Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - Talking Heads and "Sax and Violins"

Talking Heads, one of the fresh faces of '70s-era avant-garde punk rock, goes out on top with a swan-song soundtrack single that clearly got its boost from the band's legacy status

Talking Heads - “Sax and Violins”

Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 1 week (Feb. 1, 1992)

Previous Modern Rock #1 hit: U2 - “Mysterious Ways”

Next Modern Rock #1 hit: Lou Reed - “What’s Good”

Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:

• George Michael and Elton John - “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”

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I’m not here to pooh-pooh Talking Heads. To call them musical innovators is an understatement; indeed, the band pushed the envelope of unique punk rock dating all the way back to the band’s inception in the 1970s. They were a big part of the punk-rock scene at the famous CBGB club in New York, and they pushed their quirky sound to the top of the pop charts in the ‘80s with several successful singles and albums. To this day, “Psycho Killer” is one of my favorite songs of theirs, both because it’s awesome and because it was almost always on the setlist when I was big into the video game “Rock Band” in the late aughts and early 2010s. (My band, “Chicago-Style Hot Dogs,” usually got raucous applause after we played that one.)

So, when we discuss the context of this week’s Modern Rock Tracks #1 hit, “Sax and Violins,” we have to mention what came before it, because I have to think, were it not ***TALKING HEADS*** the legendary CBGB band releasing this track, I’d be hard-pressed to believe it’d be anywhere near the top spot on any Billboard chart.

I say this and I know there’s going to be someone in my readership who’s going to clap back and say, “Well, actually, ‘Sax and Violins’ is my all-time favorite David Byrne creation ever, and I think it’s shameful that it’s not mentioned in the same breath as ‘Once In A Lifetime’ or ‘Burning Down The House.’” And yeah, I get that music listening and loving is subjective (as I’m learning by slowly working my way through Guided By Voices’ discography and asking myself what I’m missing), but there’s no way “Sax and Violins” is one of Talking Heads greatest songs, and is in no way deserving of the top spot on the MRT charts this week.

It’s not that it’s a bad song, mind you. There are some interesting musical flourishes, and admittedly, it’s definitely a song of its time. There’s something about the congo-drum percussion and brief touches of synthesizers and xylophones that feels weirdly 1992-ish. Ironically, Byrne said he created the song as if it were written in the year 2000, which is the year the movie “Until The End Of The World” takes place and, thus, the year Byrne was trying to emulate with the track. He writes in the liner notes to “Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads”:

“The movie is supposed to take place in the year 2000, so I spent a lot of time trying to imagine music of the near future: post-rock sludge with lyrics sponsored by Coke and Pepsi? Music created by machines with human shouts of agony and betrayal thrown in? Faux Appalachian ballads, the anti-tech wave? … Well, it was daunting … so I figured, hell with it, I'd imagine Talking Heads doing a reunion LP in the year 2000, and them sounding just like they used to.”

So kudos to Byrne and the group for developing a sound that was unique to their avant-garde, slightly weird roots, though again, it’s unusual how the near future sounds particularly like the early ‘90s, but I digress. The song does have a catchy beat and the music itself is beautifully arranged. And as is the style of Talking Heads, the lyrics are wonderfully poetic but, for someone like me who doesn’t “get” poetry, the constant repetition of “shove them, there they are” grows tired after awhile.

“Sax and Violence” is a play on “sex and violence,” and the lyrics to evoke some of that juxtaposition from time to time, but in a way that, again, goes beyond my comprehension of the art of the poetry and just gets lost to me:

Mom and Pop, they will fuck you up

For sure

Love so deep, kills you in your sleep

It's true

So I guess my point after all is that this single is an opportunity to recognize the band for its accomplishments up to that point by lauding the last thing they released. Think of it as a lifetime achievement award, but in the form of radio station producers and music managers pushing this track to the top of their airplay rotation because, holy crap, Talking Heads has an unexpected single.

And what a career, am I right? I’m sure you all have favorites from the band’s prodigious catalog. In addition to the aforementioned “Psycho Killer,” I’ve recently become a big fan of tracks like “Love —> Building On Fire,” which was the band’s first studio single release. In 1978, “Take Me To The River” peaked at a respectable #28 on the Hot 100 in the thick of disco fever.

And then there’s “Once In A Lifetime,” which is an interesting oddity in chart history given its ubiquity today, because it never actually charted on the Hot 100 in its initial release, rather appearing at #3 on the “Bubbling Under The Hot 100” chart in 1981 (which effectively means it peaked at #103). “Burning Down the House” managed a #9 Hot 100 peak and became the band’s highest-charting single, and follow-ups like “This Must Be The Place” (#62), “And She Was” (#54), and “Wild Wild Life” (#25) further cemented the band’s crossover cred well into the 1980s.

So, when we talk about “Sax and Violins,” it’s important to be honest about where it fits in the pantheon of the band’s history. It’s a fine instrumental effort and probably has some level of support among fans. In fact, its streaming count on Spotify is just north of 2.5 million, which isn’t terrible. Granted, it’s nowhere near “Psycho Killer” (487 million), “This Must Be The Place” (269 million), or “Once In A Lifetime” (197 million), but it’s respectable for a song that definitely had its moment in the sun, but should likely be relegated to the dustbin of seldom-remembered chart toppers.

And that song effectively closed the book on Talking Heads as a chart-relevant act. The band formally broke up not long before the release of “Sax and Violins,” and hasn’t had much interest in touring since then. They did recently promote the 40-year re-release of the band’s live tour movie “Stop Making Sense” in the fall of 2023, and while there were brief mentions of a possible reunion tour, it’s not yet come to fruition. So while “Sax and Violins” obviously won’t define the band’s legacy, they’re still one of the biggest and most influential acts to come out of the late ‘70s, and their impact on alternative and rock music is unimpeachable.

Rating: 2/10

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Chart Check: A look at other notable MRT chart songs from this time period

More than anything, I’m stunned that my favorite Matthew Sweet song never reached the top of the charts, especially being denied that opportunity because of “Sax and Violins.” Lots of oddities in this part of the column today, though we do get the one and only MRT-charting single from shoegaze progenitors my bloody valentine, so it all balances out.

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“Girlfriend” by Matthew Sweet: Man, do I love this song! Matthew Sweet follows up his chart debut last week with what I’d consider his best song. “Girlfriend” is shamefully kept out of the top spot by Talking Heads and Enya, along with next week’s #1 hit, but still holds its own with a #4 peak. Sweet will never top this chart but he’ll come close again throughout the ‘90s, but man, this track still slaps and deserved better.

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“Through an Open Window” by Cliffs of Dooneen: I know there’s someone out there who knows more about Boston-based Cliffs of Dooneen than I do, so I’d love a history lesson on this group someday. In the meantime, we’re left with what I presume is their only chart hit (I say presume because there’s no Wikipedia page, no band page, and their self-titled website populates as a blank page for me). “Through an Open Window” is actually pretty good, which is why I’m curious if there’s more out there from these guys. The track peaked at #10 behind Talking Heads.

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“Only Love Can Break Your Heart” by Saint Etienne: English chart mainstays Saint Etienne made their one and only MRT chart appearance in 1992 with a cover of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” which peaked at #11 behind “Sax and Violins.” It’s fine.

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“Suck My Kiss” by Red Hot Chili Peppers: I missed this one last week, given the large swath of time I had to cover with U2’s chart topper, but RHCP made their way back onto the MRT chart with “Suck My Kiss.” The song officially peaked at #15 behind U2 in January, but calling it out here as it’s still in the teens on the chart at this time.

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“Only Shallow” by my bloody valentine: This is a band I’ve been meaning to explore, as I do love modern shoegaze bands. And the album that “Only Shallow” comes from, “Loveless,” is considered by many people much smarter than me to be one of the best rock albums of all time. If everything is like this track, then I’m in for a treat, because it’s far better than its #27 peak on the MRT chart.

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