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
Wild Wild Life
Talking Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fur pyjamas
I ride a
Hot potato
It's ticklin' my fancy
Speak up, I can't hear you
Here on this mountaintop, oh oh oh
I got some news to tell, oh oh
About some wild, wild life
Here come the doctor in charge, oh oh oh
She's got some wild, wild life
Ain't that the way you like it, oh oh
Livin' wild, wild life
I'll wrestle
With your conscience
You wrestle
With your partner
Sittin' on a windowsill
But he spends his time behind closed doors, so
Check out mister businessman, oh oh oh
He bought some wild, wild life
On the way to the stock exchange, oh oh oh
He got some wild, wild life
Make it up when he opens the door, oh oh oh
He doin' wild, wild life
I know that's the way you like it, oh oh
Livin' wild, wild
Peace of mind
Is a piece of cake
Thought control
You get on board anytime you like
Like sittin' on pins and needles
Things fall apart, it's scientific
Sleepin' on the interstate, oh oh oh
Gettin' wild, wild life
Checkin' in and checkin' out, oh oh
I got 'em wild, wild life
Spendin' all of my money and time, oh oh oh
On too much wild, wild life
We wanna go and we go, where we go, oh oh oh
Ah, doin' wild, wild life
I know it, that's how we start, oh oh oh
Got some wild, wild life
Take a picture, here in the daylight, oh oh
They got some wild, wild life
You've grown so tall, you've grown so fast, oh oh oh
Wild, wild life
And I know that's the way you like it, oh ho
Livin' wild, wild, wild, wild life
The lyrics of Talking Heads' song, "Wild Wild Life," explore the idea of living an unconventional, unpredictable life. The opening lines, "I'm wearing my Fur pyjamas / I ride a Hot potato / It's tickling my fancy," immediately establish a sense of whimsy and unconventionality. The song continues to explore this theme, with the singer asserting that "I got some wild, wild life / I got some news to tell" and celebrating the fact that "Here come the doctor in charge / She's got some wild, wild life." The song encourages listeners to embrace this wild lifestyle, declaring that "I know that's the way you like it / Livin' wild, wild life."
As the song continues, it becomes clear that this wild lifestyle is not always easy or without consequences. The lyrics reference wrestling with one's conscience and with one's partner, and the singer sings about spending "all of my money and time / On too much wild, wild life." The song implies that this lifestyle may be unsustainable, with the lyrics "Things fall apart, it's scientific" suggesting that there are inherent risks to living such an unpredictable life. However, the song ends on a celebratory note, with the final lines encouraging listeners to continue "doin' wild, wild life."
Overall, "Wild Wild Life" celebrates the idea of living outside of societal norms and embracing a sense of adventure in life. While the song acknowledges the challenges of this lifestyle, it ultimately encourages listeners to continue living their lives with a sense of unpredictability and excitement.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm wearin' my fur pyjamas
I am uninhibited and unbothered by societal norms and expectations.
I ride a hot potato
I'm at the top of my game and enjoying every moment of it.
It's ticklin' my fancy
I'm finding joy and amusement in everything I do.
Speak up, I can't hear you
I'm living life so loudly that I can't even hear those who try to bring me down.
Here on this mountaintop, oh oh oh
I have reached success and am enjoying the view from the top.
I got some wild, wild life
I live an exciting and unconventional life.
I got some news to tell, oh oh
I have something exciting to share with those around me.
About some wild, wild life
It's about my unconventional and thrilling lifestyle.
Here come the doctor in charge, oh oh oh
Even the person in charge of my well-being can't keep up with me.
She's got some wild, wild life
The doctor is intrigued by my life and lifestyle.
Ain't that the way you like it, oh oh
My life is exciting and enviable to others.
Livin' wild, wild life
I'm living life to the fullest.
I'll wrestle with your conscience
I'll challenge your beliefs and push you to question the status quo.
You wrestle with your partner
You struggle with the expectations and responsibilities of a traditional relationship.
Sittin' on a windowsill
I'm taking a moment to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
But he spends his time behind closed doors, so
He's too caught up in his own world to truly enjoy life with me.
Check out mister businessman, oh oh oh
Even the most successful businessmen are intrigued by my life.
He bought some wild, wild life
He wants to experience the thrill of living like me.
On the way to the stock exchange, oh oh oh
Even on his way to work, he can't escape thoughts of a more exciting life.
He got some wild, wild life
He's embracing a more unconventional lifestyle like mine.
Make it up when he opens the door, oh oh oh
He's ready to be wild and free as soon as he leaves his work behind.
He doin' wild, wild life
He's fully embracing the thrill and excitement of living freely.
I know that's the way you like it, oh oh
People are drawn to and fascinated by the thrill of a wild and unconventional life.
Peace of mind is a piece of cake
When you're living life to the fullest, finding peace and happiness is easy.
Thought control
I'm in control of my thoughts and actions, always choosing to live a wild and free life.
You get on board anytime you like
Living a wild and free life is an open invitation to others who want to join in.
Like sittin' on pins and needles
My life is thrilling and unpredictable, always keeping me on edge.
Things fall apart, it's scientific
The unpredictability of life is part of its natural order.
Sleepin' on the interstate, oh oh oh
Even sleep is exciting when you're on a road trip, living life to the fullest.
Gettin' wild, wild life
Every experience is exciting and new, as if I'm living in a wild and unconventional world.
Checkin' in and checkin' out, oh oh
I'm always on the move, experiencing new things and never staying in one place for too long.
I got 'em wild, wild life
Others are drawn to my lifestyle and are inspired to live more freely themselves.
Spendin' all of my money and time, oh oh oh
I'm investing all my resources in living life to the fullest, no matter the cost.
On too much wild, wild life
I'm consuming my entire life with my wild and unconventional lifestyle.
We wanna go and we go, where we go, oh oh oh
We're constantly moving and exploring, never staying in one place for too long.
Ah, doin' wild, wild life
We're embracing the wild and free lifestyle to the fullest.
I know that's how we start, oh oh oh
Living life to the fullest comes from embracing the wild and unconventional from the very beginning.
Got some wild, wild life
My life is full of excitement and adventure.
Take a picture, here in the daylight, oh oh
Capturing moments of joy and excitement so we can remember them later.
They got some wild, wild life
Others are living free and wild, embracing the unconventional lifestyle to the fullest.
You've grown so tall, you've grown so fast, oh oh oh
We've grown so much as individuals, never slowing down or getting complacent with our lifestyle.
Wild, wild life
Embracing a wild and unconventional lifestyle to the fullest.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Byrne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@flynnc.902
I'm wearing
Fur pijamas
I ride a
Hot potata
It's tickling my fancy
Speak up I cant hear you
Here on this moutain-top
Oh oh
I got some wild wild life
I got some news to tell ya
Oh oh
About some wild wild life
Here comes the doctor in charge
Oh oh
She's got some wild wild life
Aint that the way you like it?
Oh oh
Livin wild wild life
I wrestle
With your conscience
You wrestle
With your partner
Sittin on a window sill but he
Spends his time behind closed doors
Check out Mr. Businessman
Oh oh
He bought some wild wild life
On the way to the stock exchange
Oh oh
He got some wild wild life
Break it up when he opens the door
Oh oh
He's doin wild wild life
I know that's the way you like it
Oh oh
Livin wild wild life
Peace of mind
It's a piece of cake
Thought control
You get on board anytime you like
Like sittin on pins and needles
Things fall apart, it's scientific
Sleepin on the interstate
Oh oh
Gettin wild wild life
Checkin in checkin out
Oh oh
I got some wild wild life
Spendin all of my money and time
Oh oh
Done too much wild wild life
We wanna go where we go where we go
Oh oh
I doin wild wild
I know it that's how we start
Oh oh
Got some wild wild life
Take a picture here in the daylight
Oh oh
And it's a wild wild life
You've grown so tall, you've grown so fast
Oh oh
Wild wild
I know that's the way you like it
Oh oh
Livin wild wild wild wild, life
@leokimvideo
Classic MTV era video
@grahamchapple3552
i gotta stop playing this the neighbors are complaining
@lisadc4681
@@grahamchapple3552
I know! They were the greatest ever!!
@tomatobooksentertainment8376
Most of the video is from the movie.
@MVegetto1
back when MTV play songs
@jeffthompson6431
This song made me happy as a young man and now it makes me happy as an old man. Thank you David Byrne for everything you've done.
@POLSKAH
ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY SIR!!!!!❤️❤️❤️
@davidwilliford4793
same
@davesworld7961
Great song and video. First song I ever called in to the radio station to get played on air.
@davidcoberly9240
And what a great movie!