Introduction
During the Talking Heads’ Remain In Light tour, which took the band across the US and Europe from August through December 1980, followed by a week in Japan in February 1981, the band members found themselves with some unexpected free time in their schedules. Enough time to record a funky rap single, perhaps?
Tom Tom Club
In 1981, the members of Talking Heads finally seemed to have some time to themselves. Their schedules were virtually empty. After losing a considerable amount of time securing the rights to the samples they had used, Brian Eno and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne released their fantastic collaborative album My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts in February 1981. Byrne then turned his attention to The Catherine Wheel, a soundtrack for a dance production of the same name. Guitarist Jerry Harrison was working on his debut solo album, The Red And The Black, while the rhythm section, married couple Chris Frantz (drums) and Tina Weymouth (bass), continued recording for their own project, Tom Tom Club, which they had started some months earlier.
The couple returned to the Bahamas, where they headed to Compass Point Studios, owned by Chris Blackwell of Island Records. Blackwell had always regretted never having been able to sign Talking Heads to his label. So when Frantz and Weymouth asked if they could have some studio time to record their own music, he was more than happy to oblige. In just three days, they recorded three rhythm-driven tracks: Wordy Rappinghood, Genius Of Love and Lorelei. They played the recordings for Blackwell. His response? “Great, make an album!”
Tom Tom Club – Chris Frantz & Tina Weymouth at Compass Point Studios
White rap
The idea was for Weymouth to sing, but she wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about it:
We recorded the music, and then Tina said, “I don’t really feel comfortable about singing” and I said, “but Tina you don’t have to sing, there’s this new thing called rap! You can just rap.”
Chris Frantz
Frantz’s suggestion to incorporate rap was an extremely innovative idea. At the time, hip-hop was still largely an underground phenomenon, despite the huge success of Rapper’s Delight in late 1979. Rap, or hip-hop, had emerged from the ghettos of American cities, particularly New York, and was predominantly a Black art form. Blondie’s Rapture would be released in early 1981 and go on to top the charts, becoming the first hit by a white act to feature rap. It wasn’t until the arrival of the Beastie Boys, Vanilla Ice and, above all, Eminem in the late 1990s that white rappers became a more familiar presence in the mainstream.
I’m not really a singer or a rapper. I had been a painter, I had been a guitarist, but I hadn’t been a wordsmith or a writer. So I felt exceedingly challenged. I thought, “oh, words, words, words!” and was just driving myself crazy, then I came up with the idea that it was going to be about words. I was trying to get beyond words, because words can become very mind limiting. Words have a crippling way of restricting what you think is possible. At that point it was our first and only song, so I wanted to say everything I felt at the time, in a three-minute track.
Tina Weymouth
The subject matter was already established, but a crucial second ingredient came about by chance when Weymouth and her sisters reminisced about a song they used to sing as children: the Moroccan children’s song A Ram Sam Sam. The sisters recorded themselves singing it together, and the chorus was born. The combination of the subject matter and the musical style they had chosen gave the song its title: Wordy Rappinghood.
The single was released in February 1981 and became a hit across Europe, reaching the top 10 in several countries and even cracking the top 3 in Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands. The song is infectious, funky, joyful, irresistibly danceable and utterly original. Tom Tom Club was born!
Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club – Ad
Genius Of Love
When the follow-up single, Genius Of Love, arrived in September 1981, it was becoming clear to many that Tom Tom Club was a new band to be reckoned with. Not only was their music incredibly funky, it was also innovative and would prove hugely influential. Inspired by Zapp‘s More Bounce To The Ounce, Genius Of Love is widely regarded as one of the greatest dance tracks ever recorded. It is also one of the most sampled songs of all time.
The song also pays tribute to several influential Black musicians, including George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Smokey Robinson, Bob Marley, Kurtis Blow, Hamilton Bohannon and James Brown. Sly and Robbie get a namecheck, too. They were fellow musicians working at Compass Point Studios, where they were recording Grace Jones’s Nightclubbing album.
The Genius Of Love single sold more than 100,000 copies in the US, despite being available only as an import from the UK. Sire Records stepped in to distribute the single in the US, as well as Tom Tom Club’s next album. Genius Of Love was included on the soundtrack to the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense, released in 1984.
Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
When the single Wordy Rappinghood was released, Frantz and Weymouth were still hard at work recording their album. For the remaining tracks, they received contributions from many of the musicians who had joined Talking Heads on their Remain In Light tour, including Adrian Belew.
According to various sources, Tom Tom Club’s self-titled debut album was released in the UK as early as June 23, 1981, although I haven’t been able to verify that date. In the US, it was released in October 1981. Alongside the two singles, the album featured six more tracks that established Tom Tom Club as an exciting new wave/dance act.
And what did Talking Heads frontman David Byrne think of Tom Tom Club, an album that was soon certified gold and has since gone platinum? Byrne remarked, “Well, that’s merely commercial music”, which was a rather dismissive and spiteful comment. However, Byrne did give Tom Tom Club their own moment in the spotlight during Talking Heads’ final tour in 1983–1984.
Review
Tom Tom Club gets off to an impressive start, opening with its two standout singles back to back. Any album that kicks off with two tracks this good, innovative, original and influential is an essential addition to any collection.
The album draws on a wide range of styles, including new wave, dance, reggae, Afrobeat, rock and funk. It’s an irresistible blend of influences, delivered in a way that is entirely unique to the band. Guitarist Adrian Belew experimented with his instrument, adding another dimension to the sound with his explosive bursts of guitar.
For me, Tom Tom Club is a perfect album that never fails to delight. Its cheerful optimism and, above all, the sense of freedom woven throughout the music make it an irresistible piece of music history. Even today, it sounds fresh and vital. An absolute must-listen!
Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club – Singles
Singles
The album spawned four singles.
- Wordy Rappinghood
(released in February 1981) - Genius Of Love
(released in September 1981) - On, On, On, On…
(released in January 1982, in Japan only) - Under the Boardwalk
(released in June 1982)
Songs
All songs written by Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Adrian Belew and Steven Stanley, unless stated otherwise.
- Wordy Rappinghood (Tina Weymouth, Lani Weymouth, Laura Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Steven Stanley)
- Genius Of Love
- Tom Tom Theme (Adrian Belew, Chris Frantz)
- L’éléphant
- As Above, So Below
- Lorelei (Tina Weymouth, Laura Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Adrian Belew, Steven Stanley)
- On, On, On, On…” (Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Adrian Belew)
- Booming And Zooming (Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Adrian Belew)
The cassette version of the album featured a cover of Under The Boardwalk (Kenney Young, Arthur Resnick) in place of Booming And Zooming, as well as a remixed version of Lorelei.
Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club (We Are The Members)
Musicians
- Tina Weymouth – vocals, bass, guitar
- Chris Frantz – drums
- Adrian Belew – guitar
- Monte Brown – guitar
- Tyrone Downie – keyboards
- Uziah Thompson – percussion
- Lani Weymouth, Laura Weymouth, Loric Weymouth – vocals
- Benji Armbrister or Kendal Stubbs – bass on Genius Of Love
After Tom Tom Club
In 1982, a revised version of the album was released, replacing the album versions of Wordy Rappinghood and Genius Of Love with their extended 12-inch versions. In June 1982, Tom Tom Club released Under The Boardwalk, a cover of the original by The Drifters. On later pressings of Tom Tom Club, the single replaced Booming And Zooming as the album’s closing track.
In 1983, Tom Tom Club released their follow-up, Close To The Bone. Musically, it continued along the lines of their debut, but it was less successful. The band went on to release four more studio albums: Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom (1988), Dark Sneak Love Action (1992), The Good, The Bad, And The Funky (2000) and Downtown Rockers (2012).
Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club – Ad
Availability
The online availability of Tom Tom Club’s music has been unpredictable. As far as I can tell, during the first half of 2026, almost all of the band’s music disappeared from streaming services. Perhaps it’s a rights issue, perhaps something else. Whatever the reason, it’s a shame that the early albums are no longer available, as they offer a unique glimpse into the very best that new wave had to offer. Hopefully, this will be resolved soon and the music, including the debut album Tom Tom Club, will be available again before long.
In closing
What do you think of Tom Tom Club as a band and Tom Tom Club as an album? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: The story of Tom Tom Club. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
