First Time Reaction Talking Heads - Burning Down the House

What IS This Music video???? Today, I'm diving into a classic track from the iconic band Talking Heads - "Burning Down the House." This is my first time reacting to this 80s hit, and I'm super excited to experience their unique sound and style. In this video, I'll be sharing my honest thoughts and impressions as we explore this legendary song together. From the catchy beats to the thought-provoking lyrics, there's a lot to unpack!
Lyrics Highlight:
"Watch out, you might get what you're after
Cool babies, strange but not a stranger
I'm an ordinary guy
Burning down the house"
I can't wait to hear what you all think of my reaction, and if you're a Talking Heads fan, let me know your favorite song by them! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more first-time reactions and music content.
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Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
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#FirstTimeReaction #TalkingHeads #BurningDownTheHouse #80sMusic #MusicReaction #ClassicRock #ReactionVideo #MusicLovers #RetroMusic #TalkingHeadsReaction

[@Reubinv]

I only know this song from the movie 13 going on 30, this geeky kid is dancing to it at a party lol

[@LindaC616]

That's probably where she knows it from too!😅

[@DianeJennings]

Ohhhhh yeah I think sooooo! Well done

[@mikesilva3868]

​@@DianeJennings😊same

[@lawrencedavis9246]

Pinned! Piiiiiinnneeeddd!

[@jameswilson7790]

@@Reubinv The song was also used in the movie REVENGE OF THE NERDS.

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

Since you liked the video, you might want to watch the Talking Heads concert film "Stop Making Sense" (1984). Some consider it the best concert movie ever made. Band members David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, and Chris Frantz met as students at the Rhode Island School of Design. Their background in design comes through in their look. The band needed a bass player when they were getting started, so Frantz encouraged Weymouth to learn the instrument by listening to Suzi Quatro records. Weymouth auditioned three times before she became a band member. I think it worked out pretty well for her. Weymouth and Frantz formed another band called Tom Tom Club that was active at the same time as Talking Heads. Their biggest hit in the U.S. was "Genius of Love," which has a really good animated music video. The band and song were also featured in "Stop Making Sense." David Byrne directed the movie "True Stories" (1986), and wrote the music for "The Last Emperor" (1987), "Married to the Mob" (1988), "Young Adam" (2003), "This Must Be the Place" (2011), and "Contemporary Color" (2016). Other songs by Talking Heads: - Psycho Killer - Take Me to the River - Wild Wild Life - Once in a Lifetime - Road to Nowhere BTW, the lyric "leave those kids alone" is from "The Wall" by Pink Floyd.

[@markbeauchamp2053]

It really is one of the best concerts ever. Life During Wartime is my favorite.

[@DianeJennings]

That sounds very intriguing thanks Jeff!

[@Dularr]

It's fantastic watching the band transfer form Talking Heads to Tom Tom Club as David changes into the big suit.

[@jameswilson7790]

You mentioned Genius of Love by The Tom Tom Club. The song peaked at #31 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100. However, Fantasy by Mariah Carey and Big Energy by Latto both sample Genius of Love and both hit #1 on the Airplay chart.

[@blueboy4244]

it's a must see

[@heatherg-thatsme]

I’ve always loved the fact this song doesn’t sound like other songs. It’s unique and it stays in your head, where some songs are just a throw away song, and easily forgotten

[@DianeJennings]

That’s an excellent perspective!

[@harvey1954]

They did a great cover of Al Green's "Take me To the River."

[@jim2431]

Fantastic cover. Much underrated band but I don't think they cared

[@susanmolnar9606]

They met at the Rhode Island school of Design. I’m friends with Chris (drums) and Tina (bass) who are married and live near me. They also started the band the Tom Tom Club and play in our area. In 1977 their first hit was Psycho Killer-fantastic.

[@leftcoaster67]

It's 80's. The Talking Heads are just their own thing.

[@jim2431]

Hard to describe but they had impact

[@scottmochinski5447]

It’s nice to see young people appreciate old stuff.

[@donaldbohn3183]

Talking Heads were a genre unto themselves.

[@badhabitbabbitt7655]

One of MTVs early videos. Talking Heads ushered in the New Wave genre. Classy as always Ms. DJ!

[@DianeJennings]

So glad you enjoyed it! I imagine you’re due a long sleep now!

[@badhabitbabbitt7655]

Walking Zombies today!!!​@@DianeJennings

[@frederickthompson1546]

'Once in a lifetime.' My fav.

[@dongleason9878]

You look entranced by the face projected on the road until you finally give it the "what the hell am I looking at" look.

[@GregHolland-s4w]

Probably just a coincidence that the white lines went up his nose.

[@UncleCharlie111x2]

I remember watching this on MTV in a bar wasted in 83. Cool song!

[@DSALV76]

“Well, that was a whole new thing.” is one of the best reactions to Talking Heads I’ve ever heard! 😂

[@johnsample7391]

As others have noted, the Talking Heads made one of my favorite concert films, "Stop Making Sense," which was recently restored and re-released. I remember one of the television ads for the film in which David Byrne interviewed himself. Q: "Why is the film called "Stop Making Sense?" A: "Because it's good advice!"

[@DianeJennings]

😂😂😂 very good

[@uncletrilly3566]

They're my favorite band! Thanks for checking them out!

[@captainsatellite2112]

Byrne left his wife at the table with his former bandmates at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Just got up like he was going to use the restroom and walked out. Filed for divorce next business day. Drummer Frantz who, like the rest of the band, was already estranged, asked him why? He said, you have to move on some time. Interesting guy who is on the spectrum.

[@Docjonel]

David is just killing time here until the mother ship returns to take him home.

[@Tconlon251_2]

I seem to recall this was part of the plot of the movie “Rock Star” with Mark Wahlberg, which was based on the lead singer of Judas Priest

[@MrDootDali]

One of the greatest concerts I've ever seen. I cannot recall seeing a better show.

[@seapr6]

I was a total snow skiing freak in the early 90s, and regularly tore up the slopes in the mountains all over the western US, listening to the talking heads on a Sony Walkman.

[@nicholasregan6526]

woke up to this song 7am in 1983 september-october, on alarm clock radio, just before getting up for school, AH, the early 80s, brings back memories

[@PUNKinDRUBLIC72]

This band has class oozing out of EVERYTHING!

[@wbj2000]

During the 80s, there was a lot of experimenting with synthesizers. The Talking Heads were originals during the go-go 80's.

[@Dr-Alexander-The-Great]

For the 5 yr in a row. I was voted the most secretive guy in the office. I can’t tell you how much this award means to me

[@jamessweet5341]

Well done!🤪

[@lauriebarrett6789]

Tom Jones and 'The Cardigans' did a cover of "Burning Down The House" in 1999.

[@Festus171]

I have to say that I continue to be blown away by their live performance of "Life During Wartime". So funky and so physical... besides being a total jam.

[@thedocofrock1890]

front man david byrne is still with us at 72 years of age. the HEADS were huge and ahead of their time for new wave bands

[@andrewclarke3622]

I almost forgot about Talking Heads. If you like this one you will like "Once in a Lifetime".

[@jeremyfrost2636]

Psycho Killer is also good.

[@andrewclarke3622]

Yes . And h9w old it is

[@andrewclarke3622]

I rediscovered i think is the first song when I discovered Talking Heads, "This is the Place" just the other day. I think you might like it. Hard to believe it came out in 1983!👨‍🦳😄

[@rantman4521]

Your second song should be Life During Wartime. You WILL dance.

[@joyous-b8j]

IN THE SUMMER OF "83" WORKING IN A RESTAURANT KITCHEN, WHEN THIS SONG CAME ON THE RADIO WE STOP WHAT WE WERE DOING AND DANCE UNTIL THE SONG ENDED!!,😍🤩🥰💃🕺📻

[@Docjonel]

Was in college when this came out. The guys in the suite next to me were having a loud party and played this song over and over when I was trying to get to sleep. Later that night after the music had died down the fire alarms went off. A candle in their suite started a pretty fierce fire and we all stood outside watching as the fire company put it out. The house nearly burned down that night.

[@Sp33gan]

Talking Heads were part of a musical movement called New Wave. It was highly creative, pushed boundaries, and being a little odd was just a part of the style. Sadly, music hasn't been creative since the major labels squeezed the life out of it, beginning in the mid-1980s.

[@charliepeterson7168]

you have to watch the music video by them "Life During Wartime" from the Stop Making Sense live concert movie. One of my favorite video ever, great lyrics as well. Love your channel.

[@sanjuro66]

Several year ago, I volunteered as medical personnel at concerts. I got to work a David Byrne (lead singer) concert, and his stage performance was outstanding!

[@DianeJennings]

Sounds like a great job 🤩

[@aldobelli8300]

1980's progressive rock. One of my favorite bands, had all their albums and cassettes for the car.

[@harryrabbit2870]

The Talking Heads were monsters of the New Wave scene but they never let their fame get in the way of their art. They self-destructed largely because of personality clashes. A lot of people didn't know what to make of them. You just listen to the Heads and either you're entertained or you're not.

[@ballyastrocade5672]

I'll admit, it took me a few listens to really get into them. The first time I heard one of their songs, it was so different from everything else on the radio, and David Byrne's vocal stylings (especially in this song) were so *odd* , that I definitely didn't know what to make of them either. 🙂

[@telgato711]

You should react to more Talking Heads. There is a lot there to hear.

[@conniekungfu206]

This should be heard in a club without a video to appreciate!

[@RaymondSolo]

1982 was the year I graduated High School and this song was a huge summer hit the year after when it came out. I'm not 100% sure but I think I remember a David Burn solo career after the he left the Heads. We used to call this sort of music "New Wave" but I never considered The Talking Heads a true New Wave group as they where around in the late 1970's with there Billboard Top 100 hit song "Psycho KIller" in 1977-78. They where more on the lighter side of "Punk" music IMHO, song's like "And she was", "Once in a Lifetime", "Take me to the River" and "Wild Wild Life" where good tunes that served them well and the Live album/video/movie "Stop making Sense" was a big seller to! very well made, I had it on VHS tape. One of the band's I played in back in the 1980's did "Stay up Late", it was a favoret among the regulars that came to our show's! Honestly I doubt if to many of them actually knew it was a Talking Heads song as it wasn't one of there hit songs.

[@jackempson3044]

When this came out and I was a young single man in my early twenties this is the song I would play loudly on my car stereo to start my night, while head to the Friday night party. Sounds great on a good stereo. The drums are mixed to please.

[@Chrisrob90406]

This song has such unique energy and that comes across in live performances of it. Even when covered by other bands.

[@TrianglesAndCircles]

More? Perhaps Life after Wartime or And She Was.

[@kimsparks5811]

One of those songs that you can't forget the bridge, but darn if I could remember any other lyrics. Thanks for sharing

[@DianeJennings]

Glad you enjoyed it! I know EXACTLY what you mean!!

[@vclamp]

Fun fact: When Diane was at the Culver's in "Milwaukee", she was only 1.5km from one of the Talking Heads homes. (which has not burned down😋)

[@razzberrylogic]

Above a striped shirt is Diane’s talking head Her lips began moving and some words were said A wide range of expressions, is what her face made Arty and experimental, were some thoughts she conveyed

[@DianeJennings]

Haha striped shirt aside that about sums up most videos 😆

[@lorrainethomas241]

Love me some Talking Heads. You might want to check out Tom Tom Club and their song Genius of Love. It's a band started by Tina Weymouth (bassist) and Chris Franz (drummer) of the Talking Heads.

[@DianeJennings]

Sounds good!

[@artsensi9759]

My favorite video is from the 1983 concert, Talking Heads - Life During Wartime (live)

[@harvey1954]

"Life In Wartime" is really good lyrics. Slice of life from someone trying to survive the war. Talking Heads were Rhode Island School of Design. Pioneers in new wave and on MTV a lot.

[@robertn2]

"Our Middle of the Street" follow by "Burning Down the House" seems to come to mind.

[@quincymitchell3025]

New Wave is the style of music. Popular in the 1980s. One of my favorite bands along with Devo and The Cars.

[@DanSitowski]

Glad to hear that you liked Burning Down the House. Because of your theatrical background I would also highly recommend that you check out the live version of Life During Wartime from the film Stop Making Sense. You might even want to watch the entire film. Many critics say it is the best concert film ever produced. It was directed by Jonathan Demme.

[@Laceykat66]

If it is Talking Heads the "genre" is "Talking Heads." They are their own genre.

[@losthor1zon]

As I understand it, Talking Heads are indirectly responsible for the phrase "New Wave". Their manager needed a way to describe them. They weren't exactly "punk rock" but he didn't want to say "post punk", so he came up with the phrase "new wave" which then caught fire (ha ha) and was adopted and applied more generally. Most well known Talking Heads songs (besides this one) are: "Psycho Killer", "Life During Wartime", and "Once In A Lifetime". Oh, heck, just listen to the "Stop Making Sense" concert, you'll get it.

[@timoboyle8867]

Talking Heads - Life During Wartime (live) from Stop Making Sense is one of the best live performances you could see from ANY band. Extraordinary and worth checking out!

[@notconcernedwriting]

No cgi back then so that was really him eating the lines in the road.

[@Howiex-is8gq]

I used to sing this song.And made my brother nuts

[@RICHIEV333]

In the 1970s and 1980s, I would hear their songs on the radio. It wasn't until I watched "Stopped Making Sense" that I realized that, at their core, they were performance artists. "Life During Wartime" live from the movie Stop Making Sense would be a good next video.

[@mattblatchley2061]

Awesome Diane!!! please do more Talking Heads if you would!!! ....80s New Wave for sure!

[@brentsmithline3423]

Love this song. Local band in Portland, Oregon (ORY-GUN) did a very good cover of this song. This song always brings back memories of that night the band sang this song,

[@zeroturbulence1359]

Always liked this song since the 80's, but please check out "Once In A Lifetime" (Same As It Ever Was). It's like their best song.

[@tallicafan85]

i miss the 80s and 90s. better times.

[@Cosmoproto]

This is the first video I ever saw on MTV

[@LS1007]

Never was into them but thanks for reacting to them. Take care, be safe and have a great weekend. ❤

[@DianeJennings]

You too!!

[@real_fjcalabrese]

I was a weird youngster, and I loved Talking Heads.

[@MegaDirtyberty]

A lot of us were and did :)

[@dansmith3085]

The thing to remember about the Talking Heads is that it is basically performance art. Also - Tom Jones covered this with the Cardigans.

[@moniqueleroux2198]

Performance Art and percussion perfection!

[@wm3752]

The genre was referred to as "New Wave"(Blondie, The Cars, Elvis Costello,Tom Petty, Devo, The B-52's, Duran Duran, Human League, The Pretenders, The Police)(and LOT'S more).....your friend in the Pacific Northwest(Seattle)...Wayne Maher....

[@martindalton9372]

Talking Heads music is addictive. And so are their videos and concert film. The genre label "New Wave" was created (by their manager) to describe their music. They are to the "New Wave" genre what Pink Floyd is to "Progressive Rock". They rule. Once you start listening you just keep going through their catalog, multiple times over.

[@captainsatellite2112]

Saw them on this tour in the 80s at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. We heard no alcohol for the show so my pal and I snuck in before the concert and planted a trash bag with beers and ice in the venue. Pal had a security guard uniform so no one approached him. A person asked who I was and I just said "I'm with the lights." We saw the sound check and left. Later, near show time, we dropped acid and went in the regular way. We found the beers and enjoyed an awesome Talking Heads concert and ice cold beers while rocking with everyone else on the floor near the stage. Awesome show.

[@HikeAroundandFindOut]

Happy Friday Diane! Cool song here. I saw Bonnie Raitt do a cover of this song live at the Ravinia Festival (near Chicago) back in 2016. Great song. And Highly Recommend Bonnie Raitt, she's brilliant. Have a great weekend!

[@DianeJennings]

I'll check it out!

[@ronshepherd6950]

Another 80s band/song that I know nothing about because it was during the years when I was overseas serving in the Navy. So this is my 'first time' hearing it too. It's cute.

[@DianeJennings]

It is!! That’s a cool lil time travel u get

[@richardleatherman5075]

Interesting band. My "alternative rock" friends really liked this band for a minute but felt they went too mainstream when they released this song (likely because of it's wide popularity)

[@mitchellbeston1033]

Talking Heads are the definition of progressive. I'm a fan who was 12 when they hit it big. I'm now over 50 and still blown away by how unique they were and still are. Who sounds like this?

[@paullangland7559]

Yay another great video. I sometimes sing this song when I hear it on the radio.

[@DianeJennings]

Love that!

[@IslaSkye123]

80s New Wave music. This song* was popular when I was in high school.

[@robertmiller2633]

Saw them in '83. Hands down the best concert I've ever seen !!!!!

[@Stacy55ish]

The best of New Wave.

[@MichaelW-nu3nv]

Fun, hadn't heard this in quite a while. Thanks Diane, and have a good weekend!

[@DianeJennings]

Thanks, you too!

[@Marcus-p5i5s]

Good 80's music

[@danielbenincasa770]

Good group. They are new wave, punk, funk, and art rock. A nice cross over......

[@billsantospianomore678]

I think the ending is a reference to snorting cocaine.

[@charlerssmith8814]

MTV days had some crazy videos.

[@jollyrodgers7272]

This song is VERY Percussive and Ethereal all at once, for sure! Love it - sooo '80s. Their cover of Al Green's TAKE ME TO THE RIVER is the Very Best. It's on the album More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978), arguably their Best album, acting like the '80s ahead of time. Frantz is Chris Frantz, the Drummer - his wife Tina Weymouth on Bass Guitar.

[@gregleighton6172]

While I don't celebrate the Talking Heads catalog.I do like some of their songs. If you're gonna check out more I would listen to Psycho Killer or Take Me To The River.

[@kking1367]

It was in the movie REVENGE OF THE NERDS.

[@rowenatulley852]

Once in a Lifetime is my favorite, but I love the energy of Life During Wartime from their movie Stop Making Sense . . .

[@briancleveland6115]

This was on pretty much every time you turned on MTv, great song, you should do And she was, Phyco killer and Once in a life time next ..

[@battmale]

A very percussion heavy song, it was unlike most music at the time. As a fan of percussion, I enjoyed listening to it.

[@DianeJennings]

I like percussion tooooo

[@razor6552]

I like the bit of French in their Psycho Killer song

[@vermithax]

As an 80s kid, I mostly hated the music of the 80s. My opinion is only slightly more charitable now. But this song? This song is one of the all time greats.

[@blackpanther3912]

You're late to the party, like, very very late. You need to hear Ren- Hi Ren You'll love this guy.... genre bending ARTist (i mean that in EVERY sense of the word, he produces all of his own music/videos). Most of his videos are done in 1 take style. Hi Ren took 4 takes to get the song recorded the way he wanted it. Money Game 1 took over 180 takes...

[@digitaldirt7773]

Knowing you are Irish is very cool to me, my family is far removed from there, we came to America before it was the United States in the late 1600's. My family was mostly Scandinavian, Irish, Scottish, Wales, English back then. The English hated the Irish so my family changed their name from Ormsby or Ormesby (many people could not write back then and names changed easily) to Amsbury to sound more English. But I am mostly Irish, Scottish, English (Townsend), Scandinavian (Ormsby), German (Baumgartner) and Portuguese (Maderas). I have signatures on my wall from the 4th and 5th Presidents of the USA. Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. Also President Richard Nixon but that was much later.

[@Whisper_292]

Freaky, freaky video!

[@nzlemming]

First film I heard it in was Revenge of the Nerds, while the frat house burns.

[@jeromemckenna7102]

I'm about the same age as the members of Talking Heads and I also went to an art school. so I have a similar point of view. Loved this song when it came out. Yes, I think David Byrne was a bit of a shit in the breakup.

[@touncy1533]

hard explaining how cool this was in the day

[@lastedain450]

Strange first choice but a good song. Psycho Killer, Life During Wartime or Once in a Lifetime you should listen to next

[@DianeJennings]

Their most viewed

[@Martin-i3e5z]

Love your reaction to Talking Heads. I hope your next reaction is Atarashi Gakko, First Take. Also Band-Maid, live version of Freedom. I am obsessed with these groups, as you can see. ❤

[@marcblock7581]

This song became famous in 1983.

[@mercurywoodrose]

A documentary of one of their concerts in the mid 1980s by Jonathan Demi is one of the best Concert movies ever made it’s called stop making sense

[@J.B.-in7cx]

This was in revenge of the nerds.

[@MikeWalsh-f1g]

Hey Diane I think the Talking Heads were the greatest balance of artsy and popular record sellers of any band. Kinda like Bowie.