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
Our House
Talking Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our house, in the middle of our
Our house, in the middle of our street
[Our house, in the middle of our]
Something tells you that you've got to get away from it
Father wears his Sunday best
The kids are playing up downstairs
Sister's sighing in her sleep
Brother's got a date to keep
He can't hang around
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
Our house it has a crowd
There's always something happening
And it's usually quite loud
Our mum she's so house-proud
Nothing ever slows her down
And a mess is not allowed
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our...
Our house, in the middle of our street
[Our house, in the middle of our]
Something tells you that you've got to get away from it
Father gets up late for work
Mother has to iron his shirt
Then she sends the kids to school
Sees them off with a small kiss
She's the one they're going to miss
In lots of ways
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
I remember way back then when everything was true and when
We would have such a very good time such a fine time
Such a happy time
And I remember how we'd play simply waste the day away
Then we'd say nothing would come between us two dreamers
Father wears his Sunday best
Mother's tired she needs a rest
The kids are playing up downstairs
Sister's sighing in her sleep
Brother's got a date to keep
He can't hang around
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our...
Our house, was our castle and our keep
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, that was where we used to sleep
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our street
The Talking Heads’ “Our House” seems to be a nostalgic reflection on a not-so-perfect, but well-loved family life. The song starts on a happy note with the repetitive chorus “Our house, in the middle of our street,” which seems to be a symbol of the unity and warmth that exists in the family. However, the second line of the chorus, “something tells you that you've got to get away from it,” suggests that there are moments when the mundanity and chaos of family life might weigh heavily and make someone want to escape.
The verses then go on to describe the different family members and the roles they play in the household. The mother is tired and needs a rest, the father wears his Sunday best and gets up late for work, while the sister is sighing in her sleep and the brother has a date to keep. The children are described as playing and making noise downstairs while the mother is house-proud and doesn’t allow any mess. All of these descriptions come together to paint a picture of a typical family, with joy and chaos co-existing in the same space.
The final verse and chorus declare that the family’s house is their castle, and the place where they used to sleep, symbolizing a sense of security and comfort. The song ultimately underscores the importance of family, warts and all, and the memories and nostalgia associated with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our home is located right in the center of our neighborhood
Our house, in the middle of our
The home we live in is at the heart of our community
Something tells you that you've got to get away from it
Although we love our home, there is an underlying feeling that we need to escape from it
Father wears his Sunday best
Dad dresses up in his nicest clothes
Mother's tired she needs a rest
Mom is exhausted and could use some relaxation
The kids are playing up downstairs
The children are making noise and causing trouble in the lower level of the house
Sister's sighing in her sleep
Sis is breathing heavily while she dozes off
Brother's got a date to keep
Bro has plans and can't stay around the house
He can't hang around
Bro can't stay too long
Our house it has a crowd
Our home is always busy with people coming in and out
There's always something happening
There's always an event or activity taking place in our house
And it's usually quite loud
The commotion is usually noisy and energetic
Our mum she's so house-proud
Our mother takes great pride in maintaining a clean and orderly home
Nothing ever slows her down
No matter what, Mom keeps working and never stops to rest
And a mess is not allowed
Mom doesn't tolerate any disorder or chaos in the house
Father gets up late for work
Dad wakes up later than he should for his job
Mother has to iron his shirt
Mom has to press Dad's shirt for him
Then she sends the kids to school
After taking care of Dad, Mom sends the children off to their classes
Sees them off with a small kiss
Mom gives the kids a quick goodbye peck before they head out the door
She's the one they're going to miss
The children will miss their mother the most when they're away at school
In lots of ways
There are many reasons why the kids will miss their mom so much
I remember way back then when everything was true and when
I have fond memories of when everything was honest and genuine
We would have such a very good time such a fine time
We had an amazing and wonderful time together
Such a happy time
It was a time filled with joy and happiness
And I remember how we'd play simply waste the day away
I recall spending entire days with friends idling and having fun
Then we'd say nothing would come between us two dreamers
We believed that nothing could come between us and our dreams
Our house, was our castle and our keep
Our home was our fortress and where we kept safe
Our house, that was where we used to sleep
We used to sleep in the house we call home
Our house, in the middle of our street
Our home still stands at the center of our community
Contributed by Jordan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TheCrazyChameleon
LYRICS:
Watch out you might get what you're after
Boom babies strange but not a stranger
I'm an ordinary guy
Burning down the house
Hold tight wait till the party's over
Hold tight We're in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Burning down the house
Here's your ticket pack your bag
Time for jumpin' overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far
Maybe you know where you are
Fightin' fire with fire
All wet! Hey you might need a raincoat
Shakedown! Dreams walkin' in broad daylite
Three hun-dred six-ty five de-grees
Burning down the house
It was once upon a place
sometimes I listen to myself
Gonna come in first place
People on their way to work and baby what did you except
Gonna burst into flame
My house! Is out of the ordinary
That's right! Don't wanna hurt nobody
Some things sure can
sweep me off my feet
Burning down the house
No visible means of support and you have not seen nothin' yet
Everything's stuck together
And I don't know what you expect starring into the TV set
Fighting fire with fire
@CoreyLaddo
I want a projector so I can beam an image of David Byrne's face onto the side of my house.
@fleshdob4805
Same
@rorgues6465
The lord has come
@popeofsimps2924
Same
@gutterchic66
❤
@auri8810
byrning down the house
@TheLizardKing1967
David Byrne is a creative genius and was way ahead of his time.
@willritter4076
I'd be honored if some David Byrne & Talking Heads fans would take a listen to my acoustic piano & vocal performance of THIS MUST BE THE PLACE (re-interpreted as a ballad) on my YT channel in tribute to one of the most unique & iconic bands of the late 70s/early 80s era. Raw acoustic with no digital editing. Thanks and peace.
@wbiro
Listen to Pop Musik by M (4 years before this)...
@Exploshi
@Kingy B ok boomer