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Talking Heads
American rock band
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1975. It consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist David Byrne, drummer Chris Frantz, bassist Tina Weymouth, and guitarist and keyboardist Jerry Harrison.
Described as one of the most acclaimed groups of the 1970s and 1980s, Talking Heads helped to pioneer new wave music by combining elements of punk, art rock, funk, and world music with "an anxious yet clean-cut image".
members: David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison
formed in: New York City
labels: Sire
genres: post-punk, new wave
awards: MTV Video Music Award for Best Group, Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, MTV Video Music Award for Best Visual Effects, MTV Video Music Award for Best Stage Performance, MTV Video Music Award for Best Concept Video, Brit Award for International Group, MTV Video Music Award for Best Concept Video, MTV Video Music Award for Best Group
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
new wavepost-punkart punkart popfunk rockpop rock
Radio Free Elsewhere BulletinExtra
1973–1977: Early years
In 1973, Rhode Island School of Design students David Byrne (guitar and vocals) and Chris Frantz (drums) formed a band, the Artistics. Frantz has described the Artistics as a "prototype punk band" that would perform a number of covers, including "Psycho" by the Sonics, the Who's "I Can't Explain" and Al Green's "Love and Happiness", live. Fellow student Tina Weymouth, Frantz's girlfriend, often provided transportation. The Artistics dissolved the following year, and the three moved to New York City, eventually sharing a communal loft. After they were unable to find a bassist, Weymouth took up the role. Frantz encouraged Weymouth to learn to play bass by listening to Suzi Quatro albums. Byrne asked Weymouth to audition three times before...
AllMusic wrote that Talking Heads started out as "art-school punks", but evolved into one of the most celebrated bands of the post-punk era, and "had recorded everything from art-funk to polyrhythmic worldbeat explorations and simple, melodic guitar pop," by the time of their breakup. Andy Cush of Pitchfork also described the band as "New York art-punks" whose "blend of nervy postmodernism and undeniable groove made them one of the defining rock bands of the late 1970s and '80s." Media theorist Dick Hebdige said the group "draw eclectically on a wide range of visual and aural sources to create a distinctive pastiche or hybrid 'house style' which they have used since their formation in the mid-1970s deliberately to stretch received...
Talking Heads have been cited as an influence by artists including OMD, Nelly Furtado, Eddie Vedder, LCD Soundsystem, Foals, the Weeknd, Primus, Bell X1, the 1975, Kesha, St. Vincent, Danny Brown, Trent Reznor, Radio 4, Josef K, and Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos. Radiohead took their name from the 1986 Talking Heads song "Radio Head", and cited Remain in Light as a critical influence on their 2000 album Kid A. Italian filmmaker and director Paolo Sorrentino, receiving the Oscar for his film La Grande Bellezza in 2014, thanked Talking Heads, among others, as a source of inspiration.
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in January 1975 in New York City and disbanded in December 1991. The band comprised (lead vocals, guitar), (drums), (bass), and (keyboards, guitar). They released eight albums, in addition to several well received live albums. The band reunited, minus David Byrne, as for one unsuccessful album.
Inducted into Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 (Performer).
Genres: New wave, Post-Punk, Art Punk, Pop Rock, Art Pop, Funk Rock, Ethno and Disco.
Also known as: TH, Ta lki n gHe ads, Talking Head, Talkingheads, The Talking Heads
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
Talking Heads, the records, oldest first
Talking Heads: 77
1977 album
wanted
More Songs About Buildings and Food
1978 album
Fear of Music
1979 album
Remain in Light
1980 album
Speaking in Tongues
1983 album
Little Creatures
1985 album
True Stories
1986 album
Naked
1988 album
Greek Theatre
1991 album
The Archives: Classic Broadcast Recordings
2017 album
‘Remain in Light’ Unreleased Outtakes
2020 ep
The Psycho Killers / The Secret Lives of Tina Weymouth
year unknown ep
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"Psycho Killer" is a song by American rock band Talking Heads, released on their debut studio album Talking Heads: 77 (1977).
Composition and early versions
"Psycho Killer" was first performed by the Artistics, the band formed by David Byrne and Chris Frantz while they were studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, in 1974. An early version of the song by the Artistics appeared on a three-song demo tape recorded in Providence, Rhode Island, in the spring of 1974. The demo tape was rediscovered in the archives of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum in 2025. The version of "Psycho Killer" from the demo tape was selected for inclusion on the Talking Heads compilation Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live, released in late November 2025.
Lyrics
When it was finally completed and released as a single in December 1977, "Psycho Killer" became instantly associated in popular culture with the contemporaneous Son of Sam serial killings (July 1976 – July 1977). Although the band always insisted that the song had no inspiration from the notorious events, the single's release date was "eerily timely" and marked by a "macabre synchronicity".
Later releases
Talking Heads performed the song on the BBC2 television show The Old Grey Whistle Test on January 31, 1978. The performance was later released on a DVD compilation of performances from the show.
Music video
The song's official video was released on June 5, 2025, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the band's first concert at CBGB. It involves a woman undergoing a mental breakdown over several days from the weight of her routine, with scenes alternating between her home, her workplace, her car, and the woods.
