Composer Reacts to Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime (REACTION & ANALYSIS)

Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime (Official Video)
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[@StringHead92]

There's tracks that have more clear ties to the traditional idea of Punk, but one of the key factors of Post-Punk bands like Talking Heads is the DIY and experimental nature of Punk rather than the sound itself. This track and album is sonically closer to Afrobeat music, especially the work of Nigerian artist Fela Kuti. There's also some some funk and dance music infuence in general. The spoken word is meant to emulate a sermon and I feel they succeed in that, at least the tone feels quite preachy. Kuti's music also has a bit of that sermon feel, although in his work it's related to the political nature of his lyrics. Great insight as always, Bryan!

[@CriticalReactions]

Very interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind moving forward regarding the essence of punk, not the sound of it.

[@ambassadortourettes753]

A wonderful outline 👌 Very hard to break down the very 80(s) "New Wave beginnings to Devo to..." Exactly 👌 We could write a thesis paper right 🤔 Well placed my friend 👌 Thank you for articulation 👌 Well positioned 😂

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

Talking Heads were relentlessly experimental and were mostly just glued together by David Byrne's singular personality and very unique vocal style and stream-of-conscious, surreal lyrics. They didn't sound like anything else in the 80s, and often didn't even sound like themselves from one album to the next. As other commenters have mentioned, the album this song is from (Remain in Light) took a lot of inspiration from Afrobeat music, but there's also funk, electronic/dance pop, and a lot that can only be described as "art rock." It's their best album and one of the best of the 80s. Also worth noting this song was named by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll. I think you touched on what made this song so successful: that huge contrast between the verses and chorus. The verse draws you in with it's sermon-like, surreal, spoken-word lyrics, funky bass, and ethereal keyboards, and then that huge, hooky chorus hits and it's almost like slapping you out of a dream... by the end you're left wondering whether the verse or chorus is the real world or the dream... kinda like what the lyrics are talking about. Dropkick Murphys were actually a very late punk band (they were formed in the 90s). Punk gets started with The Stooges and MC5 (with some inspiration from The Velvet Underground) in the late 60s, and develops into the major 70s bands: The Ramones, Television, Patti Smith, The Sex Pistols, and The Clash. These early punk bands were mostly the loud, brash, aggressive punk sound you're thinking of. One way to think of 70s punk is as the evolution of the 60s garage rock bands that formed as a reaction against the complexity of late 60s ambitious psychedelia (like The Beatles's Sgt. Pepper) and 70s prog. By the late 70s punk started incorporating more diverse influences, and you can especially hear this in The Clash (new wave, ska) and Joy Division, who may have been the first "proper" post punk band. The 80s post-punk band basically took these new sounds/influences and ran with them a dozen different directions. One thing I find most interesting about post-punk is precisely how diverse the "genre" is, because almost all of the bands sound different from each other and different from most all other music from that time period. Talking Heads really embodied that because, like I said, they often didn't even sound like themselves from one album to the next!

[@usualdosage7287]

Yup and some bands transcend the whole rock canon entirely, like this heat or suicide, 2 amazing post punk-adjacent bands from the late 70s who were absolutely aliens compared to the music at that time

[@ggluckmanful]

Hmmm, Talking Heads we’re a straight up CBGB’s punk band in the late 70s NYC scene. They were punk, before punk meant a sound but still meant some sort of DIY ethos. They were contemporary with the lash, or Sex Pistols but the NYC scene got more from Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. Given this song comes from almost 10 years after that, I guess it’s ‘post’ all that but I’m not sure they were post-punk in any genre sense. For me, this is a pretty foundational band, they were my entry point for all kinds of ideas about music and art. I don’t even know where to start with how to introduce you to all their influences, who they influenced and just how big an impact they, and most importantly their singer (David Byrne) had on 80s culture and aesthetics. Hmmm, listen to the greatest hits, Sand in the Vaseline, and try watching my favorite film, True Stories. I think between the two, you might get some sense of the depth and breadth of their talents and ambitions (also where Radiohead took their name from). I wish I could ensure you’d (anyone reading this) would give this band the attention I think they deserve, but I cannot imagine very many of you will.

[@dimiko8232]

David Byrne, the vocalist, always gave me this weird preacher vibes on this song, I think he was going for this vibe and it really struck gold for me! Anyways, this is very specific off-shoot of post-punk called New Wave. Some people may say that New Wave was it's own thing, but to me there's just too much crossover. In general, post-punk strips away the aggressiveness of punk rock's distorted riffs, shouted vocals and very simplistic song structures in favour of more out-there sound. It can take influences from many other genres, like experimental, art rock, world-music etc., but it can also just be stripped away punk rock. New Wave however increased the zaniness and quirkiness to the extreme levels, applying more jerky basslines and wilder rhythms. Now for Talking Heads, on this album "Remain in Light", they went full on Afrobeat on some sections and incorporated African rhythmic work. This song was more reserved in this context though, going for more of a poppier sound. Their producer, Brian Eno himself, wanted to scrap the song, but I believe Byrne forced it through. It's a catchy song! For this chorus alone, it became pretty much a classic. Maybe it's not the most complicated or proggy cut, but it's fascinating to me how well the message of living your life on autopilot and just asking yourself "how did I get here?" goes through.

[@CriticalReactions]

Santiago mentioned the spoken word emulating a sermon so you're both on the same wavelength there. So post-punk is not about using the punk sound, but the punk idea -- still pushing against the status quo just not in an aggressive way? That's interesting. And the song is about being on auto-pilot. Hmm....I like to think I caught on to an adjacent feeling from the song but I was not getting that specific idea. I definitely see that concept working into the music though.

[@philsilverthorn]

I feel that early Devo might be a better connecting point between punk and new wave. A few years later on it's harder to spot connections between the genres but for a while in the late 70's you could see how new wave was branching off using the punk ethic. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJyUdYGwnJV_jdU

[@tonybarruk2]

I'd like to know which department stores you go to :-) Where does this band & song relate to post-punk? The key thing is to realise that "punk" wasn't about fast, angry, three-chord songs, it was about *anything* being fair game regardless of your musical background or ability level - anyone could have a shot! This track and those from the accompanying (classic!) album "Remain In Light" all came out of jam sessions with the band and producer Brian Eno, who then took the various parts and created songs from them in association with bandleader David Byrne, a process which really alienated the rest of the band, especially the rhythm section who went off and formed Tom Tom Club as their own musical outlet. Byrne was fascinated with old-fashioned preachers at the time, and wanted to write a song in that style, hence the verses. Eno came up with that background ambient tinkling sound which sounded like water, hence the references in the chorus lyrics. The video was choreographed by Toni Basil who had a hit single in her own right with "Mickey." Byrne especially was fascinated by the possibilities of the then-new music video field, and most Talking Heads videos (and their concert movie "Stop Making Sense") are brilliant - keep exploring them, you won't regret it.

[@markdrechsler5660]

Here’s a live version of the same song. It will give you a sense of the band live. The core band is a four piece, with guests for this tour. The concert film, called “Stop Making Sense,” is considered one of the best concerts films ever. This song is from their fourth studio album. By this point they were experimenting relentlessly by adding members, adding elements of funk and world music, and working with producer Brian Eno. kzbin.info/www/bejne/injSl6J-brd3e6M

[@redline11786]

Great reaction haha especially when that chorus kicked in. I was like there’s no way he didn’t hear this one before, but your explanation was right on the money. I too didn’t know this was Talking Heads until I stumbled upon them through a different song. I wanted to touch on the post punk movement and ping you again about the band Murder by Death. They’ve definitely got post punk influence, but they’re own sound as well (think Ennio Morricone style). They write concept albums and have multi-instrumentalist, so you’d dig that haha. I’ll recommend reacting to Comin’ Home + Ball & Chain (they’re short songs but work very well together conceptually). Or you can keep it simple and react to the song Space. I’ll be looking forward to it, as there aren’t any reaction videos to this unique band anywhere on YT! Keep up the great work!!

[@CriticalReactions]

Murder by Death is a fantastic phrase, already got my attention. I'll see about working it in this week.

[@redline11786]

@@CriticalReactions Isn’t it!? The band picked it off from a satirical mystery movie of the same name from the 70’s. Definitely worth a watch. They’re all over the place, but two good post punk songs for this week will be The Desert is on Fire or The Curse of Elkhart THANK YOU!

[@GarDenofThieves]

I somehow knew that "ooohh! ok!" was coming

[@hanspenner535]

If you want a good example of what modern post punk is or just post punk in general I’d check out uncanny valley by crack cloud. An older example that in my opinion represents the genre better than this would be damaged goods by gang of four.

[@musicglenn]

in the early days as the word punk was barely in existence, it included any groups who were outside of main stream rock and trying something different. Specifically in New York City we’re talking heads are from, punx encompassed all the bands around CBGBs Who were doing something different, including Ramones, television, Blondie and talking heads. Around the same time in the UK the pPunx label was applied to bands who sound more like what you would expect, the sex pistols, the clash, the Damned etc.

[@ericmartin8818]

This was not the full version heard on the radio!! (“Water dissolving and water removng, there is water at the bottom of the ocean . . .”)

[@erikahlander3489]

Here the music analysis would have benfitted from some context research. What happens in the end of the 1970s is a change to simplicity and maybe a reaction against the prog music. Maybe you need to compare with other music at the time from Patti Smith and Clash etc in the early punk era to the increased diversity in the early 80s, not only in music style but different groupings of young people. What characterized the early punk "everybody could play" turned into a multitude of "life styles" with different taste for music, clothes etc. Much like what happened ten years earlier with a multitude of new music around 1970. (This is my personal impression - no formal rock history)

[@MegalonJonesSlattery]

You kind of self sabotaged yourself with this one. Talking Heads were an Art Rock project that emerged out of the NY mid 70's scene. They were adjacent to punk and shared bills with punk groups at places like CBGB's, but weren't punk. This has more DNA of post serialist process music (repeating cells and figures) that was created with tape loops.

[@ganazby]

Definitely not a punk band. New Wave/Art Rock ish, but really just their own experimental thing. The preaching style during the verses was directly inspired by TV evangelists.

[@lewismaddox4132]

This is my own personal opinion and it surely just comes down to taste, but I feel like the studio version has become cliche, dull from time and play and exposure. Bland! That's just me. I was alive when MTV was born. To me, if you want to gain an extra dimension of life and emotion, you need to see the live version from Stop Making Sense. Here, let me foist it into your lap. You decide if I'm full of shit. Yet remember, "Time isn't after us, time isn't holding us!" kzbin.info/www/bejne/injSl6J-brd3e6M

[@ogogre8617]

Post punk, check out Nomeansno and fugazi. Love your honest critique

[@matwood1122]

Watch more reactions to this song and everyone has a wonderful wow smile at the end. This is artful punk.

[@reddish98]

Hoping for some Interpol, The Cure and Wire this week!

[@TheOriginalFILIBUSTA]

First question...WHY...such a big suit?

[@thecrye6798]

CBGB is the lineage that ties Punk and New Wave

[@gandhiguerrero3668]

Stop listening to that prog metal garbage and listen some good music for once (in a life time) like post punk shit

[@yaktaxi1234567]

PUNK isnt a sound

[@lonexponet7138]

I think this spng whcih ypu got right on the head with out know is about people going though life like a zombie.static

[@80sandretrogubbins25]

I'm not sure about the meaning, but the lyrics and delivery are inspired by David Byrne's observations of TV evangelists.

[@trendydelquendy]

Brian Eno produced this and I understand he mis-heard the feel of the bar and assumed the bass notes occurred in the middle of the bar - the band took this idea on. I play the bassline F# and A and worked out the arpeggio as, I think a D5sus4 with A bass? I can't remember but it's a 3-note thingy. Talking Heads played CBGBs a lot with Ramones and Blondie, and were bundled in with that movement.

[@williamandres1042]

Such a peculiar song, such a particular band. Nice reaction. Subscribed!

[@reddish98]

This one is very much a mix of New Wave with early Post-Punk

[@rolfjamne8922]

This was the main soundtrack in the movie Down and out in Beverly Hills. Nick Nolte Richard Dreyfus and Bette Middler. Great movie. Talking Heads is fantastic, but i never understood the so called post punk. This is real musicians. The guitarplayer Adrian Belew. Left Talking Heads and joyned King Crimson. He allso played with Frank Zappa and that is as far away from punk you can get.🤘

[@progperljungman8218]

You should try out Cardiacs. Def punk AND prog/art rock. One of e.g Mike Keneally's (Zappa bandmember) favourite bands. Truly genious (but a taste devider though)

[@rolfjamne8922]

@@progperljungman8218 Thanks. if Keneally likes it, i like it.

[@davidschewe100]

Dude you have no business critiquing David Byrne and Brian Eno. What they did on this on this album was so innovative. If you watch the Stop Making Sense live version of this song you might begin to understand the true vision of this song. I was embarrassed for you watching this.

[@CriticalReactions]

Maybe I don't have the place to critique them, but no art is above criticism. We are all humans and make mistakes. We make decisions that seem sound at the time. And lastly, we all have different tastes. There is no such thing as a perfect song; a song with no compromises to the vision where every listener is 100% satisfied with 100% of the song. I'd even go so far to say that you believe any work of art is beyond criticism then you're not a true fan of said work.