Midlife crisis? Naw more like societal crisis. The band represents a slow drip of knowledge that showcases the fucked up and warped reality we've all been born into. Listen to born under punched, there's more substance in these songs and lyrics than one might think. That being said it's really easy to assign personal experiences and relatable assumptions to music.
@@privateemail9755 Naw, I'm right. This was at the time when "yuppies" (and Donald Trump) were in the cultural spotlight, in the economic boom of the 80s. "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" was on TV. That's the context of it.
Sono Arts Cinema Oct. 1986, 2 dolla showing of Stop Making Sense and the place was relatively cool until this came on ... And then everyone was at their seats and in the aisles shaking their heads with their arms in the arm - Bustin A Groove. Yea I kno I'm old but never lost my youth
This was the first video my son fully "understood" after his autism diagnosis. His spectrum disorder is very similar to David Byrne's, and he has overcome many of the same hurdles. I'll be forever grateful for this.
As a high functioning autistic, what this song always meant to me was that he was expressing the feeling that autistics often have that none of this is real, that it's a joke, or a play that we just don't understand. So, we hang on to what seems solid and real, like water. Water is always there, doing what it does, even if we can't see it. I hope your son is doing well, and as a 74-year-old, I can tell him that he will continue to learn how to adapt and cope, and that he will reach an equilibrium and be happy with his life.
You said he's dancing like someone invisible is moving him around. Well, he based his movement on people who were being "moved by the holy spirit", so that was a very astute observation!
Exactly how I view the song. The questioning of existence, and life! How did I get here, what’s going on? Life is a trip when you stop and think about it! 😂
Great factoid...I'm stealing that! I knew Toni Basil was choreographer extraordinaire. That's gold thank you. I can only think of Paula Abdul as a mear contender. It' best left mear
This was choreographed by Toni Basil (who sang "Mickey") and is based on traditional and tribal dances from around the world! David Byrne is an amazing avant garde performer, and is still going at full strength today
In the context of the song, the dance can be seen as puppet-like: Modern man in his society, being pulled and manipulated by unseen strings. Like most all good music, it is multi-layered and can speak to any individuals emotions.
Being exposed to the Talking Heads for the first time is a revelation. And if you follow Byrne's artistic path, you'll run into Brian Eno, and then Fripp, and you're off to another world.
Brian Eno deserves a lot of credit for this song as well. He had a huge influence on the sound of this song and album, and also did backing vocals for the chorus.
Yes, indeed. Remain In Light IMHO is the band's crowning achievement. In case you're interested on Eno's 1978 solo album Before and After Science the track "King's Lead Hat" is an anagram of Talking Heads.
Brian Eno was the album's producer and it shows. He brought in Adrian Belew on guitar after Eno and Belew worked with David Bowie. Both Eno and Belew are geniuses who had major impacts as solo artists and collaborators with so many major artists in the past 40 years.
@@mikemendoza750 I saw him with his power trio a few years ago - I agree with your assessment. Have you checked out his RU-vid appearances at Sweetwater? Absolutely cutting-edge.
@@AJ17_ Eno made Roxy Music interesting, but that was really Brian Ferry's band. I heard "Here Come The Warm Jets" the day it was released and never looked back. "Another Green World" remains THE masterpiece from the 1970s. I'd love to see Jamel react to "Sky Saw" - a composition that is still avant garde today, both brilliant and hilarious once you apprehend the lyrics.
Yeah I learned this myself recently when you compare it to people talking in tongues or being "taken by the holy spirit" and his seizure kind of movements make a lot more sense. Preaching yuppie ism
I see how the song could be a loose parody of "Prosperity Gospel", but Byrne has stated: "We operate half-awake or on autopilot and end up, whatever, with a house and family and job and everything else, and we haven't really stopped to ask ourselves, 'How did I get here?'" The video itself is certainly inspired by Pentecostal/Evangelical preacher antics.
@Jim lastname - I have no idea what they were debating about. I still don't know what the gesture means, and I'm not sure if Byrne does. I do know they have a long tradition and specific style of formal debate.
I think it’s more about getting stuck in the routine of life in modern society and wondering how you ended up there like everyone else. Like it happened without you noticing.
David Byrne has taken nerddom to a whole 'nother level! He is a unique genius who has blazed his own trail, and damn the torpedoes. You have to respect someone who is brave enough to be this different. He says that he was painfully shy as a young man. Fortunately for us, he took it and ran with it. By the way, I really enjoy your reaction videos. Your reviews are intelligent, sincere, and perceptive. And I really like the fact that you are not afraid to ask about things you don't know. That's exactly how you learn. Right On, Young Brother!
If your gonna mention wild wild life are you brave enough to also mention True Stories(1986). David Byrns Movie. Clips of the movie were in the music video.
This song was inspired by listening to Southern preachers on the radio when the band was touring. David Byrne like the way they spoke so he turned it into this song.
Yes, I remember hearing him tell about being on the tour bus & hearing a preacher on the radio one Sunday morning. Some of the lines from the song were direct quotes from that sermon.
The “monotony” of it all. Like a hamster running on a exercise wheel and suddenly jumping off. Then, not recognizing your life. And the question of: What is it all for? This song was featured in a movie called “The Family Man” starring Nicolas Cage & Téa Leoni.
Talking heads came out of the New York art school scene and started a band. That was in the 70s in the middle of the punk era. Their quirk and off-brand nature is a big part of them. The concert movie they made: Stop making sense, tells you all you need. (Also, top 5 concert movies all-time)
That's definitely a time I wouldn't had mind being old enough to experience. All that crazy fusion of music was coming out from so many performers. We're sure in dire need of that kind of creative vitality today.
Richard Meyers - It WAS a fantastic time musically. I was a teenager in the 70's; turned 21 in 1978. But it is only recently that I have come to the realization just HOW fortunate I am to have lived through those times. Such a huge diversity of artists. Before auto-tune and an over-abundance of digital wizardry. No wonder I fall back on nostalgia. 😕
Every time I hear this song (one of my faves from TH) I think of one of my Rules Of Life: The key to happiness is not getting what you want but wanting what you get.
Every so often a new song stops you in your tracks and makes you really pay attention.....and this one is a doozy! It stopped me in my tracks in 1980 when it first came out and it’s still on my favourites list. We need to be “shook up” now and then I think🤗
The music video isn't meant to be "comical". The idea is that he starts out repeating all the actions and motions of the versions of himself in the background as if he were on a marionette, but is slowly trying to break out of that and do his own thing.
There's nothing wrong with some people enjoying this as something comical, all art means different things to different people, even things the artist never intended.
Oooh! I never saw it that way. Totally makes sense. He's trying to break out of what the world says he should want (and be) and not just let "the days go by" blindly.
I always saw it as the idea of “going through the motions”. How most of us feel like we’re on autopilot. Then we wake up and try to get out of it but it’s like a computer frying.
The " stop making sense" Talking Heads concert is awesome. They had Bernie Worrell from P Funk with them. If your a fan you definitely need to watch it.
I've always percieved this song as someone as someone not happy with how their life turned out and found themselves in a rut where 9ne day bleeds into the next and he's finally having a nervous breakdown. The video, I feel, depicts this through David's dancing and more manic facial expressions as it progresses.
Back when there was a wide variety of music, styles, and personalities. Knew this video would mess with your head Jamel.... Happened to all of us first time seeing it. :)
Not a huge Heads fan, but they got a lot of great songs. Wild Life might be my favorite. The video is okay, but a little distracting. Do audio or live (no lyrics please).
As a child, before i could even remember, my parents had a copy of "Stop making sense" that they would play for me. And i would dance around like the guy on the stage. It wasn't until my 20s that i found a reference to this song and re-discovered talking heads. David Byrne is such a huge influence on my life, and until i became an adult i had no idea.
When this video first came out, it was ground breaking. Still is. Reminded me of a sweaty southern baptist preacher being pulled by puppet strings. We were blown away by The Talking Heads and there hasn't been anything like them since.
One of the coolest, & most innovative bands to come out of the USA.........ever! Not American at all, in their style, or 'message'! Much more 'European' in their style.
@@raymondweaver8526Im 60 yrs old and thats what we called it in 78 when they took off...so fel free to call it what you want lol. I lived it... but I must be wrong.
It was the 80's man, music videos were new to the industry and much cheaper to do. So everyone was experimenting and you ended up with some really wild stuff.
I was born in 1964, I turned 21 1985 at the height of the Talking Heads Fame. They were all art students at the University of California Los Angeles. The Talking Heads was a live performance experiment that went crazy! I'm so glad it did!
Look at this song and video as a televangelist preacher talking to his flock, those over the top 80's ones, you know those "The power of Christ compels you!!" preachers. David took that approach to "preach his gospel" with a more more honest outlook than any of the "real" preachers. The man isnt only a musician, he's an artist, an activist and a perfectionist (and notoriously difficult to work with lol) and he is ridiculously smart. Nothing shows it better than "Stop making sense" live concert, here you see theatrical art and music art being combined with a dystopian flavor added as a statement, its hard to explain but its a absolute much watch show. (maybe good for a life stream?) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4xL7Ilh1DFI.html More Talking Heads Jamel, we need more! hehehe Thnx for the upload :D
@@clasicradiolover Indeed. A book everyone should read. Are you really a classic radio lover? If so -- awesome. I'll leave you with an Orson Wells line from 1936..... (followed by his epic, sneering laugh).
@@tanstaafl1301 The Shadow Knows! Yes I discovered OTR on XM. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. Fibber Magee and Molly Have Gun, Will Travel. And many more. Also I like watching David Tipton restore radios from before the transistor
The 1980s was probably the greatest decade for music. The musical diversity that we all enjoyed was incredible...This decade tops even the 1960s.. and that decade was great. But the 1980s was something else.....It really was... THis is just one top song from that decade
I've met David several times in NYC. Such a cool, humble, sweet guy. He rode his bike around town all the time. Seemed to have no idea (or saw no reason to dwell upon) the impact he has had on people. Made me like him even more!
When holding on to nothing but materialistic values for your own self-approval, life will always be the "same as it ever was". The more you have, the more you want. And so goes the ego feed that no one but yourself really cares about.
The Talking Heads concert film called Stop Making Sense is the best concert film of all time. The concept of starting with one musician and bringing the band on one at a time is genius and the songs are epic when performed live. David is such a dynamic lead singer, and all the band are such good musicians. Watch "Life During Wartime" or "Take Me to the River" - amazing!
I think the song describes someone realizing that their conventional, ordinary life hasn't satisfied them or brought them peace. Beautiful house, check. Beautiful wife, check... My God, what have I done? The human condition: same as it ever was. We grind away at our lives, doing what is expected of us, while craving greater meaning inside. Then one day "you find yourself" with all those things, but without that meaning.
"Water dissolving and water removing \ There is water at the bottom of the ocean \ Under the water, carry the water \ Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean \ Water dissolving and water removing" -- The video skips this verse entirely.
Please react to these Talking Heads songs: "Life During Wartime" (Live), "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)", "Burning Down The House",, "Slippery People" (Live), "Girlfriend Is Better" (Live), "And She Was", "Road To Nowhere", "Heaven" (Live), "Take Me To The River", "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)", "Crosseyed and Painless", "I Zimbra", and "Wild Wild Life".
The Talking Heads are such an amazing band! I personally highly recommend This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody). It's such a beautiful song and one of my favorites of all time.
So many great liners: How do I work this? Under the water This is not my beautiful wife Same as it ever was Look where my hand was Here comes the twister
After all these years I still can't hear this song without jumping up and doing some of the moves in the video. And if that isn't possible, just the forearm measure chops. "Same as it ever was... Same as it ever was..." But please: Talking Heads - Life During Wartime LIVE Los Angeles '83
This song came out when I was in my early teens, but I don't remember getting it until I was on my early twenties. I always took it to be about waking up one day and just not realizing how you got to where you are.
