List of songs recorded by Talking Heads

Talking Heads recorded at least 96 songs between 1975 and 1991, at least 12 of which were not officially released until after their break-up.

Talking Heads released their debut single, "Love → Building on Fire", in early 1977, followed by their debut album, Talking Heads: 77, later that year. Their final album, Naked was released in 1988, and they have since released several singles, compilation albums, and reissues that contained previously unreleased songs.

In 1991, the year their breakup was officially announced, they released their final song, "Sax and Violins", released on the Until the End of the World soundtrack. Since their breakup, 12 previously unreleased songs have been officially released. The compilation album Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites (1992) included five and the box set Once in a Lifetime (2003) included one, "In Asking Land", an outtake from the Naked sessions. In 2005 their studio albums were reissues, with a deluxe edition of Talking Heads: 77 including the previously unreleased "I Feel It in My Heart", and the deluxe editions of Fear of Music, Remain in Light, and Speaking in Tongues including unfinished outtakes from those albums' sessions.

Songs

Name of song, writer(s), original release, and year of release
Song Writer(s) Original release Year Ref.
"Air" David Byrne Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"And She Was" David Byrne Little Creatures 1985 [2]
"Animals" David Byrne Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"Artists Only" David Byrne
Wayne Zieve
More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]
"The Big Country" David Byrne More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]
"Big Daddy" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"Bill" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"Blind" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"The Book I Read" David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light 1980 [6]
"Burning Down the House" Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues 1983 [7]
"Cities" David Byrne Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"City of Dreams" David Byrne True Stories 1986 [8]
"A Clean Break (Let's Work)" (live) David Byrne The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads 1982 [9]
"Cool Water" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"Creatures of Love" David Byrne Little Creatures 1985 [2]
"Crosseyed and Painless" Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light 1980 [6]
"Dancing for Money"[lower-alpha 1] David Byrne Fear of Music (CD reissue) 2006 [10]
"The Democratic Circus" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"Don't Worry About the Government" David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"Double Groove"[lower-alpha 1] Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light (CD reissue) 2006 [11]
"Dream Operator" David Byrne True Stories 1986 [8]
"Drugs" David Byrne
Brian Eno
Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"Electric Guitar" David Byrne Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"The Facts of Life" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"Fela's Riff"[lower-alpha 1] Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light (CD reissue) 2006 [11]
"First Week/Last Week... Carefree" David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"Found a Job" David Byrne More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]
"Gangster of Love" Talking Heads Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites 1992 [12]
"Girlfriend Is Better" Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues 1983 [7]
"The Girls Want to Be with the Girls" David Byrne More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]
"Give Me Back My Name" Talking Heads Little Creatures 1985 [2]
"The Good Thing" David Byrne More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]
"The Great Curve" Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light 1980 [6]
"Happy Day" David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"Heaven" David Byrne
Jerry Harrison
Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"Hey Now" David Byrne True Stories 1986 [8]
"Houses in Motion" Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light 1980 [6]
"I Feel It in My Heart" David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 (reissue) 2005 [13]
"I Get Wild/Wild Gravity" Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues 1983 [7]
"I Want to Live" (demo) David Byrne Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites 1992 [12]
"I Wish You Wouldn't Say That"[lower-alpha 2] David Byrne Non-album single
B-side to "Psycho Killer"
1977 [14]
"I Zimbra" David Byrne
Brian Eno
Hugo Ball
Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"I'm Not in Love" David Byrne More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]
"In Asking Land" Talking Heads Once in a Lifetime (box set) 2003 [15]
"The Lady Don't Mind" Talking Heads Little Creatures 1985 [2]
"Life During Wartime" Talking Heads Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"Lifetime Piling Up" Talking Heads Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites 1992 [12]
"Listening Wind" Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light 1980 [6]
"Love for Sale" David Byrne True Stories 1986 [8]
"Love → Building on Fire"[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] David Byrne Non-album single 1977 [16]
"Making Flippy Floppy" Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues 1983 [7]
"Memories Can't Wait" David Byrne
Jerry Harrison
Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"Mind" David Byrne Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"Mommy Daddy You and I" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"Moon Rocks" Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues 1983 [7]
"Mr. Jones" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"New Feeling"[lower-alpha 4] David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"No Compassion" David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"(Nothing But) Flowers" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"Once in a Lifetime" Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light 1980 [6]
"The Overload" Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light 1980 [6]
"Papa Legba" David Byrne True Stories 1986 [8]
"Paper" David Byrne Fear of Music 1979 [1]
"People Like Us" David Byrne True Stories 1986 [8]
"Perfect World" David Byrne
Chris Frantz
Little Creatures 1985 [2]
"Popsicle" Talking Heads Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites 1992 [12]
"Psycho Killer" David Byrne
Chris Frantz
Tina Weymouth
Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"Pull Up the Roots" Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues 1983 [7]
"Pulled Up" David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"Puzzlin' Evidence" David Byrne True Stories 1986 [8]
"Radio Head" David Byrne True Stories 1986 [8]
"Right Start"[lower-alpha 1] Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light (CD reissue) 2006 [11]
"Road to Nowhere" David Byrne Little Creatures 1985 [2]
"Ruby Dear" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"Sax and Violins" Talking Heads Until the End of the World:
Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
1991 [17]
"Seen and Not Seen" Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light 1980 [6]
"Slippery People" Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues 1983 [7]
"Stay Hungry" David Byrne
Chris Frantz
More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]
"Stay Up Late" David Byrne Little Creatures 1985 [2]
"Sugar on My Tongue" (demo) David Byrne Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites 1992 [12]
"Swamp" Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues 1983 [7]
"Take Me to the River"
(Al Green cover)
Al Green
Mabon "Teenie" Hodges
More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]
"Television Man" David Byrne Little Creatures 1985 [2]
"Tentative Decisions" David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"Thank You for Sending Me an Angel" David Byrne More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]
"This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues 1983 [7]
"Totally Nude" Talking Heads Naked 1988 [4]
"Two Note Swivel"[lower-alpha 1] Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues (CD reissue) 2006 [18]
"Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town" David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"Unison"[lower-alpha 1] Talking Heads
Brian Eno
Remain in Light (CD reissue) 2006 [11]
"Walk It Down" David Byrne Little Creatures 1985 [2]
"Warning Sign" David Byrne
Chris Frantz
More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]
"What a Day That Was" (live) David Byrne Stop Making Sense 1984 [19]
"Who Is It?" David Byrne Talking Heads: 77 1977 [5]
"Wild Wild Life" David Byrne True Stories 1986 [8]
"With Our Love" David Byrne More Songs About Buildings and Food 1978 [3]

Notes

  1. Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Song is an unfinished outtake.[10][11]
  2. Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 Later appeared on Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites[12]
  3. Also known as "Love Goes to Building on Fire"[16]
  4. Originally released as the B-side to "Love → Building on Fire" in early 1977 before Talking Heads: 77.[16]

References

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