This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
"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[a] 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.
| "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Talking Heads | ||||
| from the album Speaking in Tongues | ||||
| B-side | "Moon Rocks" | |||
| Released | November 1983[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Post-disco[2] | |||
| Length | 4:56 (LP version) 3:50 (Single version) | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Talking Heads | |||
| Talking Heads singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio | ||||
| "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" on YouTube | ||||
Byrne intended the song to be a love song without the clichés of the genre. The parenthesized title refers to the simple ("naïve") construction of the song, which is framed on a sparse ostinato that lasts for the song's duration. This simplicity marked a departure for Talking Heads, whose work was known for its complex African-inspired polyrhythms and funk.
Background
editSpeaking in Tongues, Talking Heads' fifth album, was released on June 1, 1983 by Sire Records. It was produced by the band themselves after the group had parted ways with longtime producer Brian Eno. This Must Be the Place is also the title of a 1965 lithograph by Roy Lichtenstein.
Composition
editIn the "Self Interview" on the DVD of the concert film Stop Making Sense, Byrne states that it is a love song, a topic he tends to avoid because it is "kinda big." He also said of the song:[4]
That's a love song made up almost completely of non sequiturs, phrases that may have a strong emotional resonance but don't have any narrative qualities. It's a real honest kind of love song. I don't think I've ever done a real love song before. Mine always had a sort of reservation, or a twist. I tried to write one that wasn't corny, that didn't sound stupid or lame the way many do. I think I succeeded; I was pretty happy with that.
According to the Stop Making Sense commentary track, the title "Naive Melody" refers to the music. On the recording, the guitar and bass each repeat an ostinato for the entire song. According to David Byrne, many professional musicians would not play a song written in that fashion, and that is what makes the melody naive. Byrne played the lead keyboard solo.[5]
Bassist Tina Weymouth stated in the liner notes of Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads that the song was created through "truly naive" experimentation with different instruments and jamming. Weymouth played guitar, guitarist Jerry Harrison played a Prophet synthesiser (including the bassline), Wally Badarou used the same synthesizer to add the stabs, and Byrne switched between guitar and another Prophet synthesizer, the latter of which he played using the pitch modulation wheel and "campy" piano glissandos.[6]
Pitchfork later described the song as "an aberration for the Talking Heads. It was more of an exercise in understated musical hypnosis than polyrhythmic, Kuti-quoting funk, well-compressed instead of bursting at the seams, and (in its abashed way) it was a full-blown love song. [..] With "This Must Be the Place", the band simplified their sound dramatically, condensing their sonic palette to the level of small EKG blips (having switched instruments for a lark, this was nearly all they were able to reliably deliver chops-wise) and wringing out only a few chords."[7]
Personnel
edit- David Byrne – vocals, lead guitar, synthesizer
- Tina Weymouth – rhythm guitar
- Jerry Harrison – synth bass
- Chris Frantz – drums
- Wally Badarou – synthesizer
- David Van Tieghem – percussion
Stop Making Sense
editThe song is featured in Stop Making Sense (1984), a concert film featuring Talking Heads and directed by Jonathan Demme. Throughout the Stop Making Sense version, Byrne and his bandmates perform by a standard lamp, while close-up images of various body parts are projected onto a screen behind them. As revealed on the commentary to the film, the body parts belong to Byrne and his girlfriend (later wife) Adelle Lutz who was also known as Bonnie. When the song reaches a bridge, the musicians step back and Byrne dances with the lamp, a reference to Fred Astaire's similar dance with a coat-rack in the film Royal Wedding. During the song, Weymouth is seen playing a rare Fender Swinger electric guitar, instead of her usual bass.
The Stop Making Sense version was released as a single in 1986, peaking at #100 on the UK Singles Chart.[8]
Critical reception
edit"This Must Be The Place" has since received widespread critical acclaim. In 2014, Pitchfork ranked the song at number 22 in their list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s," with Winston Cook-Wilson of the website saying: "In the process of stripping down, Talking Heads showcased something at the root of their art: David Byrne’s inimitable gift for melody, and his unique ability to make every musical figure seem both familiar and tied directly to the lyrical thought (see 'I feel numb...born with a weak heart/ I guess I must be having fun'). Is there a better moment of catharsis in a pop then [sic] the song's final eureka realization, after Byrne gets whacked with the monolithic spiritual hammer and awakes from a life-encompassing daze into unexpected stability? There’s nothing to narrow his eyes at anymore: 'Cover up the blank spots, hit me on the head/ Aaoooh, aaooh, aaooh, aaoooh.' For a band rarely given to addressing issues of the heart head-on, 'Naive Melody' remains an unexpected and peerless achievement."[7] In 2021, it was listed at No. 123 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[9] In 2023, American Songwriter ranked the song number two on their list of the 10 greatest Talking Heads songs,[10] and in 2024, Paste ranked the song number one on their list of the 30 greatest Talking Heads songs.[11]
Music video
editThe official music video for This Must Be the Place depicts the extended band for the 1983–84 time period, including the Stop Making Sense film, watching light-hearted home movies, before going down into the basement to play their instruments.
The extra band members in this video are:
- Alex Weir – guitar, vocals (1983–1984) and on horseback in the home movie within this video
- Bernie Worrell – keyboards, backing vocals (1980–1984, 2002) the Native American chief
- Steve Scales – percussion, backing vocals (1980–1984, 2002) the gentleman with the car
- Ednah Holt – vocals (1983–1984) the houseboat lady
- Lynn Mabry – vocals (1983–1984) the log cabin lady in the music video's home movie.
Charts
editOriginal version
edit| Chart (1983–1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[8] | 51 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 62 |
| US Cashbox Top 100[13] | 71 |
Live version
edit| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[8] | 100 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Notes
edit- ^ A live version of "Girlfriend is Better", also from Speaking in Tongues, was released in 1984.
References
edit- ^ "Talking Heads singles".
- ^ Breihan, Tom (October 27, 2020). "The Number Ones Bonus Tracks: Talking Heads' "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"". Stereogum. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
Together, they came up with a strange, repetitive, hypnotic groove — a bloopy and comforting post-disco lullaby.
- ^ "ASCAP entry for song".
- ^ David Gans (1985). Talking Heads The Band & Their Music. Omnibus. p. 113. ISBN 0-7119-0980-6.
- ^ Speaking in Tongues (liner notes). Talking Heads. US: Sire Records. 1983. 1-23883.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Why Talking Heads switched instruments for their masterpiece". Far Out Magazine. August 27, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s". Pitchfork. August 24, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c "The Official Charts Company - Talking Heads". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Patton, Alli (April 29, 2023). "Top 10 Talking Heads Songs". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ Mitchell, Matt (April 14, 2024). "The 30 Greatest Talking Heads Songs Ranked". Paste. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ "Talking Heads > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ^ "Cashbox Top 100: December 24, 1983". cashboxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ "British single certifications – Talking Heads – This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
Further reading
edit- Sullivan, Denise (January 31, 2011). "Origin of Song: The True Story of Talking Heads' Naïve Melody, "This Must Be the Place"". Crawdaddy!. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2014.