My Gen X Playlist: This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) – The Talking Heads

I don’t have many things that are irreplaceable. I don’t buy a lot of stuff and would call myself pretty low maintenance. I’m not constantly shopping for clothes or chasing the latest fashion. California casual fits me perfectly. Forget about rotating in the most recent technology. Not my style. My nieces tease me because my Iphone is a little outdated. Hey, it still works fine and I’m waiting until I actually hear the kaput sound before I venture into the Apple store for a new one. Typically, I buy a car that I really like, take care of it and drive it for a fairly long time. Buying a car is a very unpleasant experience anyway, so I consider myself dodging a bullet. We only have one TV, probably low in terms of today’s standards. I know someone who has nine. That thought always blows me away. It’s not as if I don’t like stuff, because I do. I’m relatively low maintenance and buying a lot of things is not a priority.

Whenever I leave the house, I do my “three pat” test. I pat my front right pocket for my keys, my back right pocket for my wallet and my back left pocket for my phone. One, two, three. Keys, wallet, phone. If I lost everything else, I’d be just fine.

One of my favorite movies in the 80s was Wall Street. It’s a story about a young stock broker who is willing to do anything to gain power and money. Abandoning his morality eventually leads him to lose everything, including his freedom. The soundtrack includes the Talking Heads’ This Must be the Place. I was researching the backstory of the song and learned there are a number of different interpretations. Instead of looking for meaning, I decided just settle on the fact that it’s a really cool song. For me, David Byrne and The Talking Heads are an acquired taste, but this one sinks in quite nicely.

“In a lot of the songs, David’s lyrics didn’t have any personal significance for him. They were from things he heard or read. But in this case it sounded as though he really meant it.”

. . . the effects of the song are immediate. It envelopes you from the first notes, converts you before you know what’s happened.

. . . the Los Angeles Times’s Richard Cromelin . . . called it “one of the most luminous love songs rock has produced.

– The New Yorker

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Home is where I want to be
Pick me up and turn me round
I feel numb - born with a weak heart
I guess I must be having fun
The less we say about it the better
Make it up as we go along
Feet on the ground
Head in the sky
It's OK, I know nothing's wrong... nothing

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 good night

Home - is where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there
I come home - she lifted up her wings
I 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

Hi yo
We drift in and out
Hi yo
Sing into my mouth
Out of all those kinds of people
You got a face with a view
I'm just an animal looking for a home and
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