Earth Day, Talking Heads Stylee

Happy Earth Day! We hope you take a moment to appreciate our planet and all its given us.  Generations of songwriters have written about the Earth and concern for our environment. Concern for our planet isn’t limited to any particular genre and as evidence of climate change has become increasingly irrefutable over the last 30 years, more songwriters are using music to voice their concern and fear for the future.

One of the bands that tackled environmentalism with a sarcasm only they could successfully convey was Talking Heads. In “Nothing But Flowers” from the 1988 album Naked the band reflect upon a list of things from the good ol’ days when there were strip malls, highways, factories, and fast food restaurants everywhere and in the modern society they speak of they’re subjected to fields, flowers, mountains, and rivers. It’s a wonderful song that uses pointed, sardonic snark to shove in our faces our love for commerce and materialism over beauty and natural resources.

Lyrics by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth. Produced by Steve Lillywhite. 

Here we stand
Like an Adam and an Eve
Waterfalls
The Garden of Eden
Two fools in love
So beautiful and strong
The birds in the trees
Are smiling upon them
From the age of the dinosaurs
Cars have run on gasoline
Where, where have they gone?
Now, it’s nothing but flowers

There was a factory
Now there are mountains and rivers
you got it, you got it

We caught a rattlesnake
Now we got something for dinner
we got it, we got it

There was a shopping mall
Now it’s all covered with flowers
you’ve got it, you’ve got it

If this is paradise
I wish I had a lawnmower
you’ve got it, you’ve got it

Years ago
I was an angry young man
I’d pretend
That I was a billboard
Standing tall
By the side of the road
I fell in love
With a beautiful highway
This used to be real estate
Now it’s only fields and trees
Where, where is the town
Now, it’s nothing but flowers
The highways and cars
Were sacrificed for agriculture
I thought that we’d start over
But I guess I was wrong

Once there were parking lots
Now it’s a peaceful oasis
you got it, you got it

This was a Pizza Hut
Now it’s all covered with daisies
you got it, you got it

I miss the honky tonks,
Dairy Queens, and 7-Elevens
you got it, you got it

And as things fell apart
Nobody paid much attention
you got it, you got it

I dream of cherry pies,
Candy bars, and chocolate chip cookies
you got it, you got it

We used to microwave
Now we just eat nuts and berries
you got it, you got it

This was a discount store,
Now it’s turned into a cornfield
you got it, you got it

Don’t leave me stranded here
I can’t get used to this lifestyle

*As an aside, Johnny Marr plays guitar on the track and the late Kirsty MacColl sings backup vocals.