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Song · Talking Heads

“Sax And Violins” by Talking Heads

Released 1991

“Sax And Violins” by Talking Heads appears on 20 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 1991 and 2022. It was first released in 1991. Its best result is #28 on the CFNY Top 102 Songs of 1992. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #128 alternative song of 1992 and #2,149 alternative song of all time.

20countdowns

6stations

#28best position

0#1 finishes

0top 10 finishes

1991–2022years charted

Watch

Sax and Violins (2005 Remaster)

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

"Sax and Violins" turned out to be the last word from Talking Heads. The music was left over from the 1988 Naked sessions, and in 1991 David Byrne wrote new words and a fresh vocal for it, placing it on the soundtrack of Wim Wenders' sci-fi epic Until the End of the World. Wenders shot the video too, and the title bends "sex and violence" into a pun.

It rolls along on the band's late, worldly groove: Tina Weymouth's bass and Chris Frantz's drums underneath, Jerry Harrison's keyboards, Byrne on guitar and vocoder, and extra color from Wally Badarou on keys, Nino Gioia on timbales and Brice Wassy on cowbell and percussion. Steve Lillywhite produced it with the band. Alternative radio sent it to number one on the Modern Rock chart, a sly, graceful exit before the split.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year	#	Station	Countdown	of
1991	97	KROQ Los Angeles, CA	KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1991	107
1992	28	CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON	CFNY Top 102 Songs of 1992	102

All-time and decade countdowns

Year	#	Station	Countdown	of
1999	1642	CD101	CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)	2000
2000	1643	CD101	CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)	2001
2001	1643	CD101	CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)	2002
2002	1635	CD101	CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)	2003
2003	1625	CD101	CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)	2004
2003	1912	Fred (XM 44)	Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)	2044
2004	1625	CD101	CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)	2005
2005	1622	CD101	CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)	1994
2007	1149	CD101	CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)	2008
2008	1138	CD101	CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)	2009
2009	1164	CD101	CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)	2010
2010	1197	CD101	CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)	2011
2011	1248	CD101	CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)	2011
2013	1302	CD101	CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)	2012
2014	1356	CD101	CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)	2013
2021	874	90.9 The Bridge	90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s	909
2022	865	The Colorado Sound	The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s	900
2022	823	The Colorado Sound	The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time	1055

Also listed as: Sax and Violins; Sax & Violins; Sex and Violins.

Charting alongside it in 1992

Best songs of 1992 →

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