#73 Remain in Light by Talking Heads

The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time

2025 Album Rank

73

2011 Album Rank

176

Total Points

848.5

Year Released

1980

Billboard 200 Chart Peak

19

Weeks at #1

N/A

RIAA Sales Certification

500,000 (Gold)

Buy Album

Apple Music Amazon

Remain in Light Album Details

Remain in Light is Talking Heads' fourth studio album and a groundbreaking fusion of new wave, funk, African polyrhythms, and avant-garde experimentation. Released on October 8, 1980, the album was produced by Brian Eno and marked the peak of the band's collaboration with him. Inspired by Fela Kuti's Afrobeat grooves, the music was built around looping guitar riffs, layered percussion, and hypnotic basslines, creating dense, interlocking rhythms. Rather than writing songs traditionally, the band constructed tracks from extended jams, later arranging them into coherent compositions in the studio.

David Byrne's lyrics were partly improvised and often fragmented, touching on themes of identity, anxiety, technology, and political tension. Tracks like Once in a Lifetime, Crosseyed and Painless, and The Great Curve became instant standouts, showcasing the band's ability to merge intellectual art-rock with irresistible dance rhythms. The album pushed the boundaries of rock music and influenced genres ranging from post-punk to hip-hop and electronic music.

Interesting Facts About Remain in Light

• The recording process took place in multiple studios, including Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas and Sigma Sound in Philadelphia, with Brian Eno encouraging nontraditional songwriting and communal authorship.
• Once in a Lifetime features Byrne adopting the persona of a televangelist, delivering existential musings in a rhythmic, chant-like style influenced by gospel preaching.
• The song The Great Curve includes guitar work from Adrian Belew, whose wild, expressive solos added another dimension to the album's sonic palette.
• Bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz drew heavily from funk and Afrobeat rhythms, anchoring the complex arrangements in infectious grooves.
• The band brought in additional musicians, including percussionists Steve Scales and José Rossy, to expand the rhythmic layers.
• The music video for Once in a Lifetime, directed by Byrne and Toni Basil, became one of the most iconic early MTV videos, further cementing the song's cultural legacy.
• Rather than crediting individual songwriting, the band and Eno agreed to share collective writing credits for the entire album.
• Remain in Light initially received mixed commercial reception in the US but became critically revered over time.
• The album's use of looping, sampling, and layering anticipated techniques that would become standard in electronic music production.
• Byrne's lyrical cut-up method on the album was inspired by authors like William S. Burroughs and John Giorno, contributing to the fragmented, surreal nature of the songs.

Remain in Light Tracklist

1. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
2. Crosseyed and Painless
3. The Great Curve
4. Once in a Lifetime
5. Houses in Motion"
6. Seen and Not Seen
7. Listening Wind
8. The Overload

Once in a Lifetime Music Video

• Next Album: #72. The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest
• Previous Album: #74. Legend by Bob Marley and the Wailers