Talking Heads' Signature Song

It's a big world out there.

 

Once In a Lifetime with Psycho Killer a close second.

 

For sure, I'm just suggesting that in my experience there we a lot of Talking Heads fans who embraced the song immediately. It's reputation isn't just one that came to be in later years driven by fans coming to the music after the fact.

 

I voted once in a lifetime but Psycho Killer would be a close second. Life During Wartime would be third. Great band and a great back catalogue. I know some fans jumped ship after Remain in Light but to me they made great music on each release. They evolved admirably unlike the vast majority of successful bands who appear too frightened to change. Fear of Music at work.

 

You have to consider more than the US when making statements about "hits". Both Once in a Lifetime and Road to Nowhere were big hits in the UK for example.

 

Yes, maybe I should have specified US hit.

 

Once In A Lifetime for me.
Age cannot wither it.

 

Once In A Lifetime, with Psycho Killer at a close second place.

 

For me it is Burning Down the House, especially the version on Stop Making Sense. Its the song that ignites that concert!

 

If you think there's a different Heads song that would qualify as their "signature", feel free to write it in.

Since the "signature song" is based on popular awareness, though, it seems highly unlikely you'll write in a song that would actually compete for the title as the Heads' "signature".

If I'd left out anything with the real potential to contend for that title, I'd have been told that 100 times already.

One more time: this thread isn't about songs you like. It's about songs that the "general public" knows well...

 

One guy complains I don't offer enough options, another gripes I include too many! I can't win!

When I do these, I include anything that seems likely to be on a "best of" collection. In this case, I looked at the band's compilation releases and I looked at their singles.

I'm well aware that a whole bunch of the songs I put in the poll will get few if any votes, but as we've seen, people get grumpy if I omit anything with even the vaguest potential to be viewed as a "signature song".

So anything that seems even moderately well-known goes in the poll...

 

I don’t really care, nor follow, what the alleged ‘general public’ knows well or even what they’re interested in. I simply made the suggestion that you should have offered a ‘None of the above’ option. Also, the whole notion of a ‘signature’ song is a bit outlandish to me, especially when the Talking Heads have demonstrated that they’re not a band that stays comfortable with one ‘signature’ very long.

FYI, I already chose Cool Water as the Talking Heads’ piece that I feel encapsulates what they’re about from an intellectual/emotional perspective.

 

If the concept seems "outlandish" to you, don't post. It's easy if you try!

 

But as explained several times the question is “what is the band’s best known song,” not “what’s your favourite song” or “what is their greatest work.” If you’re not interested in talking about what the general public knows well then don’t reply...

 

The reason I don’t care what the general public thinks is because the general public doesn't know a damn thing about music, but my main point is that expecting someone who frequents this forum to have any kind of inclination as to what this public knows well is pure speculation on my part as well as others. I think you’ll agree that we’re all far from the best judges of what the general public may or may not know well.

 

The OP insists on a very narrow definition of what 'signature song' means but there are other ways to look at it. So if the question is 'what's the best known song' why not make that the actual question? That way there are no misunderstandings or different interpretations. Simple.

 

I don't necessarily agree with that at all. I'm a person who lives on this planet and interacts with other human beings on an almost daily basis!

 

So do I, but it doesn’t mean I know what they like nor care.

 

Gotta be honest and say I don't see any other way of interpreting "signature song".

 

Then I'm not sure what you're doing on this thread.

 

Annoying the hell out of you evidently.

 

I didn’t know “Once in a Lifetime” only reached #103 on the U.S. Billboard chart.
“And She Was” was actually a bigger hit for them in the U.S. and charted elsewhere as well.



That being said, as a signature song, I’d go with “Burning Down the House.” It was a Top 10 hit in the U.S. and was in a popular movie, Revenge of the Nerds.

 

Fair enough, but you can't seriously believe anyone would choose Stay Up Late. If you real

That just shows how conservative and out of touch the US record buying public were at that time. I would guess that pretty much anywhere in the world that song gets the biggest recognition to this day when played in concert.

 

The previously discussed 'Crosseyed and Painless' is a good example. That song really 'says' Talking Heads. If someone said to think of what the TH sound like the 'picture' I would get in my mind is...that. They sound like that. Maybe not the most known song to every random person on the street but still a signature song.

 

Exactly. Unless you go out and take a poll, there really is no way to view what a "signature song" is other than it being a personal opinion. That opinion is based on when you first heard it, where you first heard it, how it effects you. To crash down on people because they're not following some arbitrary rules on a thread is just silly.
It's just a conversation.