It is their Number 2 song on Spotify, above Once in a Life and BDTH, but below Psycho Killer. wtf
― We were never Breeting Borting (President Keyes), Friday, 26 April 2019 15:30 (five years ago) link
it's a great song so maybe it's just been a slow burn
genuine lol at voodoo chili's comment
― na (NA), Friday, 26 April 2019 15:31 (five years ago) link
voodoo chili, also consider that "It's like butter" is a really succinct description of margarine.
― Pontius Pilates (Ye Mad Puffin), Friday, 26 April 2019 15:38 (five years ago) link
Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" seems the epitome of this.
― zama roma ding dong (Eric H.), Friday, 26 April 2019 15:39 (five years ago) link
TMBTP is also a fairly popular wedding song.
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 26 April 2019 15:41 (five years ago) link
xxp i can't believe it
― mourning joe (voodoo chili), Friday, 26 April 2019 15:41 (five years ago) link
of course it's a popular wedding song, who can be unmoved by the romantic memory of david byrne dancing with a floor lamp
― na (NA), Friday, 26 April 2019 15:43 (five years ago) link
when i got into talking heads TMBTP was the one song, aside from once in a lifetime and road to nowhere, that i recognized from having heard it on the radio as a kid.
― visiting, Friday, 26 April 2019 16:04 (five years ago) link
this is def one of the bigger shifts and weirder ones to someone like me who knew "burning down the house" from references in FoxTrot comics before i ever heard of the band. certainly knew that one and "take me to the river" and "and she was" and even "wild wild life" long before TMBTP or Psycho Killer.
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Friday, 26 April 2019 17:00 (five years ago) link
I posted this 6 years ago in a Talking Heads "Speaking in Tongues" Poll thread: In the continuing Great-American-Songbook-ization of "This Must Be the Place," husband-and-wife cabaret stars John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey's recent show opens with a duet/medley of "TMBTP" and the Beatles' "Two of Us."
It was the first dance for me and my wife Olive Oyl.
― Hideous Lump, Saturday, 27 April 2019 04:06 (five years ago) link
Well blow me down
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 27 April 2019 05:14 (five years ago) link
From a UK perspective the three most recognisable Talking Heads songs (as in, recognisable to people who haven't heard of I Zimbra or whatever) are Once In A Lifetime, Psycho Killer and Road To Nowhere. Probably because they were either hits (PS & RTN) or the early breakthrough song (PK). This Must Be The Place etc kind of deeper cuts, relatively speaking.
― Zeuhl Idol (Matt #2), Saturday, 27 April 2019 08:28 (five years ago) link
It was on Shawn Colvin's covers album in 1994, and some versions out there resemble hers more than the Heads's.
― Pontius Pilates (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 27 April 2019 10:51 (five years ago) link
Once In A Lifetime, Psycho Killer and Road To Nowhere
These + "Burning Down the House" were the ones I always thought of as their biggest songs.
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Saturday, 27 April 2019 12:37 (five years ago) link
I've been amazed at how big a radio/Muzak staple "And She Was" has become.
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 27 April 2019 12:38 (five years ago) link
“Nothing But Flowers” felt inescapable at the time but really hasn’t entered the radio canon
― We were never Breeting Borting (President Keyes), Saturday, 27 April 2019 13:42 (five years ago) link
the new yorker on this must be the place in 2012:
Thirty years old this year, the song has slowly but surely embedded itself in the American songbook. You can’t walk into a good bar between Williamsburg and Silver Lake without an even shot that it will come on the stereo in some iteration. Lately, it’s been covered by Arcade Fire, MGMT, and the jam band The String Cheese Incident, among others. There are books named for it. Hip brides march down the aisle to it. It’s quoted in mawkish editorials. And last year, “This Must Be the Place” was made into a movie.
― fact checking cuz, Saturday, 27 April 2019 14:13 (five years ago) link
"home is where i want to be but i guess i'm already there"--a literal description of hitting in baseball.
― mourning joe (voodoo chili), Friday, April 26, 2019 8:30 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
posts like this are why i love ilx
― american bradass (BradNelson), Saturday, 27 April 2019 14:19 (five years ago) link
I remember being a Talking Heads fan and not being really aware of TMBTL being "a great song" and having it slowly introduce itself to me. Wasn't there a second theatrical release of Stop Making Sense around 2003 or something?
― flamboyant goon tie included, Saturday, 27 April 2019 14:46 (five years ago) link
This thread is funny also, Trainspotting really was that soundtrack I guess!
― flamboyant goon tie included, Saturday, 27 April 2019 14:48 (five years ago) link
My wife fell in love with TMBTP after hearing an Iron & Wine cover of it
― jaymc, Saturday, 27 April 2019 14:52 (five years ago) link
Huh, the earliest cover of it, aside from Shawn Colvin in 1994, was Arcade Fire in 2005. I absolutely introduced that song to Win
― flamboyant goon tie included, Saturday, 27 April 2019 15:03 (five years ago) link
I played it at a wedding two weeks ago.
― Pontius Pilates (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 27 April 2019 15:13 (five years ago) link
Sean Hayes: https://youtu.be/2xiHWKdNZto
This version is notable for how committed the guitar player is to replicating all the keyboard bits exactly. I just wanna tell him "dude, relax, it's not a sacred relic."
― Pontius Pilates (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 27 April 2019 15:24 (five years ago) link
― american bradass (BradNelson), Saturday, April 27, 2019 9:19 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
<3
― mourning joe (voodoo chili), Saturday, 27 April 2019 16:06 (five years ago) link
I didn’t know all this business about “This Must Be the Place”… interesting, it’s a pretty understated song to become a new “standard.”
― get your hand outta my pocket universe (morrisp), Saturday, 27 April 2019 17:18 (five years ago) link
It's a nice love song if you cherry-pick the words that support your thesis and ignore the words that don't. The same can be said of the Mueller report tbf.
― Pontius Pilates (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 27 April 2019 22:03 (five years ago) link
"Sing into my mouth" has always meant a lot to me
― flamboyant goon tie included, Saturday, 27 April 2019 22:11 (five years ago) link
the song has like 7 hooks, I'm amazed it wasn't recognized as one of their greatest achievements until relatively recently
― flappy bird, Saturday, 27 April 2019 23:09 (five years ago) link
I think the vocals don’t start until like a 1:00 in, which is another unusual feature for a popular song.
― get your hand outta my pocket universe (morrisp), Saturday, 27 April 2019 23:19 (five years ago) link
More songfacts: same three chords the whole way through, despite the varied vocal melody. There was some wacky instrument-switching (Tina on guitar and David on keys etc.)...
― Pontius Pilates (Ye Mad Puffin), Sunday, 28 April 2019 00:01 (five years ago) link
each instrument/voice is introduced incrementally, as in "Just Like Heaven," which occupies the same space in the culture as TMBTP
― flappy bird, Sunday, 28 April 2019 01:09 (five years ago) link
Wow... feel like fgti/Arcade Fire had a lot to do with the resurgence of that song... and making Talking Heads into an Important Band for the young '00s indie set as well
― maffew12, Sunday, 28 April 2019 05:05 (five years ago) link
um
― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Sunday, 28 April 2019 05:14 (five years ago) link
I Know, Right?
― flamboyant goon tie included, Sunday, 28 April 2019 05:34 (five years ago) link
There was some wacky instrument-switching (Tina on guitar and David on keys etc.)...
I may be misremembering, but isn't the playing of unfamiliar instruments part of the reason for calling it "Naive Melody"?
― Hideous Lump, Sunday, 28 April 2019 06:03 (five years ago) link
ok, mid 00s. jeez.
― maffew12, Sunday, 28 April 2019 06:20 (five years ago) link
The SMS/live version of TMBTP with Jerry on minimoog key-bass & Alex Weir on guitar absolutely destroys the LP version.
/startrekman
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Sunday, 28 April 2019 09:08 (five years ago) link
Most-played Sonic Youth songs on Spotify, in order:Teen Age Riot, Superstar, Kool Thing, Incinerate (!). Highest modern rock chart placements, in order: 100%, Kool Thing, Bull in the Heather, Teenage Riot, Superstar
Was "Incinerate" in a movie or something? I do really like it but I had no idea it was this popular. Is this "Superstar" thing about Juno? "Teen Age Riot" was in one of those Rock Band video games, right?
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Sunday, 12 May 2019 02:18 (five years ago) link
Don’t know about a game, but I do feel like “Teen Age Riot” has become their signature song over time.
― get your hand outta my pocket universe (morrisp), Sunday, 12 May 2019 02:46 (five years ago) link
(Or to put it another way — the first three hits you listed feel very “of their time,” but not timeless...)
― get your hand outta my pocket universe (morrisp), Sunday, 12 May 2019 02:48 (five years ago) link
Teen age Riot was the first of thir time and timless song i heard
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Sunday, 12 May 2019 03:56 (five years ago) link
Tbc, I wasn't extremely surprised about "Teen Age Riot"; I just thought it was a good example for the thread. I was surprised about "Incinerate" and to a slightly lesser extent about the Carpenters cover.
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Sunday, 12 May 2019 03:59 (five years ago) link
I would have assume top three 100% Bull in the heather Superstar
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Sunday, 12 May 2019 04:11 (five years ago) link
The popularity of the Carpenters cover is definitely due to Juno
― i think ur a controp (voodoo chili), Sunday, 12 May 2019 04:11 (five years ago) link
I'll grant that reaching #26 on the alternative/modern rock chart in 1994 probably meant more in terms of popularity/exposure than reaching #20 in the same chart in 1989.
― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Sunday, 12 May 2019 04:59 (five years ago) link
Just checked up on Beck, and--no surprise--"Loser" is far and away his biggest Spotify song (141 mil spins). HOWEVER, his next biggest songs are: "Dreams" (almost 46 mil); "Morning" (31 mil); "Wow" (30 mil); and "Up All Night" (26 mil). "Where It's At" lags behind w/14 mil*, "Devil's Haircut" at 12, and "Debra" at almost 12.
*Apparently the Odelay track totals are combined from the reg and deluxe editions.
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 25 May 2019 03:09 (five years ago) link
And just because, I looked up Jeff Beck, whose top track is "Cause We've Ended As Lovers", which I wouldn't have thought would be that big.
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 25 May 2019 03:13 (five years ago) link
ok how tf is a) "I Need My Girl" the most popular song by The National and b) how does it have 81 million plays? that's nearly 50 million more than their next biggest song (don't look at their top ten, it's full of new songs)
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Thursday, 13 June 2019 18:48 (five years ago) link
must've been a movie or a show
― flappy bird, Thursday, 13 June 2019 21:03 (five years ago) link