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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Drugs
Talking Heads Lyrics
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Some are smeared and some are spots
Feels like a murder but that's alright
Somebody said there's too much light
Pull down the shade and it's alright
It'll be over in a minute or two.
I'm charged up don't put me down
I feel mean I feel okay
I'm charged up electricity
The boys are making a big mess
This makes the girls all start to laugh
I don't know what they're talking about
The boys are worried, the girls are shocked
They pick the sound and let it drop
Nobody know what they're talking about
I'm charged up I'm kinda wooden
I'm barely moving I study motion
I study myself I fooled myself
I'm charged up it's pretty intense
I'm charged up don't put me down
Don't feel like talking don't mess around
I feel mean I feel okay
I'm charged up electricity
The Talking Heads' song "Drugs" is a peculiar and intriguing song that can be interpreted in many ways. The lyrics provide a surreal perspective on the effects of drugs and its impact on the singer's perception of reality. The opening lines of the song, "And all I see is little dots, some are smeared, and some are spots," suggests visual distortions or hallucinations, which could be a result of drug use.
The next set of lyrics, "Feels like a murder but that's alright, somebody said there's too much light, pull down the shade, and it's alright, it'll be over in a minute or two," could imply guilt or anxiety associated with drug use. The lyrics then transition into a description of the singer's emotional state, "I'm charged up, don't put me down, don't feel like talking, don't mess around, I feel mean, I feel okay, I'm charged up electricity."
The song then narrates a social gathering where the boys are making a mess and the girls are laughing. The lyrics "they pick the sound and let it drop, nobody knows what they're talking about" suggest that the singer feels detached from the conversation, perhaps because of the effects of drugs. The song's repetition of "I'm charged up, don't put me down" could be interpreted as a mantra to stay energized or to ward off the negative effects of drugs.
Line by Line Meaning
And all I see is little dots
The singer sees small things and can't make out what they are.
Some are smeared and some are spots
The small things either look blurry or clear to the singer.
Feels like a murder but that's alright
The situation seems intense, but the singer is okay with it.
Somebody said there's too much light
Someone believes that there's too much brightness in the room.
Pull down the shade and it's alright
To reduce the brightness, someone pulls down the shades, and that helps alleviate the worry.
It'll be over in a minute or two.
The singer believes the situation will end soon.
I'm charged up don't put me down
The singer feels full of energy and doesn't want anyone to bring them down.
Don't feel like talking don't mess around
The singer comes off as unfriendly and doesn't want to engage in small talk.
I feel mean I feel okay
The singer comes off as intimidating, but they feel fine.
The boys are making a big mess
The male group is creating a fuss, and it's causing trouble.
This makes the girls all start to laugh
The female group finds the boys' actions silly and starts to chuckle.
I don't know what they're talking about
The singer doesn't understand the conversation among the males and females.
The boys are worried, the girls are shocked
The males show concern, while the females seem surprised by something.
They pick the sound and let it drop
The group decides on a noise and then ignore it (drop it).
Nobody knows what they're talking about
No one has a real understanding of what's going on in the conversation.
I'm charged up I'm kinda wooden
The singer feels lively but also stiff.
I'm barely moving I study motion
The singer isn't very active, but they're observing others' movements.
I study myself I fooled myself
The singer reflects on themselves and how they've deceived themselves.
I'm charged up it's pretty intense
The singer feels full of energy, and it's a bit overwhelming.
I'm charged up don't put me down
Once again, the singer warns others not to bring them down.
Don't feel like talking don't mess around
The singer still doesn't feel like talking or engaging in small talk.
I feel mean I feel okay
Again, the singer might seem unapproachable, but they feel fine.
I'm charged up electricity
The singer feels like they're full of electric energy.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID BYRNE, BRIAN ENO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind