"Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads

Song#:  2695
Date:  04/19/1986
Debut:  92
Peak:  91
Weeks:  4
Genre:  New Wave, Soundtrack



Pop Bits:  The Talking Heads first released the soundtrack to their concert film Stop Making Sense back in the fall of '84. At the time, singles from the album failed to chart but the success of the movie helped the album get to #41 and it would eventually be a double-platinum seller. While the Heads were in the studio finishing up their seventh studio album, True Stories, this live track from Stop Making Sense got a little bit of attention. At the time it was being used in the hit film Down and Out in Beverly Hills in both the opening and closing credits. Thanks to the flick, interest in the song grew and the single version of the song was able to get on the Pop chart for a short month. Oddly, even though the song was in the film, it was not included on the associated soundtrack album, probably due to rights issues.

ReduxReview:  I love this song, but like most live stuff it was most likely better in person or at least when watching Stop Making Sense. Watching David Byrne dance to this is mesmerizing and it makes the live version so much better when you have a visual. On its own, the band doesn't really add much of anything to make it more interesting than the original studio version. It's a standard reading of the tune. Obviously, it's a great track but I'd rather hear the original or watch the movie.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  The original version of this song first appeared on the band's 1980 album Remain in Light. It was released as a single, but it failed to crack the Pop chart in the US. It did reach the Dance chart at #20. The story was different in the UK where the single made it to #14. It has since become a classic not only in the band's catalog, but in rock music in general. It made the list of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll." It is one of two Talking Heads songs that made the list. The other was "Life During Wartime" (1979, #80 Pop).

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