History Music / Naked

* ReCut: LP versions of ''Naked'' knock some time off of "Totally Nude", "(Nothing But) Flowers", and "Big Daddy", and omit "Bill" altogether, due to the technical restrictions of the format compared to [=CDs=] and cassettes.

* VisualPun: The music video for "Blind" runs on one, anthropomorphizing the monkey wrench that tends to be figuratively thrown into one's works.

* WhiteVoidRoom: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the music video for "Blind", which occasionally cuts to footage of David Byrne singing and gesticulating at the camera in a solid black void. While [[ShirtlessScene shirtless]].

-->Chinese Proverb, quoted in the LP liner notes (as well as those of the 2005 remastered CD).

Produced by Steve Lillywhite (an in-demand producer at the time for his work with Music/{{U2}} and Music/PeterGabriel), the resultant album is a return to the formula fostered by Talking Heads' landmark 1980 album ''Music/RemainInLight'', combining PostPunk & NewWaveMusic with Latin {{funk}}. The album was positively received by critics, who considered it a much-needed return to form after ''True Stories''. It was also a moderate commercial success, reaching no. 19 on the Billboard album charts and going gold (sales of over 500,000 copies), the last Talking Heads album to be certified gold or platinum by the RIAA going by release order[[note]]The latest certification as of 2019 is a double platinum (sales of over two million) for the ''Film/StopMakingSense'' soundtrack in 1994[[/note]]. Fans, however, seem to be more split, with some considering it just as much a return to form as critics did, others considering it a sign of continued artistic stagnation. However, where exactly Talking Heads would go from here would be a question that would ultimately remain unanswered: the band dissolved shortly after the album's release, first claiming to be on hiatus before eventually confirming their split in 1991.

* NewSoundAlbum: Well, more "New Old Sound Album", if that makes sense. ''Naked'' returns to ''Music/RemainInLight'' and ''Music/SpeakingInTongues''[='=] signature blend of PostPunk & NewWaveMusic with international variations of {{funk}}, but opts for Latin funk rather than {{Afrobeat}}.

[[AC:Side A]]

[[AC:Side B]]

* AfterTheEnd: "(Nothing But) Flowers", which describes the aftermath of an unspecified apocalyptic event that caused Earth to revert to a NewEden.

* DownerEnding: "Cool Water", a dour, droning, minor-key piece about the surprisingly mundane guise that societal decay bears.

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: "(Nothing But) Flowers" claims that part of the reason why the world ended was because people simply didn't pay attention to it.

* EndOfAnEra: ''Naked'' served as the last major breath of the worldbeat boom, a movement Talking Heads themselves helped kick off; the album was released just two years after ''Music/{{Graceland}}'' by Music/PaulSimon, which had attracted major public controversy over Simon's production of the album in South Africa during a United Nations-led cultural embargo against the nation, souring public perception of worldbeat. After ''Naked'', no other worldbeat albums would reach a high level of public prominence, and ''Naked'' itself would become Talking Heads' most obscure studio album despite being positively received by critics. The album would also unofficially mark the end of Talking Heads themselves, as the band split right after its completion (though they wouldn't announce it until 1991; the single "Sax and Violins" was released just before this announcement, and as such is frequently considered the band's ''official'' GrandFinale).

* BookEnds: An odd example with ''Music/TalkingHeads77'', the band's first album; both it and ''Naked'' were released in a year where the last and second-to-last digits were identical (1977 for ''Talking Heads: 77'', 1988 for ''Naked''). Both albums also make heavy use of red on their front covers (though this could be attributed more to red being a general ColorMotif for Creator/DavidByrne).

* BookEnds: An odd example with ''Music/TalkingHeads77'', the band's first album; both it and ''Naked'' were released in a year where the last and second-to-last digits were identical (1977 for ''Talking Heads: 77'', 1988 for ''Naked'').

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Done InUniverse with "Mr. Jones", where the titular everyman is placidly ordinary back home but is treated as an A-list celebrity in the town where the song is set.
* IncrediblyLongNote: Done courtesy of David Byrne on "The Facts of Life".
* LyricVideo: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in the video for "(Nothing But) Flowers", which intersperses excerpts from the song lyrics atop [[PerformanceVideo footage of the band performing.]] In one instance, a "HEY!" is written on David Byrne's palm in black marker. Alongside Music/{{Prince}}'s music video for "Alphabet St." (also released in 1988), the one for "(Nothing But) Flowers" was considered highly innovative for its use of typographic overlays in this manner.
* LyricalDissonance: Appears on a number of songs throughout the album; "Blind", "(Nothing But) Flowers", and the last verse of "Bill" particularly come to mind.

** "(Nothing But) Flowers" namedrops Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, and 7-Eleven.

** The music video for "Blind" scathingly lampoons the 1988 American presidential election, depicting a sentient, malevolent monkey wrench being elected into public office and tormenting his audience. At the end of the video, the wrench is overthrown and tossed far into the distance. Tina Weymouth stated that the video is meant to be a parody of partisan politics in general, but the timing of its release indicates that it's directed particularly at the election.
** "The Democratic Circus" is quite clear about its distaste in the [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan Reaganist]] political scene of the time from the title alone (note that the album was released in March 1988, when Reagan was still president; UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush wouldn't be elected until November, and wouldn't actually be inaugurated until January 1989).

''Naked'' produced two singles: "Blind" and "(Nothing But) Flowers". A promo single of "Mr. Jones" was also released, but was never made commercially available. In addition, three outtakes from the sessions would see completion in the years after ''Naked''[='s=] release. The first was "Sax and Violins", which would be included on the soundtrack to the 1991 Wim Wenders film ''Film/UntilTheEndOfTheWorld''. The song would also be released as a single that same year, serving as the final product released by Talking Heads before their dissolution; "Sax and Violins" is also included as a bonus track on the 2005 remastered release of ''Naked''. The second outtake, "Lifetime Piling Up", was completed for the 1992 [[GreatestHitsAlbum greatest hits albums]] ''Popular Favorites: Sand in the Vaseline'' and the ''Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads'' compilation released only in international markets; it was also released as a CD single to promote the compilations. The third outtake, "In Asking Land", was reworked into the song "Carnival Eyes" on Byrne's 1989 solo album ''Rei Momo''; the song in its original form wouldn't be released until 2003, when it was included exclusively on the ''Once in a Lifetime'' BoxedSet.

* EndOfAnEra: ''Naked'' served as the last major breath of the worldbeat boom, a movement Talking Heads themselves helped kick off; the album was released just two years after ''Music/{{Graceland}}'' by Music/PaulSimon, which had attracted major public controversy over Simon's production of the album in South Africa during a United Nations-led cultural embargo against the nation, souring public perception of worldbeat. After ''Naked'', no other worldbeat albums would reach a high level of public prominence, and ''Naked'' itself would become Talking Heads' most obscure studio album despite being positively received by critics. The album would also mark the end of Talking Heads themselves, as the band split after its completion.

* AllThereinTheManual: The liner notes detail the process of making the album.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite (an in-demand producer at the time for his work with Music/{{U2}} and Music/PeterGabriel), the resultant album is a return to the formula fostered by Talking Heads' landmark 1980 album ''Music/RemainInLight'', combining PostPunk & NewWaveMusic with Latin {{funk}}. The album was positively received by critics, who considered it a much-needed return to form after ''True Stories''. It was also a moderate commercial success, reaching no. 19 on the Billboard album charts and going gold (sales of over 500,000 copies), the last Talking Heads album to be certified gold or platinum by the RIAA going by release order[[note:]]The latest certification as of 2019 is a double platinum (sales of over two million) for the ''Film/StopMakingSense'' soundtrack in 1994[[/note]]. Fans, however, seem to be more split, with some considering it just as much a return to form as critics did, others considering it a sign of continued artistic stagnation. However, where exactly Talking Heads would go from here would be a question that would ultimately remain unanswered: the band dissolved shortly after the album's release, first claiming to be on hiatus before eventually confirming their split in 1991.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite (an in-demand producer at the time for his work with Music/{{U2}} and Music/PeterGabriel), the resultant album is a return to the formula fostered by Talking Heads' landmark 1980 album ''Music/RemainInLight'', combining PostPunk & NewWaveMusic with Latin {{funk}}. The album was positively received by critics, who considered it a much-needed return to form after ''True Stories''. It was also a moderate commercial success, reaching no. 19 on the Billboard album charts and going gold (sales of over 500,000 copies). Fans, however, seem to be more split, with some considering it just as much a return to form as critics did, others considering it a sign of continued artistic stagnation. However, where exactly Talking Heads would go from here would be a question that would ultimately remain unanswered: the band dissolved shortly after the album's release, first claiming to be on hiatus before eventually confirming their split in 1991.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite (an in-demand producer at the time for his work with Music/{{U2}} and Music/PeterGabriel), the resultant album is a return to the formula fostered by Talking Heads' landmark 1980 album ''Music/RemainInLight'', combining PostPunk & NewWaveMusic with Latin {{funk}}. The album was positively received by critics, who considered it a much-needed return to form after ''True Stories''. Fans, however, seem to be more split, with some considering it just as much a return to form as critics did, others considering it a sign of continued artistic stagnation. However, where exactly Talking Heads would go from here would be a question that would ultimately remain unanswered: the band dissolved shortly after the album's release, first claiming to be on hiatus before eventually confirming their split in 1991.

* EndOfAnEra: ''Naked'' served as the last major breath of the worldbeat boom, a movement Talking Heads themselves helped kick off; the album was released just two years after ''Music/{{Graceland}}'' by Music/PaulSimon, which had attracted major public controversy over Simon's production of the album in South Africa during a United Nations-led cultural embargo against the nation, souring public perception of worldbeat. After ''Naked'', no other worldbeat albums would reach a high level of public prominence, and ''Naked'' itself would become Talking Heads' most obscure studio album despite being positively received by critics.

* SpecialGuest: The album makes use of a wide number of guest musicians, most notably Music/JohnnyMarr (formerly of Music/TheSmiths), who performs guitar on "(Nothing But) Flowers" and has a guest role in the song's music video, as well as Music/KirstyMacColl.

* SpecialGuest: The album makes use of a wide number of guest musicians, most notably Music/JohnnyMarr (formerly of Music/TheSmiths), who performs guitar on "(Nothing But) Flowers" and has a guest role in the song's music video.

''Naked'' produced two singles: "Blind" and "(Nothing But) Flowers". A promo single of "Mr. Jones" was also released, but was never made commercially available. In addition, three outtakes from the sessions would see completion in the years after ''Naked''[='s=] release. The first was "Sax and Violins", which would be included on the soundtrack to the 1991 Wim Wenders film ''Film/UntilTheEndOfTheWorld''. The song would also be released as a single that same year, serving as the final product released by Talking Heads before their dissolution; "Sax and Violins" is also included as a bonus track on the 2005 remastered release of ''Naked''. The second outtake, "Lifetime Piling Up", was completed for the 1992 [[GreatestHitsAlbum greatest hits albums]] ''Popular Favorites: Sand in the Vaseline'' and the ''Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads'' compilation released only in international markets; it was also released as a CD single to promote the compilations. The third outtake, "In Asking Land", was reworked into the song "Carnival Eyes" on Byrne's 1989 solo album ''Rei Momo''; the song in its original form wouldn't be released until 2005, when it was included exclusively on the ''Once in a Lifetime'' BoxedSet.

* EndOfAnEra: ''Naked'' served as the last major breath of the worldbeat boom, a movement they themselves helped kick off; the album was released just two years after ''Music/{{Graceland}}'' by Music/PaulSimon, which had attracted major public controversy over Simon's production of the album in South Africa during a United Nations-led cultural embargo against the nation, souring public perception of worldbeat. After ''Naked'', no other worldbeat albums would reach a high level of public prominence, and it itself would become Talking Heads' most obscure studio album despite being positively received by critics.

* EndOfAnEra: ''Naked'' served as the last major breath of the worldbeat boom, a movement they themselves helped kick off; the album was released just two years after ''Music/{{Graceland}}'' by Music/PaulSimon, which had attracted major public controversy over his production of the album in South Africa during a United Nations-led cultural embargo against the nation, souring public perception of worldbeat. After ''Naked', no other worldbeat albums would reach a high level of public prominence, and it itself would become Talking Heads' most obscure studio album despite being positively received by critics.

* EndOfAnEra: ''Naked'' served as the last major breath of the worldbeat boom, a movement they themselves helped kick off; the album was released just two years after ''Music/Graceland'' by Music/PaulSimon, which had attracted major public controversy over his production of the album in South Africa during a United Nations-led cultural embargo against the nation, souring public perception of worldbeat. After ''Naked', no other worldbeat albums would reach a high level of public prominence, and it itself would become Talking Heads' most obscure studio album despite being positively received by critics.

* NewSoundAlbum: Well, more "New Old Sound Album", if that makes sense. ''Naked'' returns to ''Music/RemainInLight'' and ''Music/SpeakingInTongues''['] signature blend of PostPunk & NewWaveMusic with international variations of {{funk}}, but opts for Latin funk rather than {{Afrobeat}}.

* NewSoundAlbum: Well, more "New Old Sound Album", if that makes sense. ''Naked'' returns to ''Music/RemainInLight''[='s=] signature blend of PostPunk & NewWaveMusic with international variations of {{funk}}, but opts for Latin funk rather than {{Afrobeat}}.

** "(Nothing But Flowers)" namedrops Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, and 7-Eleven.

** The music video for "Blind" scathingly lampoons the 1988 American presidential election, depicting a sentient, malevolent monkey wrench being elected into public office and tormenting his audience. At the end of the video, the wrench is overthrown and tossed far into the distance.