David Byrne discography
| David Byrne discography | |
|---|---|
 David Byrne speaking at the 2006 Future of Music Policy Summit hosted by the McGill University Schulich School of Music in Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| Studio albums | 9 |
| Soundtrack albums | 12 |
| Live albums | 5 |
| Singles | 14 |
| Remix albums | 1 |
This page contains a comprehensive collection of information related to recordings by Scottish-American composer, musician, and producer David Byrne, former singer for Talking Heads.
Talking Heads
Byrne appeared on every release by Talking Heads, including their studio albums:
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1977 | Talking Heads: 77
|
| 1978 | More Songs About Buildings and Food
|
| 1979 | Fear of Music
|
| 1980 | Remain in Light
|
| 1983 | Speaking in Tongues
|
| 1985 | Little Creatures
|
| 1986 | True Stories
|
| 1988 | Naked
|
And the live albums:
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1982 | The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
|
| 1984 | Stop Making Sense
|
Solo career
While recording with Talking Heads, Byrne started working on collaborations and albums with the band.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | |||
| 1981 | My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
|
44 | 29 | Recorded with Brian Eno. Re-released in 2006 with bonus tracks. |
| 1989 | Rei Momo
|
71 | 52 | — |
| 1992 | Uh-Oh
|
125 | 26 | — |
| 1994 | David Byrne
|
139 | 44 | — |
| 1997 | Feelings
|
155 | 91 | Cover art by Stefan Sagmeister |
| 2001 | Look into the Eyeball
|
120 | 58 | Re-released with bonus tracks. First album with Mauro Refosco. |
| 2004 | Grown Backwards
|
178 | 88 | — |
| 2008 | Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
|
174 [1] |
153 | With Brian Eno. Cover art by Stefan Sagmeister. |
| 2012 | Love This Giant
|
23 | 40 | Recorded with St. Vincent. |
| 2018 | American Utopia
|
3 [2] |
16 | |
- "—" denotes albums that were released but did not chart, albums not released in a particular territory, or chart information is not available.
Soundtracks and music for theater
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | |||
| 1981 | The Catherine Wheel
|
104 | — | Music for the 1981 Twyla Tharp dance production of the same name. |
| 1985 | Music for "The Knee Plays"
|
141 | — | Music for Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's play The Civil Wars: A Tree Is Best Measured When It Is Down. Re-released as The Knee Plays in 2007. |
| 1986 | Sounds from True Stories
|
— | — | Soundtrack to the film True Stories. |
| 1987 | The Last Emperor
|
152 | — | Score to the film The Last Emperor, composed with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su. |
| 1991 | The Forest
|
— | — | Music for the 1988 Robert Wilson theatre piece of the same name. |
| 1999 | Your Action World
|
— | — | Music for Byrne's art presentation of the same name. |
| 1999 | In Spite of Wishing and Wanting
|
— | — | Music for the Ultima Vez dance production of the same name. |
| 2003 | E.E.E.I. (Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information)
|
— | — | Music for Byrne's speaking tour and PowerPoint presentation of the same name. |
| 2003 | Lead Us Not into Temptation
|
— | — | Soundtrack to the film Young Adam. |
| 2008 | Big Love: Hymnal
|
— | — | Soundtrack to the second season of Big Love. |
| 2010 | Here Lies Love | 96 | 76 | With Fatboy Slim. A disco song cycle occasionally given staged performances. |
| 2019 | American Utopia on Broadway Original Cast Recording
|
— | — | Original cast recording of the Broadway production of American Utopia. |
- "—" denotes albums that were released but did not chart, albums not released in a particular territory, or chart information is not available.
In addition to the scores and soundtracks that have been released as albums, Byrne has written music for several other productions:
- Dead End Kids: A Story of Nuclear Power by Joanne Akalaitis
- Main title theme for Alive from Off Center season 1 (1984)
- Something Wild by Jonathan Demme: "Loco de Amor" song co-written with Johnny Pacheco; sung with Celia Cruz backed by Ray Barretto's band (1986)
- Married to the Mob by Jonathan Demme (1988)
- A Young Man's Dream and a Woman's Secret by Philip Haas (1990)
- The Giant Woman and the Lightning Man by Philip Haas (1990)
Live albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
UK | |||
| 1993 | Between the Teeth
|
— | — | Released on VHS |
| 2001 | David Byrne Live at Union Chapel
|
— | — | Released on DVD. |
| 2007 | Live from Austin, Texas
|
— | — | Recorded on 2001-11-28 for Austin City Limits. Released on DVD and Compact Disc. |
| 2009 | Everything That Happens Will Happen on This Tour – David Byrne on Tour: Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno
|
— | — | Recorded in 2008 during the Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour. Released on Compact Disc and digitally. |
| 2012 | Live at Carnegie Hall
|
— | — | Recorded in 2004 with Caetano Veloso. |
| 2018 | '"...The Best Live Show Of All Time" —NME
|
— | — | Recorded at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre in September 2018 |
- "—" denotes albums that were released but did not chart, albums not released in a particular territory, or chart information is not available.
Remix albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | |||
| 1998 | The Visible Man
|
— | — | Remixes of songs from Feelings. |
- "—" denotes albums that were released but did not chart, albums not released in a particular territory, or chart information is not available.
Singles
- "Regiment" b/w "America Is Waiting" (with Brian Eno) – 1981
- "The Jezebel Spirit" (with Brian Eno) – 1981
- "Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open)" – 1981
- "The Last Emperor" (with Ryuichi Sakamoto) – 1987
- "Make Believe Mambo" – 1989
- "Dirty Old Town" – 1989
- "The Forestry" – 1991
- "Hanging Upside Down" – 1992
- "She's Mad" – 1992
- "Girls on My Mind" – 1992
- "Angels" – 1994
- "Back in the Box" – 1994
- "Miss America" – 1997
- "Like Humans Do" – 2001
- "U.B. Jesus" – 2001
- "Strange Overtones" (with Brian Eno) – 2008
- "Who" (with St. Vincent) – 2012
- "Everybody's Coming to My House" – 2018
Collaborations
| Year | Artist | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Dinosaur | "Kiss Me Again" single | Guitar |
| 1980 | Love of Life Orchestra | "Extended Nicities" single | Guitar |
| Robert Fripp | God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners | Vocals on "Under Heavy Manners" | |
| 1984 | The Staple Singers | "Slippery People" single | Guitar, Talking Heads cover version |
| 1986 | Philip Glass | Song from Liquid Days | Lyrics on "Liquid Days" and "Open the Kingdom" |
| 1988 | Tom Tom Club | Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom | Vocals on "Femme Fatale" |
| Tom Tom Club | "Femme Fatale" | Vocals, also features Marshall Jefferson remix | |
| 1990 | Margareth Menezes | Elegibô | Vocals and production on "Canto pra Subir" and "Abra a Boca" |
| Bernie Worrell | Funk of Ages | Co-writing and vocals on "Sing" | |
| 1992 | Richard Thompson | An Acoustic Evening | Recorded live at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity, Brooklyn Heights, March 24, 1992. (Red Phantom: RPCD 1100) |
| Balanescu Quartet | Byrne/Moran/Lurie/Torke | Composition on "High Life for Strings" | |
| Tom Zé | Brazil Classics, Vol. 5: The Hips of Tradition | Vocals and guitar on "Jingle do Disco", released on Luaka Bop | |
| 1995 | Selena | Dreaming of You | Vocals, co-writing, and production on "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" |
| 1996 | Café Tacuba | Avalanche de Exitos | Vocals on "No Controles" |
| 2000 | Peret and Carol C | Tributo a Peret | Vocals on "Si Fulano" |
| 2001 | Vinicius Cantuária | Vinicius | Lyrics and vocals on "Rio" |
| 2002 | X-Press 2 | Lazy (X-Press 2 song) | Co-writing and vocals, later released on Grown Backwards |
| 2004 | 10,000 Maniacs | Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings | Vocals "Let the Mystery Be", originally recorded for 1993's MTV Unplugged, along with cover versions of "Dallas" and "Jolene" |
| Thievery Corporation | The Cosmic Game | Lyrics and vocals on "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" | |
| 2005 | Fischerspooner | Odyssey | Lyrics on "Get Confused" |
| 2006 | Forro in the Dark | Bonfires of São João | Vocals on "Asa Branca" and "I Wish (Bundle of Contradictions)" |
| La Portuaria | La Portuaria | Lyrics and vocals on "Hoy no le temo a la muerte" | |
| 2007 | Baby Elephant | Turn My Teeth Up! | Vocals on "How Does the Brainwave?" |
| Marisa Monte | Universo Ao Meu Redor | Vocals on "State of Liberty" | |
| David Shrigley | Worried Noodles | Vocals on "For You" | |
| Paul Van Dyk | In Between | Vocals on "Fall with Me" | |
| 2008 | The BPA and Dizzee Rascal | "Toe Jam" | Vocals |
| 2009 | N.A.S.A. | The Spirit of Apollo | Vocals on "The People Tree" and "Money" |
| Brazilian Girls | "I'm Losing Myself" | Vocals | |
| 2010 | If By Yes | "Salt on Sea Glass" | Vocals on "Eliza" |
| Maximum Balloon | "Maximum Balloon" | Vocals on "Apartment Wrestling" | |
| 2011 | Arcade Fire | The Suburbs (Deluxe Edition) | Vocals on "Speaking in Tongues" |
| 2014 | Anna Calvi | Strange Weather | Vocals on "I’m the Man, That Will Find You (Connan Mockasin)" and "Strange Weather (Keren Ann)" |
| 2016 | De La Soul | "Snoopies" (song) | Vocals |
Compilation appearances
| Year | Release | Track(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Music and Rhythm | "His Wife Refused" |
| 1989 | The 20th Anniversary Album | "America Is Waiting" |
| Like a Girl I Want You to Keep Coming | "Song for the Trees (or) I Know Sometimes the World Is Wrong" | |
| 1990 | Red Hot + Blue | "Don't Fence Me In" |
| 1993 | Caged/Uncaged: A Rock/Experimental Homage to John Cage | "Cage and the Long Island Expressway" and "Enlightened Whistler" |
| 1994 | Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson | "Just the Motion", originally by Richard Thompson |
| 1995 | Blue in the Face soundtrack | Co-wrote "Mi Barrio", performed by La Casa, released by Luaka Bop |
| Afro-Peruvian Classics: The Soul of Black Peru | "Maria Lando", released by Luaka Bop and compiled by Byrne | |
| 1996 | Red Hot + Rio | "Waters of March" with Marisa Monte |
| Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip | "It Goes Back" | |
| 1997 | Red Hot + Latin | "Yolonda Niguas" with Café Tacuba |
| 1998 | Red Hot + Lisbon | "Dreamworld: Marco de Canavezes" with Caetano Veloso |
| 2000 | Mantra Mix | "Ain't Got so Far to Go" |
| 2002 | The Only Blip Hop Record You Will Ever Need, Vol. 1 | "Pocket Monster" |
| Hear Music Volume 7: Waking | "Walk on Water" | |
| 2004 | In Good Company soundtrack | "Glass, Concrete & Stone" |
| Future Soundtrack for America | "Ain't Got so Far to Go" | |
| The Wired CD | "My Fair Lady" | |
| 2005 | The Wired CD: Ripped. Sampled. Mashed. Shared. | "My Fair Lady" |
| 2007 | Plum | "Ex-Guru", originally by The Fiery Furnaces |
| The Simpsons: Testify | "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders" medley | |
| 2009 | Dark Was the Night | "Knotty Pine", with Dirty Projectors |
| 2010 | Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps | "Sleeping Up", "Tiny Apocalypse", and "Lazy"; "Home", "I Feel My Stuff", "Life Is Long", "My Big Nurse", and "Strange Overtones" with Eno; and "This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody)" by Talking Heads |
Production
Talking Heads produced or co-produced all their own music; in addition, Byrne has produced:
| Year | Artist | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The B-52's | Mesopotamia | — |
| 1983 | Fun Boy Three | Waiting | — |
| 1986 | Various artists | Something Wild | Co-produced, also co-write and sang on "Loco de Amor" |
| 1990 | Margareth Menezes | Elegibô | "Canto pra Subir" and "Abra a Boca" also performs vocals |
| 1995 | Selena | Dreaming of You | "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" also performs vocals and co-wrote |
Other projects
Byrne has released a handful of books, including Arboretum, a collection of sketches of some of his favorite trees, and The New Sins, a work about sin in the 21st century. He has also made several public art installations, speaking engagements on art and technology, and PowerPoint presentations. In addition to a recording career as a solo artist, he also founded the record labels Luaka Bop and Todo Mundo.
References
- ^ "The Billboard 200 Everything That Happens Will Happen Today". Billboard. 2009-01-17. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (March 18, 2018). "Logic Scores Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Bobby Tarantino II'". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- Discography from DavidByrne.com
- Discography from Discogs
- further reading: Sytze Steenstra: Song and Circumstance. The Work of David Byrne from Talking Heads to the Present. New York and London: Continuum, 2010.