This article catalogs the ongoing discography of Scottish-American recording artist, composer, musician, and producer David Byrne, former singer for Talking Heads.
| David Byrne discography | |
|---|---|
 David Byrne speaking at the 2006 Future of Music Policy Summit hosted by the McGill University Schulich School of Music in Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| Studio albums | 10 |
| Soundtrack albums | 12 |
| Live albums | 5 |
| Singles | 14 |
| Remix albums | 1 |
Albums
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [1] |
AUS [2] |
BEL (Fl.) [3] |
ITA [4] |
NLD [5] |
NZ [6] |
SWE [7] |
UK [8] | ||
| My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (with Brian Eno) |
|
44 | 47 | 62 | 29 | — | 8 | — | 29 |
| Rei Momo |
|
71 | 96 | — | — | 88 | — | 28 | 52 |
| Uh-Oh |
|
125 | 67 | — | — | 52 | 39 | 26 | 26 |
| David Byrne |
|
139 | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | 43 |
| Feelings |
|
155 | — | — | — | — | — | 42 | 91 |
| Look into the Eyeball |
|
120 | — | — | 15 | — | — | — | 58 |
| Grown Backwards |
|
178 | — | 55 | 29 | — | — | — | 88 |
| Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (with Brian Eno) |
|
174 | 66 | 58 | — | — | 31 | — | — |
| Love This Giant (with St. Vincent) |
|
23 | — | 51 | 52 | 83 | — | — | 40 |
| American Utopia |
|
3 | 82 | 19 | 32 | 43 | — | — | 16 |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||
Soundtracks and music for theater
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [1] |
BEL (Fl.) [3] |
NLD [5] |
NZ [6] |
SWE [7] |
UK [8] | ||
| The Catherine Wheel |
|
104 | — | — | 32 | 40 | — |
| Music for "The Knee Plays" |
|
141 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sounds from True Stories |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| The Last Emperor (with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su) |
|
152 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Your Action World[a] |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| In Spite of Wishing and Wanting |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| E.E.E.I. (Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information)[b] |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lead Us Not into Temptation |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Big Love: Hymnal |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Here Lies Love (with Fatboy Slim) |
|
96 | 96 | 83 | — | — | 76 |
| American Utopia on Broadway Original Cast Recording |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
In addition to the scores and soundtracks that Byrne recorded have been released as albums, Byrne has written music for several other productions:
- Dead End Kids: A Story of Nuclear Power by Joanne Akalaitis
- Main title theme for Alive from Off Center season 1 (1984)
- Something Wild by Jonathan Demme: "Loco de Amor" song co-written with Johnny Pacheco; sung with Celia Cruz backed by Ray Barretto's band (1986)
- Married to the Mob by Jonathan Demme (1988)
- A Young Man's Dream and a Woman's Secret by Philip Haas (1990)
- The Giant Woman and the Lightning Man by Philip Haas (1990)
Live albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US World [9] |
PRT [10] | ||
| Between the Teeth |
|
— | — |
| David Byrne Live at Union Chapel |
|
— | — |
| Live from Austin, Texas |
|
— | — |
| Everything That Happens Will Happen on This Tour – David Byrne on Tour: Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno |
|
— | — |
| Live at Carnegie Hall (with Caetano Veloso) |
|
8 | 28 |
| "...The Best Live Show of All Time" —NME |
|
— | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
Remix albums
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Visible Man |
|
Singles
edit- "Regiment" b/w "America Is Waiting" (with Brian Eno) – 1981
- "The Jezebel Spirit" (with Brian Eno) – 1981
- "Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open)" – 1981
- "The Last Emperor" (with Ryuichi Sakamoto) – 1987
- "Make Believe Mambo" – 1989
- "Dirty Old Town" – 1989
- "The Forestry" – 1991
- "Hanging Upside Down" – 1992
- "She's Mad" – 1992
- "Girls on My Mind" – 1992
- "Angels" – 1994
- "Back in the Box" – 1994
- "Miss America" – 1997
- "Like Humans Do" – 2001
- "U.B. Jesus" – 2001
- "Strange Overtones" (with Brian Eno) – 2008
- "Who" (with St. Vincent) – 2012
- "Everybody's Coming to My House" – 2018
- "David Byrne Does Hard Times (with Paramore) – 2024
Compilation appearances
edit| Year | Release | Track(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Like a Girl I Want You to Keep Coming | "Song for the Trees (or) I Know Sometimes the World Is Wrong" |
| 1990 | Red Hot + Blue | "Don't Fence Me In" |
| 1993 | Caged/Uncaged: A Rock/Experimental Homage to John Cage | "Cage and the Long Island Expressway" and "Enlightened Whistler" |
| 1994 | Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson | "Just the Motion", originally by Richard Thompson |
| 1995 | Afro-Peruvian Classics: The Soul of Black Peru | "Maria Lando" |
| 1996 | Red Hot + Rio | "Waters of March" with Marisa Monte |
| Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip | "It Goes Back" | |
| 1997 | Red Hot + Latin | "Yolonda Niguas" with Café Tacuba |
| 1998 | Red Hot + Lisbon | "Dreamworld: Marco de Canavezes" with Caetano Veloso |
| 2000 | Mantra Mix | "Ain't Got So Far to Go" |
| 2002 | The Only Blip Hop Record You Will Ever Need, Vol. 1 | "Pocket Monster" |
| 2004 | The Wired CD | "My Fair Lady" |
| 2007 | Plum | "Ex-Guru", originally by The Fiery Furnaces |
| The Simpsons: Testify | "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders" medley | |
| 2009 | Dark Was the Night | "Knotty Pine", with Dirty Projectors |
| 2022 | Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono[11] | "Who Has Seen the Wind?" |
Session work
editAs musician
edit| Year | Artist | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Dinosaur | "Kiss Me Again" single | Guitar |
| 1980 | Love of Life Orchestra | "Extended Nicities" single | Guitar |
| Robert Fripp | God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners | Vocals on "Under Heavy Manners"; credited as Absalam el Habib | |
| 1984 | The Staple Singers | "Slippery People" single | Guitar, Talking Heads cover version |
| 1986 | Philip Glass | Song from Liquid Days | Lyrics on "Liquid Days" and "Open the Kingdom" |
| 1988 | Tom Tom Club | Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom | Vocals on "Femme Fatale" |
| "Femme Fatale" (Marshall Jefferson remix) | Vocals | ||
| 1990 | Margareth Menezes | Elegibô | Vocals and production on "Canto pra Subir" and "Abra a Boca" |
| Bernie Worrell | Funk of Ages | Co-writing and vocals on "Sing" | |
| 1992 | Richard Thompson | An Acoustic Evening | Recorded live at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity, Brooklyn Heights, March 24, 1992. (Red Phantom: RPCD 1100) |
| Balanescu Quartet | Byrne/Moran/Lurie/Torke | Composition on "High Life for Strings" | |
| Tom Zé | Brazil Classics, Vol. 5: The Hips of Tradition | Vocals and guitar on "Jingle do Disco", released on Luaka Bop | |
| 1994 | Ryuichi Sakamoto | Sweet Revenge | Lyrics on "Psychedelic Afternoon" |
| 1995 | Selena | Dreaming of You | Vocals, co-writing, and production on "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" |
| 1996 | Café Tacuba | Avalanche de Exitos | Vocals on "No Controles" |
| 2000 | Peret and Carol C | Tributo a Peret | Vocals on "Si Fulano" |
| 2001 | Vinicius Cantuária | Vinicius | Lyrics and vocals on "Rio" |
| 2002 | X-Press 2 | Muzikizum | Co-writing and vocals on "Lazy", later rearranged and released on Grown Backwards |
| 2004 | 10,000 Maniacs | Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings | Vocals "Let the Mystery Be", originally recorded for 1993's MTV Unplugged, along with cover versions of "Dallas" and "Jolene" |
| Thievery Corporation | The Cosmic Game | Lyrics and vocals on "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" | |
| 2005 | Fischerspooner | Odyssey | Lyrics on "Get Confused" |
| 2006 | Forro in the Dark | Bonfires of São João | Vocals on "Asa Branca" and "I Wish (Bundle of Contradictions)" |
| La Portuaria | La Portuaria | Lyrics and vocals on "Hoy no le temo a la muerte" | |
| 2007 | Baby Elephant | Turn My Teeth Up! | Vocals on "How Does the Brainwave?" |
| Marisa Monte | Universo Ao Meu Redor | Vocals on "State of Liberty" | |
| David Shrigley | Worried Noodles | Vocals on "For You" | |
| Paul Van Dyk | In Between | Vocals on "Fall with Me" | |
| 2008 | The BPA and Dizzee Rascal | I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat | Vocals on "Toe Jam" |
| 2009 | N.A.S.A. | The Spirit of Apollo | Vocals on "The People Tree" and "Money" |
| Brazilian Girls | "I'm Losing Myself" | Vocals | |
| 2010 | If By Yes | "Salt on Sea Glass" | Vocals on "Eliza" |
| Maximum Balloon | Maximum Balloon | Vocals on "Apartment Wrestling" | |
| 2011 | Arcade Fire | The Suburbs (Deluxe Edition) | Vocals on "Speaking in Tongues" |
| 2013 | Jun Miyake | Lost Memory Theatre - act-1 | Vocals on "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" |
| Ryuichi Sakamoto | "Psychedelic Afternoon" | Re-recording of a 1994 collaboration; new lyrics and vocals | |
| 2014 | Anna Calvi | Strange Weather | Vocals on "I'm the Man, That Will Find You (Connan Mockasin)" and "Strange Weather (Keren Ann)" |
| 2016 | De La Soul | And the Anonymous Nobody... | Co-writing and vocals on "Snoopies" |
| 2022 | Montaigne | "Always Be You" single | Vocals |
| "Gravity" single | Vocals | ||
| 2022 | Son Lux | Everything Everywhere All At Once soundtrack | Co-writing and vocals on "This Is a Life" |
As producer
edit| Year | Artist | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The B-52's | Mesopotamia | — |
| 1983 | Fun Boy Three | Waiting | — |
| 1986 | Various artists | Something Wild | Co-produced, also co-write and sang on "Loco de Amor" |
| 1990 | Margareth Menezes | Elegibô | "Canto pra Subir" and "Abra a Boca" also performs vocals |
| 1995 | Selena | Dreaming of You | "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" also performs vocals and co-wrote |
Compositions
edit- The Forest (1991) – orchestral music for the 1988 Robert Wilson theatre piece of the same name, released as an album.
Other projects
editByrne has released a handful of books, including Arboretum, a collection of sketches of some of his favorite trees, and The New Sins, a work about sin in the 21st century. He has also made several public art installations, speaking engagements on art and technology, and PowerPoint presentations. In addition to a recording career as a solo artist, he also founded the record Label Luaka Bop and Todo Mundo.
Notes
edit- ^ Music for Byrne's art presentation of the same name.
- ^ Music for Byrne's speaking tour and PowerPoint presentation of the same name.
References
edit- ^ a b "David Byrne Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ Australian chart positions:
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 52. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today: "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 9 February 2010" (PDF). ARIA Charts. No. 989. February 20, 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2015 – via Trove.
- American Utopia: "ARIA Chart Watch #464". auspOp. March 17, 2018. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ a b "Discografie David Byrne". Ultratop Flanders (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ "Discography David Byrne". Italian Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ a b "Discografie David Byrne". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ a b "Discography David Byrne". New Zealand Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ a b "Discography David Byrne". Swedish Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ a b "David Byrne". Official Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ "David Byrne Chart History: World Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ "Discography David Byrne". Portuguese Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ "Various Artists: Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- Discography from DavidByrne.com
- Discography from Discogs
- further reading: Sytze Steenstra: Song and Circumstance. The Work of David Byrne from Talking Heads to the Present. New York and London: Continuum, 2010.