"I Zimbra" is a song by the American rock band Talking Heads, released on February 7, 1980, by Sire Records as the second single from their third studio album Fear of Music (1979).
According to Sytze Steenstra in Song and Circumstance: The Work of David Byrne from Talking Heads to the Present (2010), the music draws heavily on the African popular music that David Byrne was listening to at the time.
Background The lyrics of "I Zimbra" are an adaptation of German Dadaist Hugo Ball's poem Gadji beri bimba.Fear of Music by Talking Heads (1979), album cover credits
The song was one of three songs (along with "Cities" and "Big Business") that were cut from the theatrical release of the 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense but were restored as a bonus feature for the 1999 DVD release.New York Times/Allmovie
Influence In an interview, Jerry Harrison named "I Zimbra" as his favorite Talking Heads song, and pointed out that the style of the band's next studio album, Remain in Light (1980), was indebted to the song's production style.
The song is used in the opening scene of the superhero film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). It is also in Byrne's stage musical American Utopia (2020), also filmed for theatrical release by Spike Lee.
Personnel Talking Heads David Byrne – guitars, lead vocals Jerry Harrison – keyboards, backing vocals, guitars Tina Weymouth – bass guitar, backing vocals Chris Frantz – drums
Additional musicians Brian Eno – electronic treatments, backing vocals Robert Fripp – guitar Gene Wilder – congas Ari – congas Hassam Ramzy – surdo Abdou M'Boup – djembe, talking drum Assane Thiam – percussion Julie Last – backing vocals
Charts + Sales chart peaks for "I Zimbra" Chart (1980) Peakposition U.S. Billboard Disco Top 100 28
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