Psycho Killer

by Talking Heads

Psycho Killer cover art
  • Type: Single
  • Released: January 1978
  • Label: Sire
  • Country: United States
  • Community rating: 4.23/5 from 3 ratings

Artists on this release: Lance Quinn, Tony Bongiovi

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Written from the perspective of a tense, alienated serial killer, this track served as Talking Heads' debut single and an immediate standout of the CBGB punk scene. The song is driven by Tina Weymouth's taut, iconic bassline and David Byrne's nervous, yelping vocal delivery. Its use of French language in the bridge added a layer of intellectual detachment, separating the group from the raw aggression of their punk contemporaries.

Genres

Descriptors: crime, rhythmic, bilingual, eccentric, tense

Tracklist

  1. Psycho Killer
  2. Psycho Killer (Alternate Version)
  3. I Wish You Wouldn't Say That

Credits

More from Talking Heads: full discography