From '' Fundamental Party Bop ''
Label: Not On Label -- TCREP-1
Format: Vinyl, 7\", EP
Country: Finland
Released: 1988
Tracklist
A1 Psycho Killer
A2 Too Drunk To Fuck
B1 Rock-A-Billy Jesus
B2 Rebel Rouser
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\"Psycho Killer\" is a song by Talking Heads from their 1977 album Talking Heads: 77, written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth.
The band's \"signature debut hit\" features lyrics which seem to represent the thoughts of a serial killer.
Allmusic calls it a \"deceptively funky New Wave/No Wave song ... [with] an insistent rhythm, and one of the most memorable, driving bass lines in rock & roll.
Other versions
The song has been recorded in cover versions by many bands including Brand New, The Features, Julie Christensen, Velvet Revolver, Bushwalla, James Hall, Rab Noakes, Cage the Elephant, Local H, Barenaked Ladies (on Buck Naked), Phish, Jason Isbell, Antiseen, Richard Thompson, Faker, Moxy Früvous, Terrorvision, Rico, The Faint, Bishop Allen, The Kransky Sisters, Victoria Vox, and Two Sheds.
A live version by Oh-OK appears on The Complete Recordings.
\"Psycho Killer\" has been covered a cappella by both The Flying Pickets and The Bobs.
An operatic version by Kate Miller-Heidke is played during the closing credits of an episode of Spicks and Specks, and a version in Polish (\"Psychobójca\") by Mariusz Lubomski.
Massachusetts-based band The Fools released a version with parody lyrics entitled \"Psycho Chicken\"; it was included as a bonus record with their major-label debut album Sold Out in 1980 and released in a live version on their 2003 live album The F In Beach Album.
The phrase \"A Psycho Killer/Well Qu'est-ce que c'est?\" is repeated in the song \"M & M\" by the band Pezz, who are now known as Billy Talent.
The Commodore 64 game \"Ghetto blaster\" features an enemy called \"Psycho killer\".
If he manages to catch the player, the screen displays \"Psycho killer, qu'est-ce que c'est? Duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh!\" (and then the game is over).
In the third episode of television show Flight Of The Conchords, \"Mugged\", a reference to \"Psycho Killer\" is featured in a line of dialogue, \"He's a Psycho Killer, Qu'est-ce que c'est?\".
Rapper Ice-T says that \"Psycho Killer\" was a starting influence for Body Count's controversial hit \"Cop Killer\".
In 2008, French Mash-Up Producer ToToM mixed \"Psycho Killer\" with MSTRKRFT's \"Bounce\" and is widely known as \"Psycho Bouncer\".
In 2008, Psycho Killer was included in the music video game Rock Band 2, developed by Harmonix Music Systems.
Pete Doherty covered the song during his performance at Glastonbury 2009.
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain performed their arrangement at the Royal Albert Hall in a concert broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 as part of The Proms season, 2009.
Kate Miller-Heidke has covered the song in performances, and had also completed a studio version.
In 2009 the song was also covered by Italian X Factor winner Marco Mengoni. The song was later included in his debut EP, Dove si vola.
The phrase \"Psycho killer, qu-est-ce que c'est?\" is also used to describe the character Juliet Sykes in Lauren Oliver's novel, Before I Fall, published in February 2010.
In popular culture
\"Psycho Killer\" is a playable song in the 2008 music video game Rock Band 2.
The song is featured in the Simpsons episode Treehouse of Horror XIX in the segment How to Get Ahead in Dead-vertising.
In one scene of the Heroes episode \"Building 26,\" Sylar is listening to this song on the radio.
The song is played over the end credits of 2006 slasher movie parody Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.
It was featured in the trailer for 2010 film \"Killers\"
It was also used for an advertisement for the AMC tv channel's Alfred Hitchcock marathon.
The song was featured in an episode of the American TV show St. Elsewhere.
In 2011, the song featured in the trailers for the Sky1 drama Mad Dogs
In the 2009 film Julie & Julia, the song is featured in the scene where Julie is attempting to cook a lobster.
