Speaking in Tongues

Speaking in Tongues is the fifth studio album by the band Talking Heads, released on June 1, 1983. Following the band’s split with producer Brian Eno and a short hiatus which allowed the individual members to pursue side projects, recording began in 1982. It became the band’s commercial breakthrough and produced the band’s first (and only) American Top 10 hit, “Burning Down the House”, which was accompanied by a promotional video.

The album’s tour was documented in Jonathan Demme’s film Stop Making Sense, which generated a live album of the same name. (The concert film and live album’s title comes from the repeated phrase “Stop making sense!” during the song “Girlfriend Is Better”.) In addition, the album crossed over to the dance charts where it peaked at number two for six weeks. It is also the group’s highest-charting album on the American Billboard 200.