Little Creatures
1985 studio album by Talking Heads
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Little Creatures is the sixth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released June 10, 1985, by Sire Records. The album examines themes of Americana and incorporates elements of country music, with many songs featuring steel guitar. It was voted album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll, and is the band's best-selling studio album, with more than two million copies sold in the United States. The cover art was created by outsider artist Howard Finster, and was selected as album cover of the year by Rolling Stone.
| Little Creatures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 10, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | October 1984 – March 1985 | |||
| Studio | Sigma Sound (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:38 | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Producer | Talking Heads | |||
| Talking Heads chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Little Creatures | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [4] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| Hot Press | 11/12[6] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[9] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | A[10] |
| Uncut | 9/10[11] |
| The Village Voice | A[12] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by David Byrne, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "And She Was" | 3:36 | ||
| 2. | "Give Me Back My Name" | 3:20 | ||
| 3. | "Creatures of Love" | 4:12 | ||
| 4. | "The Lady Don't Mind" | Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth | 4:03 | |
| 5. | "Perfect World" | Byrne, Frantz | 4:26 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Stay Up Late" | 3:51 |
| 7. | "Walk It Down" | 4:42 |
| 8. | "Television Man" | 6:10 |
| 9. | "Road to Nowhere" | 4:19 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "The Lady Don't Mind" (Extended Mix) | 6:51 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Road to Nowhere" (Early version) | 4:37 |
| 11. | "And She Was" (Early version) | 3:36 |
| 12. | "Television Man" (Extended mix) | 7:52 |
Personnel
Talking Heads
- David Byrne – guitar, vocals
- Chris Frantz – drums
- Jerry Harrison – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
- Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Ellen Bernfeld – backing vocals on "Perfect World" and "Walk It Down"
- Andrew Cader – washboard on "Road to Nowhere"
- Erin Dickens – backing vocals on "Television Man" and "Road to Nowhere"
- Diva Gray – backing vocals on "Road to Nowhere"
- Gordon Grody – backing vocals
- Lani Groves – backing vocals
- Jimmy Macdonell – accordion on "Road to Nowhere"
- Lenny Pickett – saxophones
- Steve Scales – percussion
- Naná Vasconcelos – percussion on "Perfect World"
- Eric Weissberg – steel guitar on "Creatures of Love" and "Walk It Down"
- Kurt Yahjian – backing vocals
Recording
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | — | 150,000[39] |
| Germany (BVMI)[40] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[41] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[42] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[43] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||