’80s fans can probably summon up Talking Heads‘ “Road to Nowhere” in their imagination with no problem: The solemn chorale opening, followed by Tina Weymouth’s bass notes that sound like a lawnmower starting up, followed by Chris Frantz’s rat-a-tat beat and, out of the blue, a swirling accordion. It’s the perfect beginning to an incredible track.
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But what is the song about? What did David Byrne have in mind when composing the lyrics? And how did the song reflect the Talking Heads’ new approach for their 1985 album Little Creatures? Let’s all take a trip on the “Road to Nowhere,” shall we?
Creatures Comfort
Going into the making of their 1985 album Little Creatures, Talking Heads was poised to take advantage of their peaking popularity. Long considered an artsy, even avant-garde band, they had broken through with a surprising Top-10 pop single in 1982 with “Burning Down the House.” In 1984, their concert documentary Stop Making Sense received massive acclaim.
That’s why the timing was absolutely right for the band to change their tactics so they could capitalize. To that point, Talking Heads was known for assembling songs from various instrumental parts, with all members of the band chipping into the creative process.
On Little Creatures, lead singer David Byrne took more of a lead, bringing the band finished demos of songs he had written. While that meant less experimentation, it also allowed the band to simply concentrate on putting the finest possible polish on the songs. It made for their most accessible album to date, with “Burning Down the House” leading the charge.
On the “Road” Again
In the liner notes to the compilation The Best of Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime, Byrne explained what he was after when he wrote “Road to Nowhere”:
“I wanted to write a song that presented a resigned, even joyful look at doom. At our deaths and at the apocalypse … (always looming, folks). I think it succeeded. The front bit, the white gospel choir, is kind of tacked on, ’cause I didn’t think the rest of the song was enough. … I mean, it was only two chords. So, out of embarrassment, or shame, I wrote an intro section that had a couple more in it.”
The crazy quilt of the gospel touches combined with the zydeco-flavored rhythm was just the kind of unexpected touch fans had come to expect from the band, even as the song itself was ridiculously catchy. Oddly enough, “Road to Nowhere” did little on the U.S. charts, but over the years it has turned into one of Talking Heads’ most beloved songs.
Behind the Lyrics of “Road to Nowhere”
“Road to Nowhere” begins with a deceptively upbeat, confident pair of verses, starting with this couplet: Well, we know where we’re goin’ / But we don’t know where we’ve been. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it’s more that Byrne is telling us to accept the inevitable with equanimity. And the future is certain, he explains.
In the verses, Byrne equates Nowhere with paradise, and he reassures his listeners: Here is where time is on our side. The song’s structure is unique in that it shifts gears into a kind of extended outro section. Byrne sings it once in a low register, then again up an octave, reflecting an urgency to get his message across: There’s a city in my mind / Come along and take that ride / And it’s alright, baby, it’s alright.
When the choir returns for one final a cappella rendering of the refrain (We’re on a road to nowhere), it suggests a kind of transcendence. If we can accept our fate, it suddenly doesn’t seem so overwhelming, “Road to Nowhere” seems to say. And it certainly isn’t so bad when the thrilling music of Talking Heads is there to soften any apocalyptic blows.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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