Psycho Killer

E497180

"Psycho Killer" is a seminal 1977 new wave song by Talking Heads, known for its catchy bassline, darkly humorous lyrics, and status as one of the band’s signature tracks.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Psycho Killer canonical 5
Psycho killer, qu'est-ce que c'est? 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf single
song
artist Talking Heads
chartPerformance Canada RPM Top Singles
US Billboard Hot 100
countryOfOrigin United States
culturalImpact frequently used in film and television soundtracks
featuresInstrument bass guitar
drums
electric guitar
vocals
firstLivePerformanceYear 1975
genre new wave
post-punk
hasChorusLine Psycho killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?
linked to: Psycho Killer
hasCoverVersionBy Brand New
Cage the Elephant
Velvet Revolver
hasCriticalReception widely acclaimed
hasLiveVersion Stop Making Sense (live performance)
linked to: Stop Making Sense
hasMusicVideo yes
hasPartLyricsLanguage French
includedOnAlbum Talking Heads: 77
influencedGenre alternative rock
isSignatureSongOf Talking Heads
key A minor
language English
length 4:19
notableFor darkly humorous lyrics
distinctive bassline
mix of English and French lyrics
status as a signature song of Talking Heads
partOf Talking Heads discography
performer Talking Heads
producer Lance Quinn
Talking Heads
Tony Bongiovi
recordingPeriod 1974–1977
recordLabel Sire Records
releaseDate 1977-12-01
releaseYear 1977
tempo moderate
theme inner monologue of a killer
psychological instability
violence
timeSignature 4/4
writer Chris Frantz
David Byrne
Tina Weymouth

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Talking Heads notableWork Psycho Killer
Stop Making Sense featuresSong Psycho Killer
Psycho Killer hasChorusLine Psycho killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?
linked to: Psycho Killer
Talking Heads: 77 hasTrack Psycho Killer
Talking Heads: 77 notableSong Psycho Killer
Talking Heads: 77 containsSingle Psycho Killer