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
Perfect World
Talking Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I don't know where it is
Where it is
Well, I know where it is
But I don't know what it looks like
What it looks like
Well, I know what it looks like,
But I don't know where she comes from
But I don't know what's her name.
[Chorus:]
(and she said) This is a perfect world
I'm riding on an incline
I'm staring in your face
You'll photograph mine
And I've been walking, talking
Believing the things that are true
And I've been finding
The difference between right and wrong...good and bad
See me put things together
Put them back where they belong
Am I just like the others
Have I always been singing the same song
[Chorus]
Somebody said that it happens all over the world
I do believe that it's true
And the sun's coming up
And we're doing all the things that we should
Doesn't everybody here believe in the things we do?
(And she said)
[Chorus]
It's a strange situation
What's wrong with you?
Baby...baby...baby
What you doing in my house?
And it's all true
There's nothing wrong with you
(And I said)
[Chorus]
The lyrics of the Talking Heads's song "Perfect World" have a mysterious quality that seems to hint at the elusive nature of happiness and fulfillment. The singer expresses a strong desire to find something, but he doesn't quite know what it is or where to look for it. He knows what it is, he knows where it is, he knows what it looks like, and he knows where it comes from, but he doesn't know all of those things about the same thing. He is searching for a perfect world, but he doesn't seem to know what that world would look like or where he might find it.
The chorus of the song seems to suggest that the singer has found the perfect world that he was searching for. He is riding on an incline, staring in someone's face, and having his photograph taken. He has been walking, talking, and believing in true things. He has been finding the difference between right and wrong and putting things back where they belong. He wonders if he is just like everyone else, but he seems to have found something special.
The song seems to be about the search for happiness and meaning in life. The singer is looking for something that he can't quite define, but he knows it when he sees it. The chorus suggests that he has found what he was looking for, but it's not clear what that is or how he found it. The lyrics are open to interpretation, which makes them intriguing and thought-provoking.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I know what it is
I understand the concept of a perfect world
But I don't know where it is
I don't know where to find this perfect world
Where it is
I am still searching for the location of this perfect world
Well, I know where it is
I have finally found the location of this perfect world
But I don't know what it looks like
I am not sure what this perfect world looks like
What it looks like
I am curious about the appearance of this perfect world
Well, I know what it looks like,
Now, I have an idea of what this perfect world looks like
But I don't know where she comes from
I don't know the origin of the person representing the perfection
Well, I know where she comes from,
I have finally discovered the origin of the person representing the perfection
But I don't know what's her name.
I don't know the identity of the person representing the perfection
This is a perfect world
The world we are in is perfect
I'm riding on an incline
I am gaining control and making progress
I'm staring in your face
I am directly confronting and acknowledging you
You'll photograph mine
You will capture my essence
And I've been walking, talking
I have been exploring and interacting with the world
Believing the things that are true
I have faith in things that are factual
And I've been finding
I have been discovering
The difference between right and wrong...good and bad
I am learning to distinguish between ethical choices and those that are not
See me put things together
I am skillfully assembling ideas and concepts
Put them back where they belong
I am organizing and classifying ideas and concepts
Am I just like the others
I am questioning whether I am similar to everyone else
Have I always been singing the same song
I am considering whether I have always had the same beliefs
Somebody said that it happens all over the world
I heard that certain things occur universally
I do believe that it's true
I have faith in the truth of the statement
And the sun's coming up
A new day is dawning
And we're doing all the things that we should
We are behaving appropriately
Doesn't everybody here believe in the things we do?
I am wondering whether our beliefs are commonly shared
It's a strange situation
The current circumstance is perplexing
What's wrong with you?
What is causing your distress?
Baby...baby...baby
A term of endearment or frustration
What you doing in my house?
Why are you invading my personal space?
And it's all true
Everything I believe is factual
There's nothing wrong with you
You are not the source of the problem
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS FRANTZ, CHRISTOPHER FRANTZ, DAVID BYRNE, JERRY HARRISON, TINA WEYMOUTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juan Ramírez
Well, I know what it is
But I don't know where it is
Where it is
Well, I know where it is
But I don't know what it looks like
What it looks like
Well, I know what it looks like,
But I don't know where she comes from
Well, I know where she comes from,
But I don't know what's her name.
This is a perfect world
I'm riding on an incline
I'm staring in your face
You'll photograph mine
And I've been walking, talking
Believing the things that are true
And I've been finding
The difference between right and wrong...good and bad
See me put things together
Put them back where they belong
Am I just like the others
Have I always been singing the same song
This is a perfect world
I'm riding on an incline
I'm staring in your face
You'll photograph mine
Somebody said that it happens all over the world
I do believe that it's true
And the sun's coming up
And we're doing all the things that we should
Doesn't everybody here believe in the things we do?
This is a perfect world
I'm riding on an incline
I'm staring in your face
You'll photograph mine
It's a strange situation
What's wrong with you?
Baby...baby...baby
What you doing in my house?
And it's all true
There's nothing wrong with you
(And I said)
This is a perfect world
I'm riding on an incline
I'm staring in your face
You'll photograph mine
madeleine p.
Having one of those days where I’m feeling super happy for no reason and hearing this song for the first time in months made me feel even better! <3
Alexander Anthony
❣
robo9999
They really were great weren't they. Fantastic album!!!
raini walcott
77 year's old and I still love the talking heads.
Tamar 4272
raini walcott : I’m 51 yrs old and my daughter is 20 yrs old - we ❤️ the talking heads too 👍
hugh mongous
Just a normal 14 year old fan passing by
Lou Cat
checking in at 59!
Vegetable Man
I hope you're still diggin' at 84 my friend.
Geo Johnstone
Keep on Rocking young man
Highlander Plant based
One of the best albums ever 💚