Talking Heads (music group)

Talking Heads was an American rock band known for its eclectic musical style. Founded in 1975 in New York City, the group consisted of David Byrne (lead vocals and guitar), Chris Frantz (drums), Tina Weymouth (bass), and Jerry Harrison (keyboards and guitar). The band emerged as part of New York's punk scene in the 1970s. The band later incorporated other genres such as art rock and funk music to produce an avant-garde sound that made its music immensely popular throughout the 1980s. Its music was highly influential to the post-punk and new wave musical genres that would surface in the early 1980s. Talking Heads disbanded in 1991; however, the band members briefly reunited to perform in 2002, when Talking Heads was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Early Career

Byrne, Frantz, and Weymouth met while attending the Rhode Island School of Design in the 1970s. Byrne and Frantz formed a band called the Artistics while in school before relocating to New York in 1974 to pursue a music career. The Artistics broke up in mid-1974 before forming a new group, Talking Heads. Byrne and Frantz recruited Weymouth on bass, and within a year, the band was opening for punk acts that included the Ramones at the legendary New York punk venue CBGB. The band added keyboardist Jerry Harrison in 1976 and the following year signed to Sire Records. The group's debut album, Talking Heads: 77, was released in September of 1977. The album received critical praise for its unique style and quirky lyrics. It also featured what would become one of the band's most recognizable songs, "Psycho Killer," which charted on Billboard's Hot 100 list.

Talking Heads released More Songs About Buildings and Food the following year. The group collaborated with musician Brian Eno, incorporating elements of art rock and funk into their tracks. Many of the songs featured a blend of acoustic and electric instruments. The album's cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River" became a Billboard top thirty hit and introduced Talking Heads to a broader audience. Eno also produced the group's next two records, Fear of Music (1979) and Remain in Light (1980). Critics characterized the albums as denser and more experimental than the band's previous albums, as they featured a diverse range of instruments that included African drums. Remain in Light also included the hit single "Once in a Lifetime." The track's music video was later listed among Time magazine's thirty all-time best music videos.

Solo Pursuits

Following the release of their fourth album, the band members spent some time pursuing solo interests. They did not release another album until 1983's commercially successful Speaking in Tongues, which was followed by a world tour. Filmmaker Jonathan Demme documented the tour and released the footage as a full-length concert film, titled Stop Making Sense, in 1984. The following year, Talking Heads released its sixth album, Little Creatures, the band's most clear-cut pop album to date. The album featured the hit singles "Road to Nowhere" and "And She Was."

Byrne directed his first film, True Stories, in 1986. The band provided the music for the film and later released a soundtrack album. Two years later, the band released its eighth and final album, Naked. Recorded in Paris, the album included guest performances by several African and Caribbean musicians. Talking Heads went on an indefinite hiatus after releasing Naked. In the interim, Weymouth and Frantz, who married in 1977, worked on their side musical project called the Tom Tom Club, which released Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom in 1988. The album featured guest vocals by Byrne, Harrison, and Lou Reed. Harrison also played with the band Casual Gods, which toured with the Ramones and Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry.

Breakup

Talking Heads officially disbanded in December 1991. However, the band released four new tracks on its Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites compilation box set in 1992. The band experienced a bit of turmoil four years later when Byrne filed a lawsuit against the other members of Talking Heads. Frantz, Weymouth, and Harrison tried to release a new Talking Heads album without Byrne. The suit was settled after the trio agreed not to use the Talking Heads name and would simply go by the Heads. All four members later worked together to promote the fifteenth anniversary of Stop Making Sense in 1999.

The full Talking Heads lineup also performed at the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Each of the members continued to pursue side and solo projects after their breakup. Byrne released multiple solo albums in the decades following, collaborating with a number of classic and modern musicians. The Tom Tom Club continued touring, and Harrison acted as producer for various artists, including No Doubt, the Von Bondies, and Hockey.

In the decades since Talking Heads disbanded, many singers and musical groups have cited the band as highly influential. Members of the Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire have credited Talking Heads' influence on their music and have invited Byrne onstage to perform the Talking Heads song "Heaven." Byrne also contributed backup vocals to the track "Speaking in Tongues" on the deluxe edition of Arcade Fire's The Suburbs in 2011.

Bibliography

Cragg, Michael. "New Music: Arcade Fire Feat David ByrneSpeaking in Tongues." Guardian, 24 May 2011, www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/may/24/arcade-fire-david-byrne-speaking-in-tongues. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Frantz, Chris. Remain In Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina. St. Martin's, 2020.

Kreps, Daniel. "Talking Heads Reunited on 'Jeopardy' to Present Category About Band's Legacy." Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2024, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/talking-heads-reunite-jeopardy-category-1235134971/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

O'Dair, Barbara. "Talking Heads." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Mar. 2024, rockhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Talking‗Heads‗2002.pdf. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Sanburn, Josh. "Talking Heads, ‘Once in a Lifetime’ (1980)." Time, 26 July 2011, entertainment.time.com/2011/07/28/the-30-all-time-best-music-videos/slide/talking-heads-once-in-a-lifetime-1980/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

"Talking Heads Biography." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/talking-heads-mn0000131650/biography. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.