Cool Water

Album: Naked (1988)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The last track on the last Talking Heads album, "Cool Water" finds David Byrne singing about a laborer who does backbreaking work day in and day out. It makes the point that the working class deserves the same dignity as the elites; when life is over, we'll all sit at the same table to drink.
  • Johnny Marr of The Smiths played guitar on this track and also on the song "(Nothing But) Flowers." Steve Lillywhite, who produced the album along with the group, brought him in.

    Marr says "Cool Water" is his favorite song on the album. He told Uncut: "That was something David [Byrne] and I built up one afternoon. I was playing and he was encouraging me and egging me on to try different things, miking up a semi-acoustic 12-string without putting it through the amplifier and putting it into weird tunings and drones. That in itself was really invigorating."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tim McIlrath of Rise Against

Tim McIlrath of Rise AgainstSongwriter Interviews

Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath explains the meanings behind some of their biggest songs and names the sci-fi books that have influenced him.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.