David Byrne discography

Summary

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 albums10
Live albums5
Singles14
Soundtrack albums12
Remix albums1

Albums edit

Studio 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)
  • Released: February 1981
  • Rereleased: March 27, 2006
  • Label: Sire
44 47 62 29 8 29
Rei Momo
  • Released: October 3, 1989
  • Label: Luaka Bop, Sire
71 96 88 28 52
Uh-Oh 125 67 52 39 26 26
David Byrne
  • Released: May 24, 1994
  • Label: Luaka Bop, Warner Bros.
139 20 43
Feelings
  • Released: June 17, 1997
  • Label: Luaka Bop, Warner Bros.
155 42 91
Look into the Eyeball
  • Released: May 8, 2001
  • Label: Virgin
120 15 58
Grown Backwards
  • Released: March 16, 2004
  • Label: Nonesuch, Warner Bros.
178 55 29 88
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
(with Brian Eno)
  • Released: August 18, 2008
  • Label: Todo Mundo
174 66 58 31
Love This Giant
(with St. Vincent)
  • Released: September 10, 2012
  • Label: 4AD, Todo Mundo
23 51 52 83 40
American Utopia
  • Released: March 9, 2018
  • Label: Nonesuch
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
  • Released: December 1981
  • Label: Sire
104 32 40
Music for "The Knee Plays"
  • Released: May 1985
  • Label: ECM
141
Sounds from True Stories
  • Released: 1986
  • Label: Sire
The Last Emperor
(with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su)
  • Released: 1987
  • Label: Virgin
152
Your Action World[a]
  • Released: January 1, 1999
  • Self-released
In Spite of Wishing and Wanting
  • Released: 1999
  • Self-released
E.E.E.I. (Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information)[b]
  • Released: July 2, 2003
  • Self-released
Lead Us Not into Temptation
Big Love: Hymnal
  • Released: August 19, 2008
  • Label: Todo Mundo, HBO, Play Tone
Here Lies Love
(with Fatboy Slim)
  • Released: April 6, 2010
  • Label: Todomundo, Nonesuch
96 96 83 76
American Utopia on Broadway Original Cast Recording
  • Released: October 25, 2019
  • Label: Nonesuch
"—" 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:

Live albums edit

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
World

[9]
PRT
[10]
Between the Teeth
  • Released: 1993
  • Format: VHS
David Byrne Live at Union Chapel
  • Released: October 26, 2004
  • Label: Nonesuch
  • Format: DVD
Live from Austin, Texas
  • Released: October 2, 2007
  • Label: New West
  • Format: CD, DVD
Everything That Happens Will Happen on This Tour – David Byrne on Tour: Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno
  • Released: May 11, 2009
  • Label: Todo Mundo
  • Format: CD, digital download
Live at Carnegie Hall
(with Caetano Veloso)
  • Released: March 12, 2012
  • Label: Nonesuch
8 28
"...The Best Live Show of All Time" —NME
  • Released: December 11, 2018
  • Label: Nonesuch, Todo Mundo
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Remix albums edit

Title Album details
The Visible Man
  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Luaka Bop

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

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 edit

As 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 edit

Byrne 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

  1. ^ Music for Byrne's art presentation of the same name.
  2. ^ Music for Byrne's speaking tour and PowerPoint presentation of the same name.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "David Byrne Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b "Discografie David Byrne". Ultratop Flanders (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  4. ^ "Discography David Byrne". Italian Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  5. ^ a b "Discografie David Byrne". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  6. ^ a b "Discography David Byrne". New Zealand Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  7. ^ a b "Discography David Byrne". Swedish Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  8. ^ a b "David Byrne". Official Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  9. ^ "David Byrne Chart History: World Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  10. ^ "Discography David Byrne". Portuguese Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  11. ^ "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.