99. Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads

"Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads

Lyrics by David Byrne
Music by David Byrne, Brian Eno, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth
Produced by Brian Eno
Released on Remain in the Light (October 8, 1980)
Released as a single on February 2, 1981
amazon spotify music video

What is cool? Are Talking Heads cool? Is David Byrne cool? Is it cool to put a Talking Heads song on my list? Am I cool?

Don't answer that.

Putting the Talking Heads on my list might be perceived as me trying to seem cool. People who were into New Wave bands always seemed cool, or maybe they were just trying to seem cool. Were New Wave fans hipsters?

To be honest, as much as I like this song, I'm probably just putting this song here to seem cooler than I am. That's part of the history of pop music: People sharing the music they think is cool with others in an attempt to appear cool. Some people try to be cool by liking the most popular music that everyone else likes. Others try to be cool by liking the most obscure music they can find. Putting the second most recognizable song by the second most popular New Wave band at #99 on my list is me trying to live somewhere in between those two extremes, which is definitely not cool.

Bands like Talking Heads are not quite accessible enough to be universally liked, but also not quite so inaccessible to be super obscure. They are the perfect band for a try-hard like me.

Being cool has always been some mythical state that I've never quite been able to achieve. There might be some people who think I'm cool, but they are almost certainly incorrect. I have always floated somewhere between knowing I am uncool and trying hard to appear cool, or steering way to hard into my uncoolness that it actually makes me even more uncool. I'm one of those people that thinks too much and tries too hard to ever actually pull off any kind of consistent level of cool.

I never got too deep into New Wave music. I really like the Cars (despite no Cars song appearing on this list). I never really tried to get into Elvis Costello, and other than the Talking Heads, I'm not too sure who else fits into the New Wave category. My lack of knowledge of New Wave music is yet another strike against my coolness.

I think it's safe to say that "Once in a Lifetime" is a cool song that was written and performed by a cool band, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that it is a great song. I'm sure Talking Heads made other good songs too, but this is the only one that broke through to me.

The verses of "Once in a Lifetime" are kind of weird. I read that David Byrne was trying to imitate early rap, but it sounds more like he's trying to preach to us. The guitar/synth/keyboard riff underneath is hypnotic; the bass is pulsing; and then the chorus hits.

The chorus of "Once in a Lifetime" is unadulterated euphoria. A good sing-along chorus is a beautiful thing. My list is full of great songs with transcendent hooks. The simplest way to record a song that I will fall in love with, is to multi-track the vocals during the chorus so it sounds like a giant choir or even a whole stadium is singing along. I love that stuff.

"Once in a Lifetime" is the song on my list that was released closest to the day I was born. It is also the only song on the list that was released during my birth year. The 1980's did produce some great songs and great bands, but not many of my favorites. The 1990's is when I really fell in love with music, and the music of the 1970's seemed to resonate more with my tastes.

Talking Heads recorded at least one great song, so that make them cool in my book (which probably doesn't mean too much).

Right now "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads is (probably) my 99th favorite song of all time.