Heaven

This song is pure sarcasm like a lot of Talking Heads songs. He is making fun of the common idea of Heaven. A place where you live forever and do your favorite things all day long, every day, for eternity. The sarcasm makes us question whether living forever would actually be a reward or if living forever would be torture. David suggests it would be torture or pure boredom and that the promises of Heaven are flawed in the first place. He is telling us that Heaven is an illusion we have created to try and add meaning to our lives but true meaning comes from having a finite existence. If I had to give this song a subtitle it would be "Eternal life isn't quite what it's cracked up to be." (Still sarcastic because he doesn't believe in eternal life in the first place.)

I agree with Billcot. We have this idea of Heaven being a place where everything is always perfect and fun and great, and so of course everyone wants to go there. But if you were actually at such a place, would it really match up to the hype?

The joy we find in life doesn't just come from getting the things that we want all the time, it's about overcoming obstacles, and being surprised by new and interesting (and sometimes unpleasant) things. Stripping all the excitement away might be nice for a while, but let's not forget that Heaven is supposed to be for eternity. It's nice when the band plays your favorite song, but what if they played only that song all night long. What if everyone went to the party every night all at the same time, had a good time and then all left at the same time and there was never any drama? What if when your kiss was over it just started again and was exactly the same again and again for all time? I think after a while pretty much anyone would become bored out of their minds. It's hard to imagine how nothing at all could be this much fun.

I've always loved this song, and it's hard to disagree with any of the interpretations here. But I was looking at the lyrics because I've always interpreted this as a love song in a weird way.

And I still think it is, in a sense, even if David Byrne et al didn't intend for it to be. When you're in love, nothing needs to happen, and it's extremely fun and extremely exciting. The same kiss can happen again and again, and it's blissful, so you're perfectly happy for that type of "monotony" to continue. The same song can play again and again, and it's a perfect song, so let it go on.

I have trouble working the party and the bar parts into this interpretation, but I have had times in my life where every weekend was the same party with the same people and the same music and for a short period I absolutely loved that, couldn't have been happier, and I didn't want things to change at all. Eventually, those things grow old and you need to move on and true monotony does set in. But I do think one conception of heaven or an ideal life would be where the things you truly deeply enjoy (parties, kisses, songs) never change and you can just melt away into that utopia.

Just one interpretation.

Just reading the words, either interpretation fits. I think DB left it ambiguous on purpose. The music, however, makes me think it's saying that nothing ever happening would be a good thing (especially considering how many other Talking Heads songs seem to have to do with being overwhelmed by too much going on).

"Everyone is trying to get to the bar."

That has two meanings. You have the bar to which you go for a drink, or the bar that you have to reach or pass for success. Think of a high jump or a bar exam.

I have always thought of this as a very romantic song. When you first start dating someone, every meeting has to have some kind of event tied to it: a movie, dinner, or a show. I remember telling my new girlfriend at the time that I looked forward to doing the boring things with her, where you do not have to dress up, buy tickets, and show off. Times where you can just stay home and watch TV or play cards, and just enjoy each other's company. "Its hard to imagine that nothing at all could be so exciting, could be so much fun." It's like Heaven.

this by far is my favorite. it's touching. love it on stop making sense. such a creative band.

Roger Wilco, you are correct.

Zooey74, I'm not even sure what that means.

It's about how stressed out they were, how their lives were all sense input, intense, constantly changing psychadelia, Heaven must be an escape.

In the Stop Making Sense commentary, Byrne says this song is about a gay bar called "Heaven" somewhere out west. (I forget where, watch the commentary if you really want to know.) Thus, a bar where homosexuals can live normally and not be ridiculed or oppressed (i.e. where "nothing ever happens") is truly "so exciting...this much fun."

It's not 'happens" it is "hurts", or at least that how I hear it.

Then the song makes sense

I took it to mean and end to monotomy. This kiss, this party. They are wonderful, and when they finish, they start right again, and NOTHING CHANGES. No monotomoy, no familiarity, no tiredness or boredom. Still as amazing as the first time.

Of course, the song itself does sound dysphoric. I feel like I ought to cry. The words are happy (by my understanding of them) but the melodies are sad.