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.
www.talking-heads.net
Found A Job
Talking Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Don't get upset, it's not a major disaster".
"There's nothing on tonight", he said, "I don't know what's the matter"!
"Nothing's ever on", she said, "so I don't know why you bother."
We've heard this little scene, we've heard it many times.
People fighting over little things and wasting precious time.
They might be better off I think the way it seems to me.
Judy's in the bedroom, inventing situations.
Bob is on the street today, scouting up locations.
They've enlisted all their family.
They've enlisted all their friends.
It helped saved their relationship,
And made it work again
Their show gets real high ratings, they think they have a hit.
There might even be a spin off, but they're not sure 'bout that.
If they ever watch T.V. again, it'd be too soon for them.
Bob never yells about the picture now, he's having too much fun.
Judy's in the bedroom, inventing situations.
Bob is on the street today, scouting up locations.
They've enlisted all their family.
They've enlisted all their friends.
It helped saved their relationship,
And made it work again
So think about this little scene; apply it to your life.
If your work isn't what you love, then something isn't right.
Just look at Bob and Judy; they're happy as can be,
Inventing situations, putting them on T.V.
Judy's in the bedroom, inventing situations.
Bob is on the street today, he's having a vacation.
They've enlisted all their family.
They've enlisted all their friends.
It helped saved their relationship,
And made it work again
The song "Found a Job" by Talking Heads is a commentary on the pitfalls of television as an entertainment medium, and how it can be an impediment to real meaningful communication and relationships. The song tells the story of a couple who are unhappy with the quality of programming on television and how it leads to an argument, but then they decide to create their own shows and enlist the help of their friends and family to make it a success. The song is a call to action for people to take control of their entertainment choices and create their own content.
The first verse sets the scene with the couple fighting over the quality of programming on television. The chorus emphasizes the point that people waste precious time fighting over little things, and suggests that making their own shows might be a better use of their time. The second verse shows the couple taking action and creating their own shows, which leads to them being successful and happy. The final verse encourages listeners to apply the lesson of the story to their own lives and make choices that lead to happiness and fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
Damn that television what a bad picture
The television has a poor display, it's unfortunate
Don't get upset, it's not a major disaster
Don't get overly upset, it's not a huge crisis
There's nothing on tonight, he said, I don't know what's the matter
There doesn't seem to be anything worth watching on TV tonight
Nothing's ever on, she said, so I don't know why you bother
There's usually nothing worth watching on TV, so why bother looking for something?
We've heard this little scene, we've heard it many times. People fighting over little things and wasting precious time.
This is a recurring situation where people argue over insignificant matters, leading to a waste of time
They might be better off I think the way it seems to me. Making up their own shows, which might be better than T.V.
Perhaps they would be better off creating their own content instead of watching TV, as it has the potential to be more entertaining
Judy's in the bedroom, inventing situations. Bob is on the street today, scouting up locations.
Judy is imagining new scenarios in her head while Bob is searching for new locations on the street
They've enlisted all their family. They've enlisted all their friends. It helped saved their relationship, And made it work again
Bob and Judy have collaborated with their loved ones to produce their show, which has improved their relationship and brought them closer together
Their show gets real high ratings, they think they have a hit. There might even be a spin off, but they're not sure 'bout that.
Their show is doing well in terms of viewership, and they're considering the possibility of producing another series
If they ever watch T.V. again, it'd be too soon for them. Bob never yells about the picture now, he's having too much fun.
They've enjoyed creating their own content so much that they have no desire to watch TV again
So think about this little scene; apply it to your life. If your work isn't what you love, then something isn't right. Just look at Bob and Judy; they're happy as can be, Inventing situations, putting them on T.V.
Use this situation as an example and consider your own happiness with your work. Bob and Judy are content with creating their own content and sharing it with others
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID BYRNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Shirk
Tina Weymouth is one of the best & most underrated bass players in rock
molloyxx1
Such joy. Byrne is slowly being understood as the transformative figure he has been since the early days.
Michelle French
Best bass line ever.
Robert Escher
When you weren't sure if you were listening to Devo or Talking Heads... ;) Both geniuses of social commentary.
Michelle French
I also love the quirky time sig of this song.
Gerald's Videos
Damn that television.
Rolando Sarabia
He saw it coming, now we're living it. Next step Teilhard de Chardin's vision of a Noosphere