Wild Wild Life
1986 single by Talking Heads
"Wild Wild Life" | |||
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Single by Talking Heads | |||
from the album True Stories | |||
Released | August 1986 [1] | ||
Genre | |||
Length |
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Label | Sire | ||
Songwriter(s) | David Byrne | ||
Producer(s) |
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Talking Heads singles chronology | |||
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" Wild Wild Life " is a song by American rock band Talking Heads , released as the lead single from their seventh studio album True Stories . It was the band's third and last top 40 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 .
Critical reception
Cash Box called it "quirky and typically fun." [3] Billboard said that the Talking Heads "put a minimal post-new wave accompaniment to a bouncy singalong tune." [4]
Music video
The video for the song won "Best Group Video" at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1987. Taken from the film True Stories , with some additional content, it includes band member Jerry Harrison parodying Billy Idol , Kid Creole , Ralph Macchio 's character in The Karate Kid , and Prince . "My favorite T. Heads video, the most fun to make," Harrison recalled in the liner notes of Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads . "I always wondered what Prince thought of it." The rest of the band also appears in various costumes.
The video is set in a 1960s ambienced cabaret bar, where a frantic series of unannounced performers lip sync to the song, imitating such singers as Madonna and Meat Loaf as disjointed images play across a wall of video screens behind them. Byrne wrote about this scene:
The song itself becomes a vehicle that can say anything they want it to. Some gestures and movements are obviously derived from well-known sources: television shows ... movies ... and, most recently, rock videos. Odd to think that some lip-synchers are imitating characters in videos, who are really musicians imitating other characters. [5]
Actor John Goodman , prior to his fame in the sitcom Roseanne , appeared in both the film and MTV versions of the video. Goodman was also featured on the B-side's "People Like Us", a song that also appeared in the film.
Track listing
7-inch single
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Wild Wild Life" | |
2. | "People Like Us (Movie Version)" | 4:23 |
12-inch single
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Wild Wild Life (Extended Mix)" | 5:30 |
2. | "Wild Wild Life" | 3:39 |
3. | "People Like Us (Movie Version)" | 4:23 |
- vocals on "People Like Us (Movie Version)" by John Goodman
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (1986) |
Peak
position |
---|---|
Australia ( Kent Music Report ) [6] | 13 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [7] | 25 |
UK Singles Chart [8] | 43 |
New Zealand Singles Chart [9] | 2 |
Dutch Singles Chart [10] | 42 |
Irish Singles Chart [11] | 9 |
Swiss Singles Chart [12] | 20 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1986) | Position |
---|---|
Australia ( Kent Music Report ) [13] | 92 |
Use in media
The song was covered by Wailing Souls for the 1993 movie Cool Runnings .
The song was used in the trailers for Brother Bear , [14] Over the Hedge , [15] and Zookeeper , as well as the beginning of the 2006 animated film Open Season , for which it was included on the film's soundtrack. It was also used in the 2014 film United Passions as well as the aforementioned True Stories .
References
- ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography . p. 809. ISBN 9780862415419 .
- ↑ Tangari, Joe. "Talking Heads - Talking Heads Brick" . Pitchfork . Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 16 February 2019 .
- ↑ "Single Releases" (PDF) . Cash Box . August 23, 1986. p. 11 . Retrieved 2022-08-04 .
- ↑ "Reviews" . Billboard . August 23, 1986. p. 81 . Retrieved 2022-08-04 .
- ↑ Sytze Steenstra (2010). Song and Circumstance: The Work of David Byrne from Talking Heads to the Present . A&C Black. p. 112. ISBN 9780826441683 .
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW : Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6 .
- ↑ Billboard Magazine
- ↑ The Official Charts Company. "UK Albums Chart" . Every Hit . Retrieved 2010-05-17 .
- ↑ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (September 14, 1986). "New Zealand Singles Chart" . New Zealand Charts . Retrieved 2009-05-17 .
- ↑ MegaCharts (October 4, 1986). "Dutch Singles Chart" . Dutch Charts . Retrieved 2009-05-17 .
- ↑ Irish Recording Music Association (September 7, 1986). "Irish Singles Chart" . Irish Charts . Retrieved 2009-05-17 .
- ↑ "Swiss Singles Chart" . Swiss Charts. September 28, 1986 . Retrieved 2009-07-14 .
- ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1986" . Kent Music Report . No. 650. December 1986 . Retrieved January 24, 2023 – via Imgur.
- ↑ SaneelGB (2013-01-01), Brother Bear Theatrical Trailer (2003) , retrieved 2016-07-14 [ dead YouTube link ]
- ↑ cineAE (2006-12-08), Over the Hedge Trailer , archived from the original on 2021-12-21 , retrieved 2016-07-14
External links
- " Wild Wild Life " at Discogs (list of releases)
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Singles |
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Filmography | |
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