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Talking Heads — Thank You For Sending Me An Angel
Album: More Songs About Buildings and Food
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2212









Released: 1978
Length: 2:10
Plays (last 30 days): 4
Oh, oh, baby you can walk, you can talk just like me
You can walk, you can talk just like me
You can look, tell me what you see
You can look, you won't see nothing like me
If you look around the world

Oh, baby you can walk, you can talk just like me
With a little practice you can walk like, talk just like me
If that's what you wanna do
Well you can look, you'll walk in circles around me
But first, I'll walk in circles around you
But first, I'll walk around the world

I'm walking 'round the world
I...you can
I'll walk in circles around you
But first, show me what you can do
Comments (192)add comment
Oh Baby - WHAT A SONG
I loved it, that amazing year, 1978, when this came out and I had it on 8-track and I would give my car-less friends a ride in Mom's car and I would put this on and ask them to pull out the Frisbee full of weed from under their seat and I'd reach into the back and open up the cooler full of whatever brews I had scored and IT WOULD BLOW THEIR FREAKING MINDS and we would assume Standard Orbit...
I endlessly dig how I'm still there every time I hear this!
Thank you for sending me RP!
CHAIR DANCING TIME!!!   
Classic 
The groove, a 9!
Always gets me going!!
 lizardking wrote:

Me too, really emphasizes how fun the TH were.  I'm close to going 8 to 9....Long Live RP!!
 
Oh what I wouldnt give to hit the rewind button and restart my life when this album was brand new.   how sweet would that be?
 On_The_Beach wrote:
I know there's lotsa Heads-Haters out there in RP Listener Land, but I dig 'em.  
 
I wasn't into them when I was younger, dig 'em now. Portland, Oregon has a band call LDWT.  They are awesome live.
That segue from the Kinks was SICK! Well played!
Love love love the little drum solo here
...with a little  practice, there might be a better Talking Heads tune, but first this tune walks in circles around all others.
lizardking wrote:

Me too, really emphasizes how fun the TH were.  I'm close to going 8 to 9....Long Live RP!!
 
Go for it! I already did.....9......LONG LIVE RP!!!
If this was released just today I'd be equally psyched and impressed (but no - 42 years ago!!!)
 newbolddrive wrote:
Love the drums in this song
 
Me too, really emphasizes how fun the TH were.  I'm close to going 8 to 9....Long Live RP!!
 justin4kick wrote:
 CoYoT51 wrote:
Boring and deeply empty as always...
I just can't understand their fame...
 
I guess you just don't understand their music...


 

Eh, not everyone is fun at parties.
WHOO HOO



See my big smile?
 CoYoT51 wrote:
Boring and deeply empty as always...
I just can't understand their fame...
 
I guess you just don't understand their music...
 newbolddrive wrote:
Love the drums in this song

 
Me too, takes yer mind off of the voice.
Love the drums in this song
Genius in musical form!
Yes! Hard to find such raw unabashed exuberance, pained angsty vocals, such inventive bursts of talent & passion like this these days
 sheeelaaa wrote:
My first exposure to New Wave. First this album was gifted to me in early 79, and shortly after saw them at C.W.Post. WOW!
 
Long Island was great for exposure to new music, some great, some not so much, but the experiences were awesome.
The ultimate pick-me-up song
My first exposure to New Wave. First this album was gifted to me in early 79, and shortly after saw them at C.W.Post. WOW!
 kcar wrote:
My guess is that if I said the word "bacon" before offering you a million dollars, you'd just hear the word "bacon." 
And you'd be in perfectly fine company:  

gif of Homer stuffing strips of bacon into banana peel 

 
Mmmmmm, bacon!
 On_The_Beach wrote:

https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/0/3133/113128-163181-bart-simpson.jpg

 

My guess is that if I said the word "bacon" before offering you a million dollars, you'd just hear the word "bacon." 

And you'd be in perfectly fine company:  

gif of Homer stuffing strips of bacon into banana peel 
Possibly one of the best <3 minute rock songs ever.
Talking Heads at their best. Still love this very much.
I remember discovering these first couple of albums soon after they came out in the late 70's, and seeing the band in Central Park in the summer of 78 (opening band, B52s).  Something about this music just made life seem more hopeful at the time, and I will always be grateful for that.
So good!  And then...it's over SO QUICKLY!
 Steely_D wrote:
This is SUCH A BRILLIANT ALBUM.

AYE 
AYE 
AYE 
AYE 
AYE 
YOU CAN!


TH's output comes and goes, but the raw energy of this album will be with me forever, the soundtrack to a new college apartment, and infinite possibilities ahead of me, and music starting to not suck any more.

I walk around the world.
Here we go.

 
AGREED! {#Dancingbanana}
Go Tina !
 
Thank you, RP, for sending us PSD. Ah, blessed relief from David "Tellytubby" Byrne...
 kcar wrote:
Homer's gods were often capricious and mean-spirited;
 
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/0/3133/113128-163181-bart-simpson.jpg
This is SUCH A BRILLIANT ALBUM.

AYE 
AYE 
AYE 
AYE 
AYE 
YOU CAN!


TH's output comes and goes, but the raw energy of this album will be with me forever, the soundtrack to a new college apartment, and infinite possibilities ahead of me, and music starting to not suck any more.

I walk around the world.
Here we go.
 fredriley wrote:

As the ancient Greeks and Romans (or indeed Terry Pratchett) would tell you, gods are not necessarily good or divine creatures. Some are just plain malicious and to be avoided at all costs.

 
Homer's gods were often capricious and mean-spirited; certainly they had their mortal favorites. The whole Trojan War was triggered by the vengefulness of Eris, goddess of discord. Zeus had deliberately not invited Eris to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (who became parents to Achilles). Out of spite, Eris tossed into the middle of the celebration a golden apple with the inscription "To the fairest." Athena (goddess of wisdom and war), Hera (sister and wife of Zeus, goddess of woman and marriage) and Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty) each demanded the apple for herself. 

Zeus recused himself from making that decision {#Wink}  and ordered Paris, a prince of Troy, to choose the winner. Each goddess offered Paris a bribe. He chose Aphrodite's gift of the most beautiful woman in the world—Helen, wife of Menelaus, a Greek king of Sparta. Hera and Athena were implacably enraged by the slight and aligned against Troy during the Trojan War. Paris won Helen's heart with Aphrodite's help but caused Menelaus and his allies to declare war against the city... 
ditto - Costello and Heads - auto PSD... sorry, does nothing for me!
 Tony0600 wrote:
I hate this and everything I hear by this band. What am I missing?

 
Not much IMHO I too found Byrne tiresome
You are missing the fact the Byrne is a musical genius. (imho)
 

Tony0600 wrote:
I hate this and everything I hear by this band. What am I missing?

 


Fantastic song from an underappreciated (by some) album.

Love the T Heads - maybe 'cause  they were such a central part of my musical maturation from "76 to "83 
I hate this and everything I hear by this band. What am I missing?
 BijouBijou wrote:
David Byrne is a total God.

 
As the ancient Greeks and Romans (or indeed Terry Pratchett) would tell you, gods are not necessarily good or divine creatures. Some are just plain malicious and to be avoided at all costs.
 Cynaera wrote:
In my mind, I'm dancing my ass off to this song.  In real life, I've got an ice pack on my back,a heating pad on my stomach, and two muscle relaxants about to knock me off my pegs.  I prefer the former to the latter, but it's what it is... {#Fever}
 
Miss you so much, Cynaera...  we be dancing right this minute...  love this song...
 ThePoose wrote:
A God with Asperger's Syndrome. Interesting.

 
BijouBijou wrote:
David Byrne is a total God.

 

And who are we to say what gods may or may not have?
 lasker98 wrote:
All I can say is WOW! (Even after all these years.)

 
Amen
All I can say is WOW! (Even after all these years.)
A God with Asperger's Syndrome. Interesting.

 
BijouBijou wrote:
David Byrne is a total God.

 


 hyatsuha wrote:
The perfect album side.

 
One of my all time favorite albums!
Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged, Jojo..
 lemmoth wrote:
You just don't hear this great tune anywhere else.  That's why we love RP!!!!

 
Yes, thanks Bill
The perfect album side.
When this came out, it was one of the weirdest things you could play on your 8-track stereo! The New Weed made it transcend, and took us to the other level it was dancing with the whole time. Nothing like a few minutes of this frenzy, then walking into a quaint little Japanese restaurant; Found a Job! my first, and I got all my buddies jobs there too and life was rocking to More Songs About Buildings and Food...
Always interesting to hear the influences of the times (and before the times) at work.
This is *very* reminiscent of Velvet Underground, albeit much later.
Replace with Lou Reeds voice - bang, you have the Velvets. 
Man, that album cover provided hours of entertainment back in the day.  Only later did I learn about David Hockney and how cool his works are.
 Sasha2001 wrote:
If you were listening to Talking Heads on the late 70s you were just so much cooler than everyone else. Sorry fans of ABBA.
 
Heck. I even listened to Zilch.
Anybody remember "Cool Cool Corduroy Culottes"?

Dang. I wish I bought that 45.
My stereo in my classroom is cranked, and my 17 and 18 year old students all nod their heads in time and say, "What IS this?"
 Sasha2001 wrote:
If you were listening to Talking Heads on the late 70s you were just so much cooler than everyone else. Sorry fans of ABBA.
 
<like>
If you were listening to Talking Heads on the late 70s you were just so much cooler than everyone else. Sorry fans of ABBA.
You just don't hear this great tune anywhere else.  That's why we love RP!!!!
good change of pace{#Bananapiano} im waking back up, keep em comin  -mechanic2
thank you for sending us this song - talking heads rule!
 Aural_not_Oral wrote:
One of those songs with a proper dancing banana tempo. 

 
Looks like someone's in a wallflower mood:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/24929164@N06/3238978826/ 
DB and friends were the original Thinking Fellers Union, for sure.  Man, I used to see these guys for a buck at the Rutgers commuter lounge, or two-fitty at Wolman Rink (w B-52's opening!)....

Just as well they are gone cuz no way am I paying the freight for Name Brand Live Music these days.
 daveshel4 wrote:
ignore the naysayers, bill - bring on the TH and DB solo - the more merrier.
  
     {#Yes}
David Byrne ... dB ... decibels ... too much of either is bad for the ears.
 
David Byrne is a total God.
 MiracleDrug wrote:


it was like the fricken MOTHERSHIP landed... {#Lol}
 
Can't agree more. It was like a new day had dawned. The world had changed for the better.

 Zep wrote:

Folks have to remember (if they were around) what it was like when this group came on the scene, and the kind of music that was common at the time. Hearing Talking Heads then was like an entry into a whole new world.
 

it was like the fricken MOTHERSHIP landed... {#Lol}
 Phototrekker wrote:
Still amazing after all these years
 
Folks have to remember (if they were around) what it was like when this group came on the scene, and the kind of music that was common at the time. Hearing Talking Heads then was like an entry into a whole new world.
Still amazing after all these years
 musicology wrote:
genius
 



Well said.
genius
In my mind, I'm dancing my ass off to this song.  In real life, I've got an ice pack on my back,a heating pad on my stomach, and two muscle relaxants about to knock me off my pegs.  I prefer the former to the latter, but it's what it is... {#Fever}
 jagdriver wrote:
It's simply amazing how obnoxious Byrne can be.
 

Terrific

Top#3 TH tune... {#Bananajam}


 kcar wrote:
marcel wrote:
Strange... How one can hate David Byrne solo... And still really like the Talking Heads stuff... Apparently they were more interesting at the time... At least to me...
  

 
g4ege wrote:

I was just thinking the SAME THING just before I read your post...
 

I don't hate DB's solo work but a lot of it is not nearly as exciting as the early TH stuff. On his own, he sounds like a distracted tour guide of World Music. Or like Emo Phillips but singing with a deeper voice. 
 

Bryne = Brain
Franz + Weymouth + Harrison = Heart and Soul

They are all extraordinarily talented independent of each other, but together they were greater than the sum of their parts.  I wish Byrne would bury the hatchet and rejoin the rest of the band.  As Chris Franz said last year in an interview, Byrne would rather dress in a tu-tu and play Talking Heads songs with a cover band.

ignore the naysayers, bill - bring on the TH and DB solo - the more merrier.
One of those songs with a proper dancing banana tempo. 

 DaveInVA wrote:
{#Puke}
 

It's simply amazing how obnoxious Byrne can be.
Incredibly done with David Byrne. Though..a bit more tolerable with the Heads.
 Felix_The_Cat wrote:
David Byrne is to vocals what Jim Carrey is to performance right?

 
Byrne is to vocals as Carrey is to Shakespeare. A fine songwriter right enough, but the sound of his voice gets me reaching for the blessed relief of the mute button.

This song has me tapping my feet and seriously considering trip-hopping through the house.  LOVE IT! {#Dancingbanana}
 TernaryBit wrote:
OK seriously, 4+ Talking Heads/David Byrne songs per day is pissing me off. Time to give RP a break.
 
Really! I mean, come on — I was hoping for 7 or 8.
...bought this album back in '78..it blew my mind...this song was a revelation because it made me realize Byrne could occasionally be happy and drop the archness...and Take Me To The River and The Big Country were profound and superb...{#Heartkiss}
marcel wrote:
Strange... How one can hate David Byrne solo... And still really like the Talking Heads stuff... Apparently they were more interesting at the time... At least to me...
  

 
g4ege wrote:

I was just thinking the SAME THING just before I read your post...
 

I don't hate DB's solo work but a lot of it is not nearly as exciting as the early TH stuff. On his own, he sounds like a distracted tour guide of World Music. Or like Emo Phillips but singing with a deeper voice. 


love this! one of TH's best.
 Felix_The_Cat wrote:
David Byrne is to vocals what Jim Carrey is to performance right?

 
BRAVO!!!!    {#Cowboy}

{#Puke}
David Byrne is to vocals what Jim Carrey is to performance right?

OK seriously, 4+ Talking Heads/David Byrne songs per day is pissing me off. Time to give RP a break.
 marcel wrote:
Strange... How one can hate David Byrne solo... And still really like the Talking Heads stuff... Apparently they were more interesting at the time... At least to me...
 
I was just thinking the SAME THING just before I read your post...

 ThePoose wrote:


Bill loves Byrnin' down the house with TH.
And I have bass instincts about Tina.
 
{#Lol} 

One of my favourite albums AND one of my favourite album titles {#Cool}
 rtrudeau wrote:
Can we take a bit of a break from the Talking Heads? It's getting a bit tiresome ... between the band and Byrne's solo work, it seems like it's played all the time.
 

Bill loves Byrnin' down the house with TH.
And I have bass instincts about Tina.


One of my fave early TH songs. Great energy.
Strange... How one can hate David Byrne solo... And still really like the Talking Heads stuff... Apparently they were more interesting at the time... At least to me...
 rtrudeau wrote:
Can we take a bit of a break from the Talking Heads? It's getting a bit tiresome ... between the band and Byrne's solo work, it seems like it's played all the time.
 


thank you for sending me talking heads....

Oh, I love this album!  And this song in particular.  Thanks, Bill!  {#Dance}
cosmiclint wrote:

Can we take a break from complaining about the songs/artists we don't like? It's getting a bit tiresome ... between the wiseking and physicsgenius, it seems like evey page is full of negative comments.


Actually in an ideal world I'd like more talking heads and more ways for me to bitch about music I don't like please.

 Darlington wrote:
Just can't keep still. Must...get...up...and....dance!!!!
 
I just jumped up to dance, too!{#Bananasplit}

 rtrudeau wrote:
Can we take a bit of a break from the Talking Heads? It's getting a bit tiresome ... between the band and Byrne's solo work, it seems like it's played all the time.
 
Can we take a break from complaining about the songs/artists we don't like? It's getting a bit tiresome ... between the wiseking and physicsgenius, it seems like evey page is full of negative comments.


I remember hearing this and loving it—absolutely loving it....thanks for playing it...i haven't heard it for a while and it reminds me of my friends in art school and partying!
Can we take a bit of a break from the Talking Heads? It's getting a bit tiresome ... between the band and Byrne's solo work, it seems like it's played all the time.


I remember when this album came out....so cool...I loved them...I love David...and Tina...{#Bananajam}


steeler wrote:
More Songs About Buildings and Food. There was a noticeable shift when it came out. The world, suddenly, made more sense when you stopped trying to make sense of it. Thanks, TH. Saved me, more than once, from the petrifyingly mundane.

I agree that there was a noticeable shift at the time...
Look at that food
Look at them eat it
I guess it tastes real good
They grow it in those farmlands
—I wouldn't live there if you paid me to

It was a lot like Devo and The B-52s and Elvis Costello were doing to us, too...

Boring and deeply empty as always...
I just can't understand their fame...
More Songs About Buildings and Food. There was a noticeable shift when it came out. The world, suddenly, made more sense when you stopped trying to make sense of it. Thanks, TH. Saved me, more than once, from the petrifyingly mundane.
Damn. Almost got through the whole day.
theirishtickler wrote:
caught him back in 03 or 04 with a strings ensemble, due to my age this was the best i could do..... it was one of the better shows i have seen
He is fantastic in concert. he is playing Austin City Limits. Probably more than that but I don't know at the moment.
rachlan wrote:
Hell yes, Byrne tours!!!! a reunion, he says no.
caught him back in 03 or 04 with a strings ensemble, due to my age this was the best i could do..... it was one of the better shows i have seen
theirishtickler wrote:
any chance theyll do a reunion tour? does byrne even tour anymore?
Hell yes, Byrne tours!!!! a reunion? He says no.
any chance theyll do a reunion tour? does byrne even tour anymore?
Favorite T Heads song. Propulsive, driving, rockin', good.
Not a big TH fan, but I like this
Ando wrote:
Love the rhythm of this song. The percussion is excellent.
It's the best part. Helps me stomach Byrne.
Right! Ando wrote:
Love the rhythm of this song. The percussion is excellent.
Does anyone remember LAUGHTER?