David Byrne

DAVID BYRNE – Let’s All Sing Together ‘EVERYBODY LAUGHS’

Posted on by JL

Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine

11 June 2025


New album artwork

Last week David Byrne and his former Talking Heads colleagues celebrated their very first gig, 50 years ago in the legendary CBGB club in New York, opening for the gaba-gaba hey Ramones, with a brand-new video for their classic 1977 single Psycho Killer.

And yesterday, Byrne announced the upcoming birth of his 9th solo album (that’s already one more than with Talking Heads). It’s named Who Is The Sly? and will see the day of light September 5th. Tracklist and other info here.

The first single EVERYBODY LAUGHS is a feel-good, cocktail party
gem for the upcoming summer. A luminous light in a dark world.

Byrne: “Someone I know said, “David, you use the word ‘everybody’ a lot.” I suppose I do that to give an anthropological view of life in New York as we know it. Everybody lives, dies, laughs, cries, sleeps and stares at the ceiling. Everybody’s wearing everybody else’s shoes, which not everybody does, but I have done. I tried to sing about these things that could be seen as negative in a way balanced by an uplifting feeling from the groove and the melody, especially at the end, when St. Vincent and I are doing a lot of hollering and singing together. Music can do that — hold opposites simultaneously. I realized that when singing with Robyn earlier this year. Her songs are often sad, but the music is joyous.”

Wake up people,
all together now,
1-2 and a 1-2-3-4.

Instagram – Linktree – All Solo Albums

DAVID BYRNE Covers PARAMORE And Vice Versa

Posted on by JL

Last February a tribute album, titled Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute
To Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense was announced featuring BADBADNOTGOOD, Blondshell, the Cavemen, Chicano Batman feat. Money Mark, DJ Tunez, El Mató a un Policía Motorizado, girl in red, Jean Dawson, Kevin Abstract, the Linda Lindas, Lorde, Miley Cyrus,
the National, Teezo Touchdown, and Toro y Moi.

PARAMORE are also part of the cast and perform a spry version of
Burning Down The House from the 1983 longplayer Speaking In
Tongues.

PARAMORE

Original

And now TH’s mastermind David Byrne returned the favor with his cover of Paramore‘s 2017 monster hit Hard Times (more than 400 million streams on Spotify).


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Original

It’s Xmas Time For DAVID BYRNE Too – Listen To ‘THE FAT MAN’S COMING’

Posted on by JL

6 December 2022

Back in 2012 DAVID BYRNE and ST. VINCENT teamed
up for a duet album, titled Love This Giant

During the sessions, Byrne wrote a song about Santa, named THE FAT MAN’S COMIN’,
not destined for that LP. He sang it live a couple of times on special occasions and now
the festive lullaby gets a proper release.


Song’s artwork

Byrne says he has been waiting to release the song as a benefit for some cause. He’s decided to use it as a fundraiser for his own online magazine Reasons To Be Cheerful . A non-profit editorial project that is tonic for tumultuous times.

Statement: “I always wanted to write a holiday song. I wouldn’t call it a Christmas song, as the visitation of Santa (formerly known as St. Nicholas, who mainly did punishing) seems to have evolved to be a more secular consumer moment than a religious or spiritual affair. I believe the foundation of this music might have been written at the same time as the collaboration I did with St. Vincent a few years ago, but somehow a literal view of the Santa phenomena was what came out. It wasn’t right for Annie and me – the story of a fat man in rather odd attire who breaks into people’s homes and leaves mysterious packages. Back then, I thought I’d use the song as a means to raise money for a good cause, but to draw attention to this thing I thought it might need a visual, so I storyboarded a video for the song which eventually ended up getting shelved.”

But maybe helping celebrate another year of Reasons To Be Cheerful might be a good reason to resurrect this song, and let the storyboards allow folks to imagine what the video might have been.

Enjoy and thanks for listening/watching.” – David Byrne

You can buy the song via Bandcamp.

DAVID BYRNE Still Performs His Succesful ‘AMERICAN UTOPIA’ Show On Stage In New York City

Posted on by JL

Former Talking Head chief David Byrne has realized
a grand solo career since he asked himself what a psycho
killer was all about.

So far he fabricated 10 solo albums (2 more than with Talking
Heads), but also collaborative LPs with Brian Eno and St. Vincent.

Three years ago his most recent album American Utopia came out.
I wonder if he already had the plan back then to stage a very successful
Broadway show – mix of poetry, dance, music – in New York City centered
around that album a year later, leading to a recording of the whole show.
It attracted so many accolades and visitors that the show returned and
is currently playing at St. James Theater.

To celebrate the triumphant production he appeared with his dance band, once
again, on American TV a couple of days ago playing/performing an ecstatic version
of I Zimbra, the opening track of the Heads’ astonishing 1979 LP Fear Of Music.

Shake your pelvis, folks…

The full Broadway show…

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DAVID BYRNE: Facebook

DAVID BYRNE’s AMERICAN UTOPIA

Posted on by JL

7 March 2021

AMERICAN UTOPIA (2020)

About: Live recording of a Broadway play with David Byrne
performing – alongside 11 musicians – several songs and
contributions from his long career (Talking Heads/solo work).

Director: Spike Lee/Screenplay by David Byrne

Trailer…

DAVID BYRNE: Website


The play was named after his 10th solo album from 2018

Watch DAVID BYRNE With Feverish Version Of ‘ONCE IN A LIFETIME’ Yesterday On American TV…

Posted on by JL

Watch DAVID BYRNE delivering a feverish version
of classic Talking Heads track ‘Once In A Lifetime’ 
from their 1980 Remain In Light longplayer on
American TV show Saturday Night Live yesterday.

‘Ladies and gentlemen David Byrne’…

DAVID BYRNE: Facebook / TALKING HEADS: Facebook