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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Crosseyed and Painless
Talking Heads Lyrics
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Trying to act casual
Can't stop
I might end up in the hospital
Changing my shape
I feel like an accident
They're back
To explain their experience
Isn't it weird?
Looks too obscure to me
Wasting away
And that was their policy
I'm ready to leave
I push the fact in front of me
Facts lost
Facts are never what they seem to be
Nothing there
No information left of any kind
Lifting my head
Looking for the danger signs
There was a line
There was a formula
Sharp as a knife
Facts cut a hole in us
There was a line
There was a formula
Sharp as a knife
Facts cut a hole in us
Still waiting, still waiting, still waiting, still waiting
Still waiting, still waiting, still waiting, still waiting
The feeling returns
Whenever we close our eyes
Lifting my head
Looking around inside
The island of doubt
Is like the taste of medicine
Working by hindsight
Got the message from the oxygen
Making a list
Find the cost of opportunity
Doing it right
Facts are useless in emergencies
The feeling returns
Whenever we close our eyes
Lifting my head
Looking around inside
Facts are simple and facts are straight
Facts are lazy and facts are late
Facts all come with points of view
Facts don't do what I want them to
Facts just twist the truth around
Facts are living turned inside out
Facts are getting the best of them
Facts are nothing on the face of things
Still waiting, still waiting, still waiting, still waiting
Still waiting, still waiting, still waiting, still waiting
Still waiting, still waiting, still waiting, still waiting
The lyrics to Talking Heads' Crosseyed and Painless can be interpreted in various ways, but it appears to touch on the complexities of information and perception. The singer seems to feel lost and confused, struggling to understand the world around them. They describe changing their shape and feeling like an accident, perhaps alluding to the difficulty of adapting to society's expectations. The line, "They're back, to explain their experience," implies that there are others who believe they hold knowledge or authority, but the singer remains skeptical.
The lyrics also touch on the concept of facts and how they can be manipulated or misinterpreted. The singer notes that "facts are lazy and facts are late" and "facts all come with points of view," suggesting that truth can be subjective and hard to trust. The refrain of "I'm still waiting" implies a longing for understanding or clarity, but it seems that the singer is resigned to the fact that they may never fully find it.
Overall, Crosseyed and Painless seems to explore the struggle to make sense of a confusing and ever-changing world, where reliable information and clear understanding can be hard to come by.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost my shape,
I've become disoriented
Trying to act casual.
Pretending everything's okay
Can't stop,
Can't control myself
I might end up in the hospital.
Could lead to something dangerous
Changing my shape,
Feeling like something's not right
I feel like an accident.
I don't belong here
They're back,
The feeling of discomfort and confusion has returned
To explain their experience
Trying to make sense of things
Isn't it weird?
Doesn't this seem strange?
Looks too obscure to me
I can't quite grasp what's going on
Wasting away
Losing myself
And that was their policy
That's just how things were
I'm ready to leave
I want to escape this feeling
I push the fact in front of me
I try to ignore reality
Facts lost
The truth is obscured
Facts are never what they seem to be
The truth is elusive
Nothing there,
There is no understanding
No information left of any kind
I can't make sense of anything
Lifting my head
Trying to see things clearly
Looking for danger signs
Trying to identify what's wrong
There was a line
A clear boundary existed
There was a formula
A predictable way of doing things
Sharp as a knife
Very clear and precise
Facts cut a hole in us
The truth can be painful and damaging
Still waiting (repeat)
I'm still hoping for clarity
The feeling returns
The confusion and discomfort are back
Whenever we close our eyes
When we're not focused on the immediate
The island of doubt
A place where it's hard to trust anything
It's like the taste of medicine
Unpleasant but necessary
Working by hindsight
Understanding things too late
Got the message from the oxygen
Realized something important when I was struggling to breathe
Making a list
Trying to organize my thoughts
Find the cost of opportunity
Evaluate what I might gain or lose
Doing it right
Trying to make good decisions
Facts are useless in emergencies
The truth can't always help in a crisis
Facts are simple and facts are straight
The truth is straightforward
Facts are lazy and facts are late
The truth can be slow to come to light
Facts all come with points of view
The truth can be subject to interpretation
Facts don't do what I want them to
The truth might not be what I hope for
Facts just twist the truth around
The truth can be manipulated
Facts are living turned inside out
The truth can be confusing
Facts are getting the best of them
They're becoming overwhelmed by the truth
Facts are nothing on the face of things
The truth might not be obvious
Facts don't stain the furniture
The truth doesn't leave a physical mark
Facts go out and slam the door
The truth can be harsh and final
Facts are written all over your face
The truth is evident in your expression
Facts continue to change their shape
The truth is always evolving
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison, Brian Eno
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind