In conjunction with The Criterion Collection’s special-edition DVD and Blu-ray release of David Byrne’s 1986 film True Stories, Nonesuch and Todomundo Records released a comprehensive soundtrack, collected for the first time in one package and in film sequence: True Stories, A Film by David Byrne: The Complete Soundtrack on vinyl LP, CD, and digital formats on November 23, 2018. The CD also is included with Criterion’s Blu-ray of the film.

David Byrne was inspired by tabloid headlines to make his sole foray into feature-film directing, an ode to the extraordinariness of ordinary American life and a distillation of what was in his own idiosyncratic mind. Byrne plays a visitor to Virgil, Texas, who introduces us to the citizens of the town during preparations for its Celebration of Specialness. As shot by cinematographer Ed Lachman, Texas becomes a hyper-realistic late-capitalist landscape of endless vistas, shopping malls, and prefab metal buildings. In True Stories, Byrne uses his songs to stitch together pop iconography, voodoo rituals, and a singular variety show.

Byrne calls the record “An immersive audio voyage into the little town of Virgil, Texas, in the mid-eighties.” He continues, “I always imagined that the music written for True Stories should be heard as it is in the film. It makes the most sense this way. Me singing the song that was written for John Goodman’s character, Louis Fine, always felt weird to me. It was written for that character, not for me.”

True Stories, A Film by David Byrne: The Complete Soundtrack includes twenty-three songs, many of which are on CD and digital formats for the first time:

• one previously unreleased version of Talking Heads’ “Dream Operator,” from the film, with Annie McEnroe on lead vocals;
• three songs from the film that have previously been released only on the Talking Heads sets Dual Brick or Bonus Rarities & Outtakes;
• five songs from the companion 1986 Talking Heads studio album True Stories;
• fourteen songs from the 1986 film soundtrack album Sounds from True Stories: Music for Activities Freaks—previously released only on LP and cassette—performed by a wide range of artists from Kronos Quartet to Meredith Monk to Pops Staples to John Goodman.

The full album track list is below. More information about the Criterion release—which features a new, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by director Byrne and cinematographer Ed Lachman, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, supervised by Byrne, along with several other rare items—is available at criterion.com.

True Stories, A Film by David Byrne: The Complete Soundtrack

1. Road Song – David Byrne, Meredith Monk *
2. Freeway Son – David Byrne *
3. Disco Hits! – David Byrne *
4. Cocktail Desperado – Terry Allen and The Panhandle Mystery Band *
5. Wild Wild Life – Talking Heads **
6. City of Steel – Talking Heads and Tommy Morrell *
7. Mall Muzak – Carl Finch *
8. Dream Operator (feat. Annie McEnroe) – Talking Heads, Annie McEnroe ***
9. Love Theme from True Stories – David Byrne *
10. Brownie’s Theme – David Byrne *
11. Dinner Music – David Byrne, Kronos Quartet *
12. Puzzlin’ Evidence – Talking Heads, John Ingle and the Bert Cross Choir **
13. Glass Operator – David Byrne *
14. Hey Now – Talking Heads, St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School Choir, Dallas, Texas **
15. I ♥ Metal Buildings – David Byrne *
16. Love for Sale – Talking Heads **
17. Soy De Tejas – Steve Jordan *
18. Buster’s Theme – Carl Finch*
19. Festa Para Um Rei Negro – Banda Eclipse *
20. Radio Head (feat. Tito Larriva, Steve Jordan with Los Vampiros) – Talking Heads, Tito Larriva, Steve Jordan with Los Vampiros ****
21. Papa Legba (feat. Roebuck ‘Pops’ Staples) – Talking Heads, Roebuck ‘Pops’ Staples ****
22. People Like Us (feat. John Goodman) – Talking Heads, John Goodman *****
23. City of Dreams – Talking Heads **

* Originally on Sounds from True Stories: Music for Activities Freaks
** Originally on True Stories
*** First time released (song originally appears on True Stories with David Byrne, lead vocals)
**** Song originally on True Stories; this version included on 2005 Talking Heads Brick set
***** Song originally on True Stories; this version included on 2006 Talking Heads Bonus & Rarities set