Lifetime Piling Up
| Lifetime Piling Up | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK 7" cover | ||||
| Single by Talking Heads | ||||
| from the album Popular Favorites 1976–1992: Sand in the Vaseline | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | October 1992 | |||
| Recorded |
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| Studio | ||||
| Genre |
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| Length | 3:53 | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) | David Byrne | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Talking Heads singles chronology | ||||
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"Lifetime Piling Up" is a song by Talking Heads, released in 1992 as a single from their compilation album, Popular Favorites 1976–1992: Sand in the Vaseline. This was the final single released by Talking Heads, and was recorded during the Naked sessions in 1987.
Background and Recording
"Lifetime Piling Up" was initially recorded during the Naked sessions in the summer and fall of 1987 at Studio Davout and Sigma Sound Studios. Zairian guitarist So was suggested to perform on the song by Jerry Harrison's friend Francis Kirkorian. Around the time he was supposed to arrive at the studio, a delivery person came and was mistaken for So due to a language barrier between him and Harrison, and the delivery person played guitar alongside the band. His performance reportedly did not fit with the rest of the song, and when told so, the delivery person said to "change the other music." So arrived at the session later but didn't want to be rude, so he didn't perform with the band, and the delivery person's guitar takes weren't used.[1][2] Despite being a favorite of co-producer Steve Lillywhite, it wasn't finished during the sessions for unknown reasons.[1]
The song was revived for inclusion on Popular Favorites 1976–1992: Sand in the Vaseline, and received overdubs in August 1991 at Right Track Recording in New York, alongside "Gangster of Love," "Popsicle" and "Sax and Violins."[3] It was first released as a single in the United Kingdom in early October 1992, before releasing on Popular Favorites 1976–1992: Sand in the Vaseline on October 13, 1992.
Music video
A music video was produced for the song in late 1992, though was merely a compilation of clips from previous Talking Heads videos with minor edits.
Appearances
| Album | Year | Track No. | Track Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Popular Favorites 1976–1992: Sand in the Vaseline | 1992 | CD2-14 | 3:53 |
| Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads | October 12, 1992[4] | 14 | 3:53 |
| Once In A Lifetime Boxset | 2003 | CD3-17 | 3:53 |
| Bonus Rarities & Outtakes | 2006 | 17 | 3:53 |
Personnel
Talking Heads
- David Byrne – vocals, guitar, piano, E-mu Emulator, synth strings, co-producer
- Chris Frantz – drums, guitar, co-producer
- Jerry Harrison – synthesizer, organ, co-producer
- Tina Weymouth – bass, keyboard, co-producer
Additional musicians
- Brice Wassy – woodblock, cowbell, fanza
- Moussa Cissokao – congas
- Nona Hendryx, Tawatha Agee and Dolette McDonald – background vocals
Production
- Steve Lillywhite – co-producer
- Richard Manwaring – recording engineer
- Fernando Kral – additional recording
- Nick Launay – additional recording, additional production, mixing
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Popular Favorites 1976–1992: Sand in the Vaseline liner notes
- ↑ Bowman, David (April 3, 2001). This Must Be the Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the Twentieth Century. HarperCollins. p. 321. ISBN 0380978466. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ↑ Catlin, Roger. “A bitter breakup: What's done is done.” Hartford Courant, 13 Sep. 1992, https://www.newspapers.com/article/hartford-courant-a-bitter-breakup-what/183911756/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
- ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/dumfries-and-galloway-standard-once-in-a/183912969/