Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime

The music video features a bespectacled David Byrne in a tight-fitting suit and bow tie, appearing out of breath but still dancing around, much like a marionette against a video representation of blue/green waving field, possibly a liquid (water). Speaking the lyrics he makes sudden jerking movements and flings his arms, taps his head and gets onto his hands and knees to make patting gestures near the floor. Later, against a blank white background, smaller video images of himself appear, behind him, dancing in perfect synchrony; in the foreground, he gets progressively out of sync with the rhythm of the song, as the background occasionally flashes with segments of old films with tribal dancing and ritualistic arm and body gestures, similar to his own. At the end a serene Byrne appears, dressed in white, but also chanting. The closing shot briefly sees the original Byrne, small against the entire video colourfield, apparently waving for help, but then fading into the "water".