Talking Heads Mark 50 Years Since First Gig With ‘Psycho Killer’ Video

50 years to the day since their first live show, Talking Heads have unveiled the official video for their first charting single, ‘Psycho Killer.”

Released on Thursday (June 5), the clip marks the gold anniversary of the band’s debut performance at iconic New York City club CBGB. Opening for fellow New Yorkers the Ramones, the performance comprised just nine songs, including “Psycho Killer,” which would be released as their third single in December 1977.

Issued on debut album Talking Heads: 77, the single would become the group’s first to impact the Hot 100, reaching No. 92 in early 1978. However, it lacked any official visual accompaniment until now, with the Mike Mills-directed clip featuring Academy Award-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan navigating the mundanity of modern life as she slowly destabilizes.

“This video makes the song better,” the band wrote in a statement. “We LOVE what this video is NOT – it’s not literal, creepy, bloody, physically violent or obvious.”

Alongside the release of the video, Talking Heads have also announced the super deluxe edition of their second album, 1978’s More Songs About Buildings and Food, with the limited box set due for release on July 25.

Talking Heads lasted from 1975 until 1991, with their 16-year career resulting in eight studio albums. 1983’s Speaking in Tongues was their most successful, peaking at No. 15 on the Billboard 200, with lead single “Burning Down the House” giving them their highest-charting single when it reached No. 9 on the Hot 100.

Though the group would split in 1991, their final live performances would take place seven years earlier as part of the Speaking in Tongues tour in 1984. They would later reunite for one solitary performance for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Reports of “bad blood” between the group has been the stated cause behind no further reunions, though David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison did appear together for the first time since 2002 as part of the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 to celebrate the re-release of their Stop Making Sense concert film.

However, while this in-person reunion has left fans eager for a return to the live stage, the band seem less than eager to do so, with members even going so far as to turn down a reported $80 million offer for a series of shows in late 2023.

Watch Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” below.