Fear of Music - Talking Heads
Track List:
I Zimbra
Mind
Paper
Cities
Life During Wartime
Memories Can’t Wait
Air
Heaven
Animals
Electric Guitar
Drugs
My expectations
I really don’t have any. I’ve not listened to The Talking Heads very much. I like Psycho Killer so I hope for things that sound similar to that.
I Zimbra
I have no clue what they are saying. My guess is this is an African language but it’s just a guess. The song itself reminds me of Les Claypool’s version of Thela Hun Ginjeet
Mind
This one reminds me of David Bowie, I think I may type this several times tonight. I really like the little run after the chord hits. The lyrics seem to be talking about trying to change a person you love or accepting that you are not able to if they don’t want to change.
Paper
So this song and the last one are closer to what I was expecting. An interesting collection of sounds, many coming from the lead singer’s mouth. I feel like this is about relationships. Mentions that “had a love affair it was only paper” and then talk about not writing stuff down makes me think they are talking about how flings or short term relationships can come and go and can be discarded like paper. Really don’t know, the lyrics are a bit obscure.
Cities
Almost sounds like a disco beat. I would consider this a non-traditional song. The lyrics don’t have a verse/chorus structure, almost a mania of lyrics that are held together with periodical reminders by the narrator that he is looking for a home.
Life During Wartime
I’ve heard this one before. I had no clue this was Talking Heads or what the name of this song was. The lyrics seem to tell a story about a different America where there is constant civil unrest and the narrator is on one of the sides acting as a spy.
Memories Can’t Wait
This song starts with disorientation, and then devolves into a realization of mania. I think you could interpret the lyrics to be about drug use or any sort of mania sung by the narrator. It’s a bit unsettling.
Air
Seems a bit on the nose but I think this is talking about pollution and having difficulty breathing. I’ve decided that the album would be better titled as “Fear Of” Music. I think each of these songs is talking about fears or insecurities. This song seems to have a double meaning, the first being about pollution and the second about watching a loved one suffer with respiratory issues. Let’s see if this keeps playing out for the rest of the album.
Heaven
Perhaps this is a song about a fear that the afterlife is nothing but boredom.
Animals
A stark contrast to the previous song. This song just sounds cool. Sounds like something that Les Claypool would play. I also hear what I think is inspiration from The Wall. I am beginning to think this is more like art rock, I am rather enjoying this album.
Electric Guitar
Going back to my take on the fear of…this one seems like the narrator is worried about something happening to his equipment that would prevent him from being able to use it as intended. Or perhaps feeling that he is being controlled by the music.
Drugs
This almost sounds industrial. The delay that was used on the first line was really neat. This reminds me of NIN. For this I think the fear is a fear of drug addiction.
Before reflecting upon this an activity!
Zimbra
Fear of obscurity
Mind
Fear of lack of acceptance
Paper
Fear of relationships not mattering
Cities
Fear of homelessness
Life During Wartime
Fear of uncertainty of the future and corruption
Memories Can’t Wait
Fear of insanity
Air
Fear of pollution and decay
Heaven
Fear of a pointless existence
Animals
Fear of lacking understanding of things you can’t control
Electric Guitar
Fear of inadequacies and ill preparedness
Drugs
Fear of addiction
So I do think that the majority of this album is an exploration into fear.
I want to talk about I Zimbra. The lyrics are taken from a poem written in a language that has no actual meaning, rather its focus on the sounds humans can make and putting them together in ways that evoke emotion. Seems pretty out there.
I really enjoyed listening to this album. I can see its influence with artists like Bowie, Waters, Claypool, NIN.
