Roger Bourland
writes about music and life

Here is the original video of “Once in a Lifetime.” It’s great fun and interesting to see where some of David Byrne’s bizarre body gestures come from. For me, the piece really comes into its own in the live performance on the movie, STOP MAKING SENSE, which I hope to find, post and present a textural analysis for later.

While you are listening to this song, try to identify the verse, chorus, and any other sections that are prominent. How are these sections musically defined? By the melody? By the chords? By the words? And one more thing: listen to the jingling musical sound at the beginning? Is it a melody? A rhythmic pattern? A random musical element?

[I’ll revisit these questions next week in “Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime (live from STOP MAKING SENSE)]