History Music / Naked

* MadonnaWhoreComplex: "Ruby Dear"

* PerformanceVideo: "(Nothing But) Flowers" meshes this together with a LyricVideo, featuring the band performing in a seafoam green room while the song lyrics appear atop the footage.

** Music/KirstyMacColl provides backing vocals on "(Nothing But) Flowers" and "Bill"; she would later sing backup on a number of songs on Music/DavidByrne's solo album ''Rei Momo'' thanks to her work on this album.

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* SpecialGuest: The album makes use of a wide number of guest musicians. The most notable of these are Music/TheSmiths' guitarist Music/JohnnyMarr and Music/KirstyMaccoll, who respectively provide guitar and backing vocals on "(Nothing But) Flowers"; [=MacColl=] was previously contracted to provide backing vocals on the Smiths' ''Music/TheQueenIsDead'', only to be replaced by a pitched-up Music/{{Morrissey}} after her parts were deemed unfitting.

''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 the official announcement of 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 retrospective compilation ''Popular Favorites: Sand in the Vaseline'' and its international-exclusive GreatestHitsAlbum counterpart, ''Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads''; the song was also released as a CD single to promote both 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.

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 African polyrhythms and the Latin {{funk}} instrumentation that Byrne developed an interest in during the latter half of the decade. 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 receive any kind of sales certification 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, and 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 at the end of 1991. Byrne would put out his solo sequel to ''Naked'', ''[[Music/UhOhDavidByrneAlbum Uh-Oh]]'', just months later.

* PerformanceVideo: "(Nothing But) Flowers" meshes this together with a LyricVideo.

* WorldMusic: Talking Heads' second foray into the genre, incorporating distinctly Latin rhythms and instrumentation; frontman Music/DavidByrne would explore this further with his solo albums ''Rei Momo'' and ''[[Music/UhOhDavidByrneAlbum Uh-Oh]]'' in 1989 and 1992, respectively, and would carry noticeable Latin influences in his following work.

''Naked'', released in 1988, is the eighth and final album by American AlternativeRock band Music/TalkingHeads. It was the band's first and only album to be released through Fly Records, a vanity label briefly used between 1988 and 1990 for two studio albums[[labelnote:*]]this one and ''Walk on Water'' by band member Jerry Harrison's "Casual Gods" side-project[[/labelnote]], three singles[[labelnote:*]]two of which were off of ''Naked'', and the third off of ''Walk on Water''[[/labelnote]], and a compilation of Brazilian folk songs put together by frontman Music/DavidByrne (which doubled as the debut release by his vanity label Luaka Bop). As with all of Talking Heads' albums since the ''Film/StopMakingSense'' live record in 1984, the Fly Records catalog was distributed by Creator/SireRecords in the United States & Canada and by Creator/{{EMI}} everywhere else until the rights outside of North America shifted to Creator/ParlophoneRecords in the wake of EMI's collapse.

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 African polyrhythms and the Latin {{funk}} instrumentation that Byrne had become interested in exploring. 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 receive any kind of sales certification 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, and 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.

''Naked'', released in 1988, is the eighth and final album by American PostPunk[=/=]NewWaveMusic band Music/TalkingHeads. It was the band's first and only album to be released through Fly Records, a vanity label briefly used between 1988 and 1990 for two studio albums[[labelnote:*]]this one and ''Walk on Water'' by band member Jerry Harrison's "Casual Gods" side-project[[/labelnote]], three singles[[labelnote:*]]two of which were off of ''Naked'', and the third off of ''Walk on Water''[[/labelnote]], and a compilation of Brazilian folk songs put together by frontman Music/DavidByrne (which doubled as the debut release by his vanity label Luaka Bop). As with all of Talking Heads' albums since the ''Film/StopMakingSense'' live record in 1984, the Fly Records catalog was distributed by Creator/SireRecords in the United States & Canada and by Creator/{{EMI}} everywhere else until the rights outside of North America shifted to Creator/ParlophoneRecords in the wake of EMI's collapse.

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}} instrumentation and African polyrhythms. 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 receive any kind of sales certification 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, and 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.

''Naked'', released in 1988, is the eighth and final album by American PostPunk[=/=]NewWaveMusic band Music/TalkingHeads. It was the band's first and only album to be released through Fly Records, a vanity label briefly used between 1988 and 1990 for two studio albums[[labelnote:*]]this one and ''Walk on Water'' by band member Jerry Harrison's "Casual Gods" side-project[[/labelnote]], three singles[[labelnote:*]]two of which were off of ''Naked'', and the third off of ''Walk on Water''[[/labelnote]], and a compilation of Brazilian folk songs put together by frontman Music/DavidByrne (which doubled as the debut release by his vanity label Luaka Bop). As with all of Talking Heads' albums since the ''Film/StopMakingSense'' live record in 1984, the Fly Records catalog was distributed by Creator/SireRecords in the United States & Canada and by Creator/{{EMI}} everywhere else until Sire reacquired the worldwide rights to the band's entire catalog in the wake of EMI's collapse.

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: The cover art, consisting of a kitschy framed chimpanzee portrait. The portrait seems to tie in with the Chinese proverb included in the liner notes, transcribed at the top of the page (though chimpanzees and other apes are not synonymous with monkeys). The cover art also appears to tie in with the frequent mentions of monkeys and chimpanzees in "The Facts of Life".

* 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.

''Naked'', released in 1988, is the eighth and final album by American PostPunk[=/=]NewWaveMusic band Music/TalkingHeads. It was the band's first and only album to be released through Fly Records, a vanity label briefly used between 1988 and 1990 for two studio albums[[labelnote:*]]this one and ''Walk on Water'' by band member Jerry Harrison's "Casual Gods" side-project[[/labelnote]], three singles[[labelnote:*]]two of which were off of ''Naked'', and the third off of ''Walk on Water''[[/labelnote]], and a compilation of Brazilian folk songs put together by frontman Music/DavidByrne. As with all of Talking Heads' albums since the ''Film/StopMakingSense'' live record in 1984, the Fly Records catalog was distributed by Creator/SireRecords in the United States & Canada and by Creator/{{EMI}} everywhere else until Sire reacquired the worldwide rights to the band's entire catalog in the wake of EMI's collapse.

* ConceptVideo: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ut5tHfbaJA The music video]] for "Blind" is one of the only two instances of this trope in Talking Heads' videography (the other being [[Music/SpeakingInTongues "This Must Be the Place"]]).

* WorldMusic: Talking Heads' second foray into the genre, incorporating distinctly Latin rhythms and instrumentation; frontman Music/DavidByrne would explore this further with his solo albums ''Rei Momo'' and ''Uh-Oh'' in 1989 and 1992, respectively, and would carry noticeable Latin influences in his following work.

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}} instrumentation and African polyrhythms. 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 received any kind of sales certification 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, and 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.

** "The Facts of Life"; at 6:25, it's just barely beaten out by "The Great Curve" from ''Music/RemainInLight'' (by '''one second''') for the position of the longest song in Talking Heads' oeuvre.

* [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys Everything's Better With Apes]]: The cover art, consisting of a kitschy framed chimpanzee portrait. The portrait seems to tie in with the Chinese proverb included in the liner notes, transcribed at the top of the page (though chimpanzees and other apes are not synonymous with monkeys). The cover art also appears to tie in with the frequent mentions of monkeys and chimpanzees in "The Facts of Life".

* LyricalDissonance: Appears on a number of songs throughout the album; "Blind", "(Nothing But) Flowers", and the last verse of "Bill" particularly come to mind.

* 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 in the twilight of vinyl as a mainstream format. Not long after the album's release, major labels would start phasing out LP releases altogether.
* 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 Kirsty MacColl]].

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

** "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, as per American federal regulations).

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Here we stand, like an Adam and an Eve..."'']]

!!Claimed he was a terrorist, claimed to avert a catastrophe; someone should'a told him that the trope stops here:

* EndOfAnAge: ''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).

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}} instrumentation and African polyrhythms. 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, and 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.

* 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 in the twilight of vinyl as a mainstream format.

* 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 in the mainstream twilight of the format.

Following the middling critical and fan reception of ''Music/TrueStories'' two years prior, the band decided to shake up their ever-malleable sound again, recorded around 40 improvisational jam sessions, and flew off to Paris to collaborate with a bevy of guest musicians. Lyrics and melodies were then written and recorded by Byrne back in New York.

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

* 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 {{Afrobeat}}-inspired polyrhythms, but opts for instrumentation more strongly rooted in Latin funk.

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

''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 the official announcement of 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.

* WorldMusic: Talking Heads' second foray into the genre, incorporating distinctly Latin rhythms and instrumentation; frontman Music/DavidByrne would explore this further with his solo albums ''Rei Momo'' and ''Uh-Oh'' in 1989 and 1992, respectively.

''Naked'', released in 1988, is the eighth and final album by American PostPunk[=/=]NewWaveMusic band Music/TalkingHeads. It was the band's first and only album to be released through Fly Records, a vanity label briefly used between 1988 and 1990 for two studio albums[[labelnote:*]]this one and ''Walk on Water'' by band member Jerry Harrison's "Casual Gods" side-project[[/labelnote]], three singles[[labelnote:*]]two of which were off of ''Naked'', and the third off of ''Walk on Water''[[/labelnote]], and a compilation of Brazilian folk songs put together by frontman Music/DavidByrne. As with all of Talking Heads' albums since the ''Film/StopMakingSense'' live record in 1984, the Fly Records catalog was distributed by Creator/SireRecords in the United States & Canada and by Creator/{{EMI}} everywhere else until Sire reacquired the worldwide rights to the band's entire catalog.

''Naked'', released in 1988, is the eighth and final album by American PostPunk[=/=]NewWaveMusic band Music/TalkingHeads. It was the band's first and only album to be released through Fly Records, a vanity label briefly used between 1988 and 1990 for two studio albums[[labelnote:*]]this one and ''Walk on Water'' by band member Jerry Harrison's "Casual Gods" side-project[[/labelnote]], three singles[[labelnote:*]]two of which were off of ''Naked'', and the third off of ''Walk on Water''[[/labelnote]], and a compilation of Brazilian folk songs put together by frontman Music/DavidByrne. As with all of Talking Heads' albums since the ''Film/StopMakingSense'' live record in 1984, the Fly Records catalog was distributed by Creator/SireRecords in the United States & Canada and by Creator/{{EMI}} everywhere else.

''Naked'', released in 1988, is the eighth and final album by American PostPunk[=/=]NewWaveMusic band Music/TalkingHeads. It was the band's first and only album to be released through Fly Records, a vanity label briefly used between 1988 and 1990 for two studio albums[[labelnote:*]]this one ''Walk on Water'' by band member Jerry Harrison's "Casual Gods" side-project[[/labelnote]], three singles[[labelnote:*]]two of which were off of ''Naked'', and the third off of ''Walk on Water''[[/labelnote]], and a compilation of Brazilian folk songs put together by frontman Music/DavidByrne. As with all of Talking Heads' albums since the ''Film/StopMakingSense'' live record in 1984, the Fly Records catalog was distributed by Creator/SireRecords in the United States & Canada and by Creator/{{EMI}} everywhere else.

''Naked'', released in 1988, is the eighth and final album by American PostPunk[=/=]NewWaveMusic band Music/TalkingHeads. It was the band's first and only album to be released through Fly Records, a Sire Records-owned vanity label briefly used between 1988 and 1990 for two studio albums[[labelnote:*]]this one and band member Jerry Harrison's ''Casual Gods''[[/labelnote]], three singles[[labelnote:*]]two of which were off of ''Naked'', and the third off of ''Casual Gods''[[/labelnote]], and a compilation of Brazilian folk songs. Outside the U.S. and Canada, Talking Heads were still distributed by Creator/{{EMI}}.

Following the middling critical and fan reception of ''Music/TrueStories'' two years prior, the band decided to shake up their ever-malleable sound again, recorded around 40 improvisational jam sessions, and flew off to Paris to collaborate with a bevy of guest musicians. Lyrics and melodies were then written and recorded by frontman Music/DavidByrne back in New York.

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}} instrumentation and African polyrhythms. 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.

* NewEden: [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]] in "(Nothing But) Flowers". While the narrator is at first happy at the garden paradise the Earth has become following an unspecified apocalyptic event, he quickly grows bored out of his damn mind, deprived of modern luxuries and longing for the days of "honky-tonks, Dairy Queens and 7-Elevens." By the end of the song, he outright ''begs'' to be freed from the GhibliHills he's become trapped in. Amusingly, "(Nothing But) Flowers" is placed just two songs after "Totally Nude", which at face-value ''embraces'' this trope.

''Naked'', released in 1988, is the eighth and final album by American PostPunk[=/=]NewWaveMusic band Music/TalkingHeads. It was the band's first and only album to be released through Fly Records, a Sire Records-owned vanity label briefly used between 1988 and 1990 for two studio albums[[labelnote:*]]this one and band member Jerry Harrison's ''Casual Gods''[[/labelnote]], three singles[[labelnote:*]]two of which were off of ''Naked'', and the third off of ''Casual Gods''[[/labelnote]], and a compilation of Brazilian folk songs.