Glass, Concrete & Stone

One would have to be mad to try to pinpoint the meaning of a David Byrne song. By his own admission he is borderline Asperger's. His songs are famous for being paradigms of the paradoxical and being ultra cryptic. Still, I am going to try to give an interpretation because I am perhaps just as playful and emotionally stunted as he is. Like most artists he wants to reveal himself even if he does this quite secretly and emblematically.

I was at first intrigued by the main refrain "its glass and concrete and stone, it's just a house not a home". And my own imagination led me to believe it had something to do with architecture and the coldness of a building without love and affection. A building without a hearth or a heart. I imagined the theme of separation, divorce, breakup of a relationship etc.

However, there are too many other references in the song. He talks about travel, money, a rendezvous with a certain Harriet Hendershot. There is a lot of personal imagery, and he is communicating a sense of hopefulness, a pursuit of happiness, in his playful, quirky way.

The tone of his voice is positive but wry and the percussions provide a driving beat which conveys a sense of cheeriness. When the cello comes in there is also strong emotion.

I think he is reflecting on a particular stage of his life and on a fundamental part of himself - a realisation that he enjoys the transitory and sensual delights of the body and that this keeps his "flavour fresh" while willingly denying, suppressing deeper feelings and commitment (home) and that he is prepared to fool himself and perhaps others too. He admits that he prefers to follow his instincts rather than logic, conditioning or conventions in the phrase "let my body and soul be my guide."