“Heaven” by Talking Heads (1979)
Dad’s Song of the Day #77, Nov. 14, 2025
Brilliant friend Jeremy said something yesterday that has been running through my brain: “I have overplayed a lot of songs in my life and I have to be judicious about playing them.”
This is the “Desert Island Discs” dilemma**. If you’re only allowed eight records to take with you to a desert island, do you bring your favourites, knowing there’s a good chance you’ll get sick of them in a matter of weeks?
Talking Heads also tackle this predicament in their gorgeous track, “Heaven”:
The band in Heaven, they play my favourite song
Play it one more time, play it all night long
You see, everything is perfect. And since it’s perfection, it never changes. You get the same perfect song…the same perfect friends…the same perfect party…the same perfect kiss. How could that possibly be a bad thing?
Of course—you think—it’s ironic, and of course—you think—it’s leading us to proclaim, “A-hah!! That isn’t Heaven; that’s Hell!”
But! But, here’s where the trick is, I think: The vibe in this song is so warm and so comforting. You melt into it, totally immune to its relentless…sameness! It goes on for 4 minutes inside two chords and with the same repetitive bass line.
The song lulls you like a baby in a blanket…you could just wrap yourself inside this forever.…it’s like Heaven.
** “Desert Island Discs” is a long-running BBC radio show and podcast where famous people choose the eight recordings they’d take with them if they were stranded on a deserted island. In my research on this song, I learned that “Heaven” is a popular choice, since it accepts the fate of being alone with the same music…and celebrates it.
Spotify:
YouTube:
This series is for my two 19-year-olds, who moved off to school with the misguided belief they’d escaped their dad’s relentless nostalgia and monopolization of the car stereo. I’m very happy for anyone else to come along for the ride.
The Spotify playlist for Dad’s Song of the Day is located here: