This Must Be the Place

Original recordings of songs don't always allow you the opportunity to hear the poetic nuances of their lyrics.  Often was the case with the groundbreaking band Talking Heads.  The punk or "New Wave" sound of the late 1970s and early 80s was one of synthesizer abuse and quirky vocal performances.  David Byrne and his bandmates were on the forefront of movement but seemed to stand alone.  In collaboration with experimental producer Brian Eno, the group produced records that have stood the test of time and would certainly pass for the latest releases of any modern ultra hip indie band from Brooklyn. One song in particular, "This Must Be The Place", stands out as one of my favorites of that era of the bands short-lived history, but it has nothing to do with the post-disco guitar line as catchy as it might be or the danceable pulse of the drum beat.
        Love songs were not the usual fodder for a songwriter like David Byrne, unless you count tunes like "Psycho Killer" or "Life During Wartime,"  but he managed to write the most sincere and poetic lament on romantic love I've heard in the realm of pop music.
At first glance the lyrics of “This Must Be the Place” are as simple as they come but heard in succession, set in its melody the lines resonate with such a complexity and weight.  Byrne couples metaphor with some spoken clichés to capture a specific feeling of young love.  The moments of clarity and ambiguity sing out without music.  Byrne starts, “Home is where I want to be.”  He encapsulates the point of view of a young lover or even a mature adult in the early stages of an intimate relationship.  We all are looking for a “home” or the idea of what our childhood home felt like.  We wish to return to a “time before we were born.” There is more talking to ourselves and less to our new partners.  In the end we are home.  We convince ourselves that we are “already there” at least we guess that is the case.
We are “animals looking for a home” and though it is biologically instinctive we are unlike the creatures of the wild in that we have a clearer understanding of our mortality. The insecurity of love in the face of existence is apparent with the question, “Will you love me until my heart stops?”

The depth of the lyrics of this song are over shadowed by the “oohing” synthesizer and Byrne’s strange vocal timbre.  Check out this clip from their famous concert film, "Stop Making Sense":

Now listen to folksinger Shawn Colvin interpret the song.  With such a sparse arrangement the lyrics are brought front and center for the listener and the effect is stunning.