Road to Nowhere

"Road to Nowhere" is a rock song written by David Byrne for the 1985 Talking Heads album "Little Creatures." It also appeared on "Best of Talking Heads", "", the "Once in a Lifetime" box set and the "Brick" box set. The song was released as a single in 1985 and reached on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and in the British, German and South African singles charts. It also made on the Dutch Top 40.
Production.
"I wanted to write a song that presented a resigned, even joyful look at doom," recalls David Byrne in the liner notes of "". "At our deaths and at the apocalypse… (always looming, folks). I think it succeeded. The front bit, the white gospel choir, is kind of tacked on, 'cause I didn't think the rest of the song was enough… I mean, it was only two chords. So, out of embarrassment, or shame, I wrote an intro section that had a couple more in it."
The video for the song was directed by Byrne and Stephen R. Johnson and features the band and various objects revolving, as if in their own "road to nowhere". It was nominated for "Best Video of the Year" at the MTV Video Music Awards 1986. Some parts were shot in the back yard and pool of actor Stephen Tobolowsky, who was co-writing Byrne's film "True Stories" at the time. Director Johnson re-used some of the effects techniques in award-winning videos for Peter Gabriel the following year: "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time".
Personnel.
Talking Heads
Additional Musicians