David Byrne Pays Tribute To Paramore With 'Hard Times' Cover

Talking Heads singer David Byrne has paid tribute to fellow US rockers Paramore after they honoured their idols with a rip-roaring cover of Burning Down The House.

Now, Byrne has repaid the favour with a cover of Paramore’s Hard Times (from their 2017 album After Laughter). Hard Times, a manifestation of vocalist Hayley Williams’ depression at the time, was masked by a Talking Heads-inspired beat and unique instrumentals.

Byrne has upped the original a notch, offering his signature, always familiar vocal and sticking to the song’s true arrangement—but with horns.

Byrne revealed that he’d cover Hard Times last month, writing on social media, “The band told me that their song Hard Times was inspired by Talking Heads, so I learned it and recorded my version of their great song with a horn section. This was fun!”

While the track is already on YouTube and streaming services, fans can pick up a physical copy of Byrne’s rendition of Hard Times with Paramore’s Burning Down The House exclusively as part of Record Store Day.

In response to Byrne’s cover of Hard Times, Hayley Williams wrote on her Instagram Stories:

Crazy to hear the guy who inspired the cadence and tone of these verses, singing them the way only he could. Talking Heads and the Stop Making Sense film drip-fed inspiration into the best moments of After Laughter which, for now, remains my favourite child (I know we’re not supposed to say those kinds of things).

Thanks David Byrne!!! Love, Hayley

Making Byrne’s cover even sweeter is the fact that it’s arrived on Hard Times’ seventh anniversary. You can check it out below.

Hayley no Instagram, sobre o cover de David Byrne de 'Hard Times':

"Uma loucura ouvir o cara que inspirou a cadência e o tom desses versos cantando-os da forma que apenas ele poderia cantar. Talking Heads e o filme Stop Making Sense inspiraram, gota a gota, os melhores momentos… pic.twitter.com/FyNuv4rVti

— Paramore Brasil (@paramorebrasil) April 19, 2024

Paramore’s cover of Burning Down The House will feature on the new Talking Heads tribute album, a collection of songs brought together by production company A24 (known for distributing the films Ex Machina and Everything Everywhere All At Once) and 16 artists.

Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute To Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense commemorates the 2023 re-release of Jonathan Demme’s iconic concert film, Stop Making Sense, and the 40th anniversary of its accompanying soundtrack album.

Paramore kickstarted the album, and Lorde followed with her Take Me To The River cover.