Tag Archives: Speaking in Tongues

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Song of the Day #5,013: ‘Burning Down the House’ – Talking Heads

Maybe the Random iTunes Fairy was spooked by my suggestion last week that I should consider culling the dead weight from my music library. Once again, she has served up a great song by one of my favorite artists.

When ‘Burning Down the House’ popped up, I was sure I’d featured it before. But turns out I had only posted the live version from Stop Making Sense, two years ago on another Random Weekend. Shockingly, that was my first SOTD from the classic concert album. And I’ve only posted one more since.

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Song of the Day #4,571: ‘This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (Live)’ – Talking Heads

Continuing the chronological presentation of my 25 favorite songs…

‘Magic’ – Olivia Newton-John (1980)

We move into the 80s now, but starting with a song that has one foot firmly planted in the 70s. The 1980 film Xanadu, with its cheesy effects and kitschy “Greek muse on roller skates” vibe, was widely panned, brought down by the anti-disco movement (and the fact that it’s an awful movie).

But despite the movie’s failure, the Xanadu soundtrack was a critical and commercial hit, going multi-Platinum and earning praise for both Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra.

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Song of the Day #4,290: ‘This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)’ – Talking Heads

My second favorite album of 1983 is the fifth album by one of my favorite bands, Talking Heads. Speaking in Tongues followed the critically-beloved Remain in Light and became the band’s top-selling album to date.

In opening track ‘Burning Down the House,’ Talking Heads enjoyed the only Top Ten hit of their career, but this nine-track album boasts many more treasures. Writing for Rolling Stone, David Fricke made the spot-on observation that Speaking in Tongues “obliterates the thin line separating arty white pop music and deep black funk.”

These songs are at once deeply weird and thoroughly groovy.

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Song of the Day #2,833: ‘Moon Rocks’ – Talking Heads

talking_heads_speaking_in_tonguesTalking Heads’ 1983 album Speaking in Tongues was the band’s commercial breakthrough, to whatever extent a band this idiosyncratic can break through. The single ‘Burning Down the House’ became the group’s only top ten hit.

Speaking in Tongues followed the critically lauded but less accessible Remain in Light, and these two records form the band’s creative high point.

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