Talking Heads With Our Love (Alternate Version) (1978 / 2025)
What's today's song about? Love or something? Maybe. There's a forum where users delve into the intellectual meanings and artistic inspirations behind “With Our Love (Alternate Version)”. Naturally, this includes a wide array of perspectives, from insightful analyses to … less insightful ones.
saladboy’s take from 18 years ago is that the song’s about the annoyance of not knowing where a relationship is headed. Faced with that, the person decides the best solution is to get validation from other people—because, you know, that always ends well.
Another user, pinyonj, thought the following 8 years ago: “This song is about recognizing the difference between ordinary / everyday things and the ultimate true nature of things (who \ what we really are). The example in the lyrics is love.”
In contrast, exobscura’s take (from 7 years ago) is a single cryptic word in all caps: GARMONBOZIA. For David Lynch fans the word might ring a bell. In the context of Twin Peaks, it is interpreted as a manifestation of negative energy and a source of sustenance for certain supernatural entities. It’s often associated with creamed corn, a barbecue side dish popular in the US South.
Just a year after his first, rather random comment, exobscura changed his mind and dropped a fresh take in the forum: "this great song is clearly a baton pass from the Sex Pistols’ wonderful Belsen Was a Gas—it’s about the indomitable spirit that thrives constantly in every cell of every body… or about the only one of the two who was supposed to be three."
Whatever Talking Heads were trying to say with this song, it nailed what great songs do best: it makes you stop, wonder and actually use that brain of yours for once.
Dig Deeper
Widely regarded as one of the greatest live bands ever, Talking Heads’ shows are full-on parties where sitting still is basically impossible. You can really feel that energy today by watching the concert film Stop Making Sense. Here’s a clip from the film featuring their unforgettable performance of the Talking Heads classic, “Life During Wartime”.
Watch
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