History YMMV / StopMakingSense

-->The overwelming impression throughout "Stop Making Sense" is of enormous energy, of life being lived at a joyous high.

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* CommonKnowledge: Most laypeople associate David Byrne's iconic Big Suit with the film's performance of "Once in a Lifetime", rather than "Girlfriend is Better"-- which it was ''actually'' worn for. The blame for this can be put on the film's parody in ''Series/MuppetsTonight'', which features Kermit the Frog covering "Once in a Lifetime" while wearing the Big Suit.

* FaceOfTheBand: David Byrne, who dominates pretty much the entire concert.

* BetterThanCanon: While the studio albums are by no means considered bad, fans generally agree that the versions of the songs heard in the film are arranged ''even better'' than on their parent albums.

* SignatureScene: "Girlfriend Is Better," where David Byrne dons the big suit. Of all the material from the film, this bit remains the most widely-recognized and widely-parodied (even by Byrne himself), to the extent where it appears on the theatrical poster and live album cover.

* MemeticMutation:
** The Big Suit.
** "Hi. I've got a tape I'd like to play."

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: The film had initial trouble finding a distributor out of the belief that it would be uncommercial.

* SignatureScene: "Girlfriend Is Better," where David Byrne dons the big suit.

* ValuesDissonance: David Byrne appears in blackface in the "self-interview." Granted, it seems to be more out of naivety towards the imagery's connotations than genuine racism, given that the black character he portrays doesn't exemplify any particular stereotypes (not to mention Byrne's own social consciousness as an artist and a public figure), but it's definitely something that wouldn't have been received as lightly today. In 2020, Byrne apologized for the appearance in [[https://reasonstobecheerful.world/i-am-one-of-our-stories/ a blog post]] as well as [[https://twitter.com/DBtodomundo/status/1300825718545436673 on Twitter]], admitting that the reason why he didn't address the matter for so long was because he genuinely forgot it happened, remembering it after a journalist brought it up in an interview.

** This may not be the only concert movie in which the band thanked their own crew and had them come on for a bow, but it was certainly the first.

* ValuesDissonance: David Byrne appears in blackface in the "self-interview." Granted, it seems to be more out of naivety towards the imagery's connotations than genuine racism, given that the black character he portrays doesn't exemplify any particular stereotypes (not to mention Byrne's own social consciousness as an artist and a public figure), but it's definitely something that wouldn't have been received as lightly today. In 2020, Byrne apologized for the appearance in [[https://reasonstobecheerful.world/i-am-one-of-our-stories/ a blog post]] as well as [[https://twitter.com/DBtodomundo/status/1300825718545436673 on Twitter]].

* ValuesDissonance: David Byrne appears in blackface in the "self-interview." Granted, it seems to be more out of naivety towards the imagery's connotations than genuine racism, given that the black character he portrays doesn't exemplify any particular stereotypes (not to mention Byrne's own social consciousness as an artist and a public figure), but it's definitely something that wouldn't have been received as lightly today. In 2020, Byrne apologized for the appearance in [[https://reasonstobecheerful.world/i-am-one-of-our-stories/ a blog post]].

* ValuesDissonance: David Byrne appears in blackface in the "self-interview." Granted, it seems to be more out of naivety towards the imagery's connotations than genuine racism, given that the black character he portrays doesn't exemplify any particular stereotypes (not to mention Byrne's own social consciousness as an artist and a public figure), but it's definitely something that wouldn't have been received as lightly today.

* SignatureScene: David Byrne in the big suit.

* {{Padding}}: While the impromptu performance of "Genius of Love," by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth's side project Music/TomTomClub, is by no means disliked, it's only there to kill time as Byrne changes into the big suit for "Once In A Lifetime". Weymouth, for what it's worth, seemed to agree with this sentiment, being horrified upon seeing it in the finished cut, resulting in an argument with Jonathan Demme that ultimately ended in the director's favor.

* {{Padding}}: While the impromptu performance of "Genius of Love," by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth's side project Music/TomTomClub, is by no means disliked, it's only there to kill time as Byrne changes into the big suit for "Once In A Lifetime."