Talking Heads

USA, 1975–1991

New York band led by David Byrne, formed in 1975 at CBGB. Their spare early funk expanded on Remain in Light into layered polyrhythm, made with Brian Eno and West African rhythmic models.

MusicRoots documents 5 artists who influenced Talking Heads and 10 artists Talking Heads influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Talking Heads?

• Fela Kuti — Fela's Afrodisiac was on constant rotation while the band made Remain in Light and became its template - the polyrhythmic, riff-looping approach that no rock record had used before.
• The Velvet Underground — The Velvets' art-rock minimalism was the CBGB generation's foundation — Byrne has cited them as the permission for Talking Heads' existence.
• Parliament-Funkadelic — P-Funk filled the Talking Heads record collection — Byrne named 'Funkadelic, and P-Funk, that whole world', the polyrhythmic funk that flowered on Remain in Light.
• James Brown — James Brown's funk was foundational to Byrne's rhythmic vocabulary — named directly among the band's core listening.
• Roxy Music — Roxy Music's art-rock — and Brian Eno's role in it — were a direct model; Eno went on to produce the band's most adventurous records.

Which artists did Talking Heads influence?

• Nelly Furtado — Loose was made with the 1980s in the room. Furtado and Timbaland worked from Talking Heads, Blondie, Madonna, the Police and Eurythmics.
• Radiohead — The band took its very name from the Talking Heads song 'Radio Head' on True Stories.
• Franz Ferdinand — Franz Ferdinand's angular, funk-tinged post-punk draws on Talking Heads' rhythm-forward art-punk, cited among their core influences.
• Arcade Fire — Talking Heads' art-rock — 'This Must Be the Place' explicitly — filtered into Arcade Fire's rhythmic, communal sound.
• Foals — Foals cite Talking Heads as a core influence — their quirky rhythms and minimalist repetitions resonated with the band during the making of Antidotes.
• The Ting Tings — Talking Heads' angular new-wave rhythm feeds the Ting Tings' spiky, dance-oriented pop.
• LCD Soundsystem — Talking Heads' art-funk is at the heart of LCD Soundsystem — James Murphy's rhythmic, spoken-sung dance-punk is a direct descendant.
• The 1975 — Talking Heads' arty, rhythmic pop-funk is a clear reference point for the 1975's sleek, genre-blending sound.
• Josef K — The arty New York end of things, which is what Haig actually wanted — he formed TV Art in 1978 with that scene in mind, and it became Josef K.
• Vampire Weekend — One of the three sources Koenig first heard Vampire Weekend's guitar and rhythm styles through.