Cities (Talking Heads song)

"Cities"
Single by Talking Heads
from the album Fear of Music
B-side	"Cities (Live version)" "Artists Only"
Released	1980
Format	7", 12"
Genre	New wave, post-punk
Length	4:10
Label	Sire
Writer(s)	David Byrne
Producer(s)	Brian Eno, Talking Heads
Talking Heads singles chronology
"I Zimbra" (1980) "Cities" (1980) "Crosseyed and Painless" (1980)

"Cities" was a single released by the American new wave band Talking Heads. It is the fourth track on the 1979 album Fear of Music.

Song style

"Cities" is a fast-paced bass and keyboard-led song. Tina Weymouth's bass playing in the song is described as both "melodic" and "funky", while David Byrne's guitar is said to be jittery, but clean-sounding. The song fades both in and out with a very aggressive funky rhythm and the fade-out makes a building-up feeling as it transitions into the next song, "Life During Wartime".^[1]

Lyrics

The song's meaning is simple: it is mainly about a man looking for a city to live in, though lead singer David Byrne's surrealistic yet humorous delivery of the song is anything but simple. The lyrics are both deadpan and silly causing a mixed humor in the song. This combination can be seen in lyrics such as "Did I forget to mention, forget to mention Memphis, home of Elvis and the ancient Greeks."^[2][3][4]

Other versions

The jam band, Phish, covered "Cities" on their album Slip, Stitch and Pass and it has been played frequently at their concerts.^[5][6]

Track listing

7" release

1. "Cities" – 4:10
2. "Cities" – (live version)^[7]

12" release

1. "Cities" – 4:10
2. "Cities" – (live version)
3. "Artists Only" – 3:36^[8]

References

1. "Cities - Talking Heads | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
2. "Talking Heads - Cities Lyrics". MetroLyrics. 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
3. Bill Janovitz. "Cities - Talking Heads | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
4. Ian Gittins. Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime : the Stories Behind Every Song. Books.google.com. p. 54. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
5. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Slip, Stitch and Pass - Phish | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
6. "Cities Every Time Played". Phish.net. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
7. "Talking Heads - Cities". Discogs. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
8. "Talking Heads - Cities". Discogs. Retrieved 2016-04-10.