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Talking Heads — Wild Wild Life
Album: True Stories
Avg rating:
7.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3378









Released: 1986
Length: 3:38
Plays (last 30 days): 1
I'm wearing my fur pajamas
I ride a hot potato
It's tickling my fancy
Speak up, I can't hear you

Here on this mountain top, oh-oh-oh
I got some wild, wild life
I got some news to tell you, oh-oh
About some wild, wild life
Here come the doctor in charge, oh-oh-oh
She's got some wild, wild life
Ain't that the way you like it, oh-oh?
Living wild, wild life

I'll wrestle with your conscience
You wrestle with your partner
Sitting on a windowsill
But he spends his time behind closed doors

So check out mister businessman, oh-oh-oh
He bought some wild, wild life
On the way to the stock exchange, oh-oh-oh
He got some wild, wild life
Pick it up when he opens the door, oh-oh-oh
He doing wild, wild life
I know it's the way you like it, oh-oh
Living wild, wild

Peace of mind
It's a piece of cake
Thought control
You get on board any time you like

Like sitting on pins and needles
Things fall apart
It's scientific

Sleeping on the Interstate, oh-oh-oh
Getting wild, wild life
Checking in and checking out, oh-oh-oh
I got 'em, wild, wild life
Spending all of my money and time, oh-oh-oh
On too much wild, wild life
We wanna go and we go where we go, oh-oh-oh
Ah, doing wild, wild life
I know it, that's how we start, oh-oh-oh
Got some wild, wild life
Take a picture here in the daylight, oh-oh
And it's a wild, wild life
You've grown so tall, you've grown so fast, oh-oh-oh
Wild, wild
And I know that's the way you like it, oh-oh
Living wild, wild, wild, wild life
Comments (202)add comment
please, PLEASE, one day without DB and TH! 
I like Talking Heads
True Story!
 bhabrown wrote:

Ahhh - a TH track starts, I glance at the comments and lo & behold there's a hater. All is right with the world, except... the track gets cut off. No Twilight Zone music, just chairdanceus interuptus. sigh



Yes, I had the same issue, the track suddenly got cut off. This also happens occasionally when William is sharing comments; more so recently I've noticed.
Ahhh - a TH track starts, I glance at the comments and lo & behold there's a hater. All is right with the world, except... the track gets cut off. No Twilight Zone music, just chairdanceus interuptus. sigh
I start up RP and, NO, the first thing I hear is...
Is David Byrne owner of this station or what?!
Ohhhhhh  yeahhh! Talking Heads on RP, that's my 4th "godlike"
Most bands would get an 8 for this from me, but I hold Talking Heads to higher standards, so 7 it is
Amazing drum and bass here… Chris put out a great bio - remain in love and it is literally the sweetest thing i have read in a long time.  he loves Tina more than anything….
 dragon1952 wrote:

I love that wild, wild rice.



Me, too!  Much, much more than when  I got that wild, wild lice.
tedious byrne , , , ugh
 tompoll wrote:


I believe I heard that she was just helping the band out with driving, and she taught herself the bass (!). From Wikipedia:

She began dating Frantz and served as the band's driver. After graduation, the three of them moved to New York City. Since Byrne and Frantz were unable to find a suitable bass guitar player she joined them at the latter's request, and began learning and playing the instrument.

Talk about a natural!


... and she continued to drive the band (from the rhythm section).    ;)
I really do need fur pajamas
When I hear talking heads I think 2 things....
1) How fun it would be to hang out with them and sing their songs
"and the 2nd?"
2) What their heads would look like on a Stick!  HA!                               
 dragon1952 wrote:

I love that wild, wild rice.



I know it's the way you like it
I could likely go the remainders of my days without needing to hear this one again.  
 DW4554 wrote:


Well spoke my friend.  TY TYVM  
Completely coincidently, I grew up in Weymouth, MA, just south of Boston before studying guitar and bass at Berklee College of Music. Don't know where Tina got her chops but there must be a bio out there that would shed some light.  


I believe I heard that she was just helping the band out with driving, and she taught herself the bass (!). From Wikipedia:

She began dating Frantz and served as the band's driver. After graduation, the three of them moved to New York City. Since Byrne and Frantz were unable to find a suitable bass guitar player she joined them at the latter's request, and began learning and playing the instrument.

Talk about a natural!
 eileenomurphy wrote:

The 80s! ...extremes of music! ...either really good, or really bad!  Talking heads were part of the really good! ..."big hair" metal bands were the epitome of the really bad!




VERY WELL STATED!
EXCELLENT!!!!!   
dancing round the living room
mtv blaring over the speakers
and mom and dad aren't here to make me turn it down!

/nostalgia
 dragon1952 wrote:

I love that wild, wild rice.




Wild, wild lice - not so nice!
 RParadise wrote:

No doubt David Byrne was a terrific song writer, but for me Frantz and Weymouth made this band go.  They were a great underrated rhythm section.


Well spoke my friend.  TY TYVM  
Completely coincidently, I grew up in Weymouth, MA, just south of Boston before studying guitar and bass at Berklee College of Music. Don't know where Tina got her chops but there must be a bio out there that would shed some light.  
 eileenomurphy wrote:

The 80s! ...extremes of music! ...either really good, or really bad!  Talking heads were part of the really good! ..."big hair" metal bands were the epitome of the really bad!



Yep. The'80's were the very beginning of binary American culture.
 RParadise wrote:

No doubt David Byrne was a terrific song writer, but for me Frantz and Weymouth made this band go.  They were a great underrated rhythm section.
 

Look after the king of R n R please 
 RParadise wrote:

No doubt David Byrne was a terrific song writer, but for me Frantz and Weymouth made this band go.  They were a great underrated rhythm section.
 

 
 DW4554 wrote:
Nice descending bass line. Its the hook for me.  
 
No doubt David Byrne was a terrific song writer, but for me Frantz and Weymouth made this band go.  They were a great underrated rhythm section.
 nmcvaugh wrote:
Worth checking out the 1986 film True Stories featuring David Byrne and John Goodman
 
One of my all time favorite, and most quotable, movies. 
 eileenomurphy wrote:
The 80s! ...extremes of music! ...either really good, or really bad!  Talking heads were part of the really good! ..."big hair" metal bands were the epitome of the really bad!
 
Very well stated!
 dragon1952 wrote:
I love that wild, wild rice.
 

"... a delicious break from potatoes."
Nice descending bass line. It's the hook.  

Go Tina!
Worth checking out the 1986 film True Stories featuring David Byrne and John Goodman
The 80s! ...extremes of music! ...either really good, or really bad!  Talking heads were part of the really good! ..."big hair" metal bands were the epitome of the really bad!
 Vicey wrote:
Never noticed before how much the snare drum intro sounds like "Born to Run."
 
Great analogy! ...very interesting!
Man, I start hating the Talking Heads right around this time. After being infatuated with their early records, especially More Songs About.
Such a great film.  Dave's dry humour and a cast that you never expected.  Love it!
 jambo wrote:

ya, too much 80's stuff - largely really bad, hence the term bad 80's music. lots of it - flock of seagulls, devo, joe jackson, elvis costello, u2, blondie, kraftwerk. 

now we went into berlin.

what up, bill? 
 
Hence the term "Guy with no taste in music"
 Tomasni wrote:
My rating goes down  from 7 to 5
 
I'll see your 7 and raise you 2.
 unclehud wrote:
One of my favorite lines, especially as I transitioned into 'middle age' and beyond:

"Check out Mr Businessman!"
 
"Sleeping on the interstate ..."
My rating goes down  from 7 to 5
One of my favorite lines, especially as I transitioned into 'middle age' and beyond:

"Check out Mr Businessman!"
Never noticed before how much the snare drum intro sounds like "Born to Run."
 stargazer1 wrote:
Am I the only one who hears this as "wild wild rice"?

 
Only when I'm "wearing her pajamas".
 wgsu_1978 wrote:
Ah, the 80s. When music was fun.
 
When every little thing we did was magic.
 Ropes wrote:
Waking up to Blondie and Talking Heads?! Is this the 80s and am I back in the East Village? Nice...thanks Bill.

 
ya, too much 80's stuff - largely really bad, hence the term bad 80's music. lots of it - flock of seagulls, devo, joe jackson, elvis costello, u2, blondie, kraftwerk. 

now we went into berlin.

what up, bill? 
We really had it made in those days, music-wise; we had The Cars, Talking Heads, Psych Furs, U2, REM, Cheap Trick, Pretenders...
Waking up to Blondie and Talking Heads?! Is this the 80s and am I back in the East Village? Nice...thanks Bill.
when a drum intro gets you 30 years ago

 ThePoose wrote:
You will hear the TH and David very, very often on RP.
Bill loves Byrnin' down the house.

 
Oh POOH!
Am I the only one who hears this as "wild wild rice"?
 Meolla_Reio wrote:
Sigh... After some very interesting thoughtful music comes David Byrne again.

 
I know, right? Talk about ruining the groove.
{#Dancingbanana}
Sigh... After some very interesting thoughtful music comes David Byrne again.
As per the album, immediately followed by Radiohead...

Used to play pretty much nothing but Heads for a while during an 'interesting' teenage period...  My son has just started on them,  though quite what a nine year old sees in "More Songs About..." leaves me wondering
 ThePoose wrote:
Hey, since when do you dis a child on the autism spectrum? DB says he has Asperger's. I am prepared to believe him.
Jeeze... what is the fascination with this band (David Byrne) ?
He's like the annoying "only child" at a family gathering ceaselessly prancing around demanding everyone's attention.

 
 
 My experience of Asperger's tells me that it is the exact opposite of "Nauseating Only Child" syndrome.  Pageant brats are my case in point.

 wgsu_1978 wrote:
Ah, the 80s. When music was fun.
 
When I was young and stoned!
Ah, the 80s. When music was fun.
 christopherwoods wrote:

Yeah, Talking Heads needs to stop talking for a while on RP. Like shots of vodka, a little too many make you go off them for a few months. Only just got Byrne's caterwauling out of my head from October.

 
Ha, well said!
I love that wild, wild rice.
Hmm. PSD's bitten the dust - click on it and it always reverts to Play. Which is a shame when David "Teletubby" Byrne is on... ;(
6—-4
 crockydile wrote:
This was when I stopped listening to TH. DB's shelf life expired about the same time that Phil Collins did.

 
Phil Collins should have been kept on the shelf - way in the back, behind Bertie Higgins and Milli Vanilli.
 zoopmama wrote:
Agree. Too slick, and lacking the edge-of-psychosis vibe that made the Heads great. Not to mention, suddenly they saturated MTV, and I recall True Stories as being a pretty boring movie...

I thought the video for "WWL" was the only good thing about True Stories. Everything you say i agree with, but this is still a most excellent tune in my book. 
The beginning of the end for the Heads
Even better on a Friday night with the transducers shaking the house....
 

msymmes wrote:
Great-Great!

 


Great-Great!

I remember times, when I liked TH.

I must have been..., out of my mind, I guess!


Terrible-Terrible!
Agree. Too slick, and lacking the edge-of-psychosis vibe that made the Heads great. Not to mention, suddenly they saturated MTV, and I recall True Stories as being a pretty boring movie...

crockydile wrote:
This was when I stopped listening to TH. DB's shelf life expired about the same time that Phil Collins did.

 


Hey, since when do you dis a child on the autism spectrum? DB says he has Asperger's. I am prepared to believe him.
Jeeze... what is the fascination with this band (David Byrne) ?
He's like the annoying "only child" at a family gathering ceaselessly prancing around demanding everyone's attention.

 



You will hear the TH and David very, very often on RP.
Bill loves Byrnin' down the house.

Everybody in my churches loves this song...
 
 ziggytrix wrote:
"Things fall apart.  It's scientific."

Always loved that line!

 
Absolutely!
Never get tired of Talking Heads!
So not in the mood for this right now. Hello mute or PSD.
 sirdroseph wrote:
TH is one of those bands that is alright as long as you hear them only every once in awhile, which sadly is certainly not the case around here!{#Stop}
 
Yeah, Talking Heads needs to stop talking for a while on RP. Like shots of vodka, a little too many make you go off them for a few months. Only just got Byrne's caterwauling out of my head from October.
My favorite TH song: 3
I am riding Hot Potato ........ such a clasic is all I have to say!
 shutter wrote:
Spot on!  One of my all-time favorite songs and movies - much to my wife's chagrin.  Just a fun movie. This scene and Papa Legumba (Pops Staples) is another good one.  I think you could call this movie video kitsch.  It just has a certain charm...

:-)
 


 hencini wrote:
Not my favorite Heads song, but the movie (True Stories) is absolutely brilliant.  

IIRC, (and I may not) John Goodman sings People Like Us, which is great, but the shopping mall fashion show where the emcee sings "Dream Operator" is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen on film.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqCp_cmQ-IE
 Spot on!  One of my all-time favorite songs and movies - much to my wife's chagrin.  Just a fun movie. This scene and Papa Legumba (Pops Staples) is another good one.  I think you could call this movie video kitsch.  It just has a certain charm...


 tphord wrote:
Jeeze... what is the fascination with this band (David Byrne) ? 
 
   DB's music plugs into all the right places.
One person's 10 is another's 1.
 Now wouldn't it be a real drag if we were all the same?" —— Savoy Brown


Not my favorite Heads song, but the movie (True Stories) is absolutely brilliant.  

IIRC, (and I may not) John Goodman sings People Like Us, which is great, but the shopping mall fashion show where the emcee sings "Dream Operator" is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen on film.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqCp_cmQ-IE

 tphord wrote:
Jeeze... what is the fascination with this band (David Byrne) ?
He's like the annoying "only child" at a family gathering ceaselessly prancing around demanding everyone's attention.
 
Give him a glass or two of champagne and stand back.
Jeeze... what is the fascination with this band (David Byrne) ?
He's like the annoying "only child" at a family gathering ceaselessly prancing around demanding everyone's attention.
Terrible stuff, made me switch station {#Puke}
"Things fall apart.  It's scientific."

Always loved that line!
 sirdroseph wrote:
TH is one of those bands that is alright as long as you hear them only every once in awhile, which sadly is certainly not the case around here!{#Stop}
  with you regarding this ssong, lots of other TM material that it would be nice to hear once in a while.  What about it Bill?


 sirdroseph wrote:


You may think you are cool, but your continuous badgering of any negative comment is just as lame as someone always commenting negative. Guess what? There are songs that just suck and just because you comment this in the comment section, which is what it is for BTW, does not mean the opinion is automatically wrong or should not be expressed. That is like a CEO sitting in the lead chair of a long table of "yes" men and women like that Monty Python sketch or something.{#Rolleyes}
 

You are right. But on the other hand I'm glad that there is someone else who hates the haters...
At least the "puke" icon should be forbidden!


4 AM and Volt-Zevon-Byrne  Hammer + Nail +—— >  drove it home !!   thanks Bill ! {#Notworthy}
 h8rhater wrote:

Keep trying and you'll get there.

 

You may think you are cool, but your continuous badgering of any negative comment is just as lame as someone always commenting negative. Guess what? There are songs that just suck and just because you comment this in the comment section, which is what it is for BTW, does not mean the opinion is automatically wrong or should not be expressed. That is like a CEO sitting in the lead chair of a long table of "yes" men and women like that Monty Python sketch or something.{#Rolleyes}
TH is one of those bands that is alright as long as you hear them only every once in awhile, which sadly is certainly not the case around here!{#Stop}
 crockydile wrote:
This was when I stopped listening to TH. DB's shelf life expired about the same time that Phil Collins did.
 
  I concur.

This was when I stopped listening to TH. DB's shelf life expired about the same time that Phil Collins did.
I like this song.  It isn't classic TH but it is fun.  Upbeat.  Makes me want to dance.
Fantastic late period heads.  Bouncy & enjoyable.  A winner for RP.
 DaveInVA wrote:
Yuck, caught me off guard and almost tasted some barf coming up {#Puke}
 
Keep trying and you'll get there.

Blech!
{#Eek}  Holy Cow!  You're right!

 ThePoose wrote:
I keep hearing, ''I've got wild, wild lice.''
 



love love love TH

hate hate hate this song.

ah well, variety is still a good thing...
Yuck, caught me off guard and almost tasted some barf coming up {#Puke}
 songbirdfemme wrote:
you need to see the david byrne movie that features this song to get the full effect.
 
So true!

Check out Mr. Businessman
He bought some wild life
on the way to the Stock Exchange
...
{#Bananajam}
i give this a 9 just for being in True Stories*

*the movie, for those who don't know  

 charliesdad wrote:
I hate sand      and vaseline

 
Vaseline is greasy kid's stuff. Who uses it anymore?
On the other hand—as it were—Sand in the Astroglide would not work as a title, methinks.

YES ! Great talking Heads !
I keep hearing, ''I've got wild, wild lice.''
 jagdriver wrote:
Our daily dose of DB/TH. Sigh..................
 
More like after meals and sugary snacks. Why, why, why?
Completely dislike this dude's voice, dont think he should be singing really.
Our daily dose of DB/TH. Sigh..................
I believe EVERY FREAKING WORD he sings. :)

the better the singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying. So I use my faults to an advantage. — David Byrne

 


 charliesdad wrote:
I hate sand      and vaseline

 
Doing it in the surf instead of in the dunes solves that problem.

{#Whisper}

I hate sand      and vaseline

This song was part of and a sign of their declining period, imo
jjbix wrote:
he's a bad singer . . .
the better the singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying. So I use my faults to an advantage. -- David Byrne
tomka wrote:
The very same today!
And today once more!
Another staple on the "cheesy 80s movie sequences" circuit.
cmrump wrote:
What a set! Thanks Bill! 7:40 am - Talking Heads - Wild Wild Life 7:37 am - Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy 7:34 am - The Clash - Clampdown 7:29 am - Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) 7:25 am - The Police - Driven To Tears 7:22 am - Arctic Monkeys - Do Me A Favour 7:17 am - Santana - Black Magic Woman-Gypsy Queen 7:12 am - The Audreys - Oh Honey 7:09 am - Pete Yorn - For Us 7:03 am - Silversun Pickups - Rusted Wheel 6:59 am - Modest Mouse - Gravity Rides Everything 6:55 am - Badly Drawn Boy - Once Around the Block
The very same today! What are the odds! ;-)
this song makes me hafta to shake it.
What a set! Thanks Bill! 7:40 am - Talking Heads - Wild Wild Life 7:37 am - Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy 7:34 am - The Clash - Clampdown 7:29 am - Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) 7:25 am - The Police - Driven To Tears 7:22 am - Arctic Monkeys - Do Me A Favour 7:17 am - Santana - Black Magic Woman-Gypsy Queen 7:12 am - The Audreys - Oh Honey 7:09 am - Pete Yorn - For Us 7:03 am - Silversun Pickups - Rusted Wheel 6:59 am - Modest Mouse - Gravity Rides Everything 6:55 am - Badly Drawn Boy - Once Around the Block
you need to see the david byrne movie that features this song to get the full effect. i guess i enjoy pretentiousness from time to time though
Tis a great song if a little overplayed