Paramore have released a cover of Talking Heads timeless anthem Burning Down The House.
The lead single from the freshly announced Talking Heads tribute record Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute To Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, Paramore's rendition maintains much of what made the original so magical, while allowing a little room for some trademark Paramore spark. As ever, Hayley Williams voice is at the forefront, with Williams exploring some grittier tones, while Taylor York and Zac Farro continue to display the impressive rhythmic chops that anchored their 2023 album This Is Why.
Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute To Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense will also feature contributions from some big names including Miley Cyrus, Lorde and The National.
Set to be released by film studio A24's new music division, Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute To Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense will feature “16 tracks from 16 artists". While it may seem an odd pairing at first, A24 acquired the rights to the celebrated Talking Heads concert film last year, running a new cut of the film in Imax format on select screens, to great fanfare. They will now issue their curated tribute record via A24 Music. See A24's Instagram post below for a full list of acts set to feature.
The Paramore cover was first teased last month when a video containing a snippet of the cover was posted on Paramore's Instagram account, sending fans who had been freaking out about the band's future into a state of joy.
In the video, Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams runs down a hallway in a big house with a parcel. When Williams opens it she finds a replica of David Byrne's iconic jacket from the Stop Making Sense cover art inside. Williams's bandmates Taylor York and Zac Farro can be seen playing their instruments in the house in the clip.
Once Williams has the jacket out and looks at it, she holds a cassette of Stop Making Sense up to the camera and says "I've got a tape I'd like to play you" before the snippet of Paramore's cover of the 1983 smash Burning Down The House can be heard.
The Burning Down The House cover is the first music released by Paramore since they became a fully independent band, following the end of their 20-year contractual partnership with Atlantic Records. The band who played their final shows of 2023 in Australia in December, had previously stated that there was a "degree of uncertainty" about their future following the ending of that contract, inspiring many fans to fear the worst. With the band now working on this project, it seems those fears are unfounded and we could instead be about to see the beginning of a new era for Paramore.
The band dropped a surprise remix album titled Re: This Is Why just before that Australian tour run. The album features reimagined versions of tracks from their latest studio album, This Is Why, released earlier this year.
The album has contributions by indie darlings Bartees Strange, Claud and Wet Leg; Paramore touring partners Foals, The Linda Lindas and Remi Wolf; jazz geniuses DOMi & JD Beck and alternative electronic wizards Panda Bear, Romy & Zane Lowe. The album also includes Paramore’s demo of the album track Sanity. Speaking on what inspired the release, Paramore frontperson Hayley Williams shares"We’ve long wanted to recognize the connection we have with some of the artists who’ve influenced us as a band and/or who have cited our band as an influence. Some of the songs have been remixed sort of classically, while others were reworked or rewritten. It’s incredible to hear all our worlds colliding.”
“We sent This Is Why - the record - out into the world early this year, with all its messages of disdain, distrust, and sobering self-examination. This is the reply."
This Is Why is the band’s most critically lauded release to date and the album’s title track gave them their first #1 at Alternative Radio in the US and was voted “Hottest Record Of The Year” by listeners to BBC Radio One in the UK.
The record scored numerous top 10 positions around the world including #1 in both Australia and the UK and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200.
Shop For Paramore Merch
Listen to Re: This Is Why
