Man I love this song….from Day 1. Yeah the song stands alone even without the iconically crazy video. Being a. 80s teen was hella fun❣️❣️❣️👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾☑️☑️☑️💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥 Of course this has been well sampled too. That baseline❣️💯
Its a song about water. No drop gets lost, filtered thru earth for years, even centuries and ages. In a few generations they will drink the same we drank.
This song is 80s perfection. It was different when it dropped, but it found both niche and pop audiences. Burning Down the House, And She Was and Slippery People (done extremely well by the Staples Singers) were big hits for them. You have to let it breathe.
The video is such a the song meaning.. Yes it is weird and of its time.. Byrne said: "We're largely unconscious. You know, we operate half awake or on autopilot and end up, whatever, with a house and family and job and everything else, and we haven't really stopped to ask ourselves, 'How did I get here?'"
Music videos (and synthesizer-based avant-garde pop/punk) were a very revolutionary sound and concept for people who were used to only hearing disco and Lynyrd Skynyrd during the late-1970s/early-1980s. The Talking Heads' sound was unlike anything else at the time, and reflected the wholly-new "computerization of society" which was running rampant during that period. 1980 was essentially the "dawning of a new era" musically, where people began using synthesizers and drum machines and sequencers instead of actual "instruments", and the concept of a "music video" to go along with a song, only heightened its popularity.
One of the few times I've seen a song go over your heard (and that's hard considering you catch on to songs pretty early). Once In A Lifetime is one of the Talking Heads' signature songs. About going through life on autopilot without realizing what the meaning of it all is. But if you REALLY want to see the true magic of this song--which has been sampled by hip-hop artists over the years--check out the Talking Heads' live version of Once In A Lifetime from their landmark 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense. You get to hear the funk injected into it (Parliament Funkadelic's groundbreaking keyboardist Bernie Worrell toured with the band during that run). Check it: ua-cam.com/video/TGofoH9RDEA/v-deo.html
This is New Wave music. This song deals with the futility of not being happy with the things you have. Like trying to remove the water at the bottom of the ocean, there's no way to stop life from moving on. The forces of nature (like the ocean) keep you moving almost without your conscious effort - like a ventriloquist moving a puppet. This song has been sampled by numerous rappers including: It's Alright by Memphis Bleek and Jay-Z (1998), If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right by Pete Rock & CL Smooth (1992), Rhythm Is The Master by DJ Chuck Chillout and Kool Chip (1989) and Step To Me by Tim Dog (1991).
I never thought of this as weird. It's very visual. Entertaining. It gives you something to watch. This is my third favorite video of all time. Thriller, Say Say Say, then this.
David Byrne (dude in the video) did an SNL performance of this song and I still go back and watch it every so often. Try listening to just the audio and following the lyrics. You might feel differently, who knows. Maybe check out their song "Burning Down the House." Also a weird video, but also a good song lol.
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down Letting the days go by, water flowing underground Into the blue again, after the money's gone 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿💯
David Byrne is a unique personality. Very highly regarded in avant-garde, 😮new wave, new world. Aside from Talking Heads numerous popular songs from the eighties you might watch the HBO special on his new work in stage and theater and music. I think it was from early 2022. I would agree he is quirky and a highly unusual artist. It’s worth the time to explore and observe a different approach to music and entertainment. If nothing else very thought provoking.
I always felt the Stop Making Sense live version is infinitely better. The bass line is so heavy on it and gives it a massive groove that I find missing in the studio cut.
It’s such a beautiful deep song about life. David is such a create genius, you have to watch the concert film. It’s one of the most incredible concerts ever recorded
"Once in a Lifetime" was the lead single from Talking Heads' fourth studio album, Remain in Light (1980), which is one of those albums that deserves a full listen. The song enjoyed something like a second release when MTV discovered the video for it two years after its initial release. My buddies and I thought it was the bomb. The trippy water graphics, Byrne's quirky dancing, his duck walk, those jerky motions -- like he was getting beat up by the invisible man -- and that chopping gesture, that was strange and weird and cool to us. Rhythmically infectious and melodiously mysterious throughout, Remain in Light fused Afrobeat and New Wave in songs like "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)", "Crosseyed and Painless", "Houses in Motion" and "Seen and Not Seen" alongside "Once In A Lifetime". Back in 2018 Beninese singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo partnered with producer Jeff Bhasker to record a track-by-track re-imagination of the album. West Africa returning the honor.
All these years later, that song is still a banger. The Talking Heads were always a strange group but I truly believe their music is meant to be enjoyed live. David Byrne had a broadway show recently where they performed a lot of their music and it was spectacular.
With respect, it's possible you're too young or not quite in the frame of mind or stage of life where this applies and becomes revelatory. I didn't get it when I was younger and thought it was weird too. Then I got married and years down the road I heard this song again, and all of a sudden it all clicked. Indeed I had found myself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife and behind the wheel of a large automobile, and much like the song says I too asked myself, "Well...how did I get here?" One day you're young and no obligations and you're carefree and everything is in front of you and you have time to do everything. Then one day you wake up and look back and a lot of it is behind you, and it can feel like time is your enemy out to destroy you. But again, much like the song says, time isn't after us. This is just what it is and how it's always been. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was.
I love your reaction, and great request, too! 🙂💜For some reason I thought you’d like this song also! But I have to admit that when the Talking Heads were first out ( with the hit Psycho Killer) I found them annoying, and seeming to try a bit too hard to be Weird- but I appreciated them after I watched the live film by Jonathan Demme. Not my favorite music but very creative, very fresh sounding at that time, and sounded like no one else. I like this song , but not the video so much! ( but definitely credit for creativity!) 👍🏼🙏🏼
Surprised you weren't into this song, but I get it. I love Talking Heads, but they've always been hit and miss for me. Some songs I absolutely love, and some I just can't get into. The one thing I respect about them is that they've always been unique and original songwriters, which is a rare thing these days.
Hey Sheldon❤❤ love this group, Bernie Worrell….original keyboardist with Parliament Funkadelic joined this group after leaving Parliament. ❤❤❤if you get a chance react to You Plus Me Equals Love by Undisputed Truth. I’m on lead vocals, Norman Whitfield produced it 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Have a great day ❤
"I'm going to try and forget that".... damn, don't be so close-minded. Just listen to the song without the video. The funkiness mixed with the catchiness of "Letting the days go by, water flowing underground"... makes the song very memorable.
Man I love this song….from Day 1. Yeah the song stands alone even without the iconically crazy video. Being a. 80s teen was hella fun❣️❣️❣️👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾☑️☑️☑️💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥 Of course this has been well sampled too. That baseline❣️💯
I feel so blessed that I grew up during this time throwing up at the 80s was everything
Man i'm glad I was born in the 80's and had 90's and 00's music as my go to lol
Its a song about water. No drop gets lost, filtered thru earth for years, even centuries and ages.
In a few generations they will drink the same we drank.
weird is good! I love weird. Pure dada!
This song is 80s perfection. It was different when it dropped, but it found both niche and pop audiences. Burning Down the House, And She Was and Slippery People (done extremely well by the Staples Singers) were big hits for them. You have to let it breathe.
This was popular in a few underground dance clubs in NYC in the punk rock days.
The video is such a the song meaning.. Yes it is weird and of its time..
Byrne said: "We're largely unconscious. You know, we operate half awake or on autopilot and end up, whatever, with a house and family and job and everything else, and we haven't really stopped to ask ourselves, 'How did I get here?'"
Music videos (and synthesizer-based avant-garde pop/punk) were a very revolutionary sound and concept for people who were used to only hearing disco and Lynyrd Skynyrd during the late-1970s/early-1980s. The Talking Heads' sound was unlike anything else at the time, and reflected the wholly-new "computerization of society" which was running rampant during that period. 1980 was essentially the "dawning of a new era" musically, where people began using synthesizers and drum machines and sequencers instead of actual "instruments", and the concept of a "music video" to go along with a song, only heightened its popularity.
Ha. I thought JJ would love this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man give this a listen without the video and with official audio.
lol, will do. The music video was definitely distracting.
I love seeing people react to this video for the first time. 🤣🤣🤣
One of the few times I've seen a song go over your heard (and that's hard considering you catch on to songs pretty early). Once In A Lifetime is one of the Talking Heads' signature songs. About going through life on autopilot without realizing what the meaning of it all is. But if you REALLY want to see the true magic of this song--which has been sampled by hip-hop artists over the years--check out the Talking Heads' live version of Once In A Lifetime from their landmark 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense. You get to hear the funk injected into it (Parliament Funkadelic's groundbreaking keyboardist Bernie Worrell toured with the band during that run). Check it: ua-cam.com/video/TGofoH9RDEA/v-deo.html
I just want to say that I'm thankful for all the you do!
Thanks and I'm thankful for you being here!
This is New Wave music. This song deals with the futility of not being happy with the things you have. Like trying to remove the water at the bottom of the ocean, there's no way to stop life from moving on. The forces of nature (like the ocean) keep you moving almost without your conscious effort - like a ventriloquist moving a puppet. This song has been sampled by numerous rappers including: It's Alright by Memphis Bleek and Jay-Z (1998), If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right by Pete Rock & CL Smooth (1992), Rhythm Is The Master by DJ Chuck Chillout and Kool Chip (1989) and Step To Me by Tim Dog (1991).
I never thought of this as weird. It's very visual. Entertaining. It gives you something to watch. This is my third favorite video of all time. Thriller, Say Say Say, then this.
1978 to 1982 New Wave .. when it hit it left Disco and Punk in the dust. Basically modern performance art meets Rock.
My friend danced in their first video. Talking Heads were so innovative but I knew you wouldn’t dig it lol.
That bassline though, another favorite I have of TH, super request and reaction...
One of the songs MTV used to play all the time when I was in junior high. I always thought the video was weird. JayZ sampled this in one of his songs.
Oh this my jam! I have watched American Utopia so many times. It's a film produced by Spike Lee and it is great!
Classic weird 😂😂😂😂
David Byrne (dude in the video) did an SNL performance of this song and I still go back and watch it every so often. Try listening to just the audio and following the lyrics. You might feel differently, who knows. Maybe check out their song "Burning Down the House." Also a weird video, but also a good song lol.
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, after the money's gone 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿💯
David Byrne is a unique personality. Very highly regarded in avant-garde, 😮new wave, new world. Aside from Talking Heads numerous popular songs from the eighties you might watch the HBO special on his new work in stage and theater and music. I think it was from early 2022. I would agree he is quirky and a highly unusual artist. It’s worth the time to explore and observe a different approach to music and entertainment. If nothing else very thought provoking.
I always felt the Stop Making Sense live version is infinitely better. The bass line is so heavy on it and gives it a massive groove that I find missing in the studio cut.
This is probably the version I most remember.
And she was & Road to nowhere might be more digestible for you, great songs
Listen, Talking Heads is genius of a band! Both musically and lyrically this is true craftsmanship in my opinion
Them doggone Heads 🎶🎧😊
It was a song for a different time.
It’s such a beautiful deep song about life. David is such a create genius, you have to watch the concert film. It’s one of the most incredible concerts ever recorded
"Once in a Lifetime" was the lead single from Talking Heads' fourth studio album, Remain in Light (1980), which is one of those albums that deserves a full listen. The song enjoyed something like a second release when MTV discovered the video for it two years after its initial release. My buddies and I thought it was the bomb. The trippy water graphics, Byrne's quirky dancing, his duck walk, those jerky motions -- like he was getting beat up by the invisible man -- and that chopping gesture, that was strange and weird and cool to us. Rhythmically infectious and melodiously mysterious throughout, Remain in Light fused Afrobeat and New Wave in songs like "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)", "Crosseyed and Painless", "Houses in Motion" and "Seen and Not Seen" alongside "Once In A Lifetime". Back in 2018 Beninese singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo partnered with producer Jeff Bhasker to record a track-by-track re-imagination of the album. West Africa returning the honor.
Surprised you didn’t thing this was a jammer but nice reaction regardless
I'll re-listen to it and see if it grows on me.
All these years later, that song is still a banger. The Talking Heads were always a strange group but I truly believe their music is meant to be enjoyed live. David Byrne had a broadway show recently where they performed a lot of their music and it was spectacular.
Although one of their most popular songs, it is not nearly one of their best. I agree, it is "weird" but that's kind of David Byrnes schtick
With respect, it's possible you're too young or not quite in the frame of mind or stage of life where this applies and becomes revelatory. I didn't get it when I was younger and thought it was weird too. Then I got married and years down the road I heard this song again, and all of a sudden it all clicked. Indeed I had found myself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife and behind the wheel of a large automobile, and much like the song says I too asked myself, "Well...how did I get here?"
One day you're young and no obligations and you're carefree and everything is in front of you and you have time to do everything. Then one day you wake up and look back and a lot of it is behind you, and it can feel like time is your enemy out to destroy you. But again, much like the song says, time isn't after us. This is just what it is and how it's always been.
Same as it ever was.
Same as it ever was.
Same as it ever was.
I enjoy and understand the song way more as I listen to it more but I still personally think the video is still weird.
This is the first time I’ve listened or seen Talking Heads. Way outside my usual focus, lol. Strange.
Strange indeed.
I love your reaction, and great request, too! 🙂💜For some reason I thought you’d like this song also! But I have to admit that when the Talking Heads were first out ( with the hit Psycho Killer) I found them annoying, and seeming to try a bit too hard to be Weird- but I appreciated them after I watched the live film by Jonathan Demme. Not my favorite music but very creative, very fresh sounding at that time, and sounded like no one else. I like this song , but not the video so much! ( but definitely credit for creativity!) 👍🏼🙏🏼
☮️💙💙💙🔥🔥love this!!
Surprised you weren't into this song, but I get it. I love Talking Heads, but they've always been hit and miss for me. Some songs I absolutely love, and some I just can't get into. The one thing I respect about them is that they've always been unique and original songwriters, which is a rare thing these days.
My daughter is 14 years old and LOVES THE TALKING HEADS!! This is her favorite song! She loves david byrne
You have to try Road to Nowhere.
One thing I'll say brother, is you keep it real. You give your honest opinion, can't ask for more than that.
Feel good memories with this song request.
Same as it ever was ...
Hey Sheldon❤❤ love this group, Bernie Worrell….original keyboardist with Parliament Funkadelic joined this group after leaving Parliament. ❤❤❤if you get a chance react to You Plus Me Equals Love by Undisputed Truth. I’m on lead vocals, Norman Whitfield produced it 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Have a great day ❤
I'll look into it. You have a great day as well!
He toured with Sara Tavares (Balance’, appeared in that video). He did interesting theatrical musicals.
I’ve always loved this song! It amazing. And I’m a singer songwriter and producer!
Love Talking Heads
Love this so much!
Basically this song describes someone who is going through midlife crisis
THE moment African pop made it to U.S. shores
"I'm going to try and forget that".... damn, don't be so close-minded. Just listen to the song without the video. The funkiness mixed with the catchiness of "Letting the days go by, water flowing underground"... makes the song very memorable.