"Crosseyed and Painless" | ||||
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Single by Talking Heads | ||||
from the album Remain in Light | ||||
B-side | "The Great Curve" | |||
Released | November 1981 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Sire | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Brian Eno | |||
Talking Heads singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"Crosseyed and Painless" (2005 Remaster) on YouTube |
"Crosseyed and Painless" is a song by American new wave band Talking Heads. It was released in 1980 in the United States as a promotional single from the band's fourth studio album, Remain in Light . Although the single failed to reach the US main chart, it reached No. 20 on the US Dance chart to become Talking Heads' highest-charting dance single. The band chose this song for their second music video, released in 1981.
The song uses instruments and techniques such as cowbell loops, congas, bells, staccato guitar rhythms, and electronic blips. The rhythm of the song, as well as the use of the congas, add an African feel to the song, [1] which is also apparent in their song "I Zimbra".
The lyrics discuss a paranoid and alienated man who feels he is stressed by his urban surroundings. These lyrics are of common theme for Talking Heads and categorize lead singer David Byrne's writing style. The "rhythmical rant" in "Crosseyed and Painless"—"Facts are simple and facts are straight. Facts are lazy and facts are late."—is influenced by old-school rap, specifically Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks" given to Byrne by Frantz. [2] [ page needed ] The singer is filled with doubt and is not even sure he can believe facts. [3] By the end of the song, he expresses his resentment of facts: "Facts don't do what I want them to do / Facts just twist the truth around." [3]
"Crosseyed and Painless" is widely regarded as one of the Talking Heads' best songs. In 2023, American Songwriter ranked the song number ten on their list of the 10 greatest Talking Heads songs, [4] and in 2024, Paste ranked the song number seven on their list of the 30 greatest Talking Heads songs. [5]
The music video for "Crosseyed and Painless", lasting 5:37, was directed by Toni Basil and by their own request did not feature the members of the band. Instead it featured street dancers (including Stephen "Skeeter Rabbit" Nichols), [6] chosen by David Byrne, and who were said to have chosen their own choreography for the video. [7] The dancers engage in various dance mimes of hustling, knife crime, posing, body popping, solicitation and street fighting. The video mix includes an additional verse not heard on the LP mix of the song.
More Songs About Buildings and Food is the second studio album by the American rock band Talking Heads, released on July 14, 1978, by Sire Records. It was the first of three albums produced by collaborator Brian Eno, and saw the band move toward an increasingly danceable style, crossing singer David Byrne's unusual delivery with new emphasis on the rhythm section composed of bassist Tina Weymouth and her husband, drummer Chris Frantz.
Remain in Light is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Talking Heads, released on October 8, 1980, by Sire Records. The band's third and final album to be produced by Brian Eno, Remain in Light was recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas and Sigma Sound Studios in New York in July and August 1980.
Fear of Music is the third studio album by the American new wave band Talking Heads, released on August 3, 1979, by Sire Records. It was recorded at locations in New York City during April and May 1979 and was produced by Brian Eno and Talking Heads. The album reached number 21 on the Billboard 200 and number 33 on the UK Albums Chart. It spawned the singles "Life During Wartime", "I Zimbra", and "Cities".
Stop Making Sense is an independently produced 1984 American concert film featuring a live performance by the American rock band Talking Heads. The film was directed by Jonathan Demme and executive produced by Gary Kurfirst, the band’s longtime manager. The film was shot over four nights in December, 1983 at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre while Talking Heads were on tour promoting their 1983 album, Speaking in Tongues. Stop Making Sense includes performances of the early Talking Heads single, "Psycho Killer" (1977), through to their most recent hit at the time, "Burning Down the House" (1983). It also includes songs from the solo career of frontman David Byrne and by Tom Tom Club, the side project of drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth.
Speaking in Tongues is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Talking Heads, released on June 1, 1983, by Sire Records. After their split with producer Brian Eno and a short hiatus, which allowed the individual members to pursue side projects, recording began in 1982. It became the band's commercial breakthrough and produced the band's sole US top-ten hit, "Burning Down the House", which reached No. 9 in the Billboard Chart.
"Raspberry Beret" is a song written by American musician Prince and the lead single from Prince & the Revolution's 1985 album Around the World in a Day.
"This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" is a song by new wave band Talking Heads. The closing track of their fifth studio album Speaking in Tongues, it was released in November 1983 as the second and final studio single from the album; a live version would be released as a single in 1986. The lyrics were written by frontman David Byrne, and the music was written by Byrne and the other members of the band, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison.
The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads is a double live album by the American new wave band Talking Heads, released in 1982 by Sire Records. The first LP features the original quartet in concert and radio recordings in 1977 and 1979, and the second LP features the expanded ten-piece lineup that toured in 1980 and 1981.
"Once in a Lifetime" is a song by the American new wave band Talking Heads, produced and cowritten by Brian Eno. It was released in January 1981 through Sire Records as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album, Remain in Light (1980).
"Psycho Killer" is a song by American rock band Talking Heads, released on their debut studio album Talking Heads: 77 (1977). The group first performed it as the Artistics in 1974.
Storytelling Giant is a 1988 compilation album of music videos by Talking Heads during the 1980s. The videos are linked by real people telling stories from their lives; the stories have no logical connection to the videos.
"Burning Down the House" is a song by new wave band Talking Heads, released in July 1983 as the first single from their fifth studio album Speaking in Tongues.
"Life During Wartime" is a song by the American new wave band Talking Heads, released as the first single from their 1979 album Fear of Music. It entered the US Billboard Pop Singles Chart on November 3, 1979, and peaked at number 80, spending a total of five weeks on the chart.
Stop Making Sense is a live album by the American rock band Talking Heads, also serving as the soundtrack to the concert film of the same name. It was released in September 1984 and features nine tracks from the film, albeit with treatment and editing. The album spent over two years on the Billboard 200 chart. It was their first album to be distributed by EMI outside North America.
"Conga" is a song by American band Miami Sound Machine, led by Gloria Estefan, released as the first single from their second English-language album, Primitive Love. The song was written by the band's drummer Enrique Garcia. The song first appeared on August 31, 1985, as part of the album. The single was released in Australia on September 9, 1985.
"Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" is a song by American rock band Talking Heads. It is the first track on their 1980 album Remain in Light.
"The Rhythm of the Night" is a song by Italian Eurodance group Corona. It was released as their debut single in 1993 in Italy, then elsewhere the following year. The song is the title track of the group's debut studio album, The Rhythm of the Night (1995), and was written by Francesco Bontempi, Annerley Emma Gordon, Giorgio Spagna, Pete Glenister and Mike Gaffey. It was produced by Bontempi, and the vocals were performed by Italian singer Giovanna Bersola, who is not credited on the single and does not appear in the music video. The woman who appears in the video is the group's frontwoman Olga Souza. The video was A-listed on Music TV-channels, such as Germany's VIVA. The song was a worldwide hit in 1994, peaking at number-one in Italy, and within the top five in most of Europe, while in the US, it fell short of the top ten, reaching number eleven on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100.
"Blind" is a song by American rock band Talking Heads. The music was created by Talking Heads and lyrics written by David Byrne, the band's lead vocalist and guitarist. The recording was produced by Steve Lillywhite with the rest of the band. The track is on the band's eighth and final studio album, Naked (1988).
"Hard Times" is a song by American rock band Paramore from their fifth studio album, After Laughter. It was released on April 19, 2017, through Fueled by Ramen as the album's lead single. The song was written by lead vocalist Hayley Williams and guitarist Taylor York and was recorded in the band's hometown, Nashville, Tennessee. It is the first single to be released by the band since the return of drummer Zac Farro and the departure of former bassist Jeremy Davis.
Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense is a tribute album to Talking Heads, their 1984 Jonathan Demme-directed concert film Stop Making Sense, and the live album of the same name. The tribute album, made in celebration of the film and album's 40th anniversary, features covers of the sixteen tracks of Stop Making Sense performed by musicians including Miley Cyrus, Lorde, and Paramore. The album was released by A24 Music on May 17, 2024, and debuted at the top of the Billboard Compilation Albums chart in August.