🎵 Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime REACTION

[@tk72231968]

I remember the Singer David Bryne saying this song is about people who just go through life like zombies, just going through the motions and not taking time to enjoy the small things.

[@RobinT-treehugger]

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!

[@mana3735]

My wife always takes time out to enjoy the small things, luckily for me.

[@wonkothesane8691]

Sounds about right. For a lot of people, it's that way.

[@HunkyTalkenMonkey01]

@@mana3735 Hehehe ;)

[@riggs666]

@@mana3735 That's funny.

[@midkingsteve]

David byrn recently said in a Podcast that his inspiration for this song literally was listening to radio preachers and he wanted to try to emulate their style with his melody. Lex got it right on the money

[@michaelccozens]

Yup! IIRC, he was driving through rural America (Southwest?) and the only thing on the radio were snatches of Evangelical bible-thumpers from various low-power local stations, that faded in-and-out with a constant irregularity. It created kind of a pastiche of messages and cadences, pointing-up the similarities.

[@MarcosElMalo2]

@@michaelccozens Give a listen to “Jezebel” from Byrnes collaboration with Brian Eno: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.

[@SirManfly]

They’re such a quirky cool band !! 👍🏻

[@pepijnwarmerdam8784]

@@michaelccozens Queens of the Stone Age would also use that as the inspiration for God Is In The Radio on the Songs For The Deaf Album.

[@dkhnova]

@@michaelccozens kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmjQiaV5ZtWmh7c. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2ixmoStrdChkNE

[@rossmacintosh5652]

Yes Lex - it is a sermon. He wants you to know that even though you have questions, it is the same as it always have been. Questioning your life is part of life itself. Same as it ever was. There are things we can't see or understand (water flowing underground) beyond our experience.

[@MrHunterbuchanan]

I also feel like "Let the water hold me down" alludes to feeling overwhelmed as life happens around you and to you. Like, we're constantly wondering if we're doing the right thing in our life, we're going to regret things, we're going to wonder what's happening next, but the constant throughout all of it is our uncertainty. Same as it ever was.

[@ajafta7674]

Once in a life time water flowing underground

[@thomaswilkerson9961]

According to David Byrne’s own words, this song is about how we, as people, tend to “operate half-awake or on autopilot”. Or perhaps a better way of explaining that statement is that we do not actually know why we engage in certain actions which come define our lives. Thus even though an individual may fulfill certain aspirations, such as acquiring “a large automobile”, “beautiful house” and a “beautiful wife”, at the end of the day he may find himself questioning how in fact did he reach such a destination.

[@MostlyCloudy]

@@thomaswilkerson9961 and he is so fucking RIGHT

[@bminturn]

That's my thought as well. It's a little like "Road To Nowhere" that way - just this idea that it's OK that there are questions that we'll probably never answer.

[@SighDontWantAHandle]

This song is so depressing with an upbeat rythym. It's a song about the ennui of living a repeating life. Of finding yourself trapped underwater as your life goes by, just staying in a relationship and a dead-end job. He's channeling Thoreau. “Most men live lives of quiet desperation”

[@benshafer5198]

I've always found this to be a genius level piece of art relating to the two simultaneous constants of impermanence (material possessions) and continuity (water flowing underground & same as it ever was). Sort of a Buddhist sermon in that respect. David Byrne is a brilliant guy.

[@richardcamp2362]

About a midlife crisis

[@briankinsey3339]

"Doing his own thing to the music. . . ." You really need to watch the video to see just how true that statement is! 🙂

[@joepaskowski9091]

Their puzzled looks the whole time were priceless! Taking Heads are so artsy and unique, I’m not sure you’re really supposed to fully understand the meaning of their songs!

[@brithozierhozier4718]

Yea because they've never heard any music ever especially Lex

[@fausty150]

Totally agreed

[@eggy1962]

Similar with REM, many of their songs do not have any meaning, still great music/songs tho… i liked this enough to buy it on vinyl single, my favourite tho is Psycho Killer

[@getoffamycloud9844]

Indeed! 🤣🤣

[@getoffamycloud9844]

Their Stop Making Sense album is the album I'd want to be stranded with on a desert island.

[@ryanmcintosh4413]

Brad and Lex, The song is about the flow of life and how we all get caught up in it no matter what as we always have. Each time he describes a different thing he's talking about a separate person. Humans are 90% water and the Earth is 71% water. So he uses that imagery to illustrate the flow of life.... Life happens to people when they're busy making other plans; same as it ever was.

[@countdoomiest]

All true except for the 90% part

[@30conman]

When you put it that way, makes sense

[@mikeyoung4310]

I like the Lennon line✌🏻❤️

[@Reclining_Spuds]

@@mikeyoung4310 I said hey, Lennon said that. 😎

[@NathanWind99]

A video reaction would have been appropriate here. For many of us, the trippy video was the first time we saw this band. Talking Heads were a bunch of art students and they put a lot of work into their visuals.

[@traci4187]

I love how he mimics world dances in this video. If these two thought the SONG was trippy, the video would have destroyed them.

[@77tml]

The video was as great as the song.

[@gorydetails709]

Agreed. Many of the songs they react to would be so much better/impactful if they watched the videos. But Brad loves analyzing the lyrics too much. Lol!

[@carojayess1723]

Yes! They definitely should watch the videos for Talking Head songs.

[@dr.burtgummerfan439]

Yeah, watch the videos or the Stop Making Sense concert movie. It's really limiting to think of Talking Heads as a musical group. They're really Performance Artists and the music is just a part of it.

[@donchaffins1313]

This is basically an existential crisis set to music but a soft acceptance that it is the way it is because it has always been that way.

[@thetheRedundant]

Perfectly put.

[@HouseOfJamo]

You’re preaching harder than Byrne, that’s an incredible interpretation I love it

[@UnexpectedTurnOfEvents]

We move through life like water, we flow forward day after day with our minds full of this and that, without being conscious, aware, of the moments, the changes, the events, choices made without much thinking, and one day some of us look around and wonder how we got here. And for some it's a bewildered, regretful "what have I done?!?"

[@Cheesusrice69222]

Same as it ever was

[@Ozzy_2014]

Yep. The how did I get here. I was young. I was going to change the world. I was not going to my parents. With an office job. With a mortgage. Married with children. But here you are. Thinking this is not the life I thought I'd have. It is someone elses surely? And yes. We change throughout our lives. I am not who I was at 18 nor 25 or 35 so on. We change. We live and we grow. We find their is joy where we never thought to find it. Family is a different thing than a rich tech giant. Not less though.

[@andreaschmall5560]

One must watch the videos to appreciate the full experience of the Talking Heads.

[@pdbordelon]

The live version of this from the Stop Making Sense concert is the definitive version for sure and worth a watch.

[@crazyfingers19]

Without a doubt!

[@sugarayofsunshine]

Absolutely!

[@scottus1955]

The whole movie is amazing.

[@stich21]

Yes!

[@prprod]

Life During Wartime was amazing

[@Two-StrokeLife]

Lex, it is a sermon. I interviews DB stated he got inspiration from televangelist sermons and used this in the lyrics as well as the imagery in the video. "On top of this came the lyrics, which Byrne developed as he “sat down and listened to televangelist sermons, pulling phrases from them and crafting them into lyrics.” Co-directed by Toni Basil (of “Mickey” fame), it “played with bluescreen technology, composing multiple David Byrnes on top of a white background or images of religious ceremony.” Byrne and Basil “pored over film of preachers, people in trances, religious sects, and much, much more. Some of these were put in the background, but more importantly, they were used as the basis for Byrne’s dancing.” "

[@markbiggs6302]

I still chop my forearm with my other hand when I say, "Same as it ever was."

[@scifimonkey3]

Treat yourselves to the Bluray or DVD of the film ‘Stop Making Sense’ it is a concert video which makes sense of Talking heads. One of the best concert films ever made.

[@ericnowak9497]

David Byrne was inspired by the mega church televangelists preaching, which is where the feeling of a sermon comes from. Talking Heads can be hard to get into, but damn are they worth the effort. Delightfully eccentric and entirely unique.

[@ericnowak9497]

@DMB1990 I have some friends whom I believe to have terrific taste in music, but they can’t really get into Talking Heads. I wouldn’t disparage their opinions regarding music because they don’t like TH. I once thought my eclectic taste and vast knowledge of music made me unique and special. I was a foolish kid…

[@ericnowak9497]

@DMB1990 And yet here they are, listening, exploring and trying. I didn’t get Coltrane, Mingus, or Parker when I first heard it. But they intrigued me enough to listen more and learn.

[@Derry_Aire]

@@ericnowak9497 I'd imagine most people would struggle with Coltrane, Mingus or Parker initially, so it's a poor comparison with the arthouse pop group Talking Heads. Your friends might not be able to "get into them" but I'm sure they aren't dumb enough not to understand them, which is a distinct problem with these two reactors .

[@ohhkayy0919]

He even tried to act like old preachers when he sang this on stage.. their movements and gestures

[@prodigal71]

Took me a long time to get into them fully...Stop Making Sense changed all that

[@frankshaffer7645]

The album this is from is "Remain In Light." 1979 Brian Eno produced. The rest of the album is very influential on what would become Hip-Hop.

[@andrewfrick5312]

Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" Live version of this version is wonderful

[@ronparsons8786]

The big suit...

[@realburglazofficial2613]

@@ronparsons8786 it’s funnier when he takes the jacket off and you can see the stuffed pants! 😂😂

[@ed.z.]

Yes. ‘Round and around it goes, where it stops, nobody knows”.

[@mobeefus9707]

The video with David Byrne is so much more fun. It will remind you of a sermon…TESTIFY!! (Listen to “girlfriend is better” both the studio AND the live.)

[@Frostrazor]

the song is existential philosophy. There is, was, and will be forever endless questions that vex our conscious thoughts.

[@fords_nothere_100]

Amazing how Lex nails the cadence and style of Byrne's vocals as "like a sermon". That is exactly what he's mimicking. In fact, he put out an album with Brian Eno, "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" that samples many different preachers.

[@theotherdogknees]

Funny thing. I have heard that my home town, Perth, Western Australia is the biggest per capita Talking Heads fan town in the world. It wasn't because we're all philosophers, but more because the first commercial FM stereo radio station here, (the very first was a community station, and it's 45 years old on April 1st.), was independent and set the music for a few years before competition moved in. They had a DJ that really loved Talking Heads and thrashed them on the airwaves. Glad that they did, but they were bought by a chain and in my opinion are quite poor now. Mind you , the first is still going strong and is one of, (in my opinion), the best ever. Talking Heads. What a band.

[@musicairplanes4884]

The genius of David Byrne.

[@matttchirkow35]

One of those songs you have to listen to a few times to sink in.

[@mikecaetano]

"Once in a Lifetime" was the lead single from Talking Heads' fourth studio album, Remain in Light (1980), which is one of those albums that deserves a full listen. I remember first hearing the song on the radio before seeing the video on early MTV. On the radio the song came across as the bright bouncey pop song it is. Dig that Fela Kuti inspired Afrobeat! And that simple but powerful bass line is supplied by Tina Weymouth. I rediscovered the song in a big way when the video came out a few years later. My buddies and I thought it was the bomb. The trippy water graphics, Byrne's quirky dancing, his duck walk, those jerky motions -- like he was getting beat up by the invisible man -- and that chopping gesture, that was strange and weird and cool to us. You'll have to watch it to get the full effect.

[@joehynes5452]

Remain in Light is a masterpiece!!

[@MarcosElMalo2]

@@joehynes5452 I think dancing to it helps understanding it. That bass! Those drums!

[@shaunm3206]

Remain In Light is indeed a masterpiece

[@modifiedcontent]

He had done My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts with Brian Eno that developed this new wave funk style, heavily influenced Grandmaster Flash The Message and used a lot of "samples" from radio/tv preachers. Here he was imitating that preacher style.

[@Dante1920]

Their song "Psychokiller" might be a bit more up your alley, its a little more...normal... a little.

[@bminturn]

I'm back listening AGAIN because this song is that good. One thing to keep in mind with a lot of Talking Heads music is that an underlying theme is that it's OK to admit that there are questions that can't be answered.

[@rolfjosefspiegelhalter]

This song deals with the futility of not being happy with the things you have. Like trying to remove the water at the bottom of the ocean, there's no way to stop life from moving on. The forces of nature (like the ocean) keep you moving almost without your conscious effort - like a ventriloquist moving a puppet. Head Head David Byrne shed some light on his lyrical inspiration when he told Time Out: "Most of the words in 'Once in a Lifetime' come from evangelists I recorded off the radio while taking notes and picking up phrases I thought were interesting directions. Maybe I'm fascinated with the middle class because it seems so different from my life, so distant from what I do. I can't imagine living like that."

[@mgreenwa]

"Artsy" - Another correct answer right out of the box, from Brad. Talking Heads were the best New Wave band the U.S. produced.

[@jkbezo1]

These poor young kids trying to make sense of Talking Heads jaja! They were a crazy new wave punk band with funk music beats. This was always played their music at dance clubs. Brad and Lex are shocked, they need see the video it would make them laugh and more confused! jaja.

[@mikestevens917]

Their song Burning Down The House is cool too.

[@danw2276]

IT MAKE TONS OF SENSE, JUST YOU HAVE TO OPEN YOUR MIND. WHAT AN ARTIST.

[@andrewpackard5980]

That was honestly the best description of the song that I've heard since it came out. " Round and Round it goes, and where it stops nobody knows."

[@chrisa4695]

David Byrne said in the liner notes to “Stop Making Sense” that lyrics are only there so that the listener will pay attention to the music.

[@johnr8095]

its about living your life on autopilot and going through the motions not really understanding why we do things in life. and then having moments of clarity where you are in a position in life and wondering how you got into that position in the first place. Someone dedicates his life to the pursuit of things, like a house or marriage sonly to later, upon realizing it, wonder how he reached such a destination in the first place. He realizes he wasn’t necessarily operating under his own will but rather following a preset path set before him. and he occasionally wakes out of that slumber and then everyting feels foreign because he doesn't really know how hoe wound up in the position he's in.

[@robertrussell6782]

This son to me is about going through life and not stopping to smell the roses. You get all of these "trophies" (a large automobile, beautiful wife and a beautiful house) and you realize you aren't certain how you got to this point in your life. I believe it was more relevant in 1981 when it was released. I was in the 11th grade and thought it described my parents. Lex is correct at usual, David Byrne was going for the preacher angle. The video was co-directed by Toni Basil (formerly of the Lockers a pop-lock dance group from the 70's).

[@beautifulidiot4323]

Good observations. Talking Heads was formed by art school students. Also, David Byrne has said he was imitating preachers he heard on the radio in this song. The music is dense and created in collaboration with Brian Eno. I think the lyrics mean there is something more going in life beyond the particular situation we find ourselves in.

[@Trifler500]

I love this song. I've heard it on the radio forever, but I agree the meaning of the lyrics is elusive. I always got the feeling it was like you're kind of sleeping through life and one day you wake up and you're like, "Wait... what happened?" The water is life, and it goes everywhere. In the places you can see, and the places you can't (underground).

[@donnagonatas3155]

Talking Heads live is imperative to experience their true talents. David Byrne is an artistic genius! The Stop making sense tour is phenomenal!!!!!!!!✌❤

[@Buddha-of8fk]

It's hard to describe the Talking Heads. The just did their own thing. Really nobody else has ever tried to do their music style.

[@oldrth]

And the bass riff is of course is Tina Weymouth who formed Tom Tom Club.

[@markadolph8715]

This is the song that got me started on my road to being a Head head. The movie Stop Making Sense sealed it

[@sophistichistory4645]

"Same as it ever was" is "And so it goes" from "Slaughterhouse Five" set to music.

[@kevinm4138]

Remain in Light released in 1980. A ground breaking album incorporating African Polyrhythms and funk into Talking Heads new wave rock grooves.

[@EdwardGregoryNYC]

Once in a Lifetime is a beautiful take on consumerism. The protagonist at some point finds himself at odds with his comfortable life and lets life take him on a journey. -or that he has not let himself go down the road yet, but is at the point of questioning his life. Funny you mention trying to find the groove. Watching David perform this in person, with jerky motions like he's being pulled every which way, is amazing.

[@MrDavidcairns]

You should always watch Talking Heads songs with the music videos, adds a whole other layer of crazy density!

[@neenymarshall3866]

We never stop to smell the roses. People don't actually appreciate what they have and want More!! Existentialism moments.

[@bobcorbin3294]

You've both got it right off the bat ,Brad said it was artsy these guys were graduates at the Rhode Island School of Design. Lex was right because the song was inspired by a sermon the David Byrne heard over the radio or on TV

[@GorgeousRoddyChrome]

DAYUM!!! Whaaaaat???? I'm a new subscriber going through your catalog. Honesty, I am blown away by Lex's comments and insights. It's crazy. I've been a Talking Heads fanatic since 1977, and a relentless student of everything David Byrne (Lead singer & songwriter) At this stage of their career, Byrne was deepdiving into both World Music and religions, especially preachers, leaders, ceremonies etc. Lex caught that influence toot sweet! Amazing! Further, if you watch the original music video - famous for Byrne's quirkly dance moves and unusual gestures - you will see him perform using moves (like the famous one-hand chop across his other arm) he picked up watching these religious ceremonies. He has also spoken about his fascination with the deluvery styles of many preachers. You 2 have one of the most interesting music reaction channels on the KZbins. I only with I had discovered you sooner. 🤘👍🤜🤛😃

[@vanessakilgore9891]

Love the reactions to this great tune, TAKE ME TO THE RIVER should be listened to next guys, ✌❤🤘😁

[@donnabruhn6907]

Awesome song and my favorite Take Me to the River

[@bluecanary9417]

Byrne has said that some of the lyrics originated from the words of televangelists that he incorporated into the song. So yes, parts of “Once In A Lifetime” are much like a sermon.

[@bobschenkel7921]

David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison (who went to Harvard) and Chris Frantz met at The Rhode Island School Of Design, and later in NYC, hence the artistry and imagery. Talking Heads were a great early New Wave band who wound up being a Rock and roll band. And also spawned The Tom Tom Club (The Genius Of Love). Tina Weymouth is my all time favorite female rock star.

I love especially about Chris and Tina that are married and have been since those days. These days, this is rare, and in this scene, even more so.

[@leonardshevlin7260]

Jerry had been in Jonathan Richman's band Modern Lovers and wasn't planning to make a career in music.

[@lostroosterdesign5721]

I think David and Tina went to RISD too

[@tcanfield]

You nailed it. To understand what they were up to you have to realize they were top notch art students on the cutting edge of creativity, making a new kind of art form of physical movement, poetry and music.

[@cvtemgrapes207]

AWESOME SONG!! When this song came out, people either loved it or they hated... no in-between's. I loved it because it was so different.

[@canadianhienz57]

Man, I remember when this was first released. It was featured on SCTV’s ‘Teenage Rockpile’ video show spoof. The original video blew my mind and the riff stuck… even 40 years down the road. Classic!

[@lpeterson2336]

Mel's Rockpile

[@canadianhienz57]

@@lpeterson2336 , yes! You’re right!

[@lpeterson2336]

@@canadianhienz57 I grew up on SCTV.

[@canadianhienz57]

@@lpeterson2336, so did I… but my memory for names is s**t ☹️. Great programming that brought the most out of outstanding talent.

[@lpeterson2336]

@@canadianhienz57 yeah memory ain't what it used to be but that stuff stuck.

[@calebclunie4001]

Talking Heads, are So Freaking Great. I love them. This is about appreciation of life, and not taking it for granted, because "The Twister" could take all of it away. The mundane won't be here, forever. Change, is a universal constant.

[@Alpha_7227]

Talking heads always had the most creative interesting video clips as well as their music being fantastic pop music.

[@markbiggs6302]

This reaction wins for best reaction of all time. Still laughing.

[@TracyfromNC]

They are very artsy. Performance artists and musicians. Their beats are 😎

[@bowtangey6830]

Yah! 😎

[@vitodepietro6020]

The Talking Heads were apart of the new wave era. Although they frequently preformed at the PUNK Mecca, CBGB's, in NYC alongside with BLONDIE, ROMONES and others.

[@bowtangey6830]

David Byrne (the songwriter & singer) also won a 1988 Oscar for Best Original Score, for the film "The Last Emperor."

[@3gcraftsman]

And you may find yourself, sitting on a couch. And you may ask yourself, my god, what is this song all about?

[@joesmith8725]

Many of us on the live stream tried to get yall to play the actual video, it's hilarious! David Bynes dances and twitches like Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld. LOL . Please check it out sometime. Talking Heads are some odd cats lol. Weird songs and videos. Funky punk new wave with world music sounds. Very unique group. Artsy indeed Brad. Their songs and videos are great. Popular at night clubs, too. Lot of rappers sampled this beat as well.

[@kf8346]

I remember this song was in the trailer for the film “the Truman show” and then it disappointed me when the song was not in the actual movie. Cuz this is the perfect song for that movie. It’s this sense that nothing is really real but we keep marching forward cuz what other option do you have as a husband and a job and thoughts of the future. You have to just believe the reality that you live in.

[@IshwaraYogaNET]

You both always look just puzzled when you hear my favourite music 😂 played this to death during my first year in university

[@robertrussell6782]

This song wasn't played on the radio in my home town so I first heard it on MTV along with the video.

[@normbittner3762]

Make sure you check out the video or a live, I think SNL performance of this song- wacky and fun!

[@bobbydangler981]

Love love love ,this song and band,music is art!!!.....love the odd and different,be surprised what you like and find...weird is great!!!..In music,especially in the 80's...there were so many influences coming from Europe with keyboard and synthetic...experimentation was Paramount..and so was standing out..and still be a successful band...they took big chances...takes balls to put you self out there..when metal music was coming up in the ranks..these guys are important..innovators of breaking the rules..appreciate!!

[@wadsworthaaron]

The Talking Heads, along with Blondie, the Police, the Knack, the Boomtown Rats, the Cars, and (in their own way) Roxy Music revitalized the (quickly growing stale) 1970s music scene, growing into the early 1980s. The Talking Heads were the most avant garde of those acts... true artists producing musical and visual art.

[@ugadawgs1990]

And the Ramones, the B-52s, Dire Straits, Devo, and the Motels.

[@gary6754]

This song makes me laugh. At an old job there was a group of us that joked around and hung out together. We always joked about how the job was repetitive, the same things everyday, etc. Two guys were standing at my cubicle when this song came out. simultaneously, all 3 of us started coming up a song parody about out job, based on the theme that Monday through Friday it was the same thing every day.

[@jeffreyhobbs8603]

I said the same thing when I was twelve and witnessed this beautiful music 🎵on the tube

[@Whats-It-To-Ya]

The bassist for the Talking Heads is Tina Weymouth whom formed the Tom Tom Club and is the singer. They sing that popular 'Girlfriend' song.

[@robc.8269]

"Cities" is another great song you should listen to, Phish covers it t a lot in concert. The lead singer saying that your doing what your told to as a young age, the American dream. Go to college, get a desk job, get married, buy a house & have kids. Then you realize, what am I do it ng, this isn't me, you were pre-programmed back then. The Talking Heads are a genius artistic group that were ahead of their time. Once you get it t you will love them or maybe not. Stop Making Sense the concert is a must watch for any music lover.

[@joehynes5452]

Deer Creek 8/10/97 & The 2010 Greek Cities are the bees knees!!

[@bobbyb2725]

We basically imagine significance in our lives, but the reality of human life is similar to water flowing under and over rocks (inevitable series of unconscious actions)

[@nettricegaskins1871]

I LOVE this song. It's about complacency... and it was featured on the soundtrack for "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" starring Nick Nolte and Bette Midler. The movie is about a rich but dysfunctional family who saves the life of a suicidal homeless man. It's hilarious.

[@donnabruhn6907]

Love that movie 🍿🎥

[@pmimar0]

Nick Nolte, Bette Midler and RICHARD DREYFUSS!! Fantastic movie

[@johnvaillancourt4168]

The song and more specifically the lyric “same as it ever was” echos the biblical verse “there’s nothing new under the Sun.”

[@Tampahop]

I didn't really get this in my younger days, but now it has a definite message for me. It feels like someone is looking back on his life, dissatisfied, and wondering how he got here. At some point, everyone looks back and reflects.

[@jal051]

It's pretty on the face, tbh. Specially for being a Talking Heads song.

[@ryanedwards4512]

David Byrne is a local legend..He graduated from Lansdowne High School in '67 with my aunt Sandy ( Baltimore). Great band!

[@moonlitegram]

1:52 Your instincts are on point here, Lex. Byrne watched a bunch of televangelist sermons and used that as inspiration for how he wrote and performed the verses. The song is about how time, like the flow of water, is ever moving regardless of whats happening in our lives. And how people will often find themselves feeling like their stuck in some kind of routine and how all the things they thought were "supposed" to happen either don't or aren't as fulfilling as they might have thought they'd be. The actual music in the song comes from a process the Talking Heads employed for the album in which they would jam with each other and then use what they came up with that way to build the basis of the songs, instead of trying to sit down and write music with a specific idea in mind.

[@mattcalifornia7318]

Yep - I just heard him talk about that on the Smartless podcast. Very interesting to hear him explain it.

[@centuryrox]

LMFAO!! Watching Brad with a constipated face, trying to figure out this song!! 😂

[@bustos1959]

Need to watch official music video for this. That's basically how we in the 80's saw and heard this song. Also it was an inspiration from watching a evangelist on TV and his preaching methods. In life you go through time wandering is this all life about work, family and then death.

[@donnabruhn6907]

Absolutely love Talking Heads very artistic and yet funky. They are fantastic Lots of great songs

[@nem447]

Kewl, Lex got it by the first pause, it's like a sermon. Any song from their *_"Stop making sense"_*_ Live_ concert you will enjoy. It's all over KZbin....gotta see it Live!

[@coachdobbsfit]

Talking Heads- Live in Rome 1980. You will get an incredible understanding of them.

[@michaelkulis6008]

I tried to convince them to react to the video during the stream. Now that would have been great. Some great reactions out there on KZbin of the video. Oh, well.

[@michaelbrito2978]

you guys you got it. life is "same as it ever was"!

[@wreckingKREW1]

Remain In Light is one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Pure genius.

[@godsspeedify]

One My favorite song from talking heads... Movie soundtrack down and out Beverly hills,. this song fits so well about this movie...

[@inphanta]

Your collective looks of utter bemusement made this video! 😂 The recording process for this song is also a story in itself; all the parts were recorded separately and in isolation then meticulously woven together which accounts for that off kilter vibe. The entire Remain In Light album is worth a listen at some point too. :)

[@Emw-dp5zb]

I suggest watching the video, it was all over MTV back in the day.

[@evanerys]

Talking Heads is one of the coolest bands ever. It had elements of punk, R&B, rock and blues all packaged in a slick synth pop package. The apex, imo: Life During Wartime, Live in LA 1983.

[@scottfrench4139]

And world music.

[@francesw.6774]

While the "Talking Heads" band is long ago disbanded, lead singer/creator David Byrne is still very active. If you are ever able to see him (and the performers he gathers around him) play Talking Heads music, go. I saw him/them perform about a dozen years ago and they were fantastic. A big band, back-up singers/dancers, and an electric stage show. One of the best two or three concerts I've ever seen. One of the people I went with had never heard of them before, but absolutely loved it. They tend to play relatively modest size venues, so it's a rare chance to see a great band up close.

[@Moshinoki]

If you want more "normal" songs by them, Psycho Killer and Life During Wartime are absolute bangers

[@slippetyslop7136]

Road to Nowhere trumps both

[@chrisa4695]

LOL at normal

[@alrivers2297]

And She Was, Take Me to the River, Stay Up Late, Wild Wild Life

[@DerEchteBold]

I always preferred the 'Psycho Chicken' cover ; )

[@AJfortay]

lIFE dURING wARTIME IS AN AMAZING SONG

[@timishere1925]

I remember very well being a teenager when this song was on MTV 24/7. This was the first "Band" that made me realize that litterly anyone could make it in the music business. Just the truth.

[@MRoyClark]

Great reaction!!! Yes it's Art, Brad. :) They are on the Art Rock/Bowie end of the spectrum, musically. Most people would file them as New Wave, Postpunk, or Punk, though, but theirs is among the most artsy fartsy out there, LOL. They were a big part of the original NY Punk scene in the 1970s, even if their sound was more left-of-center, and they evolved into something more and more interesting for years, incorporating World Music, Electrofunk, New Wave, and some of the earliest uses of sampling in all of Pop Music. And yes... it's a sermon, Lex! :) Singer David Byrne (and frequent collaborator Brian Eno) had become obsessed with radio evangelists on southern stations in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This absolutely made its way into David Byrne's vocal and performance repertoire, and still influenced his ongoing and successful career well into the last decade. He also uses vocalized caricatures of "nerdy", "creepy", and "the man next door" to varying effect for telling different kinds of stories. The nerd thing was a big New Wave trope, in general. Talking Heads are always pretty weird, too. That's kinda their thing, and was a common element among a lot of New Wave, Postpunk, Synthpop, and Alternative acts from the 1980s. It all had a sort of "art school dropout" vibe. The Band were also incredibly funky, and members of Parliament Funkadelic joined Talking Heads touring act in the mid-80s. You guys should check out "Life During Wartime" live - or really any of their live performances from the Stop Making Sense movie (directed by Jonathan Demme, who directed the classic thriller, Silence of the Lambs). His body language is everything. If you guys had watched the official video for "Once in a Lifetime", you'd be even more lost, but you'd probably understand the band a little better. It's hugely iconic, and the choreography also borrows from televangelists and footage from cults. It was choreographed by Toni Basil (who had one major hit of her own with the New Wave classic "Mickey"). As far as Talking Heads, their lyrics are more poetic than literal, usually. This song is about the anxiety of conformity. Being a human could be as simple as going with the flow, like rivers and underwater currents. But we eff it up with our anxieties and "how did I get here?" self-pity, so we get in our own way by craving individuality.

[@jackndew2]

And the most profound line in the song, "There is water at the bottom of the ocean". Deep... very deep. (pun intended)

[@xanajak]

The "artsy" is all part of the music. Listen to Psycho Killer next. Then Burning Down the House. (with the videos)

[@leonardshevlin7260]

We loved this song. We didn't sit on a couch wearing headphones and reading the lyrics on a screen. We were dancing. "The world moves on a woman's hips."