![]() The repetition makes the song instantly unforgettable upon a single listen, you simply can’t get it out of your head.Įchoing Ecclesiastes, the song’s lyrics could be described as ostensibly meaningless “there is water at the bottom of the ocean” isn’t exactly a groundbreaking observation. This technique positions Byrne as a preacher and the listener as a member of a congregation receiving Byrne’s repetitive and rhythmic sermon. With the inclusion of a massive Hammond organ part during the finale, the final product is both simple and complex on every level-lyrically, musically, and theologically.īyrne employs a half-spoken, half-sung call-and-response pattern throughout the song, a hyperventilating improvisatory style he based on radio and televangelist sermons. The group experimented with various beats and melodies in repetition, allowing the final song to emerge from their communal improvisation. The other musical elements emerged out of recorded jam sessions with bassist Tina Weymouth, drummer Chris Frantz, and keyboardist Jerry Harrison. It’s both despondent and uplifting it is equally lament and praise.īrian Eno was the producer for Talking Heads’ 1980 album Remain in Light, and he incorporated Afro-beat rhythms inspired by Nigerian musician Fela Kuti into the song’s groove. Such is the paradox of this iconic song: it is so catchy, so weird, and so deeply spiritual. Byrne’s bizarre jerky motions while performing “Once in a Lifetime” are absolutely captivating, even hypnotizing-it is as if he is having a self-induced seizure, and it is strangely beautiful. I wasn’t a true Talking Heads fan until I watched Jonathan Demme’s spectacular 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense. I mainly knew of “Once in a Lifetime” from movie soundtracks and Kermit the Frog’s performance on Muppets Tonight. Or, as Byrne the preacher sings over and over and over again, “same as it ever was.” ![]() The biblical teacher continues: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again there is nothing new under the sun.” This evanescent existence is marked by repetition nothing lasts forever except our unvarying embeddedness in reality. The Hebrew word for “meaningless,” also translated as “vanity,” essentially means “vapor.” Ecclesiastes is not suggesting that nothing really matters, but that our existence is fleeting, a temporary mist or breath. This is not the typical proof text to argue for God’s existence, nor does it make for very comforting devotional material. ![]() What do people gain from all their laborsĮverything is meaningless. “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. how did I get here?”īyrne’s query echoes a similar existential crisis expressed by the author of Ecclesiastes, a perturbing book of wisdom literature which contains some of the most provocative declarations in all of scripture: Perhaps long-gestating doubts and anxieties have led you to this moment of crisis: Why do I exist? Is there really a God? Does any of this matter? What’s the meaning of it all? Or, as Talking Heads’ lead singer David Byrne intones on 1980’s “ Once in a Lifetime,” “Well. The questions irrupt into your mind, like being startled awake from a vivid dream. Editor's note: Our free Pop Psalms ebook, featuring all 12 essays in one place, is available here.
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