. Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin Books (2005) p. 159. After they were unable to find a bassist, Weymouth took up the role. Frantz encouraged Weymouth to learn to play bass by listening to Suzi Quatro albums.[https://web.archive.org/web/20081206031839/http://www.bassplayer.com/article/tina-weymouth/mar-97/5958 Tina Talks Heads, Tom Toms, and How to Succeed at Bass Without Really Trying] Gregory Isola, Bass Player, retrieved December 6, 2008. Byrne asked Weymouth to audition three times before she joined the band.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-chris-frantz-tina-weymouth-8533427.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-chris-frantz-tina-weymouth-8533427.html |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=How We Met: Chris Frantz & Tina Weymouth|last=Jacques|first=Adam|date=March 17, 2013|work=The Independent|access-date=December 3, 2020}}

File:Harrison and Byrne-Talking Heads.jpg

The band played their first gig as Talking Heads—opening for the Ramones at the CBGB club—on June 5, 1975. According to Weymouth, the name Talking Heads came from an issue of TV Guide, which "explained the term used by TV studios to describe a head-and-shoulder shot of a person talking as 'all content, no action'. It fit."Weymouth, Tina (1992). In Sand in the Vaseline. CD liner notes, p. 12. New York: Sire Records Company Later that year, the band recorded a series of demos for CBS, but did not receive a record contract. However, they drew a following and signed to Sire Records in November 1976. They released their first single in February the following year, "Love → Building on Fire". In March 1977, they added Jerry Harrison, formerly of Jonathan Richman's band the Modern Lovers, on keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals.{{cite magazine|last=Greene|first=Andy|title=Flashback: Talking Heads Perform 'Psycho Killer' at CBGB in 1975|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/flashback-talking-heads-perform-psycho-killer-at-cbgb-in-1975-20130711|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=July 11, 2013|access-date=April 23, 2014}} Gary Kurfirst started managing Talking Heads in 1977.{{citation |title=Ramones, Jane's Addiction, Talking Heads manager passes away

|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/talking-heads-5-1320331|work=NME Networks|date=January 14, 2009 |access-date=January 14, 2009}}

The first Talking Heads album, Talking Heads: 77, received acclaim and produced their first charting single, "Psycho Killer".{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Talking Heads 77|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/talking-heads-77-mw0000650867|work=AllMusic|access-date=April 23, 2014}} Many connected the song to the serial killer known as the Son of Sam, who had been terrorizing New York City months earlier; however, Byrne said he had written the song years prior.{{cite book|author=Ian Gittins|title=Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime: The Stories Behind Every Song|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZvhoZyTzspYC&pg=PA30|year=2004|publisher=Hal Leonard|isbn=978-0-634-08033-3|page=30}} Weymouth and Frantz married in 1977.{{cite magazine|last=Clarke|first=John|title=Rockers Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth Talk Marriage|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-talking-heads-and-tom-tom-clubs-chris-frantz-and-tina-weymouth-on-their-rock-roll-marriage-20130704|access-date=May 1, 2014|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=July 4, 2013}}

=1978–1980: Collaborations with Brian Eno=

{{main|More Songs About Buildings and Food|Fear of Music|Remain in Light}}

More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978) was Talking Heads' first collaboration with the producer Brian Eno, who had previously worked with Roxy Music, David Bowie, John Cale, and Robert Fripp;{{cite web|title=Brian Eno {{!}} Credits|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-eno-mn0000617196/credits|work=Allmusic|access-date=April 25, 2014}} the title of Eno's 1977 song "King's Lead Hat" is an anagram of the band's name. Eno's unusual style meshed with the group's artistic sensibilities, and they began to explore an increasingly diverse range of musical directions—from psychedelic funk to African music, influenced prominently by Fela Kuti and Parliament-Funkadelic.{{cite news |first= William |last= Ricchini |title= Napolitano Brings Out Best Of Heads |newspaper= The Philadelphia Inquirer |url=http://articles.philly.com/1996-11-12/entertainment/25650345_1_heads-keyboardist-jerry-harrison-performance |date= November 12, 1996 |access-date= April 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230030048/http://articles.philly.com/1996-11-12/entertainment/25650345_1_heads-keyboardist-jerry-harrison-performance |archive-date=December 30, 2015 |url-status=dead}}{{cite book|first= Angela M. |last= Pilchak |title= Contemporary Musicians |volume= 49 |year= 2005 |publisher= Gale |isbn= 978-0-7876-8062-6 |page= 77}}Simon Reynolds. Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin Books (2005) p. 163. This recording also established the band's relationship with Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas. More Songs About Buildings and Food included a cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River", which brought Talking Heads into the public consciousness and gave them their first Billboard Top 30 hit.

File:Talking Heads band1.jpg

The collaboration continued with Fear of Music (1979), which mixed the darker stylings of post-punk rock with white funkadelia and subliminal references to the geopolitical instability of the late 1970s. Music journalist Simon Reynolds cited Fear of Music as representing the Eno–Talking Heads collaboration "at its most mutually fruitful and equitable".Simon Reynolds. Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin Books (2005) pp. 163–164. The single "Life During Wartime" produced the catchphrase "This ain't no party, this ain't no disco".{{cite web|last=Janovitz|first=Bill|title=Life During Wartime – Song Review|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/life-during-wartime-mt0031644471|work=Allmusic|access-date=April 25, 2014}} The song refers to the Mudd Club and CBGB, two popular New York nightclubs of the time.{{cite web|last=Robbins|first=Ira|title=20 Years Later, CBGB Ain't No Disco: Clubs: A look back as the Bowery bar concludes a monthlong celebration of its commitment to underground rock's trends|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-31-ca-7219-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 31, 1993 |access-date=April 25, 2014}}

Remain in Light (1980) was heavily influenced by the Afrobeat of Nigerian bandleader Fela Kuti, whose music had been introduced to the band by Eno. It explored West African polyrhythms, weaving these together with Arabic music from North Africa, disco funk, and "found" voices.Simon Reynolds. Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin Books (2005) p. 165. These combinations foreshadowed Byrne's later interest in world music.{{cite web|last=Ankeny|first=Jason|title=David Byrne {{!}} Biography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-byrne-mn0000197364/biography|work=Allmusic|access-date=April 25, 2014}} To perform these more complex arrangements, the band toured with an expanded group, including Adrian Belew and Bernie Worrell, among others, first at the Heatwave festival in August,{{cite news|last=Robins|first=Jim|title=Expanded Talking Heads Climax Canadian New Wave Festival|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2706&dat=19800906&id=UhNKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bx4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1428,170371|newspaper=The Michigan Daily|date=September 6, 1980}} and later in their concert film Stop Making Sense.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

During this period, Weymouth and Frantz formed a commercially successful splinter group, Tom Tom Club, influenced by the foundational elements of hip hop,{{cite news|last=Boehm|first=Mike|title=x-Heads Say They Got Byrned: Split Still Miffs Frantz, Weymouth, Even Though Tom Tom Club Keeps Them Busy|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-10-ca-490-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=September 10, 1992}} and Harrison released his first solo album, The Red and the Black.{{cite news|last=Palmer|first=Robert|title=The Pop Life|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/18/arts/the-pop-life-097396.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 18, 1981}} Byrne and Eno released My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, which incorporated world music, found sounds and a number of other prominent international and post-punk musicians.{{cite web|last=Bush|first=John|title=My Life in the Bush of Ghosts|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/my-life-in-the-bush-of-ghosts-mw0000651183|work=Allmusic|access-date=April 25, 2014}}

{{Listen

|filename=Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime.ogg

|title="Once in a Lifetime"

|description=The fourth song from Remain in Light used Eno's Oblique Strategies technique and featured Byrne's alienated meditation on life. The song was named one of the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century by NPR.{{cite web|title=The 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century|url=https://www.npr.org/programs/specials/vote/list100.html|work=NPR|access-date=May 5, 2014}}

|format=Ogg}}

Remain in Light{{'}}s lead single, "Once in a Lifetime", became a Top 20 hit in the UK, but initially failed to make an impression in the US. It grew into a popular standard over the next few years on the strength of its music video, which Time named one of the greatest of all time.Simon Reynolds. Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin Books (2005) p. 169.{{cite magazine |last=Sanburn |first=Josh |title=The 30 All-TIME Best Music Videos – Talking Heads, 'Once in a Lifetime' (1980) |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2011/07/28/the-30-all-time-best-music-videos/slide/talking-heads-once-in-a-lifetime-1980/ |magazine=Time |date=July 26, 2011|access-date=October 19, 2024}}

=1981–1991: Commercial peak and breakup=

{{main|Speaking in Tongues (Talking Heads album)|Little Creatures|True Stories (Talking Heads album)|Naked (Talking Heads album)}}

After releasing four albums in barely four years, the group went on a recording hiatus, and nearly three years passed before their next release, although Frantz and Weymouth continued to record with Tom Tom Club. In the meantime, Talking Heads released the live album The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads, toured the United States and Europe as an eight-piece group, and parted ways with Eno,Simon Reynolds. Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin Books (2005) pp. 169–170. who went on to produce albums with U2.

1983 saw the release of Speaking in Tongues, a commercial breakthrough that produced the band's only American Top 10 hit, "Burning Down the House".{{cite web|last=DeGagne|first=Mike|title=Burning Down the House – Talking Heads – Song Review|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/burning-down-the-house-mt0011948974|work=Allmusic|access-date=April 25, 2014}} Once again, a striking video was inescapable, owing to its heavy rotation on MTV.{{cite web|last=Johnston|first=Maura|author-link=Maura Johnston |title=Sick Of It All (16) Battles Talking Heads (8) As SOTC's March Madness Takes A Trip To CBGB|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2012/03/new_york_musician_tournament_talking_heads_sick_of_it_all.php|work=Village Voice|access-date=April 25, 2014}} The following tour was documented in Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense, which generated another live album of the same name.{{cite magazine|last=Light|first=Alan|title=All-TIME 100 Albums|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2006/11/02/the-all-time-100-albums/slide/stop-making-sense/|magazine=Time|date=January 25, 2010|access-date=April 25, 2014}} The tour in support of Speaking in Tongues was their last.{{cite web|last=Milward|first=John|title=The Many Faces And Artistic Endeavors Of The Talking Heads David Byrne And His Mates In The Band Are Keeping Busy – Together, With 'Naked', And On Their Own.|url=http://articles.philly.com/1988-04-14/entertainment/26253138_1_videos-heads-david-byrne|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140425033500/http://articles.philly.com/1988-04-14/entertainment/26253138_1_videos-heads-david-byrne|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 25, 2014|work=Philly.com|access-date=April 25, 2014}}

{{quote box|align=left|width=25em|quote=I try to write about small things. Paper, animals, a house… love is kind of big. I have written a love song, though. In this film, I sing it to a lamp.|source = —David Byrne, interviewing himself in Stop Making Sense{{cite web|last=Harvey|first=Eric|title=David Byrne: Live From Austin TX|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/10783-live-from-austin-tx/|work=Pitchfork Media|access-date=May 5, 2014}}}}

Three more albums followed: 1985's Little Creatures (which featured the hit singles "And She Was" and "Road to Nowhere"),{{cite web|title=Little Creatures – Talking Heads|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/little-creatures-mw0000191997/awards|work=Allmusic|access-date=April 27, 2014}} 1986's True Stories (Talking Heads covering all the soundtrack songs of Byrne's musical comedy film, in which the band also appeared),{{cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|title=True Stories (1986) DAVID BYRNE IN 'TRUE STORIES'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D05E0DF153AF937A35753C1A960948260|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 27, 2014}} and 1988's Naked. Little Creatures offered a much more American pop-rock sound as opposed to previous efforts.{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Little Creatures|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/little-creatures-mw0000191997|work=Allmusic|access-date=April 27, 2014}} Similar in genre, True Stories hatched one of the group's most successful hits, "Wild Wild Life", and the accordion-driven track "Radio Head".{{cite web|last=Hastings|first=Michael|title=Talking Heads – True Stories|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/true-stories-mw0000192119|work=Allmusic|access-date=April 27, 2014}} Naked explored politics, sex, and death, and showed heavy African influence with polyrhythmic styles like those seen on Remain in Light.{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|title=Talking Heads get 'Naked'|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=19880320&id=tKldAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VV0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1938,5020831|newspaper=Observer-Reporter|date=March 20, 1988}} During that time, the group was falling increasingly under David Byrne's control, and after Naked, the band went on "hiatus". In 1987, Talking Heads released a book by David Byrne, What the Songs Look Like: Contemporary Artists Interpret Talking Heads Songs, with HarperCollins that contained artwork by some of the top New York visual artists of the decade.

File:Tina weymouth tom tom club.png.]]

In December 1991, Talking Heads announced that they had disbanded. Frantz said he learned that Byrne had left from an article in the Los Angeles Times, and said: "As far as we're concerned, the band never really broke up. David just decided to leave."Boehm, Mike (September 10, 1992). "x-Heads Say They Got Byrned: Split Still Miffs Frantz, Weymouth, Even Though Tom Tom Club Keeps Them Busy". Los Angeles Times. Their final release was "Sax and Violins", an original song that had appeared earlier that year on the soundtrack to Wim Wenders' Until the end of the World. Byrne continued his solo career, releasing Rei Momo in 1989 and The Forest in 1991. This period also saw a revived flourish from both Tom Tom Club (Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom and Dark Sneak Love Action){{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Tom Tom Club {{!}} Biography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-tom-club-mn0000611929/biography|work=Allmusic|access-date=April 27, 2014}} and Harrison (Casual Gods and Walk on Water), who toured together in 1990.{{cite news|last=Christensen|first=Thor|title=Harrison starts to find own voice|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19900522&id=fiohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5H4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7137,8383973|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|date=May 22, 1990|access-date=January 12, 2016|archive-date=May 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504184239/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19900522&id=fiohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5H4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7137,8383973|url-status=dead}}

=1992–present: Post-breakup and reunions=

Harrison produced records such as the Violent Femmes' The Blind Leading the Naked; the Fine Young Cannibals' The Raw and the Cooked; General Public's Rub It Better; Crash Test Dummies' God Shuffled His Feet; Live's Mental Jewelry, Throwing Copper, and The Distance to Here; and No Doubt's song "New" from Return of Saturn.{{cite web|title=Jerry Harrison {{!}} Credits|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jerry-harrison-mn0000330961/credits|work=Allmusic|access-date=May 1, 2014}} Frantz and Weymouth have produced for several artists, including Happy Mondays and Ziggy Marley. Tom Tom Club continues to record and tour intermittently.{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Tom Tom Club – Biography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-tom-club-mn0000611929/biography|access-date=May 4, 2014|work=Allmusic}}File:Talking Heads SXSW by Ron Baker.jpg in 2010]]

Talking Heads reunited to play "Life During Wartime", "Psycho Killer", and "Burning Down the House" on March 18, 2002, at the ceremony of their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, joined onstage by former touring members Bernie Worrell and Steve Scales.{{cite magazine|last=Greene|first=Andy|title=Flashback: Talking Heads Reunite for One Night Only |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/flashback-the-talking-heads-reunite-for-one-night-only-20121023|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=October 23, 2012|access-date=May 4, 2014}} Byrne said further work together was unlikely, due to "bad blood" and being musically "miles apart".{{cite news |last=Blackman |first=Guy |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Music/Byrning-down-the-house/2005/02/04/1107476787488.html |title=Byrning down the house |work=The Age |location=Australia|date=February 6, 2005|access-date=October 3, 2009}} Weymouth has been critical of Byrne, describing him as "a man incapable of returning friendship" and saying that he did not "love" her, Frantz, and Harrison. In 2020, Frantz published a memoir about his relationship with Weymouth, Remain in Love, which covered the band's conflicts.{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=August 16, 2023 |title=Talking Heads to Appear Together for First Time in 21 Years |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/talking-heads-appear-together-first-time-21-years-1234807644/ |access-date=August 17, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}

Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison toured without Byrne as Shrunken Heads in the early 1990s.{{Cite web|last=Wilonsky|first=Robert|date=October 21, 1999|title=Heads up|url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/heads-up-6397139|access-date=August 1, 2020|website=Dallas Observer}} In 1996, they released an album, No Talking, Just Head, under the name the Heads. The album featured a number of vocalists, including Gavin Friday of the Virgin Prunes, Debbie Harry of Blondie, Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde, Andy Partridge of XTC, Gordon Gano of Violent Femmes, Michael Hutchence of INXS, Ed Kowalczyk of Live, Shaun Ryder of Happy Mondays, Richard Hell, and Maria McKee.{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|title=No Talking Just Head – The Heads|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/no-talking-just-head-mw0000079013|work=Allmusic|access-date=May 1, 2014}} It was accompanied by a tour with Napolitano as the vocalist. Byrne took legal action to prevent the band using the name the Heads, which he saw as "a pretty obvious attempt to cash in on the Talking Heads name".{{cite magazine |url=http://www.davidbyrne.com/music/cds/feelings/feelings_press/feelings_RollingStone_interview.php |title=Byrne-ing Down the House|author=Levine, Robert |date=June 26, 1997|magazine=Rolling Stone |via=DavidByrne.com |access-date=October 31, 2009}} The band briefly reunited in 1999 to promote the 15th anniversary re-release of Stop Making Sense, but did not perform together.{{cite web |last1=Sragow |first1=Michael |title=Talking Heads talk again |url=https://www.salon.com/1999/04/27/heads/ |website=Salon |date=April 27, 1999 |access-date=December 3, 2021}}

In September 2023, Stop Making Sense was re-released in IMAX with remastered sound and picture to coincide with the film's 40th anniversary.{{Cite web |title=Stop Making Sense |url=https://www.imax.com/movies/stop-making-sense |access-date=September 24, 2023 |website=imax.com |date=August 16, 2023}} The band members reunited that month for a Q&A at the Toronto International Film Festival, following limited showings of the film in theaters,{{cite web |last=Inskeep |first=Steve and Reena Advani, Phil Harrell, Daoud Tyler-Ameen |date=September 22, 2023 |title=The everyday can be just fine |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/09/22/1200623785/talking-heads-stop-making-sense-interview |access-date=September 22, 2023 |website=Morning Edition |publisher=NPR |quote=the new release's remastered sound and picture, projected in... IMAX}} and gave subsequent interviews together to promote the re-release.{{Cite web |title=Talking Heads on the return of 'Stop Making Sense' |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/talking-heads-on-the-return-of-stop-making-sense/ |date=September 24, 2023|access-date=October 5, 2023 |publisher=CBS News|website=CBS Sunday Morning}} With regard to the possibility of a reunion tour, Harrison told the Los Angeles Times: "Right now, we're concentrating on Stop Making Sense and how much fun we're having revisiting the film. We're living in the moment, so that's all we're thinking about."{{cite news|last1=Tannenbaum|first1=Rob|title=A once-in-a-lifetime reunion: Talking Heads on 'Stop Making Sense,' the Big Suit and their future|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-09-20/talking-heads-stop-making-sense-rerelease |access-date=September 24, 2023|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 20, 2023}} In January 2024, Billboard reported that Talking Heads had turned down an $80 million offer for a reunion tour, which would have included a performance at Coachella.{{cite magazine |last1=Brooks |first1=Dave |title=Coachella Wanted a Talking Heads Reunion, Too |url=https://www.billboard.com/business/touring/coachella-wanted-talking-heads-reunion-1235593270/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=February 1, 2024}}

File:Stop Making Sense, Pantages Theater panel (2024) (5-3 cropped).jpg (seated to the left), Pantages Theater, June 2024]]

In 2023 and 2025 Harrison and Belew toured with a large band performing a set of Remain in Light songs.{{cite web | url=https://postpunkmonk.com/2023/06/12/harrison-belew-cool-cool-cool-remain-in-light-tour-a-gift-we-never-expected/ | title=Harrison/Belew/Cool Cool Cool "Remain in Light" Tour a Gift We Never Expected | date=June 13, 2023 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/talking-heads-jerry-harrison-adrian-belew-announce-2025-remain-in-light-tour-dates/ | title=Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew announce 2025 'Remain in Light' tour dates }}

On June 3, 2025, the band published, on its official Instagram page, a video animation featuring only the date "June 5, 2025." Fans speculated that there will be a reunion tour.{{cite web |author=Liberty Dunworth |date=June 3, 2025 |title=Fans react as Talking Heads tease huge announcement: 'Reunion tour please' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/fans-react-as-talking-heads-tease-huge-announcement-reunion-tour-please-3866915 |website=NME}} The video was later revealed to be a teaser for the release of a "Psycho Killer" music video directed by Mike Mills and starring Saoirse Ronan made for the 50th anniversary of the band.{{cite web |author=Joe Taysom |date=June 4, 2025 |title=Talking Heads to release 'Psycho Killer' video starring Saoirse Ronan to celebrate 50th anniversary|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/talking-heads-psycho-killer-saoirse-ronan-anniversary/ |website=Far Out}}

Musical style

AllMusic stated that Talking Heads, one of the most celebrated bands of the 1970s and 1980s, by the time of their breakup "had recorded everything from art-funk to polyrhythmic worldbeat explorations and simple, melodic guitar pop". In Pitchfork, Andy Cush described the band as "New York art-punks" whose "blend of nervy postmodernism and undeniable groove made them one of the defining rock bands of the late 1970s and ’80s."{{Cite web |last=Cush |first=Andy |date=September 21, 2023 |title=Talking Heads' Original Lineup on Stop Making Sense, Their Early Days, and the Future |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/talking-heads-reunion-2023-stop-making-sense/ |access-date=September 25, 2024 |website=Pitchfork}} Media theorist Dick Hebdige said the group "draw eclectically on a wide range of visual and aural sources to create a distinctive pastiche or hybrid 'house style' which they have used since their formation in the mid-1970s deliberately to stretch received (industrial) definitions of what rock/pop/video/Art/ performance/audience are", calling them "a properly postmodernist band." Talking Heads' art pop innovations have had a long-lasting impact.{{Cite web |title=Talking Heads | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/talking-heads-mn0000131650 |access-date=June 21, 2021 |website=AllMusic}} Along with other groups such as Devo, Ramones, and Blondie, they helped define the new wave genre in the United States.{{cite web |last=Gendron |first=Bernard |title=Origins of the First Wave: The CBGB Scene (1974–75) |url=http://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/287378.html |access-date=May 11, 2014 |work=Between Montmartre and the Mudd Club: Popular Music and the Avant-Garde |publisher=University of Chicago Press}} Meanwhile, their more cosmopolitan hits like 1980's Remain in Light helped bring African rock to the Western world.{{cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |date=November 8, 1988 |title=Review/Music; How African Rock Won the West, And on the Way Was Westernized |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/08/arts/review-music-how-african-rock-won-the-west-and-on-the-way-was-westernized.html |access-date=May 11, 2014 |newspaper=New York Times}}

Legacy and influence

Talking Heads have been cited as an influence by many artists, including Nelly Furtado,{{cite web|url=http://www.universalmusic.at/pop/contributor/338213/biography/Nelly+Furtado|title=NELLY FURTADO – Loose – The Story|publisher=Universal Music|access-date=December 2, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003050822/http://www.universalmusic.at/pop/contributor/338213/biography/Nelly+Furtado|archive-date=October 3, 2015}} Eddie Vedder,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.spin.com/2003/07/my-life-music-eddie-vedder/|title=My Life in Music: Eddie Vedder|author=SPIN staff|magazine=SPIN|date=July 15, 2003}} LCD Soundsystem,{{cite web|title=James Murphy on LCD Soundsystem|author=David Marchese|work=Vulture|date=August 21, 2017|url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/08/james-murphy-on-lcd-soundsystems-return.html|access-date=March 30, 2022}} Foals,{{cite web|title=Foals Total Life Forever Review|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/h9m5|publisher=BBC|access-date=November 15, 2013}} the Weeknd,{{cite web |title=The Weeknd's New Album Is Inspired by Bad Brains, Talking Heads and the Smiths|author=Calum Slingerland|work=Exclaim!|date=February 6, 2016|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/the_weeknds_new_album_is_inspired_by_bad_brains_talking_heads_and_the_smiths|access-date=September 6, 2016}} Primus,[http://www.ram.org/music/primus/articles/mackerel_bio.html Primus press release]. Retrieved August 12, 2012. Bell X1,{{cite web|author=Matthew Magee|url=http://www.tribune.ie/article/2003/jul/27/clear-as-a-bell-x1/|title=Clear as a Bell X1|date=July 27, 2003|access-date=March 4, 2011|work=Sunday Tribune|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721133524/http://www.tribune.ie/article/2003/jul/27/clear-as-a-bell-x1/|archive-date=July 21, 2011}} the 1975,{{cite web |url=http://www.goldenplec.com/the-1975-interview/ |title = The 1975 – Interview |publisher = GoldenPlec |first = Darragh |last = Faughey |date = December 11, 2012 |access-date = February 11, 2016}} Kesha,{{cite web|last1=Garland|first1=Emma|title=Kesha's MySpace Profile from 2008 is Better Than DJ Khaled's Snapchat|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/keshas-myspace-profile-from-2008-is-better-than-dj-khaleds-snapchat/|website=Noisey|publisher=Vice Media|date=January 8, 2017|access-date=January 20, 2017}} St. Vincent,{{cite web |title= Interview: ANNIE CLARK a.k.a. ST. VINCENT on 'Strange Mercy' |first= Shahlin |last= Graves |publication-date= May 26, 2012 |website= coupdemainmagazine.com |url=http://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/annie-clark/interview-annie-clark-aka-st-vincent-%E2%80%98strange-mercy |access-date= March 25, 2017 |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207191202/http://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/annie-clark/interview-annie-clark-aka-st-vincent-%E2%80%98strange-mercy |archive-date= February 7, 2013}} Danny Brown,{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/various-artists-211-1199664 | title = Danny Brown talks Talking Heads and Radiohead influence | last1=Moore | first1=Sam | website=NME | date = June 15, 2016}} Trent Reznor,{{cite web |url=https://vinylwriters.com/trent-reznor-on-talking-heads-remain-in-light-1980/ | title = Trent Reznor on Talking Heads – Remain in Light (1980) | last1=Reznor | first1=Trent | website=Vinyl Writers | date = September 26, 2020 | access-date = December 17, 2020}} Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos,{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/08/24/214476665/franz-ferdinands-alex-kapranos-on-the-importance-of-structure|title=Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos On The Importance Of Structure|website=Npr.org|access-date=June 21, 2021}} and Radio 4.{{Cite web |last=Jelbert |first=Steve |date=February 28, 2003 |title=Radio 4: New York calling |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/radio-4-new-york-calling-120669.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707013810/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/radio-4-new-york-calling-120669.html |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |access-date=January 11, 2025 |website=The Independent |quote=We were influenced by sound around us, faceless house stuff where you don't know the artist, and also Talking Heads, ESG, Liquid Liquid, real New York City stuff.}} Radiohead took their name from the 1986 Talking Heads song "Radio Head",{{cite news |last=Ross |first=Alex |date=August 20, 2001 |title=The Searchers |newspaper=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2001/08/20/010820fa_FACT1 |access-date=March 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214053947/http://www.therestisnoise.com/2004/04/mahler_1.html |archive-date=February 14, 2008}} and cited Remain in Light as a critical influence on their 2000 album Kid A.{{cite web |date=November 1, 2000 |title=No more Thom for guitar rock |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/radiohead-393-1309133 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201182054/http://www.nme.com/news/music/radiohead-393-1309133 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |access-date=November 30, 2017 |website=NME}} Italian filmmaker and director Paolo Sorrentino, receiving the Oscar for his film La Grande Bellezza in 2014, thanked Talking Heads, among others, as his sources of inspiration.{{cite web|last=Vivarelli|first=Nick|title=Italy Cheers Foreign Oscar Victory For Paolo Sorrentino's 'Beauty'|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/italy-cheers-foreign-oscar-victory-for-paolo-sorrentinos-beauty-1201124195/|work=Variety|date=March 3, 2014|access-date=May 4, 2014}}

Members

David Byrne – lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards, percussion (1975–1991, 2002)
Chris Frantz – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1975–1991, 2002)
Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1975–1991, 2002)
Jerry Harrison – keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1977–1991, 2002)

=Additional musicians=

Adrian Belew – lead guitar, vocals (1980–1981)
Alex Weir – guitar, vocals (1982–1984)
Bernie Worrell – keyboards, backing vocals (1980–1984, 2002; died 2016)
Raymond Jones – keyboards (1982)
Busta Jones – bass (1980–1981; died 1995)
Steve Scales – percussion, backing vocals (1980–1984, 2002)
Dolette McDonald – vocals, cowbell (1980–1982)
Nona Hendryx – vocals (1980, 1982)
Ednah Holt – vocals (1983)
Lynn Mabry – vocals (1983–1984)
Stephanie Spruill – vocals (1984)

=Timeline=

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Discography

{{Main article|Talking Heads discography|List of songs recorded by Talking Heads}}

Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)
Fear of Music (1979)
Remain in Light (1980)
Speaking in Tongues (1983)
Little Creatures (1985)
True Stories (1986)
Naked (1988)

References

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite book | last1 = Gans | first1 = David | author-link1 = David Gans (musician) | date = December 1985 | chapter = Chapter One: Providence | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/talkingheads0000gans/page/23/ | chapter-url-access = registration | title = Talking Heads: The Band & Their Music |url=https://archive.org/details/talkingheads0000gans | url-access = registration |edition = First | publisher = Avon Books | isbn = 978-0380899548 | lccn = 85047829 | oclc = 12938771 | ol = OL2552512M | access-date = January 4, 2023 | quote = When it came time to select a college and a course of study, Byrne eventually chose the Rhode Island School of Design. | quote-page = 24 | via = Internet Archive }}

}}