B-side "Bill" Genre Rock | Released 1988 Length 4:58 | |
Format Vinyl record, 45 RPM, 7", Single Recorded 1987 at Studio Davout, Paris, France | ||
"Blind" is a song by Talking Heads. The track is credited as being written by David Byrne. The track is on the band's eighth and final studio album, Naked.
The track was released as a single with the B-side "Bill", which was not available on the original vinyl album but was released on the compact disc and cassette.
Recording
"Studio Davout in Paris used to be a big movie theatre," wrote bassist Tina Weymouth of the song 'Blind' in the liner notes of Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads. "You can fit a huge orchestra in the big room (which is what Michel Legrand does). David uncharacteristically wore a suit to his vocal session, as well as a pair of clear glass black horn-rims. He looked so small as he sat at a large office desk (bureau, in French), with a tiny desk lamp shining down on some lyric-less blank paper (presumably there some squiggly lines in a strange shorthand notation to indicate what and where he would sing). His hands lay palms down, fingers splayed to either side of the paper, and he never moved them except during the instrumental section, to reach for a glass of water that stood in the shadows to one side. The entire vocal was written improvisationally with those in the control room making suggestions as to which parts worked and David memorizing them on the spot. The only lyric that came from that improvisation was the chorus, in which he sang 'Blahnd, blahnd, blahnd'. His head moved like a muppet and we all watched, fascinated, as if he were a bug on a pin under a microscope. Jonathan Demme, you shoulda been there with your camera!"