Naked (Talking Heads album)

Naked
Studio album by Talking Heads
Released	March 15, 1988
Recorded	August–December 1987
Studio	Davout, Paris, France Sigma Sound, New York City
Genre	Art pop worldbeat[1] funk[2]
Length	52:17 (CD) 46:56 (LP)
Label	Fly/Sire
Producer	Steve Lillywhite Talking Heads
Talking Heads chronology
True Stories (1986) Naked (1988) Popular Favorites 1976–1992: Sand in the Vaseline (1992)
Singles from Naked
"Blind" Released: August 1988[3] "(Nothing But) Flowers" Released: October 1988

Naked is the eighth and final studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on March 15, 1988, by Sire Records. Following the more straightforward new wave and pop rock sound on Little Creatures (1985) and True Stories (1986), Naked marked a return to the worldbeat stylings of both Remain in Light (1980) and Speaking in Tongues (1983), blending elements of Afrobeat, Latin funk, and art pop. The album's songs were formed from improvisational jam sessions recorded in Paris, which featured the participation of numerous guest musicians such as former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and singer Kirsty MacColl. Lyrics and vocals were then added in New York City following the Paris recordings.

Naked was positively received by critics, who viewed it as a return to form for the band following the mixed responses to True Stories; retrospective assessments, however, have been more lukewarm. The album was also a moderate commercial success, peaking at No. 19 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart, later being certified gold by both the RIAA and BPI. Following the album's release, Talking Heads officially went on hiatus, with its members focusing on various side-projects over the course of the next few years; frontman David Byrne would eventually announce in December 1991 that the band had dissolved.^[4]