The single from the movie of the same name, which now has the same name as the movie.
Kronomyth 7.1: It’s always showtime here at the edge of the stage.
The Talking Heads‘ concert film Stop Making Sense took its name from a line in “Girlfriend Is Better,” so when it came time to release a single, what song could have been better? Now rebranded as “Stop Making Sense,” the single is an edited version of the concert piece, excising much of the keyboard solo at the end of the original. It didn’t chart, but do live singles ever? Initially, I wasn’t crazy about this song; over time, it’s grown on me as a new kind of American funk.
A live version of “Heaven” from the same venue was included as the B side. It finally appeared on the New Special Edition of Stop Making Sense. Unfortunately, I bought the 7-inch promo, which substitutes the studio version of “Girlfriend Is Better” on the flip side, so I didn’t hear this version of “Heaven” until years later. It’s treated here as a sad, pretty acoustic number, which is interesting, although I miss the dislocated spirit of the original.
Original 7-inch single version
A1. Stop Making Sense (Girlfriend Is Better) (David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Tina Weymouth) (3:32)
B1. Heaven (David Byrne) (3:40)
Promotional 7-inch single version (US)
A1. Stop Making Sense (Girlfriend Is Better) (David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Tina Weymouth) (3:32)
B1. Girlfriend Is Better (David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Tina Weymouth) (4:25)
Original 7-inch single version (UK/AUSL)
A1. Girlfriend Is Better (David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Tina Weymouth) (3:32)
B1. Once in a Lifetime (David Byrne/Brian Eno/Talking Heads) (4:34)
Original 12-inch single version
A1. Girlfriend Is Better (extended version) (David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Tina Weymouth) (5:01)
B1. Once in a Lifetime (extended version) (David Byrne/Brian Eno/Talking Heads) (5:20)
The Players
(B1) produced by Taking Heads; mixed by E.T. Thorngren.
The Pictures
Design by Michael Hodgson.
The Plastic
Released on 7-inch and 12-inch single in November 1984 in the US (Sire, 7-29080), the UK (EMI, EMI 5509/EP-EMI-8), Australia (EMI, EMI-1463) and Canada (Sire, 92 90807) with regional picture sleeve. Also released as promotional 7-inch single in 1984 in the US (Sire, 7-29080).
