(Credits: Far Out / Shervin Lainez)
Tue 23 December 2025 23:00, UK
The world of music would be a considerably bleaker place without the presence of David Byrne and his awkward sense of charm.
While his Talking Heads bandmates may have found him a much trickier customer to work alongside, there’s a sense of buoyant positivity that the art rock legend has always exuded, especially later in his life. Cutting the figure of a kindly grandfather who has lived a remarkable life producing some of the most innovative and groundbreaking music of his generation, and acting as a spokesperson for various unheard musical gems from around the world, Byrne remains an ever-fascinating creature.
The joy he has brought to the world through his own artistic contributions seems to have formed an inextricable link with his personality, and while his release schedule has reached a point of being few and far between rather than keeping to a rigorous pattern, he remains dedicated to carefully curating his own playlists for incredibly niche occasions, which he posts via his own website for followers to digest.
In September 2025, Byrne was fortunate enough to share with his circle of devoted cyber-fans that he was due to be wedded, and in celebration of the occasion, curated what he deemed to be the ultimate playlist for a celebratory dinner party, rich with songs from all corners of the world for any interested ears to dive into.
Commenting on how he devised this smörgåsbord of songs, he claimed that there were certain criteria that he wished to adhere to, so as not to spoil the atmosphere or be too overbearing. Given how the soundtrack to a dinner party, whether jubilant or solemn in nature, is meant to be part of the background enough to not drown out the merriment and conversation, yet interesting enough to spark discussion and raise spirits, Byrne’s choice seems not only fitting but unabashedly on brand for him as a person.
“I’m getting married this week and made an almost entirely instrumental playlist while our guests eat an amazing and spicy dinner,” read the blurb for the playlist. “My sense is that words and lyrics can be distracting – the ear goes to them, especially if it’s a song one knows. So, I opted for buoyant instrumentals that will create a hopeful and joyous atmosphere, and that folks can also ignore at the same time.”
There are plenty of fascinating inclusions in this list of 42 entries, which traverses everything from his contemporaries, global jazz fusion, classical music and even more modern excursions into 21st-century pop. While there’s little surprise in him opting to offer space to former collaborator Brian Eno, it’s a little more of a headscratcher to see the man responsible for ‘Once In A Lifetime’ doff his cap to Post Malone.
Also sitting pretty within the tracklist are the likes of avant-garde composer Moondog, who is flanked by modern jazz savant Sam Gendel and Mexican psychedelic rock outfit Cafe Tacvba in one of the most intriguing triptychs, while nods to other diverse selections such as Herbie Hancock, T Bone Burnett and Raymond Scott all add to the whirlwind charm of the playlist.
I trust that Byrne’s wedding party and dinner all went well, and if this playlist was murmuring in the background at a modest volume, then he and his guests are sure to have had a grand old time. Time for me to try it out as well, I guess.
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