Psycho Killer
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| "Psycho Killer" | ||
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| Single by Talking Heads | ||
| from the album Talking Heads: 77 | ||
| B-side(s) | "Psycho Killer" (Acoustic version) | |
| Released | December 1977 | |
| Format | 7" single | |
| Recorded | 1977 | |
| Genre | New Wave | |
| Length | 04:19 | |
| Label | Sire Records | |
| Writer(s) | David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth | |
| Producer(s) | Tony Bongiovi & Lance Quinn | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Talking Heads singles chronology | ||
| "Love → Building on Fire" (1977) | "Psycho Killer" (1977) | "Pulled Up" (1978) |
"Psycho Killer" is the name of a new wave song from the 1977 Talking Heads album Talking Heads: 77. It was written by David Byrne with Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. The lyrics are supposed to represent the thoughts of a serial killer. According to the preliminary lyric sheets copied onto the 2006 remaster of Talking Heads: 77, the song started off as a semi-narrative of the killer actually committing murders. Byrne has said of the song:
| “ | When I started writing this (I got help later), I imagined Alice Cooper doing a Randy Newman-type ballad. Both the Joker and Hannibal Lecter were much more fascinating than the good guys. Everybody sort of roots for the bad guys in movies. | ” |
The bridge lyrics are in French and include the prominent chorus line, "Qu'est-ce que c'est?", which translates in English to "What is it?".
The 1984 Talking Heads concert movie Stop Making Sense opens with Byrne alone onstage playing an acoustic version of "Psycho Killer", backed only by recorded drums (from a TR-808 drum machine) that appear to be playing on a tape player (they are actually played through the soundboard).
[edit] Influence
The song provoked a 1979 parody by Boston-area band The Fools [1] called "Psycho Chicken", featuring the chorus:
- Psycho Chicken--what the fuck?
- Bwak bwak bwak bwaaak bwak bwak bwak bwak bwaaak bwak [2]
Rapper Ice-T says that "Psycho Killer" was a starting influence for Body Count's controversial hit "Cop Killer".
It has been covered by bands like Local H, Barenaked Ladies, Phish, Antiseen, Moxy Früvous, The Flying Pickets, Rico, The Binghampton Crosbys, Bishop Allen, and even an opera version by Kate Miller-Heidke.
[edit] External links
- "Psycho Killer" at All Music Guide
- Lyrics for Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads
- http://www.thehypertonics.com/mp3/the_hypertonics_53_cover_psycho_killer_talking_heads.mp3
| Talking Heads |
|---|
| David Byrne – Chris Frantz – Tina Weymouth – Jerry Harrison |
| Discography |
| Studio Albums: Talking Heads: 77 (1977) - More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978) - Fear of Music (1979) - Remain in Light (1980) - Speaking in Tongues (1983) - Little Creatures (1985) - True Stories (1986) - Naked (1988) |
| Live Albums: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982) - Stop Making Sense (1984) |
| Filmography |
| Stop Making Sense (1984) - True Stories (1986) - Storytelling Giant (1988) |
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