10 Songs You Probably Didn't Know Were Inspired By Horror Movies
7. Talking Heads – Psycho Killer
The juxtaposition between the sound and subject matter of Talking Heads' fan-favourite Psycho Killer is what really makes it slice into the brain. That's right, this is that upbeat indie rock foot-tapper everyone knows and loves.
Taken from the band's debut album, Talking Heads: 77, Psycho Killer is about a psychotic murderer's struggles with daily life, awkwardly trying to communicate and situate himself in relation to others.
Though the subject matter is not hard to pick up, the source of it is far from obvious, as it is equal parts Heads' Scottish-American singer David Byrne and creepy motel owner Norman Bates.
Beset with physical comparisons to Norman Bates from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), it was only fitting that Byrne write a song embodying the contrast between this character and his own songs and personality. Further influences from the film came from drummer Chris Frantz' girlfriend and the band's bassist Tina Weymouth, who wrote the French section for the bridge, channelling Bates and his spying on and targeting of Marion Crane.
Don't worry - those Talking Heads wouldn't even harm a fly!