Love → Building on Fire

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“Love → Building on Fire”
Single by Talking Heads
B-side	"New Feeling"
Released	1977
Format	7" single
Recorded	1977
Genre	New Wave
Length	2:57
Label	Sire Records
Writer(s)	David Byrne
Producer	Tony Bongiovi & Lance Quinn
Talking Heads singles chronology
N/A "Love → Building on Fire" (1977) "Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town" (1977)

Love → Building on Fire is a Talking Heads song released as a single in 1977. The single preceded the band’s first full album, and was later included on their compilation album Sand in the Vaseline. The song did not appear on any of the band’s original studio albums.

Contents 1 Track listings 2 Credits 3 Artistic Impressions of the Song 4 Lyrics 5 Later References to the Song 6 Confusion Caused by Use of Arrow in Title 7 References

[edit] Track listings

1. "Love → Building on Fire" - 2:57
2. "New Feeling" - 3:09

[edit] Credits

The song was written by David Byrne. The original recorded version was produced by Tony Bongiovi.

[edit] Artistic Impressions of the Song

Jerry Harrison called Love → Building on Fire one of his favorite songs to play live, despite the fact the song was recorded before he joined the band. However, he felt that the best live performances were never recorded.^[1]

[edit] Lyrics

The first verse of the song talks about the love of the vocalist and the listener of the song, followed by the fact that it is not love. The construction is similar to Jim Steinman's "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)", because of the internal contradiction of the lyrics.

When my love

Stands next to your love,

I can't define love

When it's not love.

Like the final lines of each chorus in "Anything for Love", the end of each verse in "Love → Building on Fire" contrasts with the previous part. The song compares love to a face and then to a building on fire. A horn section punctuates the verses and the chorus. The song compares love to a building on fire, perhaps as if to explain how the singer knows "it’s not love."

It's not love.

It's not love.

Which is my face,

Which is a building,

Which is on fire.

[edit] Later References to the Song

The Talking Heads titled their second album More Songs About Buildings and Food. Along with the song Don’t Worry About the Government, Love → Building on Fire is one of the original songs about buildings that is referred to in the title. The album title is itself a clever illumination of the originality of the band, as love songs are more typical subject matter for rock music, but with a built in tongue in cheek irony because Love → Building on Fire is actually about both subjects.

[edit] Confusion Caused by Use of Arrow in Title

Love → Building on Fire is often represented on the internet using the title Love Goes To Building on Fire. There is some debate among those who feel that this interpretation overreaches.

[edit] References

v • d • e Talking Heads David Byrne | Jerry Harrison | Tina Weymouth | Chris Frantz 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) The Heads Albums No Talking, Just Head (1996) Live Albums The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982) | Stop Making Sense (1984) Compilations Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites (1992) | Once in a Lifetime (2003) | The Best of Talking Heads (2004) | Brick (2005) | Bonus Rarities and Outtakes (2006) Filmography Stop Making Sense (1984) | True Stories (1986) | Storytelling Giant (1988)