Love Did I Find You or Did You Find Me?
posted by on July 9 at 11:24 AM
“This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” has long been one of my favorite Talking Heads songs. David Byrne once described it as a love song, a subject he typically shies away from as it’s “kinda big.” But he nails it: giddy and joyful but self-aware and kind of sad, bumping along on a goofy funk groove and, yes, a melody that sounds impossibly upbeat and tender—naive, in other words.
I bring it up because over the weekend I attended the second of four weddings I’m invited to this summer, and it was the second time hearing “This Must Be the Place” played at a wedding reception.
It’s got some wonderful snippets:
Hi yo
I got plenty of time
Hi yo
You got light in your eyes
And you’re standing here beside me
I love the passing of time
Never for money
Always for love
Cover up and say goodnight … say goodnight
and
Home—is where I want to be
But I guess I’m already there
I come home—she lifted up her wings
Guess that this must be the place
I can’t tell one from another
Did I find you, or you find me?
There was a time
Before we were born
If someone asks, this is where I’ll be … where I’ll be
Basically, the song addresses love far more eloquently than most banal wedding fare. When I think back to the friends who, freshly avowed to one another, were dancing under the stars to this song… Two things: 1. I get a little emotional, and 2. I’m glad I have friends with good taste in music.
Here's my fav:
Hi yo We drift in and out
Hi yo sing into my mouth
Out of all tose kinds of people
You got a face with a view
I'm just an animal looking for a home
Share the same space for a minute or two
And you love me till my heart stops
Love me till I'm dead
Eyes that light up, eyes look through you
Cover up the blank spots
Hit me on the head Ah ooh
Probably too obvious, but lovely nonetheless.
Amen.
Talking Heads were a permanent fixture in my household growing up, and that song was my parent's "song." My mom remarried this weekend, but at the reception I asked her what the name of that particular song was, and she couldn't remember. Thank you for clearing that up.
Equally strange is that the song never really was a hit, peaking out at #62 on the Billboard charts.
we've already been over this, but: WORD
This is my all-time favorite song by anyone ever written.
yes. yes. yes. this song haunts my dreams and I find myself whistling it unconsciously at odd times. Thank you, what a song to end my day on.
Cover up the blank spots
Hit me on the head Ah ooh...
...Werewolves of London.
Seriously, one of the great songs, by one of the all-time great bands. I've got to dig out those albums and give them another spin. It's been too long.
i don't know of anyone who has heard this song and doesn't love it.
love me til my heart stops / love me til i'm dead
so simple. but that's the line that gets me everytime.
The talking Heads were a fixture in my house growing up, too. "This Must Be The Place" gives me chills. Amazingly hard to pick a favorie TH song. They are not the same in isolation. Maybe "The Great Curve." "Making Flippy Floppy" and "Tenative Decisions" are up there, too. I don't have all the albums anymore, so I took a trip down memory lane online tonight. Thanks!
If you like David Byrne's aesthetic, you may enjoy his online journal. He posts fairly often about art, music, current affairs, etc. I like his taste in music, so I'm always reading his "reviews" to find out about new stuff.
http://journal.davidbyrne.com/
cheers
Oh yeah
Presidential Circus
I've never heard this song mentioned anywhere but it has always been my favorite of theirs, and I still love it after having kind of soured on the rest of their stuff.
Again, thank you so much for writing about this perfect song. I am getting married in August and plan on playing this gem as well. :)
Oops, I meant Democratic Circus
was that a vocal slip at the end? how the "ah-hooooooo" starts before he gets to the mic after the light dance?
Comments Closed
In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 14 days old).