Cities (song)

"Cities" is a single, released in 1980, by the American new wave band Talking Heads. It is the fourth track on the 1979 album Fear of Music.

"Cities"
Artwork for UK single
Single by Talking Heads
from the album Fear of Music
B-side	"Cities" (live version) "Artists Only"
Released	1980
Genre	New wave post-punk funk
Length	4:10
Label	Sire
Songwriter(s)	David Byrne
Producer(s)	Brian Eno Talking Heads
Talking Heads singles chronology
"I Zimbra" (1980) "Cities" (1980) "Crosseyed and Painless" (1980)
Official audio
"Cities" (2005 Remaster) on YouTube

When the concert film Stop Making Sense was first released on home video, the songs "Cities", together with "Big Business"/"I Zimbra" were restored to the performance, thus forming what was dubbed the "special edition" of the film. For the 1999 re-release, these songs were no longer included in sequence with the rest of the footage. It and subsequent video and DVD releases have placed these songs after the film in an unrestored full-frame version.

Song style

"Cities" is a fast-paced bass and keyboard-led song. Tina Weymouth's bass playing in the song is described by AllMusic 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 serves as a build-up to the next song on the album, "Life During Wartime".^[1]

Lyrics

The song's is mainly about a man looking for a city to live in. Deadpan humor can be seen in lyrics such as "Did I forget to mention, forget to mention Memphis, home of Elvis and the ancient Greeks."^[2]

Personnel

• David Byrne – lead vocals, guitar
• Jerry Harrison – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
• Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Chris Frantz – drums
• Brian Eno – electronic treatments^[3][4]

Other versions

The rock band Phish covered "Cities" on their 1997 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. Ian Gittins (2004). Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime : the Stories Behind Every Song. p. 54. ISBN 9780634080333. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
3. Fear of Music (LP sleeve). Talking Heads. London: Sire Records. 1979.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
4. Fear of Music (CD booklet and case back cover). Talking Heads. London: Warner. 2006.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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.