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Cover of Talking Heads: 77 by Talking Heads
Cover: Talking Heads: 77

Song · Talking Heads

“Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads

From the album Talking Heads: 77 (1977)

“Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads appears on 98 radio countdowns from 30 stations between 1987 and 2026. It was first released in 1977 on the album Talking Heads: 77. Its best result is #6 on the WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #711 alternative song of 2005 and #102 alternative song of all time.

98countdowns
30stations
#6best position
0#1 finishes
3top 10 finishes
1987–2026years charted

Watch

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer (Official Video)

Video from YouTube (Talking Heads). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Psycho Killer" sits on Talking Heads: 77, the band's 1977 debut, and it's a first-person trip inside a serial killer's jittery head, delivered by David Byrne like a nervous man working very hard to sound calm.

It began life as a ballad, which is hard to picture once Tina Weymouth's bass line starts shoving the song forward. Chris Frantz keeps the beat tight and dry, Byrne and Jerry Harrison scratch out the guitars, Harrison adds keyboards and vocals, and the whole thing turns dread into a strangely funky strut. The songwriting credit goes to Byrne, Frantz and Weymouth; Tony Bongiovi and Lance Quinn produced it with the band, and Ed Stasium engineered.

No other track on the album dented the Billboard Hot 100, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has since counted it among its 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
2005 81 CD101 Columbus, OH CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2005 101

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1987 38 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1987) 100
1988 55 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 135 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) 200
1989 28 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1989 32 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1989) 100
1990 130 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990) 299
1991 130 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 6 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 708 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1991 73 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1991) 100
1992 259 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1992 66 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1992 97 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1992) 100
1994 405 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 104 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 11 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 245 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 238 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1996 102 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 435 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 19 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1996 83 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1996) 100
1996 249 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1998 313 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 133 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 202 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 232 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 805 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 12 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 798 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 121 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 44 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 849 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 45 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 834 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 626 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 56 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 8 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 834 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 237 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 15 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 834 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 462 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 262 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 834 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 600 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2005 17 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 818 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 649 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 18 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2006 51 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Resurrection Songs (December 2006) 107
2007 113 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 138 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2008 89 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 95 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 168 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2009 413 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2010 103 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2010 553 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 115 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2011 742 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 766 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 187 WYEP WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown 500
2012 183 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 117 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 400 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 770 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 123 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 337 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2014 697 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 776 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 420 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 23 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Rocktober: Scare 24 24
2016 135 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2018 317 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 957 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 201 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 139 KEXP KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time 627
2019 201 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2020 414 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2020 641 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2021 740 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 77 WYEP WYEP 2021 Labor Day Countdown 168
2022 21 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 392 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 24 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2022 675 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 75 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2023 235 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 988 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 533 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 869 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2024 803 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 8 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 62 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2025 582 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 145 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180

Also listed as: Psychokiller; psycho killer.

Charting alongside it in 2005

Best songs of 2005 →
  1. 1Best of YouFoo Fighters
  2. 2Feel Good Inc.Gorillaz
  3. 3Beverly HillsWeezer
  4. 4The Hand That FeedsNine Inch Nails
  5. 5HolidayGreen Day
  6. 6Speed of SoundColdplay

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