Album: Fear of Music
Year: 1979
. . .
Fading in with sirens rushing at you from a distance — one of the more universal sounds you encounter when you find a city to live in — “Cities” is kinda sorta the Talking Heads paying Brian Eno back for “Kings Led Hat” while also looking forward to Remain in Light.
So while Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth are playing pure disco, if you listen to the jaggedy rhythm guitars that David Byrne and Jerry Harrison are playing, they very well could have been beamed directly in from Taking Tiger Mountain, which no doubt is all Eno. And in fact that’s half the fun of “Cities:” all the sound effects Eno is shoving into the margins, adding an extra patina of weirdness to the whole shebang.
Think of London, small city
It’s dark, dark in the daytime
People sleep, sleep in the daytime
If they want to, if they want to
But what makes “Cities” the most joyful song on the otherwise not-so-fun Fear of Music is David Byrne’s vocal performance, which gets more and more unhinged as the song progresses, especially on the pre-chorus.
I’m checking ’em out, I’m checking ’em out
I got it figured out, I got it figured out
There’s good points, some bad points
But it all works out, though I’m a little freaked out
While he sings it straight the first time, the third time around — after a skronky guitar break the pre-figures what Adrian Belew would be doing on Remain in Light — his sing-songy delivery of “I’ve got it figured out” is an absolute marvel, especially when he follows it up with the hoarse “There’s good points / some bad points”, it’s equal points funny, strange, and compelling, and also sets up the last verse.
Did I forget to mention, forget to mention Memphis?
Home of Elvis and the ancient Greeks
Do I smell? I smell home cooking
It’s only the river, it’s only the river
While while that might or might not be the same river that he previously asked to be taken to — Memphis is where Al Green lives, after all — we also know that he followed that song by declaring he wouldn’t live there if you paid him. And honestly, I’m pretty sure Byrne has lived in New York City since he moved there 50 years ago, so he’d already made his decision
At the end of the song, he’s just repeating the chorus getting crazier and crazier while the guitars buzz, Eno’s sound effects whirl and Chris & Tina keep everybody dancing until the fade.
Find a city, find myself a city to live in
I will find a city, find myself a city to live in
Find a city, find myself a city to live in
I will find a city, find myself a city to live in
I will find a city, find myself a city to live in
I will find a city, find myself a city to live in
I will find a city, find myself a city to live in
I will find a city, find myself a city to live in
“Cities” was released as a single from Fear of Music, but didn’t really chart anywhere, unlike the singles before it, “Life During Wartime” (#80 on the pop charts, a big comedown from “Take Me to The River“) and “I Zimbra” (#28 on the dance charts), but Fear of Music did make it to #21 on the album charts, their best showing yet.
“Cities”
“Cities” Live in Dortmund, 1980
“Cities” Live in Rome, 1980
“Cities” from Stop Making Sense, 1983
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