Psycho Killer

E497180

"Psycho Killer" is a seminal 1977 new wave song by Talking Heads, known for its catchy bassline, darkly humorous lyrics, and status as one of the band’s signature tracks.

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All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Psycho Killer canonical 2

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf single
song
artist Talking Heads NERFINISHED
chartPerformance Canada RPM Top Singles NERFINISHED
US Billboard Hot 100 NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
culturalImpact frequently used in film and television soundtracks
featuresInstrument bass guitar
drums
electric guitar
vocals
firstLivePerformanceYear 1975
genre new wave
post-punk
hasChorusLine Psycho killer, qu'est-ce que c'est? NERFINISHED
hasCoverVersionBy Brand New NERFINISHED
Cage the Elephant NERFINISHED
Velvet Revolver NERFINISHED
hasCriticalReception widely acclaimed
hasLiveVersion Stop Making Sense (live performance) NERFINISHED
hasMusicVideo yes
hasPartLyricsLanguage French
includedOnAlbum Talking Heads: 77 NERFINISHED
influencedGenre alternative rock
isSignatureSongOf Talking Heads NERFINISHED
key A minor
language English
length 4:19
notableFor darkly humorous lyrics
distinctive bassline
mix of English and French lyrics
status as a signature song of Talking Heads
partOf Talking Heads discography
performer Talking Heads NERFINISHED
producer Lance Quinn NERFINISHED
Talking Heads NERFINISHED
Tony Bongiovi NERFINISHED
recordingPeriod 1974–1977
recordLabel Sire Records NERFINISHED
releaseDate 1977-12-01
releaseYear 1977
tempo moderate
theme inner monologue of a killer
psychological instability
violence
timeSignature 4/4
writer Chris Frantz NERFINISHED
David Byrne NERFINISHED
Tina Weymouth NERFINISHED

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Talking Heads notableWork Psycho Killer
Stop Making Sense featuresSong Psycho Killer