David Byrne discography

See also: Talking Heads discography

David Byrne discography
David Byrne speaking at the 2006 Future of Music Policy Summit hosted by the McGill University Schulich School of Music in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Studio albums	10
Soundtrack albums	12
Live albums	5
Singles	14
Remix albums	1

This article catalogs the ongoing discography of Scottish-American recording artist, composer, musician, and producer David Byrne, former singer for Talking Heads.

Albums

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US [1]	AUS [2]	BEL (Fl.) [3]	ITA [4]	NLD [5]	NZ [6]	SWE [7]	UK [8]
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (with Brian Eno)	Released: February 1981 Rereleased: March 27, 2006 Label: Sire	44	47	62	29	—	8	—	29
Rei Momo	Released: October 3, 1989 Label: Luaka Bop, Sire	71	96	—	—	88	—	28	52
Uh-Oh	Released: March 3, 1992 Label: Luaka Bop, Warner Bros.	125	67	—	—	52	39	26	26
David Byrne	Released: May 24, 1994 Label: Luaka Bop, Warner Bros.	139	—	—	—	—	—	20	43
Feelings	Released: June 17, 1997 Label: Luaka Bop, Warner Bros.	155	—	—	—	—	—	42	91
Look into the Eyeball	Released: May 8, 2001 Label: Virgin	120	—	—	15	—	—	—	58
Grown Backwards	Released: March 16, 2004 Label: Nonesuch, Warner Bros.	178	—	55	29	—	—	—	88
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (with Brian Eno)	Released: August 18, 2008 Label: Todo Mundo	174	66	58	—	—	31	—	—
Love This Giant (with St. Vincent)	Released: September 10, 2012 Label: 4AD, Todo Mundo	23	—	51	52	83	—	—	40
American Utopia	Released: March 9, 2018 Label: Nonesuch	3	82	19	32	43	—	—	16
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Soundtracks and music for theater

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US [1]	BEL (Fl.) [3]	NLD [5]	NZ [6]	SWE [7]	UK [8]
The Catherine Wheel	Released: December 1981 Label: Sire	104	—	—	32	40	—
Music for "The Knee Plays"	Released: May 1985 Label: ECM	141	—	—	—	—	—
Sounds from True Stories	Released: 1986 Label: Sire	—	—	—	—	—	—
The Last Emperor (with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su)	Released: 1987 Label: Virgin	152	—	—	—	—	—
Your Action World[a]	Released: January 1, 1999 Self-released	—	—	—	—	—	—
In Spite of Wishing and Wanting	Released: 1999 Self-released	—	—	—	—	—	—
E.E.E.I. (Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information)[b]	Released: July 2, 2003 Self-released	—	—	—	—	—	—
Lead Us Not into Temptation	Released: September 30, 2003 Label: Thrill Jockey	—	—	—	—	—	—
Big Love: Hymnal	Released: August 19, 2008 Label: Todo Mundo, HBO, Play Tone	—	—	—	—	—	—
Here Lies Love (with Fatboy Slim)	Released: April 6, 2010 Label: Todomundo, Nonesuch	96	96	83	—	—	76
American Utopia on Broadway Original Cast Recording	Released: October 25, 2019 Label: Nonesuch	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

In addition to the scores and soundtracks that Byrne recorded have been released as albums, Byrne has written music for several other productions:

• Dead End Kids: A Story of Nuclear Power by Joanne Akalaitis
• Main title theme for Alive from Off Center season 1 (1984)
• Something Wild by Jonathan Demme: "Loco de Amor" song co-written with Johnny Pacheco; sung with Celia Cruz backed by Ray Barretto's band (1986)
• Married to the Mob by Jonathan Demme (1988)
• A Young Man's Dream and a Woman's Secret by Philip Haas (1990)
• The Giant Woman and the Lightning Man by Philip Haas (1990)

Live albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US World [9]	PRT [10]
Between the Teeth	Released: 1993 Format: VHS	—	—
David Byrne Live at Union Chapel	Released: October 26, 2004 Label: Nonesuch Format: DVD	—	—
Live from Austin, Texas	Released: October 2, 2007 Label: New West Format: CD, DVD	—	—
Everything That Happens Will Happen on This Tour – David Byrne on Tour: Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno	Released: May 11, 2009 Label: Todo Mundo Format: CD, digital download	—	—
Live at Carnegie Hall (with Caetano Veloso)	Released: March 12, 2012 Label: Nonesuch	8	28
"...The Best Live Show of All Time" —NME	Released: December 11, 2018 Label: Nonesuch, Todo Mundo	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Remix albums

Title	Album details
The Visible Man	Released: 1998 Label: Luaka Bop

Singles

• "Regiment" b/w "America Is Waiting" (with Brian Eno) – 1981
• "The Jezebel Spirit" (with Brian Eno) – 1981
• "Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open)" – 1981
• "The Last Emperor" (with Ryuichi Sakamoto)  – 1987
• "Make Believe Mambo" – 1989
• "Dirty Old Town" – 1989
• "The Forestry" – 1991
• "Hanging Upside Down" – 1992
• "She's Mad" – 1992
• "Girls on My Mind" – 1992
• "Angels" – 1994
• "Back in the Box" – 1994
• "Miss America" – 1997
• "Like Humans Do" – 2001
• "U.B. Jesus" – 2001
• "Strange Overtones" (with Brian Eno) – 2008
• "Who" (with St. Vincent) – 2012
• "Everybody's Coming to My House" – 2018
• "David Byrne Does Hard Times (with Paramore) – 2024

Compilation appearances

Year	Release	Track(s)
1989	Like a Girl I Want You to Keep Coming	"Song for the Trees (or) I Know Sometimes the World Is Wrong"
1990	Red Hot + Blue	"Don't Fence Me In"
1993	Caged/Uncaged: A Rock/Experimental Homage to John Cage	"Cage and the Long Island Expressway" and "Enlightened Whistler"
1994	Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson	"Just the Motion", originally by Richard Thompson
1995	Afro-Peruvian Classics: The Soul of Black Peru	"Maria Lando"
1996	Red Hot + Rio	"Waters of March" with Marisa Monte
	Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip	"It Goes Back"
1997	Red Hot + Latin	"Yolonda Niguas" with Café Tacuba
1998	Red Hot + Lisbon	"Dreamworld: Marco de Canavezes" with Caetano Veloso
2000	Mantra Mix	"Ain't Got So Far to Go"
2002	The Only Blip Hop Record You Will Ever Need, Vol. 1	"Pocket Monster"
2004	The Wired CD	"My Fair Lady"
2007	Plum	"Ex-Guru", originally by The Fiery Furnaces
	The Simpsons: Testify	"Everybody Hates Ned Flanders" medley
2009	Dark Was the Night	"Knotty Pine", with Dirty Projectors
2022	Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono[11]	"Who Has Seen the Wind?"

Session work

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

As musician

Year	Artist	Release	Notes
1978	Dinosaur	"Kiss Me Again" single	Guitar
1980	Love of Life Orchestra	"Extended Nicities" single	Guitar
	Robert Fripp	God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners	Vocals on "Under Heavy Manners"; credited as Absalam el Habib
1984	The Staple Singers	"Slippery People" single	Guitar, Talking Heads cover version
1986	Philip Glass	Song from Liquid Days	Lyrics on "Liquid Days" and "Open the Kingdom"
1988	Tom Tom Club	Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom	Vocals on "Femme Fatale"
		"Femme Fatale" (Marshall Jefferson remix)	Vocals
1990	Margareth Menezes	Elegibô	Vocals and production on "Canto pra Subir" and "Abra a Boca"
	Bernie Worrell	Funk of Ages	Co-writing and vocals on "Sing"
1992	Richard Thompson	An Acoustic Evening	Recorded live at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity, Brooklyn Heights, March 24, 1992. (Red Phantom: RPCD 1100)
	Balanescu Quartet	Byrne/Moran/Lurie/Torke	Composition on "High Life for Strings"
	Tom Zé	Brazil Classics, Vol. 5: The Hips of Tradition	Vocals and guitar on "Jingle do Disco", released on Luaka Bop
1994	Ryuichi Sakamoto	Sweet Revenge	Lyrics on "Psychedelic Afternoon"
1995	Selena	Dreaming of You	Vocals, co-writing, and production on "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)"
1996	Café Tacuba	Avalanche de Exitos	Vocals on "No Controles"
2000	Peret and Carol C	Tributo a Peret	Vocals on "Si Fulano"
2001	Vinicius Cantuária	Vinicius	Lyrics and vocals on "Rio"
2002	X-Press 2	Muzikizum	Co-writing and vocals on "Lazy", later rearranged and released on Grown Backwards
2004	10,000 Maniacs	Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings	Vocals "Let the Mystery Be", originally recorded for 1993's MTV Unplugged, along with cover versions of "Dallas" and "Jolene"
	Thievery Corporation	The Cosmic Game	Lyrics and vocals on "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter"
2005	Fischerspooner	Odyssey	Lyrics on "Get Confused"
2006	Forro in the Dark	Bonfires of São João	Vocals on "Asa Branca" and "I Wish (Bundle of Contradictions)"
	La Portuaria	La Portuaria	Lyrics and vocals on "Hoy no le temo a la muerte"
2007	Baby Elephant	Turn My Teeth Up!	Vocals on "How Does the Brainwave?"
	Marisa Monte	Universo Ao Meu Redor	Vocals on "State of Liberty"
	David Shrigley	Worried Noodles	Vocals on "For You"
	Paul Van Dyk	In Between	Vocals on "Fall with Me"
2008	The BPA and Dizzee Rascal	I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat	Vocals on "Toe Jam"
2009	N.A.S.A.	The Spirit of Apollo	Vocals on "The People Tree" and "Money"
	Brazilian Girls	"I'm Losing Myself"	Vocals
2010	If By Yes	"Salt on Sea Glass"	Vocals on "Eliza"
	Maximum Balloon	Maximum Balloon	Vocals on "Apartment Wrestling"
2011	Arcade Fire	The Suburbs (Deluxe Edition)	Vocals on "Speaking in Tongues"
2013	Jun Miyake	Lost Memory Theatre - act-1	Vocals on "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes"
	Ryuichi Sakamoto	"Psychedelic Afternoon"	Re-recording of a 1994 collaboration; new lyrics and vocals
2014	Anna Calvi	Strange Weather	Vocals on "I'm the Man, That Will Find You (Connan Mockasin)" and "Strange Weather (Keren Ann)"
2016	De La Soul	And the Anonymous Nobody...	Co-writing and vocals on "Snoopies"
2022	Montaigne	"Always Be You" single	Vocals
		"Gravity" single	Vocals
2022	Son Lux	Everything Everywhere All At Once soundtrack	Co-writing and vocals on "This Is a Life"

As producer

Year	Artist	Release	Notes
1982	The B-52's	Mesopotamia	—
1983	Fun Boy Three	Waiting	—
1986	Various artists	Something Wild	Co-produced, also co-write and sang on "Loco de Amor"
1990	Margareth Menezes	Elegibô	"Canto pra Subir" and "Abra a Boca" also performs vocals
1995	Selena	Dreaming of You	"God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" also performs vocals and co-wrote

Compositions

• The Forest (1991) – orchestral music for the 1988 Robert Wilson theatre piece of the same name, released as an album.

Other projects

Byrne has released a handful of books, including Arboretum, a collection of sketches of some of his favorite trees, and The New Sins, a work about sin in the 21st century. He has also made several public art installations, speaking engagements on art and technology, and PowerPoint presentations. In addition to a recording career as a solo artist, he also founded the record Label Luaka Bop and Todo Mundo.

Notes

1. Music for Byrne's art presentation of the same name.
2. Music for Byrne's speaking tour and PowerPoint presentation of the same name.

References

1. "David Byrne Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
2. Australian chart positions:
   • Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 52. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
   • Everything That Happens Will Happen Today: "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 9 February 2010" (PDF). ARIA Charts. No. 989. February 20, 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2015 – via Trove.
   • American Utopia: "ARIA Chart Watch #464". auspOp. March 17, 2018. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
3. "Discografie David Byrne". Ultratop Flanders (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-09-15.
4. "Discography David Byrne". Italian Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
5. "Discografie David Byrne". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-09-15.
6. "Discography David Byrne". New Zealand Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
7. "Discography David Byrne". Swedish Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
8. "David Byrne". Official Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
9. "David Byrne Chart History: World Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
10. "Discography David Byrne". Portuguese Charts. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
11. "Various Artists: Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2022-04-01.

• Discography from DavidByrne.com
• Discography from Discogs
• further reading: Sytze Steenstra: Song and Circumstance. The Work of David Byrne from Talking Heads to the Present. New York and London: Continuum, 2010.