Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.
Little Creatures veered toward a more country rock feel, following the new wave expressions found on Speaking in Tongues. This was a happier, more whimsical record. It contains some of my favorite Talking Heads standalone songs, including the acapella-infused “Road to Nowhere”, the spunky “And She Was” and the helplessly silly “Stay Up Late”.
Lip rolls, pig snorts and baby talk. These are the kinds of elements that surface throughout “Stay Up Late” on a bed of deliberately simple piano chords and guitar twangs. There might be a metaphor here about man and woman. Or maybe it’s an observation of enjoying oneself at another’s expense. Or this song could really just be about a cute baby and wanting to keep him up late — and that’s it. “Stay Up Late” is a snapshot of the mundane. It’s everyday life. It’s relatable. And it’s the antithesis of rock & roll attitude, which I think is what I love most about this endearing Talking Heads anthem.
“Sister, sister, he's just a plaything. We want to make him stay up all night.”