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Friday Funk #21 – ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ by Talking Heads
Friday Funk #21 – ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ by Talking Heads
Friday Funk #21 – ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ by Talking Heads
From 1983's Speaking in Tongues, ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ is perhaps the song that best demonstrates Talking Heads’ particular brand of funk: simultaneously agitated and celebratory, mechanical and groovy, catchy and detailed.
40 years later, there’s still nobody else that sounds like them. Bassist Tina Weymouth once called their music “science fiction funk,” saying, “Everything we did was texturally entirely different, because we had this interesting mix of people: Chris [Frantz] came from the steel town of Pittsburgh and understood that raw black American sound. Then there were myself, David [Byrne] and Jerry [Harrison] who had been exposed to a lot of European classical music. So when you combine the African-American rhythms with that European melody you get Talking Heads.”
The synth bassline is a highlight, whether played by Weymouth or the guesting Bernie Worrell (à la ‘Flash Light’). The bass gives the song a snarl throughout. Every few bars there’s a quick run of notes that brilliantly set up the next sustained note on the One.
As well as the gargling bassline, there are the more decorative synth parts: light bleeps sounding like fairies dancing on the edge of the mayhem, and effects that sound like a gang of plumbers screwing with a giant building’s pipework.
There’s ample space for synth freakery during the song’s coda. Just before that instrumental section are lyrics that Byrne lifted for the title of the band’s seminal concert film, Stop Making Sense. Worrell was part of the extended band for that tour.
It’s unclear who played which parts, but judging from the performance of the song for that film, Weymouth likely played the main bassline, Worrell the crazy plumbing noises, and Harrison the more twinkly effects.
Clearer though is the Heads’ admiration for Worrell. Byrne has called him “one of our idols,” and Parliament-Funkadelic have often been namechecked as influences.
Byrne’s lyrics elsewhere are brillaintly idiosyncratic. Soon after he’s done boasting (“I’ve got a girlfriend that’s better than that”), he’s unsure of himself (“And nothing is better than that... Is it?”) There’s also the confused lines “I wake up and wonder / What was the place? / What was the name?” and “We’re being taken for a ride again” which manage to sound threatening at the same time.
As with ‘Moon Rocks’, it’s worth remembering what Pitchfork’s writer Aaron Leitko wrote about Fela Kuti’s music: “the songs aren’t shaped by chord changes or modulations, but the gradual accumulation and subtraction of melodic and rhythmic gestures.” Fela’s was a different writing philosophy, less concerned with “events like verses and choruses” and more with “gradual build-ups and changes in density.” Fela had been a big influence on the band since Fear of Music (1979).
While there are verses and choruses on ‘Girlfriend Is Better’, they aren’t defined by chord changes. The chorus is recognisable from Byrne’s change in melody and lyrics (variations of “I got a girlfriend that’s better than that”) and the change in density – and intensity. The guitar’s strum pattern is particularly jittery in the chorus, frantically switching between downstrokes and upstrokes. The glittery synth disappears at the start of the chorus, and the song momentarily feels more spare before a jumpy keyboard part replaces the synth. There’s a delightfully wobbly bass part after the line “She has the smoke in her eyes” which pairs with a synth sounding like a tiny car failing to start.
This brilliantly fun chorus is set up by an expertly delivered line by Byrne: “We’re being taken for a ride again.” The unsettling lyric and the prolonged syllables, particularly in “again,” which sounds at first like it’s going to be of a normal length before Byrne drags it to the start of the chorus, ramp up the anticipation.
While the song would have been brilliantly catchy and danceable if he had stuck to the base melodies, Byrne’s constant variations of rhythm make it even more interesting. The “I, I, I wake up and wonder” and “Why, why, why, why start it over?” lines in the verses add to their uncertainty and build up to the choruses. Byrne adds new lyrics to each chorus, meaning each line feels fresh while still delivering the melody you want to hear again.
Though drummer Chris Frantz admired Tony Allen’s drumming with Fela and how the percussion parts “flow[ed] like a tide, ebbing and rising and falling,” his own drumming tended to be more consistent and bare bones. Frantz left space for the rest of the band to fill, and supplied the reliable kicks on the One and three, snare on two and four, while adding syncopation with funky ghost notes on the cymbals and another kick just after the three.
For extra Friday funkin’, check out the live performance of ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ from Stop Making Sense, which features Byrne’s iconic oversized suit. (This is taken from the original film. A remastered version was released last year.) Happy moving!
From 1983's Speaking in Tongues, ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ is perhaps the song that best demonstrates Talking Heads’ particular brand of funk: simultaneously agitated and celebratory, mechanical and groovy, catchy and detailed.
40 years later, there’s still nobody else that sounds like them. Bassist Tina Weymouth once called their music “science fiction funk,” saying, “Everything we did was texturally entirely different, because we had this interesting mix of people: Chris [Frantz] came from the steel town of Pittsburgh and understood that raw black American sound. Then there were myself, David [Byrne] and Jerry [Harrison] who had been exposed to a lot of European classical music. So when you combine the African-American rhythms with that European melody you get Talking Heads.”
The synth bassline is a highlight, whether played by Weymouth or the guesting Bernie Worrell (à la ‘Flash Light’). The bass gives the song a snarl throughout. Every few bars there’s a quick run of notes that brilliantly set up the next sustained note on the One.
As well as the gargling bassline, there are the more decorative synth parts: light bleeps sounding like fairies dancing on the edge of the mayhem, and effects that sound like a gang of plumbers screwing with a giant building’s pipework.
There’s ample space for synth freakery during the song’s coda. Just before that instrumental section are lyrics that Byrne lifted for the title of the band’s seminal concert film, Stop Making Sense. Worrell was part of the extended band for that tour.
It’s unclear who played which parts, but judging from the performance of the song for that film, Weymouth likely played the main bassline, Worrell the crazy plumbing noises, and Harrison the more twinkly effects.
Clearer though is the Heads’ admiration for Worrell. Byrne has called him “one of our idols,” and Parliament-Funkadelic have often been namechecked as influences.
Byrne’s lyrics elsewhere are brillaintly idiosyncratic. Soon after he’s done boasting (“I’ve got a girlfriend that’s better than that”), he’s unsure of himself (“And nothing is better than that... Is it?”) There’s also the confused lines “I wake up and wonder / What was the place? / What was the name?” and “We’re being taken for a ride again” which manage to sound threatening at the same time.
As with ‘Moon Rocks’, it’s worth remembering what Pitchfork’s writer Aaron Leitko wrote about Fela Kuti’s music: “the songs aren’t shaped by chord changes or modulations, but the gradual accumulation and subtraction of melodic and rhythmic gestures.” Fela’s was a different writing philosophy, less concerned with “events like verses and choruses” and more with “gradual build-ups and changes in density.” Fela had been a big influence on the band since Fear of Music (1979).
While there are verses and choruses on ‘Girlfriend Is Better’, they aren’t defined by chord changes. The chorus is recognisable from Byrne’s change in melody and lyrics (variations of “I got a girlfriend that’s better than that”) and the change in density – and intensity. The guitar’s strum pattern is particularly jittery in the chorus, frantically switching between downstrokes and upstrokes. The glittery synth disappears at the start of the chorus, and the song momentarily feels more spare before a jumpy keyboard part replaces the synth. There’s a delightfully wobbly bass part after the line “She has the smoke in her eyes” which pairs with a synth sounding like a tiny car failing to start.
This brilliantly fun chorus is set up by an expertly delivered line by Byrne: “We’re being taken for a ride again.” The unsettling lyric and the prolonged syllables, particularly in “again,” which sounds at first like it’s going to be of a normal length before Byrne drags it to the start of the chorus, ramp up the anticipation.
While the song would have been brilliantly catchy and danceable if he had stuck to the base melodies, Byrne’s constant variations of rhythm make it even more interesting. The “I, I, I wake up and wonder” and “Why, why, why, why start it over?” lines in the verses add to their uncertainty and build up to the choruses. Byrne adds new lyrics to each chorus, meaning each line feels fresh while still delivering the melody you want to hear again.
Though drummer Chris Frantz admired Tony Allen’s drumming with Fela and how the percussion parts “flow[ed] like a tide, ebbing and rising and falling,” his own drumming tended to be more consistent and bare bones. Frantz left space for the rest of the band to fill, and supplied the reliable kicks on the One and three, snare on two and four, while adding syncopation with funky ghost notes on the cymbals and another kick just after the three.
For extra Friday funkin’, check out the live performance of ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ from Stop Making Sense, which features Byrne’s iconic oversized suit. (This is taken from the original film. A remastered version was released last year.) Happy moving!
From 1983's Speaking in Tongues, ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ is perhaps the song that best demonstrates Talking Heads’ particular brand of funk: simultaneously agitated and celebratory, mechanical and groovy, catchy and detailed.
40 years later, there’s still nobody else that sounds like them. Bassist Tina Weymouth once called their music “science fiction funk,” saying, “Everything we did was texturally entirely different, because we had this interesting mix of people: Chris [Frantz] came from the steel town of Pittsburgh and understood that raw black American sound. Then there were myself, David [Byrne] and Jerry [Harrison] who had been exposed to a lot of European classical music. So when you combine the African-American rhythms with that European melody you get Talking Heads.”
The synth bassline is a highlight, whether played by Weymouth or the guesting Bernie Worrell (à la ‘Flash Light’). The bass gives the song a snarl throughout. Every few bars there’s a quick run of notes that brilliantly set up the next sustained note on the One.
As well as the gargling bassline, there are the more decorative synth parts: light bleeps sounding like fairies dancing on the edge of the mayhem, and effects that sound like a gang of plumbers screwing with a giant building’s pipework.
There’s ample space for synth freakery during the song’s coda. Just before that instrumental section are lyrics that Byrne lifted for the title of the band’s seminal concert film, Stop Making Sense. Worrell was part of the extended band for that tour.
It’s unclear who played which parts, but judging from the performance of the song for that film, Weymouth likely played the main bassline, Worrell the crazy plumbing noises, and Harrison the more twinkly effects.
Clearer though is the Heads’ admiration for Worrell. Byrne has called him “one of our idols,” and Parliament-Funkadelic have often been namechecked as influences.
Byrne’s lyrics elsewhere are brillaintly idiosyncratic. Soon after he’s done boasting (“I’ve got a girlfriend that’s better than that”), he’s unsure of himself (“And nothing is better than that... Is it?”) There’s also the confused lines “I wake up and wonder / What was the place? / What was the name?” and “We’re being taken for a ride again” which manage to sound threatening at the same time.
As with ‘Moon Rocks’, it’s worth remembering what Pitchfork’s writer Aaron Leitko wrote about Fela Kuti’s music: “the songs aren’t shaped by chord changes or modulations, but the gradual accumulation and subtraction of melodic and rhythmic gestures.” Fela’s was a different writing philosophy, less concerned with “events like verses and choruses” and more with “gradual build-ups and changes in density.” Fela had been a big influence on the band since Fear of Music (1979).
While there are verses and choruses on ‘Girlfriend Is Better’, they aren’t defined by chord changes. The chorus is recognisable from Byrne’s change in melody and lyrics (variations of “I got a girlfriend that’s better than that”) and the change in density – and intensity. The guitar’s strum pattern is particularly jittery in the chorus, frantically switching between downstrokes and upstrokes. The glittery synth disappears at the start of the chorus, and the song momentarily feels more spare before a jumpy keyboard part replaces the synth. There’s a delightfully wobbly bass part after the line “She has the smoke in her eyes” which pairs with a synth sounding like a tiny car failing to start.
This brilliantly fun chorus is set up by an expertly delivered line by Byrne: “We’re being taken for a ride again.” The unsettling lyric and the prolonged syllables, particularly in “again,” which sounds at first like it’s going to be of a normal length before Byrne drags it to the start of the chorus, ramp up the anticipation.
While the song would have been brilliantly catchy and danceable if he had stuck to the base melodies, Byrne’s constant variations of rhythm make it even more interesting. The “I, I, I wake up and wonder” and “Why, why, why, why start it over?” lines in the verses add to their uncertainty and build up to the choruses. Byrne adds new lyrics to each chorus, meaning each line feels fresh while still delivering the melody you want to hear again.
Though drummer Chris Frantz admired Tony Allen’s drumming with Fela and how the percussion parts “flow[ed] like a tide, ebbing and rising and falling,” his own drumming tended to be more consistent and bare bones. Frantz left space for the rest of the band to fill, and supplied the reliable kicks on the One and three, snare on two and four, while adding syncopation with funky ghost notes on the cymbals and another kick just after the three.
For extra Friday funkin’, check out the live performance of ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ from Stop Making Sense, which features Byrne’s iconic oversized suit. (This is taken from the original film. A remastered version was released last year.) Happy moving!