Writers: Talking Heads and Brian Eno
Producer: Brian Eno
Recorded: 1980 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, the Bahamas; Sigma Sound in New York City; and Eldorado Studios in Los Angeles, California
Released: November 1980
| Players: | David Byrne — vocals, guitar Tina Weymouth — bass Jerry Harrison — keyboards Chris Frantz — drums Brian Eno — vocals |
| Album: | Remain In Light (Sire,1980) |
The first single from Talking Heads' fourth album, “Once In A Lifetime” was a Top 20 hit in the U.K. in 1981 but did not chart in the U.S. until 1986. That year, the live version from the film and album Stop Making Sense peaked at Number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 after being included in the Richard Dreyfuss–Bette Midler-NickNolte film Down And Out In Beverly Hills.
Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz says the song was always a band favorite: “We used to have so much fun playing this song live. It was a soaring feeling, and the audience was right there with us.”
The promotional video for the song, which focused on a spasmodically writhing frontman David Byrne, became popular on MTV.
The Remain In Light album was the last of Talking Heads' three consecutive albums produced by Brian Eno. Byrne described Eno as “Cool, had good ideas and genuine enthusiasm for our stuff. He 'got' it, unlike a lot of hot rock-and-roll producers. Has a sense of adventure and humor…was great to work with until the others and I sensed him wanting us to be his back-up band…his source for ideas…but he wasn't really 'writing the stuff.'”
Remain In Light reached Number 19 on the Billboard 200 and Number 33 on the U.K. chart.
