“there is water at the bottom of the ocean.” – this song
talking heads, in case you don’t know them, were a band from new york formed in 1976 by david byrne (vocals/guitar), tina weymouth (bass), chris frantz (drums), and jerry harrison (guitar/keyboard). it’s not easy to put talking heads’ musical style into words, as they combined genres as varied as punk rock and calypso to create a quirky, but innovative style of their own.
generally, they are now considered pioneers of new wave, a popular genre that sprung out of innovative post-punk and electronic music. much in line with their eclectic style, talking heads managed to be altogether very commercially successful (their 1985 album little creatures was certified 2x platinum), very influential (even on underground musicians like pixies), and artistically uncompromising. they had famous hits like “Psycho Killer“, “Burning Down the House“, and the song i’m reviewing today, “Once In A Lifetime”.
“Once In a Lifetime” is one of talking heads’ most famous tracks, from their critically acclaimed 1980 album remain in light. remain in light was particularly notable because talking heads worked closely with famous composer and producer brian eno to craft an eclectic sound inspired by african beats. the sound of “Once In a Lifetime” is absolutely subterranean. the echoing keyboard blips and the bouncing drum beat chug along like a flowing underground river as david byrne shouts irreverently like a televangelist before becoming possessed by the spirits and breaking into a hypnotic, melodic chorus. wow.
the structure of the song is really very simple, but it’s one of those songs that absolutely nails a specific mood and theme: and in this case, byrne is acting as a sort of preacher mumbling on about living life on autopilot, as if going down a stream of water, as the instruments carry on a hypnotically minimalistic beat as the guitar comes in like shimmering ripples. there’s something slightly absurd about it all, and at the same time, it’s so well done. it’s the kind of song that’s memorable from the first listen.
(p.s. this song has a goofy music video, which i’ll link below. and if you’re curious about the title… ‘maji’ is water in swahili.)
