Song · Talking Heads
“Artists Only” by Talking Heads
From the album More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)
“Artists Only” by Talking Heads appears on 9 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1999 and 2022. It was first released in 1978 on the album More Songs About Buildings and Food. Its best result is #512 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,904 alternative song of all time.
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"Artists Only" turns up on More Songs About Buildings and Food, the 1978 album Talking Heads produced with Brian Eno, and it's a strange little partnership: David Byrne wrote the music and sings it, but the words came from Wayne Zieve. Rhett Davies engineered it, and the band plays it wound tight and twitchy, Byrne yelping and fretting over a jerky, nervous groove as if the song might fly apart at any moment. It's arty, anxious and oddly catchy, and it doesn't care who notices.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 660 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 660 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 666 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 666 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2003 | 666 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 666 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 666 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2007 | 1775 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2022 | 512 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
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