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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Life During Wartime
Talking Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Packed up and ready to go
Heard of some gravesites, out by the highway
A place where nobody knows
The sound of gunfire, off in the distance
I'm getting used to it now
Lived in a brownstone, lived in a ghetto
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
This ain't no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey-dovey
I ain't got time for that now
Transmit the message to the receiver
Hope for an answer someday
I got three passports, a couple of visas
You don't even know my real name
High on a hillside, the trucks are loading
Everything's ready to roll
I sleep in the daytime, I work in the nighttime
I might not ever get home
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
This ain't no fooling around
This ain't no Mudd Club, or CBGB
I ain't got time for that now
Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, PA?
You oughta know not to stand by the window
Somebody see you up there
I got some groceries, some peanut butter
To last a couple of days
But I ain't got no speakers, ain't got no headphones
Ain't got no records to play
Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time
Can't write a letter, can't send no postcard
I ain't got time for that now
Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock
We blended in with the crowd
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines
I know that that ain't allowed
We dress like students, we dress like housewives
Or in a suit and a tie
I changed my hairstyle, so many times now
I don't know what I look like
You make me shiver, I feel so tender
We make a pretty good team
Don't get exhausted, I'll do some driving
You ought to get you some sleep
Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
The burning keeps me alive
The lyrics to Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime” describe a world where violence, danger, and paranoia are the norm. The verses paint a picture of a place where the sound of gunfire is common, and people must constantly be on guard. The singer tells of a van that is packed with weapons, and of grave sites out by the highway where people disappear without a trace. They talk about living in different parts of town, both the wealthy “brownstone” areas and the poverty-stricken “ghetto.” The chorus of the song emphasizes that this is a serious, life-or-death situation: “This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, This ain’t no fooling around, This ain’t no Mudd Club, or C. B. G. B., I ain’t got time for that now.”
The second half of the song delves more into the singer’s personal life amid all the chaos. They talk about having multiple passports and visas, and not even having a real name. They describe being up on a hillside where trucks are being loaded, and working through both the day and night, worrying that they may never make it back home. The song ends with a few lines about the physical toll that this kind of life has taken on the singer (“My chest is aching, burns like a furnace, The burning keeps me alive”).
As for the deeper meaning of the song, it is widely considered to be a commentary on the anxiety and paranoia of life in America during the Cold War. This was a time when tensions between the US and the Soviet Union were high, and people were deeply afraid of a nuclear war breaking out at any moment. Talking Heads captures this feeling of constant tension and uncertainty, where every day could be the last, in “Life During Wartime.”
Line by Line Meaning
Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons,
Packed up and ready to go
I have been informed about a vehicle filled with arms that is prepared to leave.
Heard of some grave sites, out by the highway,
A place where nobody knows
I know there are unidentified burial sites near the road.
The sound of gunfire, off in the distance,
I'm getting used to it now
I hear gunshots coming from far. I am becoming desensitized to it.
Lived in a brownstone, lived in a ghetto,
I've lived all over this town
I have resided in various dwellings across this city, including low and high-income areas.
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,
This ain't no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey,
I ain't got time for that now
This is a serious situation. There is no time for frivolous activities like dancing and romance.
Transmit the message, to the receiver,
Hope for an answer someday
I got three passports, a couple of visas,
You don't even know my real name
Send the signal to the intended recipient and have faith that there will be a response. I have multiple travel documents, and you are unaware of my identity.
High on a hillside, the trucks are loading,
Everything's ready to roll
I sleep in the daytime, I work in the nighttime,
I might not ever get home
The vehicles are being prepared for transportation on a hilltop. I work at night, sleep during the day, and may not be able to return.
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,
This ain't no fooling around
This ain't no Mudd Club, or C. B. G. B.,
I ain't got time for that now
This is not a jovial gathering. This is not like a fun music venue, and there's no room for playfulness.
Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, P. A.?
You ought to know not to stand by the window
Somebody see you up there
Have you heard what happened in Houston? Or Detroit? Or Pittsburgh? Do not stand near a window because you will be visible to certain individuals.
I got some groceries, some peanut butter,
To last a couple of days
But I ain't got no speakers, ain't got no headphones,
Ain't got no records to play
I have food supplies like peanut butter that will sustain me for a few days. However, I lack any devices like speakers or records to amuse myself.
Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time
Can't write a letter, can't send no postcard,
I ain't got time for that now
I question the point of being in school. This time things will be different. I cannot send any correspondence since I have no time.
Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock,
We blended in with the crowd
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines,
I know that that ain't allowed
We experienced difficulty while traveling but passed through a barrier disguised among the multitude. We have computers and intercept phone messages, even though it is against the rules.
We dress like students, we dress like housewives,
Or in a suit and a tie
I changed my hairstyle, so many times now,
I don't know what I look like!
Our fashion sense ranges from casual attire like students and housewives to formal wear such as suits and ties. I altered my hairstyle too many times, and I do not recognize myself.
You make me shiver, I feel so tender,
We make a pretty good team
Don't get exhausted, I'll do some driving,
You ought to get you some sleep
Being with you causes me to tremble, and I am sensitized. We work well together. Do not tire yourself; I will drive, and you should go to sleep.
Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace,
The burning keeps me alive
Notebooks are of no use as they will not help me stay alive. My chest is causing me immense pain and is ablaze, but the burning is also what is keeping me alive.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Chris Frantz, Christopher Frantz, David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind