According to David Byrne, the inspiration for the song was a girl he used to know who used to go out to a field located next to the Yoo-Hoo drink factory in Baltimore to take LSD (so, yeah, just a bit stronger than Mary Jane :-D ), and it was the incongruous juxtaposition of this girl tripping her brains out right next to a junk-food factory that influenced some of the lyrics and the imagery in the video.
I had never heard the David Byrne explanation--and obviously he knows what the song's about--so I have to defer to him. But I had always interpreted the song to be about death.
"I used to know a blissed-out hippie-chick in Baltimore," recalled Byrne in the liner notes of Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads. "She once told me that she used to do acid (the drug, not music) and lay down on the field by the Yoo-hoo chocolate soda factory. Flying out of her body, etc etc. It seemed like such a tacky kind of transcendence… but it was real! A new kind of religion being born out of heaps of rusted cars and fast food joints. And this girl was flying above it all, but in it too."
@@j.h.3777 Let's be honest here, most songwriters will make up some kind of deeper meaning when they write a song like this, "Oh it's about a spiritual journey", "Oh it's based on a drawing my kid did", "Drugs? We don't know anyone who did drugs!" David Byrne just comes right out and says it, he knew a girl who would do LSD
Glad to see someone else mention The Hooters. All You Zombies, And We Danced, Day By Day, Hanging on a Heartbeat...so many to choose from. Also, Come Dancing is my favorite song by The Kinks!
. In 2002, Talking Heads was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of the band's albums appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and three of their songs ("Psycho Killer", "Life During Wartime", and "Once in a Lifetime") were included among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Talking Heads were also number 64 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". In the 2011 update of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", the band was ranked at number 100.
Delaney & Bonnie - “lay down my burden” “wade in the river of Jordan” They have many others, but if you want to go to church you need to check these out!!
You've done a few Talking Heads but haven't done one of their best - Life During Wartime. Should check it out (select the live version form the movie Stop Making Sense!)
It is blocked for me in Brazil but I watched it over on the other place so it's all good! This álbum/CD was one of my main soundtracks back in the 80s! Love that you are doing their songs!!
Great song. A friend of mine couldn't listen to the album anymore because that wood block sound turns up on a few other songs and once you notice it , it drove him crazy.
This song always made me think of Arthur Dent and Fenchurch from The Hitchiker’s Guilde to the Galaxy. Fenchurch was always floating just -slightly- off the ground after she realized she could fly by just simply not hitting the ground. The trick was that you distract yourself just before you hit the ground and so you don’t. She taught the trick to Arthur and they got up to a bit of aerial mischief...
For a some Talking Heads with more lead guitar, see the material recorded on tour with Adrian Belew on guitar, and female backup singers. The album is called The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads. Some songs to check out are "Houses In Motion", "Crosseyed And Painless", and "The Great Curve".
You seem to be going right down my Hit List, Jamel - and I'm lovin' every minute of it! (A while back you got hurt at the gym and couldn't dance. Well, I screwed up my abdominals somehow and and in the middle of a 5-day PainFest, so I have so much empathy!)
I haven't heard or seen that video in ages. Thanks for the reminder. The lead singer did the soundtrack for Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. There are some great stuff with the extras of the dvd.
Mely Mel.....you really need to do the live version of "Life During Wartime". You'll get a greater appreciation for the band and see a lot of diversity!
I grew up listening to Talking Heads thanks to my dad. Little Creatures was an album that was played inside and out so every track is a memory of childhood and my dad. In all these years it never occured to me that maybe the song was about an experience on drugs. I always interpreted it as literal, given how Talking Heads had a thing for surrealism and quirkiness. Some great tracks have been recommended already, personally I'd listen to "This Must Be The Place" "Nothing But Flowers" and "Heaven". Also if you ever get time, check out their live performance "Stop Making Sense".
I have a David Byrne live solo cassette where he explains this song as a day of taking LSD and frolicking in the park near his home at that time, which had a grassy field with a few mills in the background.
my man, you gotta see this band live. "Life During Wartime" live from "Stop Making Sense" and I'm sure it won't get blocked because others have already reacted
According to David Byrne, who is the only writer credited on the track, this was written about a girl he knew who used to take LSD in a field next to the Yoo-Hoo drink factory in Baltimore. ~ Songfacts
I know I'm late to the party, but I love your videos, brother. Please please PLEASE give your reaction to Two Talking Soldiers by Elton John. That song hits a certain type of way!
I tried searching on your channel and found you haven't done any Billy Ocean songs. Caribbean Queen, Suddenly, and Nights (Feel Like Gettin' Down) are must-dos!! I hope this comment doesn't get buried like I think my others do and you add him to your list. Thank you so much!
I love talking heads so much. Perhaps unfairly I've generally associated alternative/indie music with the Brits but the likes of TH & REM are every bit as good (if not better) than anything that came from the UK in the same time period.
Very good Jamel, color me impressed. Back when it came out, we knew (myself and friends), but we were tripping. No, not all the time. It was right around the time we discovered the wonders of The Dead, and we experimented. So this song emerged, and we just knew. I didn't think many straights would get it, but you sure did.
I would hope we could realize that a lot of this music is not about drugs. The drug is the paradigm. So powerful that people get suckered into the worst humanity offers, most of us can come together realizing that all humans and life deserve respect.
In this video it show allot of Tina Weymouth. Tina Weymouth was and still married to the Talking Heads drummer. Tina Weymouth is the Talking Heads bassist, a very influential artist still relevant until this day.
As you noticed, the Talking Heads were always pushing the boundary, trying to do something new. They were one of the best bands at balancing the world of high art and popular culture, much like Andy Warhol and others who were active in NYC in the 1970s and 80s.
Years ago when I was still doing stained glass windows, I made a piece inspired by this song. I drew her floating far above the earth, nude, her arms flung open to the stars. I used blue/white flash glass and sandblasted through the blue into the white to form the picture, then used acid etch on the untouched blue to add details. Still have it; pretty proud of how it came out. :)
Hey Jamel this is what he said "I used to know a blissed-out hippie-chick in Baltimore," recalled Byrne in the liner notes of Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads. "She once told me that she used to do acid (the drug, not music) and lay down on the field by the Yoo-hoo chocolate soda factory.
This Video Was Blocked in Some Countries Here’s the full Reaction vimeo.com/468235246
Talking Heads - Life During Wartime (live version) ua-cam.com/video/jShMQw2H2cM/v-deo.html
You gotta do it next lol
That was quick..
@Jamel_AKA_Jamal Life during wartime Live is a must. You'll enjoy it fo sure. Take me to the river is a good one also
Great video!! I gave up psychedelics 40 yrs ago, but they were fun!! Thank you Jamel for this reaction!
Anyone else feeling naive? I have heard this song 1000's of times & never thought she was high!
According to David Byrne, the inspiration for the song was a girl he used to know who used to go out to a field located next to the Yoo-Hoo drink factory in Baltimore to take LSD (so, yeah, just a bit stronger than Mary Jane :-D ), and it was the incongruous juxtaposition of this girl tripping her brains out right next to a junk-food factory that influenced some of the lyrics and the imagery in the video.
I had never heard the David Byrne explanation--and obviously he knows what the song's about--so I have to defer to him. But I had always interpreted the song to be about death.
I understand she thought she felt like she was flying, and he found is to obvious and cliche, he had to write about it
Yep I remember this explanation. Makes perfect sense!
Talking Heads do a cool cover of Al Green's "Take Me To The River"
Oh that's such a good one. Thanks for mentioning!
I can't hear that song without thinking about Billy Bass. Haha
they do! i'm a HUGE al green fan and even i slightly prefer the talking heads' version 🤫
Take me to the river is one of my favorites
Love that song!
He tells a story how this song was written about a girl he used to know who took a lot of LSD - it's a great story
Came here to say this! It IS a great story.
"I used to know a blissed-out hippie-chick in Baltimore," recalled Byrne in the liner notes of Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads. "She once told me that she used to do acid (the drug, not music) and lay down on the field by the Yoo-hoo chocolate soda factory. Flying out of her body, etc etc. It seemed like such a tacky kind of transcendence… but it was real! A new kind of religion being born out of heaps of rusted cars and fast food joints. And this girl was flying above it all, but in it too."
@@esmith8818 Thanks for the explanations. I knew the song but never listened to the lyrics closely. Learning something new everyday!
@@j.h.3777 Let's be honest here, most songwriters will make up some kind of deeper meaning when they write a song like this, "Oh it's about a spiritual journey", "Oh it's based on a drawing my kid did", "Drugs? We don't know anyone who did drugs!"
David Byrne just comes right out and says it, he knew a girl who would do LSD
I used to wonder if it was just a trip, or a suicide. Relieved to find it's just a trip.
Dude, you gotta check the Talking Heads song "Wild Wild Life". That's a great one. One of my favorites. Peace man.
Definitely check out the video!
And the movie is so fun!
Love the base line in that song
Songs from that time frame with a similar vibe,to me. "Come Dancing" by The Kinks, and "And We Danced" by The Hooters.
Glad to see someone else mention The Hooters. All You Zombies, And We Danced, Day By Day, Hanging on a Heartbeat...so many to choose from. Also, Come Dancing is my favorite song by The Kinks!
@@CKritube I remember having these Talking Heads, Kinks and Hooters albums and playing them back to back.
@@garylindsey5174 oh man he needs to do the kinks living on a thin line. Love that tune.
@@danielhubschmitt7897 I DIGGGIT
I believe they're hitting a wood block instead of cowbell... "Swamp" Talking Heads
. In 2002, Talking Heads was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of the band's albums appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and three of their songs ("Psycho Killer", "Life During Wartime", and "Once in a Lifetime") were included among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Talking Heads were also number 64 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". In the 2011 update of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", the band was ranked at number 100.
Please do TomTom Club the married couple of Talking Heads their song is Genius of love
The samples others used would blow his mind...
Yes, and their song Wordy Rappinghood. ua-cam.com/video/6Vl1m5FYlAo/v-deo.html
it's 'the genius of love'
Wordy Rappinghod is their lesser known masterpiece. Makes a great 2fer with B52s Toss that Beat.
"Whatya gonna do when you get out of jail?"
"I'm gonna have some fun".
Do Wild wild life by talking heads!!!!
If she was taking off her dress, must have been tequila, LOL!
She just happened to be lying on the lawn and Astral projected then took off her clothes and moved in all directions. Sounds like tripping to me.
She took acid.
It’s literally a song about a girl
on LSD.
Carlos Miguel Campos good times back then.
The first TH song I ever heard and I was captivated. Been my favorite band for the 36 years since that day.
One of their best songs, thanks again, Jamel!
I think the first time I heard this song was on the look who’s talking soundtrack LOL
Still waiting on - Rolling Stones - Can’t you hear me knocking!!!!!
Definitely. 👍 Killer guitar riff.
Delaney & Bonnie - “lay down my burden” “wade in the river of Jordan” They have many others, but if you want to go to church you need to check these out!!
This 80's tune totally jams.
Love Talking Heads! Check out Road To Nowhere, Life During Wartime, and Memories Can’t Wait !
Thank for doing this one. My favorite Talking Heads song.
you gotta do something from 'stop making sense'
"Girlfirend is Better" or "Life During wartime" would be my top pics
Yes, or _This Must Be the Place._ Or I would say _Burning Down the House_ if he hadn't done the studio version already.
I vote Life During Wartime: ua-cam.com/video/jShMQw2H2cM/v-deo.html
He DID do Girlfriend is Better from Stop Making Sense, earlier today.
@@Skeezer66 yeah i saw that about an hour after i posted this, he loved it!
Def. Life During Wartime. Their best lyrics.
"Road To Nowhere" is even a better song off of the same album.
Yes, I've been hoping Jamal would react to that one.
Recommend the concert video for "Life During Wartime" off the "Stop Making Sense" movie by the Talking Heads. What a performance!
You've done a few Talking Heads but haven't done one of their best - Life During Wartime. Should check it out (select the live version form the movie Stop Making Sense!)
Agreed. Might be their best. And the live version is terrific.
I was too young to realise it was about tripping. Bloody fantastic memories flooding back thanks mate xx
Please do "This Must Be The Place" by Talking Heads.
I think that one is my favourite.
Their catchiest song IMO. And I'm pretty sure you're right - it sounded like a good trip, too!
It is blocked for me in Brazil but I watched it over on the other place so it's all good! This álbum/CD was one of my main soundtracks back in the 80s! Love that you are doing their songs!!
I’m so glad that you are doing a deep dive in the Talking Heads. They are so great. I love your reaction to this one.
Jamel. We musos have a saying. "What happened on the band bus stays on the band bus."
😁😄😁😄😁😂😂🤣🤣
Yeps 🙂☺😊😀😃😆😅😂
Right On, dude!! Totally trippin!!! Many a frat party dancing to this song back in the day. Fun times!!!
Great song. A friend of mine couldn't listen to the album anymore because that wood block sound turns up on a few other songs and once you notice it , it drove him crazy.
And she was trippin'! Thanks, that was great.😊
My man went and picked up on exactly what they were talking about right off the bat. I didn't realize what it was about for over 30 years.
Thanks for reacting to "And She Was" Jamal! My favorite Talking Heads song.
I am what is commonly known in some circles, as first.
....THE wittiest cute ‘first’ comment I’ve yet seen...congrats on that, and being quick on de draw(as is also said;)
kudos my friend. Kudos!
@@suzannereilman4516 Aww. Thank you, Suzanne!
You are spot on with this Jamel, it’s about a girl he used to know who used to drop acid behind a yoohoo factory in the grass and bliss out
Life during Wartime. Road to nowhere.
Also check out their live performances on their concert movie “Stop Making Sense”.
Thanks for the reaction. This song is so much fun.
This is Great! Thanks for sharing! My favorite Talking Heads song is (Nothing but) Flowers !!!
Ha! I remember this song from when I was a kid. Never paid attention to the lyrics though, now it all makes sense!
This song always made me think of Arthur Dent and Fenchurch from The Hitchiker’s Guilde to the Galaxy.
Fenchurch was always floating just -slightly- off the ground after she realized she could fly by just simply not hitting the ground. The trick was that you distract yourself just before you hit the ground and so you don’t. She taught the trick to Arthur and they got up to a bit of aerial mischief...
For a some Talking Heads with more lead guitar, see the material recorded on tour with Adrian Belew on guitar, and female backup singers. The album is called The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads. Some songs to check out are "Houses In Motion", "Crosseyed And Painless", and "The Great Curve".
You seem to be going right down my Hit List, Jamel - and I'm lovin' every minute of it!
(A while back you got hurt at the gym and couldn't dance. Well, I screwed up my abdominals somehow and and in the middle of a 5-day PainFest, so I have so much empathy!)
This song brings back some memories,love this song!,
A truly deep cut...Cities. My fave TH song ever.
I haven't heard or seen that video in ages. Thanks for the reminder. The lead singer did the soundtrack for Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. There are some great stuff with the extras of the dvd.
Mely Mel.....you really need to do the live version of "Life During Wartime". You'll get a greater appreciation for the band and see a lot of diversity!
Man jumping back and forth between you and Jovaughn....I feel like a ping pong ball 🤷. Another banger by TH 💗
Wow that youtube cut is real hard. Love ya J, happy to click the link.
Damn that was quick
I grew up listening to Talking Heads thanks to my dad. Little Creatures was an album that was played inside and out so every track is a memory of childhood and my dad. In all these years it never occured to me that maybe the song was about an experience on drugs. I always interpreted it as literal, given how Talking Heads had a thing for surrealism and quirkiness.
Some great tracks have been recommended already, personally I'd listen to "This Must Be The Place" "Nothing But Flowers" and "Heaven". Also if you ever get time, check out their live performance "Stop Making Sense".
Love this song my sisters used to play they're albums growing up
And She Was! Got to watch this one.
You've been playing a lot of the songs that came out when I was in college and always danced to. At the very least, irresistible toe tapping 🎵
I have a David Byrne live solo cassette where he explains this song as a day of taking LSD and frolicking in the park near his home at that time, which had a grassy field with a few mills in the background.
Great react of a great song!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. Thanks, Brother J.
Talking Heads - Making Flippy Floppy live
It is about the bass player, she was pregnant. When a woman is pregnant she often feels super powerful and a part of everything
We appreciate you pal.
my man, you gotta see this band live. "Life During Wartime" live from "Stop Making Sense" and I'm sure it won't get blocked because others have already reacted
Dont stop making videos. Im 43, I live in Tennessee. I love your reactions. Music unites
I'm hoping you're also planning on reacting to their version of Take Me To The River -- which was originally done by the great Al Green.
And he was!!! Tripping on the music.
I love that color KGMA Hoodie, I got that one as a T shirt for my 94 year old Jazz Cat Dad on his birthday this one really pops in that color Nice J!
Gotta be my fav Talking Heads song!
*And She Was........
Trippin🤣🤣🤣*
Great tune! As he got older he just got better! Btw, sounds like a good shroom vibe! Oh yeah
According to David Byrne, who is the only writer credited on the track, this was written about a girl he knew who used to take LSD in a field next to the Yoo-Hoo drink factory in Baltimore. ~ Songfacts
It was chopped on mine,but I know the song.Love your reactions ✌️
I DIGGGIT!
Thank you!!!
Check out His duet with Selena. David Byrne and Selena - God’s Child
I know I'm late to the party, but I love your videos, brother. Please please PLEASE give your reaction to Two Talking Soldiers by Elton John. That song hits a certain type of way!
I told you.......out there !!..🎶🎵🎶🎵 entertaining 😂😂😂
I tried searching on your channel and found you haven't done any Billy Ocean songs. Caribbean Queen, Suddenly, and Nights (Feel Like Gettin' Down) are must-dos!! I hope this comment doesn't get buried like I think my others do and you add him to your list. Thank you so much!
Jamal, another great talking heads tune is "Pulled Up" off of the album Talking Heads '77. Great to see your reaction. Great song!
I love this song!
I love talking heads so much. Perhaps unfairly I've generally associated alternative/indie music with the Brits but the likes of TH & REM are every bit as good (if not better) than anything that came from the UK in the same time period.
Yesss finally Talking Heads!
Jerry Harrison’s rhythm guitar coming loud at the end is so cool.
Those were great times hun
Very good Jamel, color me impressed. Back when it came out, we knew (myself and friends), but we were tripping. No, not all the time. It was right around the time we discovered the wonders of The Dead, and we experimented. So this song emerged, and we just knew. I didn't think many straights would get it, but you sure did.
Really like your new music room.
My favorite Talking Heads tune!
Television man, one of my favourites
You need to do this must be the place (naive melody) by the talking heads. That song makes my heart happy
*My FAVORITE
THANK YOU❤❤❤*
I would hope we could realize that a lot of this music is not about drugs. The drug is the paradigm. So powerful that people get suckered into the worst humanity offers, most of us can come together realizing that all humans and life deserve respect.
Hahaha yep she tripping!
I'll be honest i had forgot how many epic songs this guy had wrote
Take me to the river. There is a live version that rocks.
Thanks for uploading full song so we can see you react! 😊🐰 #ENRGYZRBunny
In this video it show allot of Tina Weymouth. Tina Weymouth was and still married to the Talking Heads drummer. Tina Weymouth is the Talking Heads bassist, a very influential artist still relevant until this day.
As you noticed, the Talking Heads were always pushing the boundary, trying to do something new. They were one of the best bands at balancing the world of high art and popular culture, much like Andy Warhol and others who were active in NYC in the 1970s and 80s.
Had to go to Vimeo to get your reaction to this video.
Years ago when I was still doing stained glass windows, I made a piece inspired by this song. I drew her floating far above the earth, nude, her arms flung open to the stars. I used blue/white flash glass and sandblasted through the blue into the white to form the picture, then used acid etch on the untouched blue to add details. Still have it; pretty proud of how it came out. :)
Hey Jamel this is what he said
"I used to know a blissed-out hippie-chick in Baltimore," recalled Byrne in the liner notes of Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads. "She once told me that she used to do acid (the drug, not music) and lay down on the field by the Yoo-hoo chocolate soda factory.
I love your be humble shirt
Totally nude is one of my favorites of their songs. Gotta check it out when you get a chance
Yesssss!!!