Olivia Rodrigo is celebrating the fifth birthday of her breakthrough single, “drivers license,” by today (Jan. 8) releasing a cover of the song by friend and collaborator David Byrne. It’s the first in a series of covers pegged to the upcoming fifth anniversary of Rodrigo’s debut album, SOUR. Byrne’s take on “license” is available on […]
More than 170 exclusive titles will be available in independent record stores on Nov. 28 as part of RSD Black Friday, including from Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish, plus a witchy promotion with turntable maker Crosley surrounding the release of the film Wicked: For Good. Fans of a certain age will […]
Though the final Talking Heads album came out in 1988, the band never really went away. Unlike defunct groups trapped in a cycle of rediscovery every generation or so, Talking Heads have remained indelible, hip with both the folks old enough to remember and art-damaged youngsters seeing David Byrne in an oversized suit for the […]
Musician and producer Jerry Harrison joined Talking Heads in 1974 after several years with the Modern Lovers. Here he shares what he calls “the craziest” week on tour. As told to SPIN Managing Editor Liza Lentini. Jerry Harrison (Credit: Roberta Bayley/Redferns) There were two shows in Italy with Talking Heads. One, we were playing in […]
Over eight albums and two live records, Talking Heads charted an unlikely course — moving from a tiny punk club in New York City’s East Village to the pop charts and even movie stardom. David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and Jerry Harrison put their unique spin on the traditional rock quartet, pulling soul music, […]
Music videos are the perfect bastard child of art and commerce, even more than pop music itself. A promotional visual accompaniment to a popular song doesn’t need a coherent narrative (although on rare occasions, they do). It just needs to suit the song, sell the record, and possibly make the artist look cool. But since […]
Name Neil Finn Best known for Having a full head of hair and spectacular calf muscles. Current city Auckland, NZ. Really want to be On a balcony in my pajamas on a Greek Island with freshly baked bread, olive oil, local honey and espresso or on the top of Mount Everest having not had to […]
Not all love songs are romantic. Not all love songs are even happy. It all depends on your definition of the term. For every “My Girl” or “Your Song,” there’s at least one track with a nuanced take on the darker, more complicated sides of love — the drama of a long-term relationship, the fear […]
Ex-Talking Heads singer David Byrne has apologized for wearing Blackface in a promo video for the band’s 1984 film Stop Making Sense. In a series of tweets, Byrne said that a journalist recently pointed out his wearing of Blackface as he portrayed several characters in the promo video. He said he’d forgotten about the video until […]
In the 1980s, music and film collided for cross-promotional blockbusters both transcendent (Purple Rain) and transcendently cheesy (Footloose). In the ‘90s, soundtracks continued to sell in the millions, capturing cultural moments like the Seattle grunge of Singles or the Britpop and electronica of Trainspotting. Auteurs like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson reached deep into their […]