Song · Talking Heads
“Houses in Motion” by Talking Heads
From the album Remain in Light (1980)
“Houses in Motion” by Talking Heads appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1980 and 1988. It was first released in 1980 on the album Remain in Light. Its best result is #65 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1980. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #65 alternative song of 1980 and #4,840 alternative song of all time.
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"Houses in Motion" was the second and last single pulled from Remain in Light, Talking Heads' fourth album, released in 1980, and it's the record's hypnotic, slow-rolling groove at its most seductive. Brian Eno produced it and shares the music credit with David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth; Byrne wrote the words and sings lead, with Eno and Nona Hendryx on backing vocals. The real curveball is the lead line, blown on trumpet by avant-garde player Jon Hassell.
Byrne and Eno remixed it at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas that summer, and an alternate mix came out on vinyl in May 1981, reaching number 50 in the UK. The B-side was "Air", borrowed from Fear of Music.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 65 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1980 | 106 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 170 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) | 501 |
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