Talking Heads - Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)

All I want is to breathe.

Album: Remain in Light (4th album)
Recorded: Nassau, The Bahamas & New York City, New York
Genre: New Wave, Post Punk
Album Release: October 8th 1980
Single Release: August 1981 (3rd single)
Length: 5:49
Producer: Brian Eno (age 32)
Vocalist: David Byrne (age 28)
Label: Sire Records (subsidiary of Warner)

Official Audio


Live in Rome from 1980

Charts, Streams & Sales

Spotify: Over 25 million
YouTube Music: Over 3 million

Credits & Gear

Bass, drums, guitar [x3], keyboards [x2], percussion [x2]

Details

• The loops on the album are played live meaning that instead of recording a piece of music and looping it over and over an actual musician is playing the same thing repeatedly. This human approach makes the music interesting to the ear because, as it's performed live, each 'loop' will be slightly different whereas a machine would produce the exact same sound each time.
  
  
• The album was revolutionary as it combined the polyrythmic structure of African music with electric guitars. It was a mix of basic, tribal sounds with the music of electricity. This meeting of first and third worlds is also reflected in where the band chose to record the album: The Bahamas and New York City. The Bahamas for it's sun soaked good vibes and New York for it's cosmopolitan sophistication.
  
  Before recording, the bands drummer, Chris Frantz, had holidayed in the Caribbean and became inspired by the region's percussion. At first glance, the parts shouldn't fit together, but Talking Heads made it work. Remain in Light sounded ahead of time decades after release.
  
  
• Remain in Light was a major influence on Radiohead's Kid A.
  
  

Artwork