walking upstream…
Talking Heads
Formed at the Rhode Island School of Design and sharpened at CBGB, Talking Heads turned David Byrne's twitchy anxiety and the rhythm section's love of groove into some of new wave's most cerebral pop music. By 1980's Remain in Light, produced with Brian Eno, the band had folded Afrobeat polyrhythm and funk into their art-school jitters, inventing a genre-blind blueprint that later bands like The 1975 would openly borrow from.
the sound in question
1983
Burning Down the HouseTalking Heads
walk the tributaries ↓
Fela Kuti1970s · Afrobeat / Funk / Jazz
David Byrne and Brian Eno have both spoken about how Fela Kuti's Afrobeat — its interlocking guitar and horn polyrhythms — directly shaped the extended, groove-based arrangements on Remain in Light.
listen: upstream & here
1976
ZombieFela Kuti
1980
Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)Talking Heads
listen forStart with Fela Kuti's 'Zombie' and its layered, circling horn-and-guitar groove, then play Talking Heads' 'Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)' — listen for the same interlocking, hypnotic polyrhythms built for extended dancing rather than verse-chorus release.
The Velvet Underground1960s · Art rock / Proto-punk / Experimental rock
Critics have noted that Talking Heads' 'Once in a Lifetime' pays homage to the droning, repetitive drive of the Velvet Underground's early work, and David Byrne's flat, half-spoken vocal delivery owes an audible debt to Lou Reed's deadpan talk-singing.
listen: upstream & here
1967
I'm Waiting for the ManThe Velvet Underground
1980
Once in a LifetimeTalking Heads
listen forPut on the Velvet Underground's hypnotic 'I'm Waiting for the Man' and then Talking Heads' 'Once in a Lifetime' — listen for the same droning, one-chord-vamp tension and a vocalist talking his way through the verses rather than singing them straight.
James Brown1960s–70s · Funk / Soul / R&B
Talking Heads built their rhythm section around the tight, stripped-down funk pioneered by James Brown's bands, trading rock's guitar-forward attack for interlocking bass, guitar-scratch, and drums that leave space for the groove to breathe.
listen: upstream & here
1965
Papa's Got a Brand New BagJames Brown
1979
Life During WartimeTalking Heads
listen forListen to the taut, one-chord funk drive of James Brown's 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag,' then Talking Heads' jittery, funk-driven 'Life During Wartime' — both let a lean, insistent groove carry the entire song.