"This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" by Talking Heads

Song#:  1705
Date:  11/26/1983
Debut:  85
Peak:  62
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  After years of being a critically lauded, cult-ish band, Talking Heads broke through to the mainstream with their song "Burning Down the House" (#9 Pop/#6 Rock). The single came from their fifth studio album Speaking in Tongues as did this follow-up song. The more subdued tune couldn't make any headway at Rock, but it did ride the Pop chart for a couple of months. It was the first (and only) time the band was able to get two singles from one album on the Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  The release of this single mystified me. It's a lovely little tune and something kind of sweet from David Byrne, but in no way does it make for a good single. So why would it have been chosen over what seemed like a slam-dunk second single with "Girlfriend Is Better?" It didn't really make sense (perhaps they stopped making sense?). The only thing I could figure is that they were in the process of prepping the soundtrack/movie Stop Making Sense and already had eyes on "Girlfriend' to be a single in a live version. I really don't know. I think it was a lost opportunity. Regardless, this single is what we got and although very pretty, it just didn't have the oomph to really make it anywhere.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  This composition is a rarity from David Byrne as he typically does not write love songs. It ended up getting the subtitle "Naive Medley." This was due to the structure of the song. It stemmed from a jam session the band was having. The guitar and bass began playing the same little melody and just kept repeating it. That repetition of the exact same line throughout the song is something that Bryne stated a pro musician probably would not play, but they liked their naive little melody and formed the rest of the song around it.

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