Remain in Light

The band didn't stop at the edges of minimalism.

Collaboration with producer Brian Eno on Remain in Light in 1980 expanded their palette into full-fledged post-rock, adding layers of horns, synths, and global influences that defied any genre label.

Eno's use of tape loops, field recordings, and African drumming created an almost cinematic soundscape over T&H's tight rhythmic foundation.

Tracks like Burning Down the House mixed a tribal bass line with electronic percussion while Byrne's voice floated above it in an ecstatic, almost chant-like delivery.

And I thought to myself, you know what? Yeah, that music really deserves another look.

You know, Remain in Light is such a great period.

And that was such a great band, the big 10-piece band.

And so when Jerry and I finally got to a point where we thought we could do it by just joining the band called Turquoise, we just joined their band.

And the creativity and everything that's involved in all of it means it all sounds as fresh as it did then.

True,

because when you come back to those songs, I mean, like I said, Remain in Light, for example, is a watermark record.

There was never one before.

This is... one of the bands that like incredibly influenced me as a kid.

So like, uh, fear of music and remain in light.

Like, uh, as he got to those, I'm like, uh, let me sit here.

And like, I was picking out parts of like, I know this doesn't sound right.

You know, XTC was another one.

There's a lot of stuff from that era that these bands were just doing stuff that today it's like, I don't even know that you can make records like that anymore.

Um, and just to be sitting in a room with a guy who did it, who also agreed that his favorite to, I don't want to speak for him, but from my understanding, remain in light and fair music were his favorite as well.

Uh, and just to sort of like get his perspective from creating it, being in that moment.

Which Talking Heads album features the track Once in a Lifetime? Is it Fear of Music, More Songs About Buildings and Food? What a great name for an album.

Remain in Light or Little Creatures?

I don't know Talking Heads.

I'm going to guess the second one because it was a fun album name.

The second one was which one? More Songs About Buildings and Food? No, Remain in Light.

Are you familiar with Burns category? You know, what do you call it? Not category.

Catalogue? No.

Who was the first woman to serve as mayor of Chicago? She served from 1979 to 1983 and was followed by Harold Washington, the first African American to serve in the same position.

Her last name is shared by a former governor of New Jersey, whose second term overlapped with her term, and by the leader of an American new wave band that released the albums Fear of Music and Remain in Light during her term.

A new wave band had the same name?

The leader of the new wave band.

The David Byrne was the-

Oh, David Byrne of the Talking Heads, right.

So Fear of Music and Remain in Light were the two albums they released during, during those four years.

Mm-hmm.

This

is from the album Remain in Light in 2018.

That's right.

Remain in Light.

She did the whole album.

cover the whole thing.

So Once in a Lifetime is a 1980 art pop and new wave song by Talking Heads, produced by Brian Eno, driven by a hypnotic bass line and existential lyrics about suburban routine.

It features David Byrne chanting iconic questions as a frantic preacher confronting a midlife crisis.