The Tom Tom Club are actually two of the original members and the creator of the Talking Heads. The mid 70s concerts with just the 3 of them were awesome.
If your skating rink didn't play it, you weren't skating. There were certain songs that HAD to be played to get your skate on: Cars Gary Numan My Sharona The Knack Another One Bites the Dust Queen It's Nasty Grandmaster Flash Genius of Love Tom Tom Club Not necessarily in that order.
I worked at the club in the late 90s when Tom Tom club performed. We had these big black gentleman that were bouncers there. They weren’t really listening to the band until they played this song. They were astonished and immediately started dancing and where digging the rest of the show. Great memory.
This is the original song, remember when it came out. I was part of a deejay crew (shout out Grandmaster HD) we would jam this on all of our mixtapes, skating rink and clubs.
In addition to the James Brown line, the one that came before that; "Who needs a beat when your feet just go _Bohannon Bohannon Bohannon_" is in reference to the legendary producer, percussionist, & pioneer of disco, _Hamilton Bohannon_
This was the bomb when I was a kid! I remember walking around NYC at 15 and singing James Brown, James Brown with strangers walking by. That’s what I consider fun!
Amen New York Philly jersey with rocking 81 to 92!!! It's amazing how many people didn't realize that with her nor, everybody from that band is so successful it's just shameful
And she technically gets paid twice from that song because when bad boy did the remix they sampled the bass groove from the song and used it as the structure for the song.
This is TINA from the TOM TOM CLUB and TALKING HEADS! Back in 1981 Jamel! This song was so awesome it got sampled so many times years later! What a happy surprise eh? Peace! ✌☮
No it wasn't years later when this got sampled it was sampled around the same time that this came out remember Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five made a song call it's nasty and that was a year after this came out
I'm a bassist, I've been playing music since 4 y.o. and now I'm 44! BOTH parents are musicians, my mom was is a crazy excellent jazz pianist, my dad was in Bloodstone, the KC gangstas of R&B, so I didn't have much choice, born a musician. I can play nearly EVERY instrument you put in my hands, but I LOVE MY BASS!!!!!! Which brings us to miss Tina Weymouth!!!! She is the GENIUS OF GENIUSES!!!!! Not only was she in the Talking Heads, but she put the band together, she wrote 95% of EVERYTHING!!!! People just assume that it was David Byrne, nope!!!! He was just her front man. Tina's hubby is Chris on the drums, makes sense, bass loves drums!! She is my goddess of style, strength, and pure perfection! Then she decided to do something just a bit different and put together the Tom Tom Club which was basically Talking Heads numero dos, it was nearly all the same folks from the Heads, just a little bit different sound. You said the Talking Heads are quickly becoming one of your favorite bands of all time huh?? THAT'S RIGHT!!!!!! Not many give them the credit they truly deserve, their music is light years ahead of everything else at the time and STILL IS!!!!! All thanks to miss Tina!!! The girl is like Prince, she is a friggin hit factory!!! She can do no wrong!!!
Fun fact…she’s not playing the bass on this song, she had a hand injury and the sound engineer Kendal Stubbs did. There is a interview of her saying so.
I bought this album when it came out because of another song on it called "Wordy Rappinghood". Very clever lyrics. "Genius Of Love" was also on the album.
"Wailin' and skankin' to Bob Marley Reggae's expanding with Sly and Robbie Stepping in a rhythm to a Kurtis Blow Who needs to think when your feet just go Who needs to think when your feet just go"
Tom Tom Club broke off from Talking Heads. Thank you Tina and Chris. A married couple who changed the world for the better!!! Semper Fidelis. Plus, both are really good people!
They were actually still in Talking Heads at the time, Tom Tom Club was what they did in their spare time, they remained in Talking Heads until they broke up in 1991.
Chris and Tina didn’t break off from Talking Heads. David Byrne broke up the band. Chris and Tina were Not happy. David never wanted to do a reunion. (Except for r&r hall of fame award show). Pissed off millions.
It only makes you want to hear/appreciate the originators more IF you know that's it's not original AND you can find out who the originators were. Sampling is not the problem. Sampling without credit or permission is the problem. Payment is a different topic entirely.
Your reaction is priceless.... this was the absolute jam during my high school years. Back when the black radio DJs recognized a great song regardless of the color of the artist and made it a hit. Love the love you are giving to old school music. It’s still the best.
Your reactions to music that came out when I was in college makes me remember hearing it the first time too. You didn't hear this on regular radio, it was played on college radio and you had to seek out small, independent record stores. We used to take a train to Philly to go to 3rd Street Jazz to find records. This was alllll good music and it stood the test of time as evidenced by all the sampling done from it. Your reactions take me back to that time. Thank you. ❤️
Tina Weymouth and husband Chris Franz (the drummer for Talking Heads) created the band called Tom Tom Club, a side gig while they were still with David Byrne in the Talking Heads.
Damn... FINALLY. I've been waiting for this reaction vid for a long ass time. Remember when everyone was locking? And walking around carrying big ass ghetto blasters on shoulders? Heh...pre Walkman days. This track was my jam. And Shannon "Let The Music Play".
From Wikipedia: "The song is one of the most sampled rhythm tracks of the 1980s,[20] particularly within the hip hop and R&B genre. Notable versions include Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde's "Genius Rap" in 1981; Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "It's Nasty" in 1982; Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" in 1995, and The X-Ecutioners' "Genius of Love 2002" in 2002. Other artists have incorporated "Genius of Love" into their works, including Public Enemy's "Leave This Off Your F**kin Charts", Redman's "Brick City Mashin'", Cam'ron's "Me, My Moms & Jimmy", 2nd II None's "Niggaz Trippin'", Fresh Kid Ice's "Roll Call", 2Pac's "High Speed", Seagram's "I Don't Give a Fuck", Busta Rhymes' "One", Ant Banks' "Roll 'Em Phat", P.M. Dawn's "Gotta Be... Movin' On Up", Menajahtwa's "I Ain't Nasti", 50 Cent's "When I Get Out", Erick Sermon's "Genius E Dub", Mac Dre's "Chop that Ho", Dream Warriors' "And Now the Legacy Begins", T.I.'s "Down Like That", R.A. The Rugged Man's "Tom Thum",Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack", Ice Cube's "Bop Gun (One Nation)", Warren G's "What's Love Got to Do with It", the D-Influence Real Live Mix of Billie's "Girlfriend" and Paramore's "Rose-Colored Boy", during their shows at the After Laughter Tour."
And don't forget that Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers had a #2 hit back in 1988 on the Billboard R & B charts with a remixed version of 'Tumblin Down' which was produced by Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz.
... " Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait ....................." Welcome to the rabbit hole, Alice. :-) Yeah, this was so freaking cool when it came out- first heard it in basic training, 1982, this seriously crossed boundaries, best thing ever learned in the Army. "you just dance"- Jamal- thanks for the inclusion. Love you brother.
So..yes..this is original..been rollerskating all my life...I remember 1st...first time I rolled to sugar hill gang..to African bambatta/planet rock\play at you're own risk...and this song...all were game changers on the wood..we still roll to this stuff in nashville.
I’ve heard this song soooo much growing up, it’s like the soundtrack of my youth and yes Jamal you just get up and dance when you hear it no questions asked! 😂
The 80's put out the best music it was awesome and I am glad that I was a teen during that time. Unfortunately everyone else has to just imagine living in it.
Love Tina W.! Love this song! Love this video! Double love your reaction! Was lucky to see TTC in concert in the summer 1989 at the Bacchanal, a small club in San Diego. The show was so much fun and high-energy that I got tickets to see them again 2 days later at Iguanas in Tijuana. Of course, they did not disappoint. Good times...
I love it so much when we can see the gears turning in your brain every time you realize the song your listening to has been sampled lol Black Cow by Steely Dan was my intro to your videos and it happened there too. Thanks for all the fun & joy.
@5:31 "Bohannon": A reference to American disco producer Hamilton Bohannon. His biggest US hit was "Let's Start the Dance" in 1976 (It's the one that starts, "Come and do it, come on and do it..."). He died in May 2020 at age 78.
Research the background of the Talking Head's bassist. She's married to one of the band members and they all met I believe as performing artists. Then they all met and made the Talking Heads.
OMG I remember this song like it was yesterday. It was just SOOOO cool!! I absolutely LOVE your reaction! I have similar reactions when parts of a musical mosaic come together trying to day to yesterday. Music is rich in that way! Watching you make that connection made my day!!! Thank you and I love you for digging into the richness of the music over the decades. Music keeps on building on what came before to make something new. It's all tied together.
Jamel......3 young Guys in a garage...putting a band together...two guitars and a drummer...they needed a bass player....they had a Bass but no one to play it...the drummer left and brought his girl friend back....she never played Bass ever...she learned...That was Tina and they became the Talking Heads
Haha, that was great. Something to remember about Genius of Love, it was recorded at the very beginning of Hip Hop. Rappers Delight wasn't even a year old. They were boosting this very new musical trend in NYC. Amazing that it has been sampled so much.
I love their songs “Kiss Me When I Get Back” and “Challenge of the Love Warriors”. They also performed this and another in that Stop Making Sense concert video you have yet to watch!
This song has always been one of my all time favorites, but my favorite part has to be that bass at 7:10. I remember my friends uncle had a couple of 12" subs and a 1000 watt amp in his car and would be bumping this when he would come around.
A Santana song you'd love because of its...just unshaking positivity, is "Everything is Coming Our Way". "I feel it in my bones, no man stands alone, sisters, brothers, we're all the sane seed. Everything is coming our way...."
I thought you did this one when you had that little Talking Heads binge! Doesn't matter if you did. I'll bop along anyway. Oh yes, this is the original! It sure lifts my day to see you being so joyous!! Somehow, somebody get this to Miss Tina...please, please please (in a James Brown voice)
