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 → 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.
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Animals
Talking Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I found out...animals don't help
Animal think...they're pretty smart
Shit on the ground...see in the dark.
They wander around like a crazy dog
Make a mistake in the parking lot
Always bumping into things
They're never there when you need them
They never come when you call them
They're never there when you need them
The never come when you call them down down down down.
I know the animals...are laughing at us
They don't even know...what a joke is
I won't follow...animal's advice
I don't care...if they're laughing at us.
They're never there when you need them
They never come when you call them
They're never there when you need them
The never come when you call them down down down down.
They say they don't need money
They're living on nuts and berries
They say animals don't worry
You know animals are hairy?
They think they know what's best
They're making a fool of us
They ought to be more careful
They're setting a bad example
They have untroubled lives
They think everything's nice
They like to laugh at people
They're setting a bad example
(go ahead) laugh at me.
The lyrics to Talking Heads' song "Animals" are a commentary on the nature of humans and animals, and how the two differ from one another. The song opens with the line "I'm mad...and that's a fact," which sets the tone for the rest of the song. The lyrics suggest that the animals are laughing at humans and that they think they are smarter than us.
The song goes on to describe some of the ways that animals are different from humans. Animals are constantly wandering around, bumping into things, and making mistakes. They are unreliable, never there when you need them and never coming when you call them. Humans, on the other hand, are expected to be dependable and to take care of each other.
The chorus repeats the idea that animals are never there when you need them and never come when you call them. The lyrics suggest that humans should not follow the advice of animals and that they should not care if animals are laughing at them.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the differences between humans and animals, and how animals are not as intelligent or reliable as humans. It is also a commentary on the idea that humans should not base their actions on the behavior of animals.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm mad...and that's a fact
I am angry and it is true.
I found out...animals don't help
I realized that animals are not useful.
Animal think...they're pretty smart
Animals believe that they are intelligent.
Shit on the ground...see in the dark.
Animals can defecate on the ground and see in the dark.
They wander around like a crazy dog
Animals roam aimlessly, resembling a dog with erratic behavior.
Make a mistake in the parking lot
They can make errors, even in mundane situations like parking lots.
Always bumping into things
Animals frequently collide with objects.
Always let you down down down down.
They aren't reliable and can disappoint you repeatedly.
They're never there when you need them
Animals are absent when you require them.
They never come when you call them
They don't respond when summoned.
I know the animals...are laughing at us
I am aware that animals are mocking humans.
They don't even know...what a joke is
Animals are not aware of humor.
I won't follow...animal's advice
I refuse to accept advice from animals.
I don't care...if they're laughing at us.
I am indifferent to their mockery.
They say they don't need money
Animals claim to not require monetary value.
They're living on nuts and berries
They subsist solely on nuts and berries.
They say animals don't worry
Animals believe they are free from worry.
You know animals are hairy?
Animals notably have fur.
They think they know what's best
Animals presume to have superior knowledge.
They're making a fool of us
Animals are making humans look foolish.
They ought to be more careful
They should exercise more caution.
They're setting a bad example
Animals are influencing humans poorly.
They have untroubled lives
Animals are content in their existence.
They think everything's nice
They have a positive outlook on everything.
They like to laugh at people
Animals enjoy laughing at humans.
They're setting a bad example
They are behaving poorly and influencing humans negatively.
(go ahead) laugh at me.
I dare you to ridicule me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID BYRNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind