Released 1980 Length 4:10 | Format 7", 12" Label Sire | |
B-side "Cities (Live version)"
"Artists Only" Genre New wave, post-punk, funk | ||
"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.
Contents
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".
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."
Other versions
The jam band, Phish, covered "Cities" on their album Slip, Stitch and Pass and it has been played frequently at their concerts.
Track listing
7" release
- "Cities" – 4:10
- "Cities" – (live version)
12" release
- "Cities" – 4:10
- "Cities" – (live version)
- "Artists Only" – 3:36