Talking Heads first appeared on the New York music scene as a trio in 1974. At the time, the band consisted only of Byrne and Frantz, and was initially called The Artistics. By 1975, the band had recorded a demo album for CBS Records and landed a gig opening for the Ramones at CBGB in June 1975, which was the first time the band used the name Talking Heads. The band was signed to Sire Records in late 1976 and the group released their first single, "Love ā Building on Fire" in February 1977. In March 1977, the band added Jerry Harrison, formerly of Jonathan Richman's band The Modern Lovers.
Their first album, Talking Heads: 77 was released soon afterward and did not contain the earlier single, although it did include the underground singles Psycho Killer and Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town. Despite being regulars at New York's legendary CBGB, the band only began to break through further with the landmark Brian Eno-produced, 1978 album More Songs About Buildings And Food, an album which continued in the same vein, but with a more accessible style, wittier lyrics, and ultimately better songs. It was a great critical hit with subject matter ranging from home movies to the art world. It also included their cover of Take Me To The River. On the following year's Fear Of Music the band started to dabble in African rhythms, notably on I Zimbra, and more straightforward pop styles, on Life During Wartime and Cities.
1980 brought the band's fourth and most innovative effort Remain In Light. Notable for the single Once In A Lifetime, which became an early MTV staple, Remain In Light saw the band experiment with ambient sounds, fugal structures, polyrhythms, and about everything under the sun to make the body groove. Following this, the group split with Brian Eno, enjoying greater commercial success with 1983's Speaking In Tongues. It took the musical innovations of its predecessor and refined them into pop songs, most notably Burning Down The House, Girlfriend Is Better and This Must Be The Place. This period was topped off with a live album, from Jonathan Demme's documentary, Stop Making Sense. The documentary, with its name taken from a line in Girlfriend Is Better, was a great success, and took their inimitable style to a wider audience.
1985's Little Creatures was an even bigger hit, and exhibited another stylistic shift for the band. It saw the punk styles of '77 almost completely abandoned for simple, three or four chord pop songs. The album produced the singles And She Was, and Road To Nowhere. The following two albums, True Stories and Naked, were both moderate successes, the former producing their biggest radio hits, Love For Sale and Wild Wild Life, and the latter focusing more on Latin influences with hits like (Nothing But) Flowers. After this, a long quiet period followed, with the band eventually officially announcing their break up in 1991. Since the split, Byrne continued his solo career and Weymoth and Frantz continued to record and tour as Tom Tom Club. Weymouth, Harrison and Frantz reunited for an album, "No Talking, Just Head", recorded under the name The Heads in 1996.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. The band reunited for a three song performance at the ceremony. Due to personality conflicts between Byrne and the other members, further reunions are unlikely.
www.talking-heads.net
Flowers
Talking Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like an Adam and an Eve
Waterfalls
The Garden of Eden
Two fools in love
So beautiful and strong
The birds in the trees
Are smiling upon them
Cars have run on gasoline
Where, where have they gone?
Now, it's nothing but flowers
There was a factory
Now there are mountains and rivers
You got it, you got it
We caught a rattlesnake
Now we got something for dinner
We got it, we got it
There was a shopping mall
Now it's all covered with flowers
You've got it, you've got it
If this is paradise
I wish I had a lawnmower
You've got it, you've got it
Years ago
I was an angry young man
And I'd pretend
That I was a billboard
Standing tall
By the side of the road
I fell in love
With a beautiful highway
This used to be real estate
Now it's only fields and trees
Where, where is the town
Now, it's nothing but flowers
The highways and cars
Were sacrificed for agriculture
I thought that we'd start over
But I guess I was wrong
Once there were parking lots
Now it's a peaceful oasis
You've got it, you've got it
This was a Pizza Hut
Now it's all covered with daisies
You got it, you got it
I miss the honky tonks,
Dairy Queens, and 7-Elevens
You got it, you got it
And as things fell apart
Nobody paid much attention
You got it, you got it
I dream of cherry pies,
Candy bars, and chocolate chip cookies
You got it, you got it
We used to microwave
Now we just eat nuts and berries
You got it, you got it
This was a discount store,
Now it's turned into a cornfield
You've got it, you've got it
Don't leave me stranded here
I can't get used to this lifestyle
The Talking Headsā song Flowers presents a post-apocalyptic scenery in which everything we knew before has disappeared, leaving space for nature to take back its place. We see two characters, who could represent Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, which is now overrun by flowers instead of the city-like structures we are used to seeing. From the age of the dinosaurs, cars used gasoline, but where are they now? The once bustling landscape has turned into fields, mountains, and rivers, and parks have replaced shopping malls.
As the song moves forward, it becomes clear that the people in this world are struggling to adapt to their new lifestyle, where the hustle and bustle of the city has been replaced by the quiet of nature. The singer reminisces about his youth and about a time when he felt invincible, standing tall and strong like a highway billboard. But now, he feels stranded in this new world that is nothing like the one he had planned to live in.
Flowers was written in 1985 by David Byrne, the lead singer of the Talking Heads. The song is part of the bandās album, āLittle Creatures,ā which was their third commercial success. The album was a mixture of political and emotional songs that created a new pattern for the bandās songs. Flowers was the band's last Top 40 hit in the USA, hitting number 39 on the Billboard charts. It was also their second-highest entry in the UK, reaching number 21 in the UK charts.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we stand
We find ourselves in this present situation
Like an Adam and an Eve
Like the first man and woman in the Bible
Waterfalls
A natural landscape feature
The Garden of Eden
The mythical home of Adam and Eve
Two fools in love
We're in love, and can be naive in our love
So beautiful and strong
Our love is powerful and resilient
The birds in the trees
Nature is content in our presence
Are smiling upon them
Nature is happy for us
From the age of the dinosaurs
Since the beginning of time
Cars have run on gasoline
Transportation has relied on fossil fuels
Where, where have they gone?
Where have all the gasoline cars gone?
Now, it's nothing but flowers
The world has transformed into a floral landscape
There was a factory
Production and industry once existed
Now there are mountains and rivers
The landscape has changed
You got it, you got it
You understand it
We caught a rattlesnake
We hunted for our nourishment
Now we got something for dinner
We have sustenance
There was a shopping mall
Consumerism was prevalent
Now it's all covered with flowers
The landscape has been transformed into a floral environment
If this is paradise
If this is perfection
I wish I had a lawnmower
I wish I could maintain this paradise
Years ago
In the past
I was an angry young man
I was once angry and rebellious
And I'd pretend
I would imagine
That I was a billboard
I used to idolize the symbols of consumerism
Standing tall
Being prominent
By the side of the road
On the roadside
I fell in love
I began to love
With a beautiful highway
I had a fondness for highways
This used to be real estate
This used to be property
Now it's only fields and trees
The transformation of the land
The highways and cars
What once dominated the landscape
Were sacrificed for agriculture
Were replaced by farming
I thought that we'd start over
I believed that there would be a change of ways
But I guess I was wrong
My expectations were not met
Once there were parking lots
Once there was ample car storage
Now it's a peaceful oasis
Now it's a tranquil environment
This was a Pizza Hut
This was a popular fast food chain
Now it's all covered with daisies
Now it's a natural garden
I miss the honky tonks, Dairy Queens, and 7-Elevens
I miss the old, familiar haunts and establishments
And as things fell apart
As society crumbled
Nobody paid much attention
Nobody cared enough to take action
I dream of cherry pies, Candy bars, and chocolate chip cookies
I yearn for the nostalgic treats
We used to microwave
We used to cook processed food
Now we just eat nuts and berries
We've gone back to eating natural foods
This was a discount store
This was a budget retailer
Now it's turned into a cornfield
The land has been repurposed for agriculture
Don't leave me stranded here
Don't abandon me in this unfamiliar world
I can't get used to this lifestyle
I can't adjust to this new way of living
Lyrics Ā© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID BYRNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeffbaumann3289
Here we stand
Like an Adam and an Eve
Waterfalls
The Garden of Eden
Two fools in love
So beautiful and strong
The birds in the trees
Are smiling upon them
From the age of the dinosaurs
Cars have run on gasoline
Where, where have they gone?
Now, it's nothing but flowers
There was a factory
Now there are mountains and rivers
You got it, you got it
We caught a rattlesnake
Now we got something for dinner
We got it, we got it
There was a shopping mall
Now it's all covered with flowers
You've got it, you've got it
If this is paradise
I wish I had a lawnmower
You've got it, you've got it
Years ago
I was an angry young man
And I'd pretend
That I was a billboard
Standing tall
By the side of the road
I fell in love
With a beautiful highway
This used to be real estate
Now it's only fields and trees
Where, where is the town
Now, it's nothing but flowers
The highways and cars
Were sacrificed for agriculture
I thought that we'd start over
But I guess I was wrong
Once there were parking lots
Now it's a peaceful oasis
You've got it, you've got it
This was a Pizza Hut
Now it's all covered with daisies
You got it, you got it
I miss the honky tonks,
Dairy Queens, and 7-Elevens
You got it, you got it
And as things fell apart
Nobody paid much attention
You got it, you got it
I dream of cherry pies,
Candy bars, and chocolate chip cookies
You got it, you got it
We used to microwave
Now we just eat nuts and berries
You got it, you got it
This was a discount store,
Now it's turned into a cornfield
You've got it, you've got it
Don't leave me stranded here
I can't get used to this lifestyle
Songwriters:. David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Tina Weymouth
Musicians/Singers:
David Byrne
Chris Frantz
Jerry Harrison
Tina Weymouth
Johnny Marr
Kirsty MacColl
Brice Wassy
Yves N'Djock
Abdou M'Boup
Released: 1988
@QuintTheSharker
āAnd as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention.ā
Epitaph of the 21st century.
@MGSVxBreakpoint
And also an opening quote in Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho. Why I'm here.
@QuintTheSharker
@@MGSVxBreakpoint that too. I found that book super disturbing, but really interesting.
@gingerblue
I was JUST telling someone the same thing the other day.
@ronaldgarrison8478
I don't know WTF that's supposed to mean. From where I sit, everyone is obsessed about something, everyone is butt-hurt about something, everyone has an opinionāwhether they know about the subject or not. Indifference doesn't seem like a real problem.
@cynthiafielder8746
Amen š
@richardrickford3028
"If this is paradise I wish I had a lawnmower" - you don't get more David Byrne than that.
@alexrinaldi3257
I always felt that part is a jab at Joni Mitchells song Big Yellow Taxi when she says "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot" as the whole songs a very practical rebuttle of idealist enviormentalism.
@hunterwhitner6998
@@alexrinaldi3257 On the money
@kathleankeesler1639
Great contribution- needless to say, year later. Chicago Illinois granny.