Talking Heads- "Once In A Lifetime"

Inspired more by punk's jittery energy than its alienation, the Talking Heads blew a hole in the late 70's and early 80's by constructing likable pop songs pregnant with weirdness and avant gardeism. Ever expanding their sound, the Heads went from the neurotic, rinky-dink funk of "77" to the peak period of "Remain In Light" and "Speaking In Tongues" which led to the penultimate music films of all time- Jonathan Demme's "Stop Making Sense."

"Once In A Lifetime" is one of those songs that you hear a lot ambiently in the store, radio etc, yet the full emotional impact hits you when you hang on the words and feel the existential horror future that he describes as a result of letting your life slip away from you. Combine the lyrics with the futuristic funk of egghead producer Brian Eno and the influence of African musicians like Fela Kuti and you have a hit that both appeals to and subverts the average listener. The video was also a trailblazer, experimenting with sampling random clips and editing them together and combining them via green screen.