"Houses in Motion" is the second and final single from Remain in Light, the fourth studio album by American new wave band Talking Heads. An alternate mix of the song was released in vinyl form in May 1981 and peaked at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart.[1]

"Houses in Motion"
Single by Talking Heads
from the album Remain in Light
B-side"Air"
ReleasedMay 1981
RecordedJuly–August 1980
Genre
Length4:33
LabelSire
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Brian Eno
  • Talking Heads
Talking Heads singles chronology
"Once in a Lifetime"
(1981)
"Houses in Motion"
(1981)
"Life During Wartime (Live)"
(1982)
Official audio
"Houses in Motion" (2005 Remaster) on YouTube

Recording and style

edit

Talking Heads frontman and chief lyricist David Byrne remixed the song with Remain in Light producer Brian Eno at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas in the summer of 1980. "Houses in Motion" features brass performances by Jon Hassell.[2] The B-side "Air" is from the band's third studio album Fear of Music. The cover artwork is by designer Thomi Wroblewski.

Track listing

edit
  1. "Houses in Motion" – 4:33
  2. "Air" – 3:34
  • The 12" version included an extra live version of "Houses of Motion".

Charts

edit
Chart (1981) Peak
position
Irish Singles Chart 26
UK Singles Chart[3] 50

Live performance

edit

Talking Heads regularly performed the song live from August 1980 to December 1983.[4] A recording from November 1980 at the Emerald City club in Cherry Hill, New Jersey was included on their 1982 live album, The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads. Byrne also performed the song throughout his 2008–2009 Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour, with a performance featuring in the 2010 documentary film Ride, Rise, Roar.

References

edit
  1. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Talking Heads". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  2. ^ Bowman, David (2001). This Must Be the Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the Twentieth Century. HarperCollins. p. 176. ISBN 0-380-97846-6.
  3. ^ Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke (1991). Rock Movers & Shakers. Billboard Books. p. 519. ISBN 0-8230-7609-1.
  4. ^ "Houses in Motion Song Statistics". Setlist.fm: The Setlist Wiki. Retrieved 2020-06-05.