David Byrne sings "(Nothing But) Flowers"

[orchidtender]

105 people were sacrificed for agriculture. 

[BlueSilverStars]

I'm not sure what kind of people would complain about this guy's voice. His voice and his style are unique. I hate to be one to bitch about today's music, but with all the autotune and what we're exposed to today, rarely do we get the chance to hear really distinctive voices

[AlohaBay]

Its not only the quality of his voice. He commands auditoriums full of people.

[TheSopranomama]

thanks for uploading.this reminds me of spongebob

[andreeaweed]

Passion makes the world go round. Love just makes it a safer place.

[isacpiau]

Sensacional artista !!!!!

Sem cométários . . .

Um gênio !!!!

[pattipie100]

Oh yeah...Needed a slight mood atleration. David can do it with most of his stuff. This song is growing on me. They all doxxxx Carry on David Byrne, you've been with me through alot days......siver and gold.

[frogger1017]

i wonder if david performed this right after bill gates did his "vaccines are great/depopulation" speech at this TED conference. it would make sense since the elite want us all dead and their dream is tio kill us all and have "nothing but flowers" .  i freakin love davids music but he is masonic scum who is working directly for our enemies!

[flapjackhank]

Very nice...

Except for the electric instruments I thought that the performance was very loose and relaxed, kind of organic. The music didn't interfere with the vocals and the words were complemented by the music. What a pretty song.

[goofybrassy]

I've been listening to them since the 70's...frying on acid, hiking thru the Alpine meadows of Europe...dancing in discos in Barcelona...at CBGB's in NYNY...and now in 2011...still resonant and wonderful...any shape or form...and I can never get Tina Weymouth's bass beat outta my mind!

[ElecticGuruofHotness]

i also believe that the many dislikes is because the song was butchered for time, if we recall the song in actuality is longer than three minutes

[ElecticGuruofHotness]

the people in the audience need a fuckin enema

[ElecticGuruofHotness]

just fuckin amazing, either you understand why its just amazing or you just dont get it!

[ArtCrimeLog]

Limited range, limited range. Of course screaming musical scales at the top of one's lungs to display one's vocal "ability", with no message whatsoever and even no comprehensible lyrics like aforementioned Christina Aguilera (sp?) is much, much more creative. David Byrne vs such artists is like a master vs. students who "really know" how to mix paint.

[StanleyCarpel]

Why does this have so many dislike?

[riverlifeva]

@StanleyCarpel because he refuses to play with the old band is my guess.

[poch333]

I think people have got so used to Autotune that they think a singer is bad if he's not using it.

[lawrencewraith]

I miss the Honky Tonks, Dairy Queens, and 7-Elevens

[Slicric13]

Much like Zappa, this guy loves experimenting with new sounds! 

[kpankh07]

Us talking heads love his voice

[Squrl0885]

shocked at the general disdain for his musical approach. I think it is different and does not carry a wide range of tones but that doesn't make it awful. I think it makes it appealing. You can focus on the lyrics and it doesn't sound out of tune with the music but rather fits nicely. I think that most of the "he sounds like a mental patient" responses are from people who are used to "vocalists" like Christina Aguilera who need to hit a full scale of notes for each word. Simplicity is wonderful.

[dalg101]

I think this takes an acquired taste to appreciate.

[orladin]

If you didn't like it 10 seconds in, why did you keep watching? Skip it if you don't like it. You think every single TED talk is going to be an amazing, enlightening experience?

[DeadWhiteButterflies]

Byrne's a legend. He really aged now. It's quite surprising. Loving the trippy psyhedelic Hawaiian sounds. Good to see he's still got it. Talking Heads reform please! XD

[latestranger]

He has really interesting eyes. 

[geoffreyphilip]

Retard

[justkarmatoo]

Lets face it. The message is good.

[prep4md]

I wish the "E" stood for education not entertainment.

[impalapez]

Brilliant!!! He's still got it!! Keep on performin!!!

[aPretentiousFilmKid]

This is better than the original.

[wuling09]

awww I wish he was wearing his crazy big jackets :)

[costumebot]

Love David Byrne but I still wish the Talking Heads were still together.  Stop Making Sense is THE best concert film ever.

[SolitaryWarrior]

Nothing special or new.

[bearswilleatme]

TED, you also seem to be a target for the american "I hate intellectuals" crowd. welcome to the future of a corporate controlled consciousness.

[bearswilleatme]

my, but the trolling has reached a fevered pitch on youtube these days. the man's a genius. he's on a different plane than most people. I like the video of him "playing" the empty building.

[sooperfukker]

1:40 unforgiveable crap :(

[DouglasDemocrats]

This is my all time favorite Talking Heads song... What happens to society after we abandon it all and how would we react?

[xaleus]

I liked it.

[RetardedFishyX]

LOVE<3

[fsswim1]

David Byrne i wanna burn down your house

[fsswim1]

Someone call the cops , this man just raped my ears

[KGR89]

Byrne just has an interesting performance voice. Go listen to his others and you'll see he sounds pretty much the same. Personally I find it dynamic and interesting.

[mbatistabrasil]

@KGR89 He is singing better than before.. Interesting!

[photographer85]

@rich0319726 how is he out of tune? I don't consider myself a student of music but to me it sounded great...

Perhaps you're just not used to his style :)

[costumebot]

@rich0319726 You obviously have been brainwashed by American Idol crap. Any of a bajillion people can sing. It takes a true artist to write and perform with real talent. BTW, don't bother listening to Tom Waits.

[nbarrasse]

just get the band back together David...you know its up to you.

[kissmybuttdimple]

GREAT SONG.. thanks TED.

[GuppyPal]

If he were to go on American Idol he wouldn't make it past the audition. I'm very open to new music, especially non mainstream stuff, but he's just not a great singer. I'm not trying to be mean or critical or anything; I'm just stating the facts.

[nbarrasse]

@GuppyPal

He knows hes not the greatest singer, he sings with feeling and emotion. He's said this is interviews many times when the talking heads first came out. Its not about what you hear sometimes its just what you feel...and he does that.

[costumebot]

@GuppyPal You obviously have a very limited view of great singing. That's your prerogative of course but you might want to expand your horizons beyond American Idol. No one who's ever been on that show is a real recording artist in the making.

[GuppyPal]

@costumebot I don't even watch American Idol. I was just using it as an example. And I listen to all music genres other than country (don't care for it). He has a very limited range... I'm not trying to be mean or condescending or anything. He just isn't as vocally talented as many vocal artists.

[yeldarbo]

Oh my... did not enjoy his voice....

[gaiabloke]

Most EXCELLENT !!! ...Thank you David et al

[JosephW99]

I have never heard of The Talking Heads, David Byrne or this song.........and now I know why

[qigong1001]

O boy, we need a retake of this one.

[BrokenBjartur]

He has a hard time singing that. Puts hella strain on his voice.

[hollium]

I quite like it, probably because I'm so used to listening to the Heads and the way he sings. Liking the fact that people are like "He butchered the Talking Heads!"

[jacobromu]

I dig this. Byrne is a hero of mine. I'm gonna go write a song.

[pezus420]

Ok before this I haven't heard of the song before. So I listened to the original by Talking Heads. And wow! He butchered a very nice song!

[tkherbi9a]

@pezus420 hahahahahaha

[hollium]

@pezus420 He is in the Talking Heads. He wrote this song.

[pezus420]

@hollium hahaha, you're right I looked it up. Idk his original sounds much better for some reason. I still can't believe it's the same singer!!!

[Hamandchees3]

What's everyone talking about. It sounded great! Great new take on a classic.

[Samsaptaka]

Definitely not Byrne's best performance.

[chopper753]

So shit...

Fuck you TED.

[financialcounselor]

This guy cannot carry a tune! It sounded so bad...

[financialcounselor]

Is it just me; or was David Byrne seriously flat? I had such a difficult time hearing this guy who cannot carry a tune. Please do better TED!

[otur1]

Great musician/man lousy vocalist...

[dusthat]

@otur1 That's the ironic attraction of David Bryne and the Talking Heads. Listen to "Once In A Lifetime" and hear the soulful plea for clarity of a man on the edge of an epiphany or a nervous breakdown. Same as it ever was!

[DavidSabine]

@otur1 And what of John Lennon, Mick Jaggar, Bob Dylan, Eddie Vedder?

[otur1]

@DavidSabine

You forgot to mention Björk (Bjork).

[peazythatsmeazy]

this guy does not have a good voice. sounds like a mental patient singing in the shower.

[theniclasridiclas]

@peazythatsmeazy the fact that you refer to David Byrne as "this guy" automatically discredits your opinion on any form of music. Before you say these types of things you might want to educate yourself.

[peazythatsmeazy]

@theniclasridiclas OR perhaps there's a little merit to someone hearing him for the first time and giving an opinion that is not influenced what is apparently a David Byrne bandwagon. Maybe this guy sings other songs that are good; if you recommend him I'll definitely check him out (I'm not close minded or an asshole). But here, he sounds bad.

[theniclasridiclas]

@theniclasridiclas yeah i would definitely recommend looking a little deeper into his work. also check out his wiki. having a unique voice has always been part of his appeal.

[peazythatsmeazy]

@theniclasridiclas cool. what are his good songs? i promise to keep my caustic comments to myself haha.

[theniclasridiclas]

@peazythatsmeazy yeah i would definitely recommend looking a little deeper into his work. also check out his wiki. having a unique voice has always been part of his appeal.

[strangebee]

The 'thumbs down' folk are douchebags. Just sayin'. 

[OneAlphaAi]

Hey I would like to state that Ted Talks has lost its soul. This was suppose to be a place where great intellectual minds got together and shared their information with the world in our global society? Sadly this site is dying, we need real intellectuals who can actually teach us something. I hope you get this and at least think about it, I have learned so much from Ted Talks and I was a frequent viewer and site visitor. Now I seldom visit your site and I only came here to type this message.

[kinsmed]

I'm not sure this is the best use of time of the world's greatest minds.

Ah, well. 3 minutes.

[hypock1]

lol what the.

i thought ted was about talks, not some random singing shiz

[d3st88]

@hypock1

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. Once in a blue moon the channel features a song. I can live with it, although, I didn't like this too much, it's just not my taste. You could've skipped watching this, just take a look at the title.

[JTlovesDexter]

To all the bone-heads who unsubscribed to T'E'Dtalks because of this video - none of you obviously listened to the lyrics to the song - there is a strong message there. Not to mention David Byrne is still quite 'E'ntertaining to this day ; )

[WalneyCol]

@wretcherwretch No, I unsubscribed because I didn't find it in the least bit entertaining, do you have a problem with that?

[hkdtech]

@WalneyCol I'm just curious (not trying to pick a fight):

1) Why did you post "unsubscribed"? (To be clear, I'm asking why you posted, not why you actually unsubscribed (which is abundantly clear now)).

2) Why did you ask wretchwretch if he had a problem with that?

[WalneyCol]

@hkdtech 1. to indicate to TED exactly where my breaking point was

2. because some people seem to think we ought to automatically worship TED no matter what rubbish they post.

[hkdtech]

Did you people who are knee-jerking that this video doesn't belong on T.E.D. forget what the "E" in T.E.D. stands for?

Entertainment.

I think one could easily argue that David Byrne was and is an entertainer. I think this was an interesting an creative rendition of the Talking Heads' song from 1988.

[crankycactus]

there is water at the bottom of the ocean...

[ParaParagon]

I didn't subscribe to some emo music channel?

Ideas worth spreading? Don'make me laugh, it's that this channel has once in a while some interesting videos, but this appears to be getting less.

FAILURE

[IndieTits]

46 people don't know what the E in TED stands for.

[WalneyCol]

*unsubscribed*

[wretcherwretch]

@WalneyCol

Why? Because TED broadcasted what happened at TED? Lol.

[guidi2005]

Wonderful

[piernic75]

Thumb down! Come on TED, do you think we're subscribing for that?

[Phyrexious]

Thumbs down for the music as usual.

Yes, you can call me close minded but I don't subscribe to TED for crappy hippy music.

Science bitches, it works.

[LtShock]

@Phyrexious You moron! Do you know what TED stands for??? Fucking whiny cunts. GTFO

[Phyrexious]

@LtShock

You might want to seek professional help with all that yelling and build up rage over a youtube comment.

The interweb is indeed serious business it seems!

[LtShock]

@Phyrexious Oh just get the fuck out you whiny bitch. You pathetic troll.

[Phyrexious]

@LtShock

23 huh? Hard to tell.

[ripporter]

Thanks! Great song!

I'd like to hear a lecture by Dolby or Byrne too!

[mrblisterfist]

David Byrne is a god damn marvel of musical goodness. The clapping idiots

seem to drain his magical energy. (IMO)

Eh, he seems a bit off...sufficiently o.k.

[fozziebear2009]

3:00 is that applause in appreciation? Or the kind you hear when people have just been liberated from a fucking nightmare?

[eatingperson]

I knew this was going to suck before I turned it on. TED hasn't EVER presented a quality set of music. Dude can't sing, he's just yelling. And the tune sucks ass.

[fozziebear2009]

@eatingperson Totally agree.

[mrblisterfist]

@eatingperson The Talking Heads were a rather celebrated and

successful band for many years. Perhaps you should check them out

before being so critical. (hey, he's getting old as well....give him a

break) Anyway, a fucking legend and musical genius.

~be well

[ericleb01]

@eatingperson I'm sorry you're so used to the shit that comes out of autotuned artists these days.

[eatingperson]

@ericleb01 Way to make assumptions. There isn't a second of autotune on a single track of music I own. In any case, no amount of studio magic would be able to improve this shit. It's fundamentally moronic.

[tabula123456]

@eatingperson

What's wrong with it? Just because YOU don't like it doesn't mean it's shit...i mean...do you REALLY think you're the judge of ALL music or something??...lol...I'm not very fond of it..but I wouldn't be such a dickhead as to say it's "fundamentally moronic"..I would say that *I* don't like it and that makes it a subjective personal choice.

[CultureJamtheNWO]

@tabula123456 Yeah but they don't like it because the guy has a terrible voice. Like really really bad, he has no tone or something and therefore doesn't sound good.

I'm no musician, but I know good when I hear it, and this is not good.

There's nothing "subjective" about something that isn't right, either it sounds good, based on tone, harmony, and all of the other components of good singing or it doesn't, this doesn't.

[orladin]

@CultureJamtheNWO Sounds great to me. It's actually rather ignorant to say it's not subjective.. Look at the diversity in music.

[NextToNothing123]

@eatingperson wow. RELAX.

[eatingperson]

@NextToNothing123 No man. So many TED talks are GREAT. To pretend like the music they present is of equal greatness is a crime against the art form. There is so much genius-level music out there (of all genres) that could be included along side these genius-level talks but all they ever program is BULLSHIT! So I'm not going to relax, I'm going to call them out on it. TED: your choice of music LICKS MY SWEATY SCROTUM. Scrounge up some taste.

[mike6459]

judging by some of the comments here...people have to stop watching American idle...your ears are malfunctioning...Byrne is a music genius. Also with all the shopping ghost malls across the US and Detroit clearing houses to grow food, this song is pretty prophetic

[colinlikeschapstick]

I LOVE David Byrne. He's brilliant. So cool he's on TED.

P.S. For those complaining, "E" stands for entertainment. This guy is a music legend! If that doesn't qualify, what does?

[TheEarthAbides]

Why is David Byrne singing on Ted? is this intellectual bad music?

[BBQPeanut]

@TheEarthAbides Entertainment?

[DrQuijano]

This is as bad as the TED Talks they have put up on Youtube for the past month. I like the Cowbell tho. It reminds me of this badass game Cowbell Hero.

[Danmill23]

I wrote an english paper on this song, MANY years ago.

[apocaRUFF]

I thought I wasn't going to like this, but surprisingly I did e_e

[invisblchzbrgr]

sorry to say, recorded version is better >_<

<3 David Byrne tho

[robin9k]

@invisblchzbrgr oops,, mistake haha sorry

[dootzky]

unsubscribed

[aerobique]

@dootzky

lol

[wdcsucks1]

with bill gates vaccines to reduce population maybe this song will turn into reality!

but really, this music piece sounds so broken and falling apart just like the New World Orders agenda!!!

[guyincognito84]

*SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE­*

[doomking94]

dam hippies

[apocaRUFF]

@doomking94 You're 16, how would you know anything about hippies?

[doomking94]

@apocaRUFF TV, school, general knowledge the usual stuff

[projectdenton]

@doomking94 HAha!

[S0chan]

Wow, that was... meh.

[adrinazario]

He looks very charming !!! I love him.

[hcortens]

this is terrible. absolutely terrible. unsubscribed

[apocaRUFF]

@hcortens We, the people of youtube, nor TED, do not care if you unsubscribed. Why did you feel the need to inform us of you stupidity? Did you want attention?

[hcortens]

@apocaRUFF nope. just a troll. and you sir, just got trolled. PWND

[CognosSquare]

Thats Dolby back on the keys.

[eatingperson]

@CognosSquare Must be friends with someone in charge of programming. There's absolutely no other reason for him to be on that stage.

[OregonCoastGhost]

@eatingperson Technology, Entertainment, and Design... David Byrne has been a pioneer of all three for over twenty years.

On a side note - for audio engineering nerds like myself, he's also a bit of a hero.

So, you might not dig his tunes, but there's a reason why people like him (or Imogen Heap) are asked to perform at TED

[paizlea]

@eatingperson I'm sure it has nothing to do with his decades-long influence on the arts. David Byrne is one of the great musicians of our time.

[CognosSquare]

@eatingperson yes its not like hes a skilled keyboardist that has a plethora of hits starting with 1982's "She blinded me with science".

[BLByline]

Yikes. Where did his voice go... now?

[dar482]

What cheesy lyrics. Christ me.

[SirPwn4lot]

David Byrne is amazing. Talking Heads is amazing.

[Vortex42]

Byrne is a superb singer - Always loved this song!

[LfunkeyA]

@IHHPCANADA

oh come on, don't hate

[LfunkeyA]

@IHHPCANADA

opinion. gotta love it.

[apocaRUFF]

@IHHPCANADA Technology Entertainment and Design.

Plus it's a large conference that is expensive to attend, of course they're going to have entertainment. You guys seem to become retarded when you complain about something that has to do with free videos that are provided to you for free. Did I mention that they were free and you didn't have to watch them? Well, just in case, it's free. And you don't have to watch them. You have eyes, you can read titles and descriptions.

[DrQuijano]

@apocaRUFF Actually, if you're invited to talk they waive the conference fee and pay for airfare and hotel stay.

[IHHPCANADA]

@apocaRUFF I've never debated in a comments section before, but I feel the need to defend my stance here, after being referred to as "retarded" and not a bit belittled.

If you're a big Talking Heads fan, which it appears you are, I apologize at my sincere suggestion that Public Enemy might have been more universally appealing and poignant. I understand that entertainment is part of TED but thought discussion of ideas about it were paramount - (IE: Harnessing the power of video gamers, etc.)

[apocaRUFF]

@IHHPCANADA I doubt you've never debated in the comment section before.

I had never heard this song, let alone the group, before today when I found this video in my subscriptions area of the homepage.

The point of my comment was to tell you not to complain about the content in TED. You have the ability and right not to watch a video if you don't agree with or like the content. You're free to suggest who you think should play at TED, I have no problem with it. What I had a problem with

[apocaRUFF]

@IHHPCANADA is that it seemed that you were complaining that the video was a song/performance rather than a "talk". And it seemed that you were saying that David Byrne didn't have a right nor reason to play at TED, as his music (to you) meant nothing.

I called you a retard because you ignored (what I thought were obvious) reasons that TED would not play the bands you like (at least not yet, anyways), you suggested bands without really thinking about it, and used your suggestion to bag on

[apocaRUFF]

@IHHPCANADA TED and David Byrne, neither of which deserves it.

What I'm trying to say, don't complain when there's nothing to complain about. You're just complaining because you want to complain. Like I said, TED isn't to your liking? To many performances rather than talks? You can skip the performances, or even stop watching TED. Don't like David? Don't watch this video, it says his name in the title. Want to see your bands played? Go to the TED site and suggest it.

[etzel33]

So who's that old guy on stage singing David Byrne songs?

[Katalyzt]

Interesting lyrics...

Katalyzt

[Schindlabua]

David Byrne is awesome.

Everytime I see him it always reminds me of when I first got Windows XP and found his song 'Like Humans Do' in Windows Media Player