David Byrne was inspired by tabloid headlines to make his sole foray into feature-film directing, an ode to the extraordinariness of ordinary American life and a distillation of what was in his own idiosyncratic mind. Byrne plays a visitor to Virgil, Texas, who introduces us to the citizens of the town during preparations for its Celebration of Specialness. As shot by cinematographer Ed Lachman, Texas becomes a hyper-realistic late-capitalist landscape of endless vistas, shopping malls, and prefab metal buildings. In True Stories, Byrne uses his songs to stitch together pop iconography, voodoo rituals, and a singular variety show.
True Stories, A Film by David Byrne: The Complete Soundtrack includes twenty-three songs: one previously unreleased version of Talking Heads’ “Dream Operator,” from the film, with Annie McEnroe on lead vocals; three songs from the film that have previously been released only on the Talking Heads sets Dual Brick or Bonus Rarities & Outtakes; five songs from the companion 1986 Talking Heads studio album True Stories; fourteen songs from the 1986 film soundtrack album Sounds from True Stories: Music for Activities Freaks performed by a wide range of artists from Kronos Quartet to Meredith Monk to Pops Staples to John Goodman.
Tracklist
Side A:
1. Road Song
2. Freeway Son
3. Disco Hits!
4. Cocktail Desperado
5. Wild Wild Life
6. City Of Steel
Side B:
1. Mall Muzak
2. Dream Operator (feat. Annie McEnroe)
3. Love Theme From True Stories
4. Brownie's Theme
5. Dinner Music
6. Puzzlin' Evidence
Side C:
1. Glass Operator
2. Hey Now
3. I Love Metal Buildings
4. Love For Sale
5. Soy De Tejas
6. Buster's Theme
Side D:
1. Festa Para Um Rei Negro
2. Radio Head (feat. Tito Larriva, Esteban "Steve" Jordan with Los Vampiros)
3. Papa Legba (feat. Roebuck "Pops" Staples)
4. People Like Us (feat. John Goodman)
5. City Of Dreams