I remember watching this the night it aired. I was mesmerized and hooked instantly. The next day I rode my bike two miles to Crazy Eddy's and bought 77. Favorite band to this day.
My first introduction to the talking heads. I thought then something was happening here...I continued to follow their music. Awesome. David byrne is a genius.
Mine too, and agreed. It took almost 30 years for me to realize that it was an Al Green song and probably another five to understand that nobody covers Al well except David. He slows it down, makes it more funk than soul and it is amazing.
@@davidm5879I was watching SNL & these guys came on with this sslllllowww tempo & I just sat there stunned stupid. I was a 2nd grader. I was shaken. w h a t w a s t h a t ? I thought. Yes I did.
I was a senior in high school when this aired. Up until that point I was pretty much a hard rock/arena rock guy, but seeing this was like getting hit in the face with a cup of ice water. It changed everything. I know that technically this isn't "punk," but a lot of people called it that at the time, and for me seeing this live was when the penny dropped: I "got" punk. I think a lot of people had a similar epiphany with Devo on SNL or Fridays.
Same here Rob. I was junior at prep school. There was one tv room on the 2nd floor of our dorm. SNL was a thing back in those days. Sometimes 12 or more of us trying to get a good seat to watch the show, meaning some people had to lie on the floor or stand in the back....like I did this night. My recall is switching off my turntable midway through 'Oh Aqualung' to watching the show-this performance. I had heard some of their stuff, but I had never seen them in any form. This night + David Byrne's DRAMATIC delivery, quirky stage presence..this was my proverbial glass of ice water in the face. Not all of my friends liked it that much. I loved it! I was the proggy rock kid anyway....Genesis, Yes, I could care less if they liked it or not. I saw a band that was so unique + funky, and smart. Seeing this again tonight...almost 45 years later. Wow. Nice time capsule.
It makes me think the same thing, but I didn't see it until they had something called Wayne and Garth's Music A-Go-Go around '93 and played all the great music from the show. Another memory from that is the parody on We Are the World promoting free-range chickens called Set the Chickens Free.
Me too! 5th grade! We are thought we were so cool watching SNL. Then I see this and I was blown away! It was amazing! No one else liked it. Oh well I told them I loved it!
I never even tried to understand until I heard Neil pier and Rush talk about one of their influence was talking heads and I thought what I must investigate
I'm guessing I was in the seventh grade when I saw this live. I wish SNL could sell dvd's of the music performers. I remember when the Stones were on and Mick Jagger licked Keith Richards' cheek.
I remember this as a kid, thinking that's a weird band name and strange singer but loved that bass line from the get go. I grew to love them in the 80's.
It is important to remember the music that was out at this time. Fog Hat, Chicago, Bruce Springsteen, Hart, Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, and some bands who rose during the '60s like the Stones and the Who, just as a sampling. The Talking Heads were C O M P L E T E L Y different. Think of the artistic courage it took to be nothing like any of those already proven commercially successful bands. This puts the Heads up there with the likes of the Impressionist artists, the Pop artists, and all of the true innovators within the art world. The Heads are bigger than Rock & Roll for this reason.
Yeah. I dislike quirky, "artsy" bands that compose music with right angles just to be different (think DEVO). Byrne fills this description neatly. This song has groove and soul because it's a cover of a song with groove and soul. Saw this live on SNL when I was 13. I'm 58 now and still not a fan of the Heads. Byrne with his coked-out, Norman Bates eyes left me wondering. Best way to describe them is they are cold. A cold presentation with no connection to the viewer. Hell, even Bowie (the quirkiest performer maybe ever, all respect to early Gabriel) connected with the house. This troupe, no. They don't GRAB you and bring you in. But in 1979 that may well be what they were trying for. The anti-Springsteen approach. Not my cuppa. My $0.02
I bought the album the very next day. I thought the band was sort of somewhere over the rainbow but I kind of liked it. TH was so different than other bands and I dont know why exactly but there was some resonance.
This performance is amazing. Couldnt help but catch a little panic in the band mates eyes a couple of times. Seemed like even they were witnessing something totally new.
How does this sound like it gets 3 bpm slower with each quarter measure? 😂 I love the look from the bass player to the drummer when the drummer started too fast. I've gotten that look.
Except MAYBE for Psycho Killer on the radio, the SNL performance was both my first experience with the Talking Heads AND with Take Me to the River. I thought David Byrne was insane!!! Like, diagnosable. "Why does he want to be dipped in water? What is happening? What is WRONG with him?" They should play it this slow and weird every time!
Well - , I guess that processing the original version of this video into "a series of shakey, extreme close-ups" is _one way_ to evade the "copyright police" that tend to demand the deletion of most postings on TH-cam from Saturday Night Live episodes. By-the-way,, I was prompted to search for this video on Feb. 10, 2019, because that date was the 40th anniversary of the original airing of this clip.
Whoda thought that a geek from New England (and his band; don't shortchange the other members of this group for one instant) would've been able to imbue an Al Green tune with so much added feeling...I repeat...whoda thought?
Even though they they weren't a big drug band, I always thought Byrne was high as fuck during this performance. After all everyone on SNL was fucked up. Lol
is this video slightly slowed from the original tempo they performed live on SNL or did they play it this slow? It's slightly slower here than original 1978 LP recording.
David Byrne was a very spooky guy espeically with his steely staring eyes....Just plain wierd and I was never into wierd. Give me Buddy Holly and the Crickets anyday!
I think this version is a great switchup. There are times this song is performed with like 10 or 15 people on stage. This is the raw deal. No backup vocals. Just Talent.
When you're use to the normal this is a fun changeup. Way interesting to see how he was going to sing this slow, had to use a different cadence that was cool.
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I remember watching this the night it aired. I was mesmerized and hooked instantly. The next day I rode my bike two miles to Crazy Eddy's and bought 77. Favorite band to this day.
that night
Same here. Down to (nearly) the last detail.
His prices were insane
Old Soul Song + Weird New Wave Band = Magic
My first introduction to the talking heads. I thought then something was happening here...I continued to follow their music. Awesome.
David byrne is a genius.
It's like we share the same brain.
Mine too, and agreed. It took almost 30 years for me to realize that it was an Al Green song and probably another five to understand that nobody covers Al well except David. He slows it down, makes it more funk than soul and it is amazing.
I've just recently learned that David is Autistic. That's why he seems so uncomfortable speaking with people sometimes.
me also
This was the most memorable performance on SNL that night.
He makes me laugh 😆
i walked in and this was on, mesmerized..stood frozen the whole song and after thinking about what i heard & seen...unforgetable...
@@davidm5879I was watching SNL & these guys came on with this sslllllowww tempo & I just sat there stunned stupid. I was a 2nd grader. I was shaken. w h a t w a s t h a t ? I thought. Yes I did.
WAY Underrated - Performances like this need to be shared more.
Fun fact: The camera operator was Stevie Wonder. 😎
I think there's a lot of cropping and scanning going on here, probably to avoid a copyright strike
It's zoomed in for copyright reasons....this is from snl
I don't think so. Stevie would have done a better job.
😂
Was Stevie Wonders, just high as all get out. Possibly on a different planet.
A great rendition
god, everything about david byrne in this is so hot, especially his eyes.
I remember seeing this live on a little 13" TV and thinking what's up with him?
I used to watch this show religiously. If I saw this I would have thought the same thing. Now we know different.
LSD
@@DizzyDez613 your go to answer for anything you dont understand?
Same, but I was like 10 and my family was traveling
@@DizzyDez613 I think it's because he's admittedly borderline aspergers
I was a senior in high school when this aired. Up until that point I was pretty much a hard rock/arena rock guy, but seeing this was like getting hit in the face with a cup of ice water. It changed everything. I know that technically this isn't "punk," but a lot of people called it that at the time, and for me seeing this live was when the penny dropped: I "got" punk. I think a lot of people had a similar epiphany with Devo on SNL or Fridays.
Same here Rob. I was junior at prep school. There was one tv room on the 2nd floor of our dorm. SNL was a thing back in those days. Sometimes 12 or more of us trying to get a good seat to watch the show, meaning some people had to lie on the floor or stand in the back....like I did this night. My recall is switching off my turntable midway through 'Oh Aqualung' to watching the show-this performance. I had heard some of their stuff, but I had never seen them in any form. This night + David Byrne's DRAMATIC delivery, quirky stage presence..this was my proverbial glass of ice water in the face. Not all of my friends liked it that much. I loved it! I was the proggy rock kid anyway....Genesis, Yes, I could care less if they liked it or not.
I saw a band that was so unique + funky, and smart. Seeing this again tonight...almost 45 years later. Wow. Nice time capsule.
Watching Devo and The Talking Heads on SNL as a kid was a game changer.
Thank you for sharing this - I always tell friends about the first time I heard them on SNL ...
It makes me think the same thing, but I didn't see it until they had something called Wayne and Garth's Music A-Go-Go around '93 and played all the great music from the show. Another memory from that is the parody on We Are the World promoting free-range chickens called Set the Chickens Free.
Me too! I was glued to the TV.
Me too! 5th grade! We are thought we were so cool watching SNL. Then I see this and I was blown away! It was amazing! No one else liked it. Oh well I told them I loved it!
I never even tried to understand until I heard Neil pier and Rush talk about one of their influence was talking heads and I thought what I must investigate
I'm guessing I was in the seventh grade when I saw this live. I wish SNL could sell dvd's of the music performers. I remember when the Stones were on and Mick Jagger licked Keith Richards' cheek.
Love the weirdness of the Heads. Saw them in Saratoga NY in 1982 and 1983. Great fun.
What a brilliant performance, David steals the show. Genius.
I'm convinced this man is a bird.
TALKING HEADS!!! Love y’all!
I remember this as a kid, thinking that's a weird band name and strange singer but loved that bass line from the get go. I grew to love them in the 80's.
David Byrne is a musical genius.
It is important to remember the music that was out at this time. Fog Hat, Chicago, Bruce Springsteen, Hart, Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, and some bands who rose during the '60s like the Stones and the Who, just as a sampling. The Talking Heads were C O M P L E T E L Y different. Think of the artistic courage it took to be nothing like any of those already proven commercially successful bands. This puts the Heads up there with the likes of the Impressionist artists, the Pop artists, and all of the true innovators within the art world. The Heads are bigger than Rock & Roll for this reason.
Yeah. I dislike quirky, "artsy" bands that compose music with right angles just to be different (think DEVO). Byrne fills this description neatly. This song has groove and soul because it's a cover of a song with groove and soul. Saw this live on SNL when I was 13. I'm 58 now and still not a fan of the Heads. Byrne with his coked-out, Norman Bates eyes left me wondering. Best way to describe them is they are cold. A cold presentation with no connection to the viewer. Hell, even Bowie (the quirkiest performer maybe ever, all respect to early Gabriel) connected with the house. This troupe, no. They don't GRAB you and bring you in. But in 1979 that may well be what they were trying for. The anti-Springsteen approach. Not my cuppa. My $0.02
I bought the album the very next day. I thought the band was sort of somewhere over the rainbow but I kind of liked it. TH was so different than other bands and I dont know why exactly but there was some resonance.
So did I. I remember being amazed and mesmerized. It was totally different
That deserves another listen
This performance is amazing. Couldnt help but catch a little panic in the band mates eyes a couple of times. Seemed like even they were witnessing something totally new.
This performance made me a Talking Heads fan and changed my life.
How does this sound like it gets 3 bpm slower with each quarter measure? 😂 I love the look from the bass player to the drummer when the drummer started too fast. I've gotten that look.
This was i belive November 1979 and ya know what ?David Byrne still sounds the same love talking heads
Classic. That moment you realise he has Asbergers and everything he says and does is pure uncontrived genius.
You can tell especially in this performance the eyes are just disconnected, great though!
Agreed, being on the spectrum myself, I do appreciate that as well.
I thought this was a SNL skit when I saw it
It could be lmao Byrne is so weird
I was on the USS Nimitz on it's first Mediterranean cruise at sea when we saw this episode of Saturday Night Live.
UN-fkg-BELIEVABLY great
Look how dialated his eyes are ,you could fly a jumbo jet through...
I honestly wouldn't be able to tell because his eyes are so dark in color, but his stare is something else here.
Cocay-ayy-nay!
Omg I love him he so funny but damn love this band
Live performances are so much better.
Still awesome after all these years!!
Except MAYBE for Psycho Killer on the radio, the SNL performance was both my first experience with the Talking Heads AND with Take Me to the River. I thought David Byrne was insane!!! Like, diagnosable. "Why does he want to be dipped in water? What is happening? What is WRONG with him?"
They should play it this slow and weird every time!
he is kinda disconnected and out of place
he almost had kittens here.
it was great.
Freaken just Awesome!
Depression2010 amen’
Well - , I guess that processing the original version of this video into "a series of shakey, extreme close-ups" is _one way_ to evade the "copyright police" that tend to demand the deletion of most postings on TH-cam from Saturday Night Live episodes. By-the-way,, I was prompted to search for this video on Feb. 10, 2019, because that date was the 40th anniversary of the original airing of this clip.
I remember studying for sc in NZ and listening to this song. It kept me sane
Execs: “OK but we need to sell records.”
Band/DB: “Give us a few years, we’ll all be set.”
I can’t decide if this or Mannfred Man-Blinded by the Light is the greatest cover ever
Love these dudes
Damn that’s good
You could fly a plane through those LSD eyes,fucking Awsome... and especially Little miss Tina a pixie dreamgirl...
Me and Ian saw them outside at his house in Berwyn,pa I think around 1979
I just planned on looking this video up when it suddenly appeared in my suggestions. Well done TH-cam!
Thank you
Whoda thought that a geek from New England (and his band; don't shortchange the other members of this group for one instant) would've been able to imbue an Al Green tune with so much added feeling...I repeat...whoda thought?
Things in my childhood that I didn't care about then because I like rush now I like them
Even though they they weren't a big drug band, I always thought Byrne was high as fuck during this performance. After all everyone on SNL was fucked up. Lol
I saw this as a teenager, thought the same thing. His eyes were glassy as fuck.
@@bribolin7278 Interesting, what substance exactly do glassy eyes entail?
I see Lorde has done a remake in 2024
yes!
Never seen this vid. I Actually like it better. More Head In the River¿¿¿ All Natural!!
Amo lo sguardo...psicopatico
i think last time I saw this video was live on snl on our 20" tv with rotary antenna
is this video slightly slowed from the original tempo they performed live on SNL or did they play it this slow? It's slightly slower here than original 1978 LP recording.
The Los Angeles river is nearby...
Is this someone with a shaky phone camera filming a TV screen through a front-door mail slot?
he looks high 😊
Where can I find SNL performance of Zimbra and River 1979?
Why does he remind me of " Sheldon"
... and she of "Penny" ?
David Byrne is on the spectrum.
was this their first SNL appearance? Date?
David Byrne was a very spooky guy espeically with his steely staring eyes....Just plain wierd and I was never into wierd. Give me Buddy Holly and the Crickets anyday!
BOOOOO
Hey, did you know that you out zoom your camera? We don’t need to be staring at David Byrne’s teeth.
Suit yourself, they're fun teeth to stare at
@@aplant9980 You make a good point. And, yes, it did take me a full year to type this.
@@aplant9980They're perfectly Bri'ish teeth!
David Byrne is certainly a weirdo
They are playing this agonizingly slow. There is pocket & there is groove....this is just way too slow..zzzzzzzzzzz
I think this version is a great switchup. There are times this song is performed with like 10 or 15 people on stage. This is the raw deal. No backup vocals. Just Talent.
This is actually pretty close to the studio version of the song arrangement-wise, right down to the tempo.
I saw this when it was played live on SNL. Seeing David Byrne on SNL in 2020 led me here.
When you're use to the normal this is a fun changeup. Way interesting to see how he was going to sing this slow, had to use a different cadence that was cool.
@@VinchVolt yeah, when they played it live later it was faster, like the Al Green version. I love it slow the best