David Byrne's iconic big suit from Talking Heads' 1983 Stop Making Sense tour | DJ Mag

"Burning Down the House" is a song by American rock band Talking Heads, released in July 1983 as the first single from their fifth studio album Speaking in Tongues. | Gerard Sanchezz

"Burning Down the House" is a song by American rock band Talking Heads, released in July 1983 as the first single from their fifth studio #album Speaking in Tongues. The song became their only top ten single on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number nine. | Gerard Sanchezz

On this date in 1983, TALKING HEADS released the single BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE, (July 5th, 1983). Talking Heads' fifth album 'Speaking in Tongues' was the product of a curiosity about trance states, particularly those observed in preachers. David Byrne reflected, “When people go into trances, they garble in a strange language… I’ve seen it in movies; I’ve seen it face to face as well." This fascination seeped into the lyrics, a distinctive attribute of their best-selling single, 'Burning Down Th