Editing Remain in Light

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Remain in Light
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Talking Heads]]
| cover        = TalkingHeadsRemaininLight.jpg
| alt          = Album cover containing four portraits covered by red blocks of colour, captioned "TALKING HEADS" (with inverted "A"s) at the top and (much smaller) "REMAIN IN LIGHT" at the bottom.
| released     = {{Start date|1980|10|8}}
| recorded     = July–August 1980
| studio       = *[[Compass Point Studios|Compass Point]], [[Nassau, Bahamas]]
*[[Sigma Sound Studios, New York City|Sigma Sound]], [[New York City]]
| genre        = {{flatlist|
* [[New wave music|New wave]]
* [[art rock]]
* [[funk-rock]]
* [[post-punk]]
* [[dance-rock]]
* [[afrofunk]]
* [[worldbeat]]
* [[psychedelic funk]]
}}
| length       = {{Duration|m=40|s=10}}
| label        = [[Sire Records|Sire]]
| producer     = [[Brian Eno]]
| prev_title   = [[Fear of Music]]
| prev_year    = 1979
| next_title   = [[The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads]]
| next_year    = 1982
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Remain in Light
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = The Great Curve
 | single1date = 1980 (France)
 | single2     = [[Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads song)|Once in a Lifetime]]
 | single2date = January 1981
 | single3     = [[Houses in Motion]]
 | single3date = May 1981<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/greatrockdiscogr00stro/page/808/|title=The Great Rock Discography|year=1995|page=809 |isbn=9780862415419 |last1=Strong |first1=Martin Charles |publisher=Canongate Press }}</ref>
 | single4     = [[Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)]]
 | single4date = August 1981 (Japan)
 | single5     = [[Crosseyed and Painless]]
 | single5date = November 1981 (Germany)
}}{{Extra album cover
 | header  = Back cover
 | type    = Studio album
 | cover   = RILback.jpg
 | border  =
 | alt     = Album cover containing a drawing of a mountain range and four mostly red warplanes flying in formation. There is green text on the left hand side and a barcode in the top right corner.
 | caption = Artwork originally created as front cover
}}
}}

'''''Remain in Light''''' is the fourth [[studio album]] by the American rock band [[Talking Heads]], released on October 8, 1980, by [[Sire Records]]. The band's third and final album to be produced by [[Brian Eno]], ''Remain in Light'' was recorded at [[Compass Point Studios]] in the Bahamas and [[Sigma Sound Studios]] in New York in July and August 1980.

After the release of ''[[Fear of Music]]'' in 1979, Talking Heads and Eno sought to dispel notions of the band as a mere vehicle for frontman and songwriter [[David Byrne]]. Drawing influence from Nigerian [[Afrobeat]] musician [[Fela Kuti]], they blended African [[polyrhythm]]s and [[funk]] with electronics, recording instrumental tracks as a series of [[Loop (music)|looping]] grooves. Session musicians included the guitarist [[Adrian Belew]], the singer [[Nona Hendryx]], and the trumpeter [[Jon Hassell]].

Byrne struggled with [[writer's block]], but adopted a scattered, [[Stream of consciousness (narrative mode)|stream-of-consciousness]] lyrical style inspired by early [[Hip hop music|rap]] and academic literature on Africa. The album artwork was conceived by the bassist, [[Tina Weymouth]], and the drummer, [[Chris Frantz]], with the help of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]'s computers and design company, [[M & Co. (design firm)|M&Co]]. The band hired additional members for a promotional tour, after which they went on a year-long hiatus to pursue side projects.

''Remain in Light'' attained widespread acclaim from critics for its sonic experimentation, rhythmic innovations, and merging of disparate genres into a cohesive whole. The album reached number 19 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] album chart and number 21 on the [[UK Albums Chart]], and produced the singles "[[Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads song)|Once in a Lifetime]]" and "[[Houses in Motion]]". It has been featured in several publications' lists of [[List of 1980s albums considered the best|the best albums of the 1980s]] and of all time, and is often considered Talking Heads' [[Masterpiece|magnum opus]]. In 2017, the [[Library of Congress]] deemed the album "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theworld.org/stories/2018-11-08/talking-heads-remain-light |last=Cataldo |first=Jennie |title=Talking Heads' 'Remain in Light' |website=[[The World (radio program)|The World]] |date=November 8, 2018 |access-date=December 1, 2023}}</ref> and selected it for preservation in the [[National Recording Registry]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-17-029/ |title=National Recording Registry Picks Are "Over the Rainbow" |website=[[Library of Congress]] |date=March 29, 2017 |access-date=March 29, 2017}}</ref>

==Background==
In January 1980, the members of Talking Heads returned to New York City after touring in support of their 1979 album ''[[Fear of Music]]'', and took time off to pursue personal interests. Singer [[David Byrne]] worked with [[Brian Eno]], the record's producer, on the album ''[[My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (album)|My Life in the Bush of Ghosts]]''.<ref name=shakers>{{cite book |last1=Rees, Dafydd |last2=Crampton, Luke |title=Rock Movers & Shakers|year=1991 |publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Books]]|isbn=0-8230-7609-1 |page=519}}</ref> Keyboardist [[Jerry Harrison]] produced an album for soul singer [[Nona Hendryx]] at [[Sigma Sound Studios]]' secondary facility in New York City; Talking Heads would later record at Sigma and employ Hendryx as a backing vocalist on Harrison's advice.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=165}}

Drummer [[Chris Frantz]] and bassist [[Tina Weymouth]], a married couple, discussed leaving Talking Heads after Weymouth suggested that Byrne was too controlling.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=164}} Frantz did not want to leave, and the two took a long vacation in the Caribbean to ponder the state of the band and their marriage. They became involved in [[Haitian Vodou]] religious ceremonies, practiced native percussion instruments, and socialised with the [[reggae]] [[rhythm section]] of [[Sly and Robbie]].{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=165}}

Frantz and Weymouth ended their holiday by purchasing an apartment above [[Compass Point Studios]] in [[Nassau, The Bahamas|Nassau]], [[The Bahamas|Bahamas]], where Talking Heads and Eno had recorded ''[[More Songs About Buildings and Food]]'' in 1978.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=165}} Byrne joined the duo and Harrison there in early 1980.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=167}} The band members realized that songwriting had thus far been largely Byrne's responsibility, and that they had become tired of the notion of being a singer and a backing band; the ideal they aimed for, according to Byrne, was "sacrificing our egos for mutual cooperation".{{sfn|Pareles|1982|p=38}} Byrne also wanted to escape "the psychological paranoia and personal torment" that he had been feeling and writing about in New York.<ref name="TGINT" /> Instead of writing music to Byrne's lyrics, the group performed extended instrumental [[jam session|jams]], using the ''Fear of Music'' track "[[I Zimbra]]" as a foundation.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=167}}

Eno arrived in the Bahamas three weeks after Byrne. While reluctant to work with the band again after collaborating on their previous two albums, he changed his mind after hearing the instrumental demo tapes.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=167}} The band and Eno experimented with the communal African way of making music, in which individual parts mesh as [[polyrhythm]]s.{{sfn|Pareles|1982|p=38}} Nigerian musician [[Fela Kuti]]'s 1973 album [[Afrodisiac (Fela Kuti album)|''Afrodisiac'']] became the band and Eno's template for the album.<ref name="TGINT" /> According to Weymouth, the emergence of [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]] made the band realize that the musical landscape was changing.<ref name="NPR" /> Before the studio sessions began, the band's friend [[David Gans (musician)|David Gans]] told them that "the things one doesn't intend are the seeds for a more interesting future", encouraging them to experiment, improvise and make use of "mistakes".<ref name="brog167" />

==Recording and production==
[[File:B.eno.PNG|thumb|alt=A balding man speaking into a microphone is standing in front of an abstract painting containing blotches of orange and lime green and corrugated lines.|[[Brian Eno]], here photographed in 2007, produced ''Remain in Light'' using stylised methods and sonic experiments.]]
Recording sessions started at Compass Point Studios in July 1980. The album's creation required additional musicians, particularly percussionists.<ref name="inlay">{{cite AV media notes |title=Remain in Light |year=1980 |type=LP sleeve |publisher=[[Sire Records]] |location=London}}</ref> Talking Heads used the [[working title]] ''Melody Attack'' throughout the studio process after watching a Japanese game show of the same name.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=169}} According to Harrison, the band's ambition was to blend rock and African genres rather than simply imitate [[African music]].{{sfn|Pareles|1982|p=39}} Eno's production techniques and personal approach were key to the record's conception. The process was geared to promote the expression of instinct and spontaneity, not overtly focusing on the sound of the final product.<ref name=brog166 /> Eno compared the creative process to "looking out to the world and saying, 'What a fantastic place we live in. Let's celebrate it.'"<ref name=NPR />

Sections and instrumentals were recorded one at a time in a discontinuous process.<ref name="RSLIST" /> Loops played a key part at a time when computers could not yet adequately perform such functions. Talking Heads developed ''Remain in Light'' by recording jams, isolating the best parts, and learning to play them repetitively. The basic tracks focused wholly on rhythms and were all performed in a minimalist method using only one chord. Each section was recorded as a long loop to enable the creation of compositions through the positioning or merging of loops in different ways.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=168}} Byrne likened the process to modern [[Sampler (musical instrument)|sampling]]: "We were human samplers."<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Lewis|first=John|date=November 2007|title=The Making Of ... Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads|journal=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]}}</ref>

According to Frantz, the band had met with Jamaican reggae producer [[Lee "Scratch" Perry]] in New York and arranged to record with him at Compass Point, but he did not show up to the sessions.<ref name="quiet" /> After a few sessions at Compass Point, engineer [[Rhett Davies]] left following an argument with Eno over the fast pace of recording, and [[Steven Stanley]] stepped in to replace him.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=168}} Frantz credited Stanley with helping to create "[[Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads song)|Once in a Lifetime]]".<ref name="quiet" /> A [[Lexicon (company)|Lexicon]] 224 digital [[reverberation]] unit, one of the first of its kind, was obtained by engineer [[Dave Jerden]] and used on the album.<ref>{{cite book |last= Droney, Maureen|title=Mix Masters Platinum: Engineers Reveal Their Secrets to Success|year=2003 |publisher=[[Berklee College of Music|Berklee Press]]|isbn=0-87639-019-X |page=51}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=September 2006 |title=1978 Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb |url=http://www.mixonline.com/news/news-products/1978-lexicon-224-digital-reverb/383667 |access-date=April 30, 2015 |website=[[Mix (magazine)|Mix]]}}</ref> Like Davies, Jerden was unhappy with the fast pace at which Eno wanted to record, but he did not complain.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=168}}

The tracks made Byrne rethink his vocal style and he tried singing to the instrumental songs, but sounded "stilted". Few vocal sections were recorded in the Bahamas.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=169}} The lyrics were written when the band returned to the U.S., in New York City and California.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=374}} Harrison booked Talking Heads into Sigma Sound, which focused primarily on [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], after convincing the owners that the band's work could bring them a new clientele. In New York City, Byrne struggled with [[writer's block]],{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=169}} Harrison and Eno spent their time tweaking the compositions recorded in the Bahamas, and Frantz and Weymouth often did not show up at the studio. Doubts began to surface about whether the album would be completed, which were assuaged only after the recruitment of guitarist [[Adrian Belew]] at the request of Byrne, Harrison, and Eno. Belew was advised to add guitar solos to the Compass Point tracks, making use of numerous [[effects unit]]s and a [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] [[guitar synthesizer]].{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=170}} Belew performed on the tracks that would become "Crosseyed and Painless", "The Great Curve", "Listening Wind" and "The Overload"; in 2022, he recalled that "all of [his] parts were done in one day".<ref name=gp10252022>{{cite web |url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/its-still-a-record-that-stands-up-today-very-very-well-adrian-belew-and-jerry-harrison-talk-remain-in-light |last=Bosso |first=Joe |title="It's Still a Record That Stands up Today, Very, Very Well:" Adrian Belew and Jerry Harrison Talk 'Remain in Light' |website=[[GuitarPlayer]] |date=October 25, 2022 |access-date=October 26, 2022}}</ref> Singer [[Robert Palmer]], who had recorded his album [[Clues (Robert Palmer album)|Clues]] at the same studio shortly before Talking Heads used the facility, contributed additional percussion to ''Remain in Light''.

Byrne recorded the rough mixes to a cassette tape and improvised over them on a portable tape recorder. He tried to create [[Onomatopoeia|onomatopoeic]] rhymes in the style of Eno, who believed that lyrics were never the center of a song's meaning. Byrne continuously listened to his recorded [[Scat singing|scatting]] until convinced that he was no longer "hearing nonsense".{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=171}} After he was satisfied, Harrison invited Nona Hendryx to Sigma Sound to record backing vocals for the album. She was advised extensively on her vocal delivery by Byrne, Frantz, and Weymouth, and often sang in a trio with Byrne and Eno.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=175}} Brass player [[Jon Hassell]], who had worked with Byrne and Eno on ''My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'', was hired to perform [[trumpet]] and [[French horn|horn]] overdubs.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=176}} In August 1980, half of the album was mixed by Eno, engineer John Potoker, and Harrison in New York City, while the other half was mixed by Byrne and Jerden at [[Eldorado Recording Studios|Eldorado Studios]] in Los Angeles.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=179}}

==Music and lyrics==
[[File:Portrait of John Dean, counsel to the President - NARA - 194495.jpg|alt=Casual portrait of John Dean sitting in his office with his feet on the desk|thumb|upright|The testimony of [[Watergate scandal]] conspirator [[John Dean]] was one of several inspirations for the lyrics on ''Remain in Light''.]]
''Remain in Light'' has been variously described as [[New wave music|new wave]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/09/the-best-new-wave-albums.html?p=2 |title=The 50 Best New Wave Albums |last=Jackson |first=Josh |date=September 8, 2016 |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=October 31, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kaufman|first=Gil|date=November 1, 1996|title=Phish Take on Remain in Light for Halloween|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/508497/phish-take-on-remain-in-light-for-halloween/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202014745/http://www.mtv.com/news/508497/phish-take-on-remain-in-light-for-halloween/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 2, 2017|access-date=January 24, 2017|website=[[MTV News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Cateforis|first=Theo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-MVrM3zKrHQC&pg=PA14|title=Are We Not New Wave?: Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s|date=2011|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0-472-03470-3|page=14}}</ref> [[post-punk]],<ref name="vibe" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Reynolds|first=Simon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bAvy3S242wQC&pg=PA3|title=Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture|date=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-78317-3|page=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.treblezine.com/top-100-best-post-punk-albums/5/|title=The Top 100 Post-Punk Albums|date=October 22, 2018|website=Treble|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/the-50-best-post-punk-albums|title=The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums|first=Bonnie|last=Stiernberg|date=July 13, 2016|website=[[Paste Magazine|Paste]]|access-date=December 8, 2024}}</ref> [[worldbeat]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/726-invisible-hits-the-miracle-of-the-b52s-live-in-the-early-days/|title=Invisible Hits|last=Wilcox|first=Tyler|date=April 2, 2015|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=December 5, 2016}}</ref> [[dance-rock]],<ref name="popm">{{cite web |last1=Mendelsohn |first1=Jason |last2=Klinger |first2=Eric |date=May 27, 2011 |title=Counterbalance No. 35 Talking Heads' 'Remain in Light' |url=http://www.popmatters.com/post/141627-talking-heads/ |access-date=January 24, 2017 |website=[[PopMatters]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|date=October 2005|title=The Definitive Guide to Dance-Rock|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jOIh4tn8TGYC&pg=RA3-PA2|journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|volume=21|issue=10}}</ref> [[art pop]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Cashen|first=Calvin|date=March 8, 2016|title=Top art pop albums of the '80s|url=http://theconcordian.com/2016/03/top-art-pop-albums-of-the-80s/|access-date=June 28, 2020|website=[[The Concordian (Montreal)|The Concordian]]}}</ref><ref name="Shep"/> [[art rock]],<ref name="Brooks">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/talking-heads-remain-in-light/ |title=Talking Heads: Remain in Light |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=October 21, 2018 |access-date=October 21, 2018 |last=Brooks |first=Dan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=10 records to introduce you to the world of art-rock|url=https://happymag.tv/10-records-to-introduce-you-to-the-world-of-art-rock/|last=Saunders|first=Luke|date=March 12, 2020|website=Happy Mag|access-date=June 28, 2020}}</ref> [[avant-pop]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2012/04/05/musicheads-essentials-talking-heads--remain-in-light|title=Musicheads Essentials: Talking Heads – Remain in Light|last=Seel|first=Steve|date=April 5, 2012|website=The Current|access-date=January 24, 2017}}</ref> [[Afrobeat]],<ref name="popm" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Helmore |first=Edward |date=March 27, 2009 |title='The business is an exciting mess': Edward Helmore Talks to Brian Eno and David Byrne |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/mar/27/brian-eno-david-byrne |access-date=January 24, 2017 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> and [[psychedelic funk]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Reynolds|first=Simon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dK-F43T8V0wC&pg=PT141|title=Rip it Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984|date=2009|publisher=[[Faber and Faber]]|isbn=978-0-571-25227-5|page=163|author-link=Simon Reynolds}}</ref> Critic [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] called the album a "dense amalgam of African percussion, funk bass and keyboards, pop songs, and electronics."<ref name="allmusic_bio">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/talking-heads-mn0000131650/biography |title=Talking Heads |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=December 3, 2016 }}</ref> ''[[Far Out (magazine)|Far Out]]'' described the album as containing "[[funk-rock]] musings".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Potter |first1=Jordan |title=Talking Heads – ‘Speaking in Tongues’ |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/talking-heads-speaking-in-tongues-album-review/ |website=Far Out |access-date=24 April 2025}}</ref> It contains eight songs with a "striking [[free association (psychology)|free-associative]] feel", according to [[Psychoanalysis|psychoanalyst]] Michael A. Brog, in that there is no extended thought process that can be followed in its [[stream of consciousness writing|stream-of-consciousness]] lyrics. Gans instructed Byrne to be freer with his lyrical content, advising him that "rational thinking has its limits".<ref name=brog166>Brog, p. 166</ref>

Byrne included a bibliography with the album press kit along with a statement that explained how the album was inspired by African mythologies and rhythms. The release stressed that the major inspiration for the lyrics was John Miller Chernoff's ''African Rhythm and African Sensibility'',{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=182}} which examined the musical enhancement of life in rural African communities.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=183}} Chernoff travelled to [[Ghana]] in 1970 to study native percussion and wrote about how Africans have complicated conversations through drum patterns.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=173}} One song, "The Great Curve", exemplifies the African theme with the line "The world moves on a woman's hips", which Byrne used after reading [[Robert Farris Thompson]]'s book ''African Art in Motion''.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=374}} He also studied straight speech, from [[Watergate scandal]] co-conspirator [[John Dean]]'s testimony to the stories of [[African Americans|African American]] former slaves.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=172}}

Like the other tracks, album opener "[[Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)]]" borrows from "preaching, shouting and ranting".<ref name=TGINT>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/mar/27/brian-eno-david-byrne|title=The business is an exciting mess|last=Helmore, Edward|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=March 27, 2009|access-date=August 25, 2009}}</ref> The expression "And the Heat Goes On", used in the title and repeated in the chorus, is based on a ''[[New York Post]]'' headline Eno read in the summer of 1980, while Byrne rewrote the song title "Don't Worry About the Government" from Talking Heads' debut album, ''[[Talking Heads: 77]]'', into the lyric "Look at the hands of a government man".{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=171}} Although the unorthodox guitar solo has often been credited to Adrian Belew, it was in fact performed by Byrne (manipulating a Lexicon Prime Time [[Digital delay line|digital delay]] unit).<ref name="gp10252022" />

The "rhythmical rant" in "Crosseyed and Painless"—"Facts are simple and facts are straight. Facts are lazy and facts are late"—was influenced by [[Old-school hip hop|early hip-hop]], specifically [[Kurtis Blow]]'s "[[The Breaks (song)|The Breaks]]", which was given to Byrne by Frantz. "Once in a Lifetime" borrows heavily from preachers' diatribes.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=172}} While some critics deemed the song "a kind of prescient jab at the excesses of the 1980s", Byrne disagreed with this categorization and commented that its lyrics were meant to be taken literally: "We're largely unconscious. You know, we operate half awake or on autopilot and end up, whatever, with a house and family and job and everything else, and we haven't really stopped to ask ourselves, 'How did I get here?'."<ref name=NPR />

{{Listen
 |filename = Greatcurve.ogg
 |title="The Great Curve"
 |description="The Great Curve" includes two lengthy solos by Adrian Belew's synthesiser-treated guitar, African-inspired percussion, and brass interludes.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=170}} It features the line "The world moves on a woman's hips", inspired by [[Robert Farris Thompson]]'s 1974 book ''African Art in Motion''.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=374}}
}}

Byrne has described the album's final mix as a "spiritual" piece of work, "joyous and ecstatic and yet it's serious"; he has pointed out that, in the end, there was "less Africanism in ''Remain in Light'' than we implied ... but the African ideas were far more important to get across than specific rhythms".{{sfn|Pareles|1982|p=39}} According to Eno, the record uniquely blends funk with [[punk rock]] and new wave.<ref name=TGINT /> None of the compositions include chord changes, relying instead on the use of different harmonies and [[Counter-melody|counter-melodies]] over [[pedal point]]s.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=171}} "Spidery riffs" and layered tracks of bass guitar and percussion are used extensively.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=169}}

The first side contains the more rhythmic songs, "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)", "Crosseyed and Painless", and "The Great Curve", which include long instrumental interludes.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=178}} "The Great Curve" contains extended guitar solos by Belew, the first contributions that he made during his day in the studio.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=170}} Belew performed the solo with the aid of four effects: an [[Electro-Harmonix]] [[Big Muff]] [[Distortion (music)|distortion]] unit, an [[Alembic Inc|Alembic]] Strat-o-Blaster preamp circuit, an [[Equalization (audio)|equalizer]], and an Electro-Harmonix [[Electric Mistress]] [[Flanging|flanger]].<ref name="gp10252022" />

The second side features more introspective songs.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=178}} "Once in a Lifetime" pays homage to early rap techniques and the music of [[the Velvet Underground]].<ref name=NPR /> The track was originally called "Weird Guitar Riff Song" because of its composition.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=172}} It was conceived as a single [[riff]] before the band added a second; Eno alternated eight [[bar (music)|bars]] of each riff with corresponding bars of its counterpart.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=169}} "Houses in Motion" incorporates long brass performances by Hassell, while "Listening Wind" features [[Arabic music]] influences, with Belew adding textural content via the Electric Mistress and "[<nowiki/>[[String bending|bending]]] the sound up and down while working a [[Delay (audio effect)|delay]] and the volume control on my guitar".<ref name="gp10252022" /> Closing track "The Overload" features "tribal-cum-[[industrial music|industrial]]" beats created primarily by Harrison and Byrne alongside Belew's "growling guitar atmospherics".<ref name="gp10252022" />{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=178}}

==Packaging and title==
[[File:Grummannavy.PNG|thumb|upright|alt=Black-and-white aerial shot of four planes (with white stars on each wing and the body) flying in formation adjacent to each other over clouds.|[[Grumman TBF Avenger|Grumman Avengers]], used by the US Navy, in which Weymouth's father had served, inspired the initial cover art, later used on the back of the LP sleeve after the album name change.]]
Weymouth and Frantz conceived the cover art with the help of Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher [[Walter Bender]] and his ArcMac team (the precursor to the [[MIT Media Lab]]).{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=176}}<ref name=kalman415 /> Using ''Melody Attack'' as inspiration, the couple created a collage of red warplanes flying in [[Formation (military)#Commands, formations, and units|formation]] over the [[Himalayas]].{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=176}} The planes are an artistic depiction of [[Grumman Avenger]] planes in honor of Weymouth's father, [[Ralph Weymouth]], who was a [[United States Navy|US Navy]] [[Admiral]].{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=183}} The idea for the back cover included simple portraits of the band members. Weymouth attended MIT regularly during the summer of 1980 and worked with Bender's colleague, [[Scott Fisher (technologist)|Scott Fisher]], on the computer renditions of the ideas. The process was tortuous because computer power was limited in the early 1980s and the [[mainframe computer|mainframe]] alone took up several rooms.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=176}} Weymouth and Fisher shared a passion for masks and used the concept to experiment with the portraits. The faces were blotted out with blocks of red. As Eno wanted to be featured on the cover art as well, Weymouth considered superimposing Eno's face on top of all four portraits to insinuate his egotism, but decided against it.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=177}}

The rest of the artwork and the [[liner notes]] were crafted by [[graphic design]]er [[Tibor Kalman]] and his company M&Co.<ref name=kalman415/>{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=177}} Kalman was a fervent critic of [[formalism (art)|formalism]] and professional design in art and advertisements.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=174}} He offered his services for free to create publicity, and discussed using unconventional materials such as [[sandpaper]] and [[velour]] for the LP sleeve. Weymouth, who was skeptical of hiring a designing firm, vetoed Kalman's ideas and held firm on the MIT images. The designing process made the band members realize that the title ''Melody Attack'' was "too flippant" for the music, and they adopted ''Remain in Light'' instead.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=177}} Byrne has said, "Besides not being all that melodic, the music had something to say that at the time seemed new, transcendent, and maybe even revolutionary, at least for funk rock songs." The image of the warplanes was relegated to the back of the sleeve and the doctored portraits became the front cover. Kalman later suggested that the planes were not removed altogether because they seemed appropriate during the then-ongoing [[Iran hostage crisis]].{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=178}}

[[File:Talking Heads Remain in Light band logo.svg|thumb|left|alt=The words "talking heads" written in all-caps in a bold, sans-serif font. Every instance of the letter "A" is upside-down.|Tina Weymouth and Tibor Kalman designed the logotype used on the album cover.]]
Weymouth advised Kalman that she wanted simple [[typography]] in a bold [[sans-serif]] font.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=178}} M&Co. complied, with Kalman coming up with the idea of inverting the "A"s in "TALKING HEADS".<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Tibor Kalman |date=2018 |publisher=Criterion Collection}}</ref> Weymouth and Frantz decided to use the joint credit acronym C/T for the artwork, while Bender and Fisher used initials and code names because the project was not an official MIT venture.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=178}} The design credits read "HCL, JPT, DDD, WALTER GP, PAUL, C/T".{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=183}} The final mass-produced version of ''Remain in Light'' had one of the first computer-designed record jackets.<ref name="NPR">{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1072131|title=Once In A Lifetime|last=Karr, Rick|publisher=[[National Public Radio]]|date=March 27, 2000|access-date=August 25, 2009}}</ref> Psychoanalyst Michael A. Brog has called its front cover a "disarming image, which suggests both splitting and obliteration of identity", and which introduces the listener to the album's recurring theme of "identity disturbance"; he has said, "The image is in bleak contrast to the title with the obscured images of the band members unable to 'remain in light'."<ref name=brog167>Brog, p. 167</ref>

Talking Heads and Eno originally agreed to credit all songs in alphabetical order to "David Byrne, Brian Eno, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth" after failing to devise an accurate formula for the split,{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=177}} but the album was released with the label credit: "all songs written by David Byrne & Brian Eno (except "Houses In Motion" and 'The Overload", written by David Byrne, Brian Eno & Jerry Harrison)".<ref name=inlay /> Frantz, Harrison, and Weymouth disputed the credits, especially for a process they had partly funded.<ref name="quiet">{{cite web |url=http://thequietus.com/articles/01782-tom-tom-club-chris-frantz-talking-heads-interview|title=Tom Tom Club's Chris Frantz On David Byrne, Brian Eno And Lee 'Scratch' Perry |last=Marszalek, Julian |publisher=[[The Quietus]] |date=June 3, 2009 |access-date=April 19, 2017}}</ref> According to Weymouth, Byrne told Kalman to doctor the credits on Eno's advice.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=183}} Later editions credit all band members.<ref name="inlay2006">{{cite AV media notes |title=Remain in Light |year=2006 |type=CD booklet and case back cover |publisher=[[Warner Music Group|Warner]] |location=London}}</ref> Frantz recalled in 2009 that he and Weymouth "felt very burned by the credits dispute".<ref name="quiet" />

==Promotion and release==
[[File:Talking Heads band1.jpg|thumb|alt=A guitarist, a drummer, and a keyboardist are performing a song live in concert.|Talking Heads hired five additional musicians for the ''Remain in Light'' promotional tours.]]

Brian Eno advised Talking Heads that the music on ''Remain in Light'' was too dense for a quartet to perform live.{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=179}} The band expanded to nine musicians for the tours in support of the album, with Harrison recruiting Belew, [[Parliament-Funkadelic]] keyboardist [[Bernie Worrell]], bassist [[Busta Jones|Busta "Cherry" Jones]], [[Ashford & Simpson]] percussionist Steven Scales, and backing vocalist Dolette MacDonald.<ref name=shakers /> The larger group performed soundchecks in Frantz's and Weymouth's loft by following the rhythms established by Worrell, who had studied at the [[New England Conservatory of Music|New England Conservatory]] and [[Juilliard School]].{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=180}}

The expanded band's first appearance was on August 23, 1980, at the [[Heatwave (festival)|Heatwave festival]] in [[Ontario]], for an audience of 70,000; Robert Hilburn of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called the band's new music a "rock-funk sound with dramatic, near show-stopping force".<ref>{{cite news |last=Hilburn, Robert |date=August 25, 1980 |title=Heatwave Rock Festival in Canada |page=G1 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104572403/the-los-angeles-times/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628132233/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104572403/the-los-angeles-times/ |access-date=June 28, 2022|archive-date=June 28, 2022 }}</ref> On August 27, the expanded Talking Heads performed a showcase of tracks to an 8,000-person full house at the [[Wollman Rink]], as well as approximately another 10,000 seated on the grass outside the walls, in [[Central Park]].{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=181}} Only these two performances were initially planned, but Sire Records decided to support the nine-member band on an extended tour.<ref name=shakers /> After the promotional tour, the band went on hiatus for several years, leaving the individual members to pursue a variety of side projects.<ref name="allmusic_bio" />

''Remain in Light'' was released worldwide on October 8, 1980, and received its world premiere, airing in its entirety, on October 10 on [[WPSU (FM)|WDFM]].<ref name="AIR">{{cite news |title=WDFM to air premiere of Talking Heads' newest|work=[[The Daily Collegian (Penn State)|The Daily Collegian]]|page=18|date=October 10, 1980}}</ref> According to writer David Sheppard, "it was received as a great cultural event as much as a vivid art-pop record."<ref name="Shep">{{cite book|last=Sheppard|first=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PGoauc9eLBYC&pg=PT396|title=On Some Faraway Beach: The Life and Times of Brian Eno|date=May 2009|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=978-1-4091-0593-0|page=346}}</ref> Unusually, the album's press release included a bibliography submitted by Byrne and Eno citing books by Chernoff and others to provide context for how the songs were conceived. “I didn't read those books", said an incensed Weymouth.<ref>{{cite book |last=Matos |first=Michaelangelo |author-link= |date=December 8, 2020 |title=Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year |publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=9780306903373 |quote= I wanted to have more interesting interviews,” said Byrne. “It was my way to say here are the things I want to talk about.}}</ref>

''Remain in Light'' was certified Gold by the [[Canadian Recording Industry Association]] in February 1981 after shipping 50,000 copies,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php |title=CRIA: Search Certification Database |publisher=[[Canadian Recording Industry Association]] |access-date=September 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412081617/http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php |archive-date=April 12, 2009 }} ''Note: User search required.''</ref> and by [[Recording Industry Association of America]] in September 1985 after shipping 500,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php |title=RIAA: Gold & Platinum |publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] |access-date=May 18, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904024728/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php |archive-date=September 4, 2015 }} ''Note: User search required.''</ref> Over one million copies of the album have been sold worldwide.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ronstadt will return to Broadway stage|last=Robinson, Lisa|work=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|The Gazette]]|page=45|date=June 18, 1981}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| title = Retrospective professional ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="AMG">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/remain-in-light-mw0000192118 |title=Remain in Light – Talking Heads |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=January 25, 2011 |last=Ruhlmann |first=William}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-05-06-9002060769-story.html |title=Talking Heads On The Record |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=May 6, 1990 |access-date=November 9, 2020 |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
| rev3score = A<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Talking Heads: Remain in Light |chapter-url=https://robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=3402 |access-date=January 25, 2011 |title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s |title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |publisher=[[Pantheon Books]] |year=1990 |isbn=0-679-73015-X |page=395}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Irish Times]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/pop-rock-1.1001461 |title=Talking Heads: 77/More Songs About Buildings and Food/Fear of Music/Remain in Light (WEA) |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=January 13, 2006 |access-date=November 8, 2015 |last=Courtney |first=Kevin}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=New Feelings |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=320 |date=July 2020 |last=Cameron |first=Keith |pages=68–69}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev6score = 10/10<ref name="Brooks">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/talking-heads-remain-in-light/ |title=Talking Heads: Remain in Light |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=October 21, 2018 |access-date=October 21, 2018 |last=Brooks |first=Dan}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/talkingheads/albums/album/300989/review/5942524/remain_in_light |title=Talking Heads: Remain In Light |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=935 |date=November 13, 2003 |access-date=October 9, 2015 |last=Edwards |first=Gavin |author-link=Gavin Edwards (writer) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102225010/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/talkingheads/albums/album/300989/review/5942524/remain_in_light |archive-date=November 2, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Talking Heads |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/802 802–803]}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev9score = 10/10<ref name="Spin">{{cite book |chapter=Talking Heads |last=Salamon |first=Jeff |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide |editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |publisher=[[Vintage Books]] |year=1995 |isbn=0-679-75574-8 |pages=394–395}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |issue=105 |date=February 2006 |last=Shapiro |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Shapiro (journalist) |page=82}}</ref>
}}

The album attained widespread critical acclaim on release. [[Ken Tucker]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' felt it was a brave and absorbing attempt to locate a common ground in the era's divergent and often hostile musical genres; he concluded, "''Remain in Light'' yields scary, funny music to which you can dance and think, think and dance, dance and think, ''[[ad infinitum]]''."<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/remain-in-light-248604/ |title=Remain In Light |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=332 |date=December 11, 1980 |access-date=October 30, 2020 |last=Tucker |first=Ken |author-link=Ken Tucker |page=55}}</ref> [[Robert Christgau]], in ''[[The Village Voice]]'', called the record one "in which David Byrne conquers his fear of music in a visionary Afrofunk synthesis—clear-eyed, detached, almost mystically optimistic".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pj80.php |title=The Year of the Lollapalooza |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=February 9, 1981 |access-date=August 25, 2009 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref> Michael Kulp of the ''[[Daily Collegian]]'' wrote that the album deserved the tag "classic" like each of the band's three previous full-length releases,<ref name="DCPS">{{cite news |title=Talking Heads: new mixture of pop styles|last=Kulp, Michael|work=[[The Daily Collegian (Penn State)|The Daily Collegian]]|page=12|date=November 12, 1980}}</ref> while [[John Rockwell]], writing in ''[[The New York Times]]'', suggested that it confirmed Talking Heads' position as "America's most venturesome rock band".<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title=New Territory for The Talking Heads|last=Rockwell, John|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=D24|date=October 5, 1980}}</ref> Sandy Robertson of ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' praised the record's innovation,<ref name="smag">{{cite news |title=Talking Heads: Remain In Light|last=Robertson, Sandy|work=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]|page=27|date=October 11, 1980}}</ref> while ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' wrote, "Just about every LP Talking Heads has released in the last four years has wound up on virtually every critics' best of list. ''Remain in Light'' should be no exception."<ref name="bill">{{cite magazine |title=Top Album Picks: Talking Heads–Remain In Light|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=66|date=October 18, 1980}}</ref>

[[AllMusic]]'s William Ruhlmann wrote that Talking Heads' musical transition, first witnessed in ''Fear of Music'', came to full fruition in ''Remain in Light'': "Talking Heads were connecting with an audience ready to follow their musical evolution, and the album was so inventive and influential."<ref name="AMG" /> In the 1995 ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]'', Jeff Salamon praised Eno for reining in any excessive appropriations of African music.<ref name="Spin" /> In 2004, ''[[Slant Magazine]]''{{'}}s Barry Walsh labeled its results "simply magical" after the band turned rock music into a more global entity in terms of its musical and lyrical scope.<ref name="SM">{{cite web |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/talking-heads-remain-in-light|title=Talking Heads: Remain In Light|last=Walsh, Barry|website=[[Slant Magazine]]|date=November 6, 2004|access-date=August 25, 2009}}</ref> In a 2008 review, Sean Fennessey of ''[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]'' concluded, "Talking Heads took African polyrhythms to NYC and made a return trip with elegant, alien post-punk in tow."<ref name="vibe">{{cite news |title=Talking Heads: Remain In Light|last=Fennessey, Sean|work=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]|page=104|date=September 2008}}</ref>

===Accolades and legacy===
''Remain in Light'' was named the best album of 1980 by ''Sounds'', ahead of the Skids' ''[[The Absolute Game]]'', and by ''[[Melody Maker]]'',<ref>{{cite news |title=The Best of 1980|last=''Sounds'' staff|work=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]|page=31|date=December 13, 1980}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=1980 Melody Maker Albums|last=''Melody Maker'' staff|work=[[Melody Maker]]|type=pull-out section|date=December 13, 1980}}</ref> while ''The New York Times'' included it in its unnumbered shortlist of the 10 best records issued that year.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Pop Life: The 10 best of the albums issued in 1980|last=Palmer, Robert|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=C19|date=December 19, 1980}}</ref> It figured highly in other end-of-year best album lists, notably at number two, behind [[The Clash]]'s ''[[London Calling]]'', by Christgau,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/deans80.php |title=Pazz & Jop 1980: Dean's List |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=February 9, 1981 |access-date=August 25, 2009 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref> and at number six by ''[[NME]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Best Albums of 1980|last=''NME'' staff|work=[[NME]]|type=pull-out section|date=December 13, 1980}}</ref> It featured at number three—behind ''London Calling'' and [[Bruce Springsteen]]'s ''[[The River (Bruce Springsteen album)|The River]]''—in ''The Village Voice''{{'}}s 1980 [[Pazz & Jop]] critics' poll, which aggregates the votes of hundreds of prominent reviewers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres80.php |title=The 1980 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=February 9, 1981 |access-date=August 25, 2009}}</ref>

{{quote box|quote="So they congregated in a Nassau studio with Brian Eno and created a record without precedent&nbsp;... Both daringly experimental and pop-accessible, ''Remain in Light'' may be the Talking Heads' defining moment."<ref name=pitch />|source=—''Pitchfork''{{'}}s Ryan Schreiber in 2002|width=25%|align=right}}
In 1989, ''Rolling Stone'' named ''Remain in Light'' the fourth-best album of the 1980s.<ref>{{cite book |editor=Irwin, Jim|title=The Mojo Collection: The Greatest Albums of All Time|year=2001 |publisher=[[Canongate Books]]|isbn=1-84195-067-X |page=507}}</ref> In 1993, it was included at number 11 in ''NME''{{'}}s list of The 50 Greatest Albums Of The '80s,<ref>{{cite news |title=The 50 Greatest Albums Of The '80s|last=''NME'' staff|work=[[NME]]|page=19|date=September 25, 1993}}</ref> and at number 68 in the publication's Greatest Albums Of All Time list.<ref>{{cite news |title=Greatest Albums Of All Time|last=''NME'' staff|work=[[NME]]|page=29|date=October 2, 1993}}</ref> In 1997, ''[[The Guardian]]'' collated worldwide data from renowned critics, artists, and radio [[DJ]]s, which placed the record at number 43 in the list of the 100 Best Albums Ever.<ref>{{cite news |title=100 Best Albums Ever|work=[[The Guardian]]|page=''Features'' insert|date=September 19, 1997}}</ref> In 1999, it was included by ''Vibe'' as one of its "100 Essential Albums Of The 20th Century".<ref>{{cite news |title=100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century|last=''Vibe'' staff|work=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]|page=162|date=December 1999}}</ref> In 2000 it was voted number 227 in [[Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]''.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|title-link=All Time Top 1000 Albums|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|edition=3rd|year=2000|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=107}}</ref> In 2002, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' featured ''Remain in Light'' at number two, behind only [[Sonic Youth]]'s ''[[Daydream Nation]],'' in its Top 100 Albums Of The 1980s list.<ref name=pitch>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/10/|title=Top 100 Albums of the 1980s|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=November 20, 2002|access-date=June 11, 2009|last=''Pitchfork'' staff|page=10}}</ref> In 2003, [[VH1]] named the record at number 88 during its "100 Greatest Albums" countdown,<ref>{{cite book |editor=Hoye, Jacob|title=VH1: 100 Greatest Albums|year=2003 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn=0-7434-4876-6 |page=194}}</ref> while ''Slant Magazine'' included it in its unnumbered shortlist of "50 Essential Pop Albums".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/features/vitalpop.asp|last=''Slant'' staff|title=Vitalpop!|website=[[Slant Magazine]]|year=2003|access-date=September 15, 2009}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' placed it at number 129 in its December 2015 issue of "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]", as the highest of four Talking Heads releases on the list.<ref name="RSLIST">{{cite magazine |title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|last=''Rolling Stone'' staff|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|page=126|date=November 12, 2003}}</ref> In 2006, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine placed ''Remain in Light'' at number 27 in its list of the "40 Best Albums of the 80s".<ref>{{cite news |title=40 Best Albums of the 80s|last=''Q'' staff|work=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=August 2006}}</ref> In 2012, ''Slant'' listed the album sixth on its list of the "Best Albums of the 1980s".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_10 |title=Best Albums of the 1980s |last=''Slant'' staff |website=[[Slant Magazine]] |date=March 5, 2012 |access-date=January 25, 2013 }}</ref> In 2020, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' included ''Remain in Light'' in its "80 Greatest Albums of 1980" list;<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-1980-1075743/|title=The 80 Greatest Albums of 1980 What came out of all this was, arguably, the greatest year for great albums ever|publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=11 November 2020 |access-date=12 November 2020}}</ref> the publication also ranked it number 39 on its updated list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]" that year.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2020-09-22 |title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=2023-03-07}}</ref>

[[Radiohead]] credited ''Remain in Light'' as a major influence on their 2000 album ''[[Kid A]]''.<ref>{{cite web |date=1 November 2000 |title=No more Thom for guitar rock |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/radiohead-393-1309133 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201182054/http://www.nme.com/news/music/radiohead-393-1309133 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |access-date=30 November 2017 |website=[[NME]]}}</ref> The Radiohead guitarist [[Jonny Greenwood]] had assumed it was composed of [[Loop (music)|loops]], but learnt from Harrison that Talking Heads had instead recorded themselves playing the parts repetitively. Greenwood said: "And that's why it's not exhausting to listen to because you're not hearing the same piece of music over and over again. You're hearing it slightly different every time. There's a lesson there."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geslani |first=Michelle |date=2016-06-13 |title=Jonny Greenwood talks ''A Moon Shaped Pool'', Radiohead's ever-changing setlists, Talking Heads, and more |url=https://consequence.net/2016/06/jonny-greenwood-talks-a-moon-shaped-pool-radioheads-ever-changing-setlists-talking-heads-and-more-listen/ |access-date=2022-08-13 |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2018, the Beninese singer [[Angélique Kidjo]] released a song-for-song cover of ''Remain in Light'', produced by [[Jeff Bhasker]] and released on his Kravenworks label. She described herself as a longtime fan of the song "Once in a Lifetime", and wanted to pay tribute to the album by emphasizing its inspiration from African music.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/05/31/615243331/first-listen-angelique-kidjo-remain-in-light |title=Angelique Kidjo Gives New Life To Talking Heads' 'Remain In Light' |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=May 31, 2018 |access-date=November 13, 2018 |last=Moore |first=Marcus J.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/angelique-kidjo-interview-myth-of-cultural-appropriation-covering-remain-in-light/ |title=Angélique Kidjo on the Myth of Cultural Appropriation and Covering Talking Heads' Remain in Light |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=June 7, 2018 |access-date=November 13, 2018 |last=Currin |first=Grayson Haver}}</ref>

In 2022, Harrison and Belew united for three concert dates for the album's 40th anniversary, in which they played all of the album and several more Talking Heads songs. In 2023, they expanded the project to a full North American tour, and included material from Belew's period in the Talking Heads-influenced 1980s incarnation of [[King Crimson]].<ref name="Harrison/Belew">{{Cite web |date=2022-11-01 |title=Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew Announce Remain in Light Tour Dates  |url=https://jambands.com/news/2022/11/01/jerry-harrison-and-adrian-belew-announce-remain-in-light-tour-dates/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=JamBands}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.remaininlight.net/ |title=REMAIN IN LIGHT 2023 TOUR |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{track listing
| all_music     = Talking Heads (Byrne, [[Chris Frantz]], [[Jerry Harrison]], and [[Tina Weymouth]]) and Eno
| all_lyrics    = [[David Byrne]], except "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" and "Crosseyed and Painless", written by David Byrne and [[Brian Eno]]
| headline      = Side one
| title1        = [[Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)]]
| length1       = 5:49
| title2        = [[Crosseyed and Painless]]
| length2       = 4:48
| title3        = The Great Curve
| length3       = 6:28
| total_length  = 16:25
}}

{{track listing
| headline      = Side two
| title1        = [[Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads song)|Once in a Lifetime]]
| length1       = 4:19
| title2        = [[Houses in Motion]]
| length2       = 4:33
| title3        = Seen and Not Seen
| length3       = 3:25
| title4        = Listening Wind
| length4       = 4:43
| title5        = The Overload
| length5       = 6:25
| total_length  = 23:25
}}

{{track listing
| headline        = 2006 reissue bonus tracks<ref name="Discogs">{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/635152-Talking-Heads-Remain-In-Light |title=Talking Heads – Remain In Light|date=January 16, 2006 |publisher=Discogs|language=en|quote=[...] Zink Media, LLC (d/b/a Discogs), 4145 SW Watson Avenue, Suite 350, Beaverton, Oregon, USA 97005.|accessdate=2024-09-08}}</ref>
| title9          = Fela's Riff
| note9           = Unfinished Outtake
| length9         = 5:15
| title10         = Unison 
| note10          = Unfinished Outtake
| length10        = 4:58
| title11         = Double Groove 
| note11          = Unfinished Outtake
| length11        = 4:28
| title12         = Right Start 
| note12          = Unfinished Outtake
| length12        = 4:07
}}

== Personnel ==
Those involved in the making of ''Remain in Light'' were:{{sfn|Bowman|2001|p=178}}<ref name=kalman415>{{cite book |last1=Kalman, Tibor |last2=Hall, Peter |last3=Bierut, Michael |title=Tibor Kalman: Perverse Optimist|year=1998 |publisher=[[Princeton Architectural Press]]|page=415|isbn=1-56898-150-3}}</ref><ref name="inlay2006" />

'''Talking Heads'''
* [[David Byrne]] – lead vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass guitar, percussion, vocal arrangements
* [[Jerry Harrison]] – keyboards, guitars, percussion, backing vocals
* [[Tina Weymouth]] – keyboards, bass guitar, percussion, backing vocals
* [[Chris Frantz]] – keyboards, drums, percussion, backing vocals

'''Additional musicians'''
* [[Brian Eno]] – keyboards, guitars, bass guitar, percussion, backing vocals, vocal arrangements
* [[Adrian Belew]] – electric guitar, [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] [[guitar synthesizer]] <small>(2, 3, 7, 8)</small>
* [[Robert Palmer]] – percussion
* José Rossy – percussion
* [[Jon Hassell]] – trumpets, horns
* [[Nona Hendryx]] – backing vocals
'''Production'''

* [[Brian Eno]] – producer, mixing
* [[Dave Jerden]] – engineer, mixing
* David Byrne – mixing
* John Potoker – additional engineer, mixing
* [[Rhett Davies]] – additional engineer
* Jack Nuber – additional engineer
* [[Steven Stanley]] – additional engineer
* Kendall Stubbs – additional engineer
* [[Greg Calbi]] – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York
* Tina Weymouth – cover art
* Chris Frantz – cover art
* [[Walter Bender]] – cover art assistant
* [[Scott Fisher (technologist)|Scott Fisher]] – cover art assistant
* [[Tibor Kalman]] – artwork
* Carol Bokuniewics – artwork
* [[MIT Media Lab|MIT Architecture Machine Group]] – computer rendering

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Weekly chart performance of ''Remain in Light''
|-
!scope="col"| Chart (1980/81)
!scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=304}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 25
|-
!scope="row"| [[Canadian Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite journal|title = RPM 50 Albums|journal = [[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|volume = 30|issue=11|publisher = RPM|location = Toronto|date=December 9, 1981}}</ref>
|align="center"| 6
|-
!scope="row"| [[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|New Zealand Albums Chart]]<ref name=ultratop />{{dead link|date=April 2024}}
|align="center"| 8
|-
!scope="row"|[[VG-lista|Norwegian Albums Chart]]<ref name=ultratop>{{cite web |url=http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=Talking+Heads&titel=Remain+In+Light&cat=a|title=Talking Heads&nbsp;– Remain In Light|publisher=[[Ultratop]]|access-date=August 25, 2009}}</ref>
|align="center"|28
|-
!scope="row"|[[Sverigetopplistan|Swedish Albums Chart]]<ref name=ultratop />{{dead link|date=April 2024}}
|align="center"|26
|-
!scope="row"|[[UK Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Warwick, Neil |last2=Kutner, Jon |last3=Brown, Tony |title=The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles & Albums|year=2004 |publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|isbn=1-84449-058-0 |page=1085}}</ref>
|align="center"|21
|-
!scope="row"|[[Billboard 200|US ''Billboard'' 200]]<ref name=shakers />
|align="center"|19
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Weekly chart performance for ''Remain in Light''
! scope="col"| Chart (2023)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Croatian International Albums ([[Top of the Shops|HDU]])<ref name=Croatia>{{cite web|url=https://www.top-lista.hr/www/lista-prodaje-strano-43-tjedan-2023/|title=Lista prodaje 43. tjedan 2023|date=October 16, 2023|publisher=[[Top of the Shops]]|language=hr|access-date=November 1, 2023|archive-date=November 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101062354/https://www.top-lista.hr/www/lista-prodaje-strano-43-tjedan-2023/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 10
|-
! scope="row"| Hungarian Physical Albums ([[Association of Hungarian Record Companies|MAHASZ]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 41. hét |url=https://slagerlistak.hu/album-top-40-slagerlista-fizikai-hanghordozok/2023/41 |publisher=[[Association of Hungarian Record Companies|MAHASZ]] |access-date=October 18, 2023}}</ref>
| 23
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Year-end chart performance for ''Remain in Light''
! scope="col"| Chart (1981)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| [[Billboard 200|US ''Billboard'' 200]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BCQEAAAAMBAJ&q=remain+in+light|title=Billboard's 1981 Year-End Charts: Number One Awards|magazine=Billboard|volume=93|issue=51|date=December 26, 1981|page=YE-8|via=Google Books}}</ref>
| 87
|-
|}

==Certifications and sales==
{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for ''Remain in Light''}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Remain in light|type=album|artist=Talking Heads|relyear=1980|region=Canada|award=Gold|certyear=1981}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Remain in light|type=album|artist=Talking Heads|relyear=1980|certyear=2019|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|id=5447-2108-2|accessdate=December 4, 2022}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Remain in light|type=album|artist=Talking Heads|relyear=1980|certyear=1985|region=United States|award=Gold}}
{{certification Table Bottom | streaming=true|nosales=true}}

==See also==
* ''[[Everything That Happens Will Happen Today]]''
* ''[[Live Phish Volume 15]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Bowman |first=David |title=This Must Be the Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the Twentieth Century |year=2001 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=0-380-97846-6}}
* {{cite journal |last=Brog |first=Michael A. |date=June 2002 |title="Living Turned Inside Out": The Musical Expression of Psychotic and Schizoid Experience in Talking Heads' ''Remain in Light'' |journal=[[The American Journal of Psychoanalysis]] |volume=62 |issue=2 |pages=163–184 |doi=10.1023/A:1015181228250 |pmid=12085527 |s2cid=6496084}}
* {{cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Pareles |title=Talking Heads Talk |work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |pages=36–39 |date=May 1982}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=A Brief History of Album Covers|first=Jason|last=Draper|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=London|year=2008|pages=222–223|isbn=9781847862112|oclc=227198538}}
* {{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1309-talking-heads-road-to-remain-in-light/ |title=Talking Heads' Road to ''Remain in Light'' |first=Tyler |last=Wilcox |date=October 3, 2016 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}

==External links==
<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
*[https://archive.today/20130416112219/http://www.radio3net.ro/dbartists/supersearch/UmVtYWluIGluIExpZ2h0/Remain%20in%20Light ''Remain in Light''] ([[Adobe Flash]]) at [[Radio3Net]] (streamed copy where licensed)
*[https://www.remaininlight.net/ Remain in Light 2023 Tour] with [[Jerry Harrison]] and [[Adrian Belew]]
* {{Discogs master|type=album|25688}}

{{Talking Heads}}

{{featured article}}

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[[Category:Talking Heads albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Brian Eno]]
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[[Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings]]
[[Category:United States National Recording Registry albums]]
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