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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Listening Wind
Talking Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mojique thinks of days before Americans came
He sees the foreigners in growing numbers
He sees the foreigners in fancy houses
He thinks of days that he can still remember...now.
Mojique holds a package in his quivering hands
Mojique sends the package to the American man
Softly he glides along the streets and alleys
He feels the time is surely now or never...more.
The wind in my heart
The wind in my heart
The dust in my head
The dust in my head
The wind in my heart
The wind in my heart
(Come to)
Drive them away
Drive them away.
Mojique buys equipment in the market place
Mojique plants devices in the free trade zone
He feels the wind is lifting up his people
He calls the wind to guide him on his mission
He knows his friend the wind is always standing...by.
Mojique smells the wind that comes from far away
Mojique waits for news in a quiet place
He feels the presence of the wind around him
He feels the power of the past behind him
He has the knowledge of the wind to guide him...on.
The wind in my heart
The wind in my heart
The dust in my head
The dust in my head
The wind in my heart
The wind in my heart
(Come to)
Drive them away
Drive them away.
The Talking Heads' "Listening Wind" is a politically charged song about a fictional character's resentment towards Americans in his once peaceful village. Mojique, the singer, reminisces about the days before Americans seemingly invaded with their fancy houses and growing numbers. He holds a package in his quivering hands, which he sends to an American man. The wind represents Mojique's frustration and desperation to drive Americans away from his village.
The first verse speaks of Mojique's observations of the foreigners, which leads to him thinking about the past when they were absent. The fear of losing his culture to Americanization drives him towards a mission to remove them. The second verse highlights how Mojique plants devices in the free trade zone and explicitly states the significance of the wind. The wind symbolizes power, knowledge, and guidance- which are all on his side. In the previous verse, Mojique relies on the wind to help him escape unnoticed after delivering the package.
But why is Mojique doing all of this? The song does not reveal it. It is up to the listener's imagination to fill the blanks. The song's lyrics can easily relate to how a native population would resent foreigners that bring their culture and way of life in a peaceful world. The wind, in this sense, could represent a movement or a symbol that all eyes are following.
Overall, "Listening Wind" is one of the many excellent politically motivated songs by Talking Heads that highlights how closely David Byrne followed the world's situation, especially in the 80s.
Line by Line Meaning
Mojique sees his village from a nearby hill
Mojique, a member of an indigenous tribe, looks at his village from atop a hill.
Mojique thinks of days before Americans came
Mojique reminisces about the time before the arrival of the Americans.
He sees the foreigners in growing numbers
Mojique observes the increasing number of foreigners who have come to his land.
He sees the foreigners in fancy houses
Mojique notices that the foreigners live in luxurious buildings.
He thinks of days that he can still remember...now.
Mojique remembers the days of his youth.
Mojique holds a package in his quivering hands
Mojique holds a package in his trembling hands.
Mojique sends the package to the American man
Mojique sends the package to an American man.
Softly he glides along the streets and alleys
Mojique moves quietly through the streets and alleyways.
Up comes the wind that makes them run for cover
A gust of wind rises up suddenly, making people take shelter.
He feels the time is surely now or never...more.
Mojique senses that this is a critical moment, and that he must act now.
The wind in my heart
Mojique feels a passion driving him forward.
The wind in my heart
His intense emotion continues to drive him.
The dust in my head
Mojique's thoughts are clouded and confused.
The dust in my head
He feels mentally overwhelmed and uncertain.
The wind in my heart
His deep passion returns with greater force.
The wind in my heart
He feels moved by strong emotions.
(Come to)
Drive them away
Mojique calls for help to ward off the foreigners.
Mojique buys equipment in the market place
Mojique purchases equipment from the local market.
Mojique plants devices in the free trade zone
Mojique hides devices in the free trade zone.
He feels the wind is lifting up his people
Mojique senses that the wind is bringing hope to his people.
He calls the wind to guide him on his mission
Mojique appeals to the wind to help him accomplish his goal.
He knows his friend the wind is always standing...by.
Mojique trusts that the wind is his ally.
Mojique smells the wind that comes from far away
Mojique senses the arrival of a distant wind.
Mojique waits for news in a quiet place
Mojique patiently waits for news to arrive in a peaceful location.
He feels the presence of the wind around him
Mojique senses the comforting presence of the wind near him.
He feels the power of the past behind him
Mojique acknowledges the strength he derives from his ancestors.
He has the knowledge of the wind to guide him...on.
Mojique believes that the wind will guide him onwards.
The wind in my heart
Mojique's unwavering passion remains with him.
The wind in my heart
He continues to feel immensely driven and moved by strong emotions.
The dust in my head
His thoughts remain cloudy and jumbled.
The dust in my head
Mojique's mind is still overwhelmed and uncertain.
The wind in my heart
He once again strengthens his resolve with his intense emotions.
The wind in my heart
Mojique's fervent passion remains with him throughout the song.
(Come to)
Drive them away
Mojique calls upon the wind to help drive the foreigners out of his land.
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