SONG OF THE DAY

“Psycho Killer” – Talking Heads (Talking Heads: 77, Sire Records, 1977). Written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth.

WHERE YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT

The song was used (quite appropriately and in good fun) in the soundtrack of the film Julie & Julia during the hilarious lobster scene.

INTERESTING FACTS (from wikipedia)

– Peaked at #92 on Billboard Charts

– Notable covers of the song by Barenaked Ladies, Velvet Revolver, Phish

– Referenced by Flight of the Conchords in first season episode “Mugged”.

– According to the preliminary lyric sheets copied onto the 2006 remaster of Talking Heads: 77, the song started off as a semi-narrative of the killer actually committing murders. Byrne has said of the song:

MY TAKE

A supreme song with a ridiculously catchy French chorus, and serious rhythmic presence and a bizarre, fun mixture of scary lyrics clashing with 80’s sound. Of course, the first thing you notice is the CRAZY bass in this song. I prefer the studio recording to the live versions for just that reason: people often scream over the bass when they here that distinct low melody and I want it to ring out clear and unadulterated. I prefer studio cuts over live most of the time anyways, unless I was there during the recording and have that special sound-memory connection to the crowd cheering and nuances of the performance. The lyrics are sort of TERRIFYING, and awesome in a creepy way. And the French chorus only makes it sound crazier, and is hard to sing out loud through the halls of the high school where I work because of the impression it makes lyrically.

HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE TALKING HEADS

I’ve been seriously delving into the oeuvre of the Talking Heads this year because they seem to want me as a fan. Wait, I’ve got proof:

1) In season two of Chuck (I’m a fan) there was a fantastic February episode with Jenny McCarthy (and a reunion of Andy Richter and Tony Hale for you Arrested Development fans out there) featuring one of their greatest songs “Once In A Lifetime”. I’m starting to get hooked on the band here.

2) I discover an INCREDIBLE live cover of “Burning Down The House” by Bonnie Raitt, which throws me into a frenzy for her work, a rediscovery of her father’s theatre work (John Raitt), and more into the world of T.H. music.

3) Then, in March I began listening exclusively to a Windsor radio station in the car, 93.9 The River, which has a sincere and true love for T.H. (you haven’t heard the last of my praise for this radio station; they are the source for much of the new music I will blog about). They play “Once In A Lifetime” every week or so, and introduced me to the fabulous song “(Nothing But) Flowers” which is simply intoxicating. They play “Psycho Killer” and I am quickly becoming a FANatic.

4) In early June, Maggie’s I-Pod claimed it was dead but continued to play T.H. songs all the way to my first PHISH concert in Mansfield, MA. The possessed piece of machinery died in the parking lot, nearly two hours after it claimed it had no battery left. It was freaky. We’re pretty convinced that the I-Pod was disappointed in the selections I was making, wanted to hear some T.H., and decided to take over for itself.

5) In July, I meet my fiancee Todd’s uncle from MD, who seems to have been made from the same genetic code as T.H. lead singer, guitarist and one of my favorite contemporary performance artists, David Byrne. Todd’s cousin Sarah and I had a good laugh over being the only two people to know who David Byrne was.

6) In August, I saw Julie & Julia with my family, a great film which featured this exact T.H. song during an integral lobster-cooking scene. Incidentally, I had a conversation with a student days before I saw the movie about the process of bringing home and cooking a live lobster (he said it died as soon as it hits the boiling water, but the movie didn’t seem to indicate that was true).

7) In the first week of September, I re-found the song “And She Was”. It was totally familiar to me, but I don’t think I’ve heard it since I was a kid. I love that feeling.

7) This morning I wake up singing “Psycho Killer” (those must have been some good dreams. So, obviously, it was already destined to be the song of the day by about 9am. But then Todd tells me HE’S been singing it all day too, and even looked up the lyrics online to get the French right, and the thing is this: we hadn’t talked all day because I had to work. MIND WAVE CONNECTION. When I found this eery parallel out, I immediately began this post (while still on the phone). Thus, thus.

VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Click here for my youtube.com video playlist of the month. Tracks #19-26 relate back to this post.

+ Here’s a link to Bonnie Raitt’s cover of “Burning Down The House”.

+ Get “Strange Overtones” by Brian Eno + David Byrne for free on amazon here.