The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs
I recently saw David Byrne’s American Utopia, a brilliant show that combined a series of essays that allowed Byrne to truly connect with us in an honest, simple way. In between these treatises on the human condition was essentially a mini Talking Heads concert. I was in heaven. The show was a testament of two things: the resiliency of the band’s music after more than 30 years and the unique, yet highly relatable perspective of David Byrne. One of the longstanding testaments of this is their debut album’s closing track, “Pulled Up”.
Most of the songs on that record were overshadowed by the Talking Heads menacing anthem “Psycho Killer”. But to overlook “Pulled Up” would be a bad mistake. The song is one of the early blueprints of new wave. The instrumentation and demeanor was unlike anything else out there. Like on several other Talking Heads songs, Byrne’s paradoxical tendencies are on full display, most notably in the chorus. He seems simultaneously out of control and in control. He’s not just singing lyrics, those are emotions and expressions coming out of his mouth. Musically, we get a taste of the unique, boisterous bass playing of Tina Weymouth in lock step with boyfriend Chris Frantz’s ready-steady drum style and Harrison’s guitar riffs that cascade like little electric currents inside our brains.
“I drift away to another land. Sleeping dreaming such a simple thing. I think of things that I might be. I see my name go down in history.”