When it comes to the greatest concert film ever, “Stop Making Sense,” the song “Life During Wartime” is the indisputable highlight—and you should see it on the big screen.
Each time I rewatch it , I’m still struck by how immediately “Life During Wartime” gets going. Opening with the great Bernie Worrell on synth, Demme hints that this is going to be something special by then cutting to backup singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt thrusting themselves rigidly to the beat. Then, Demme cuts to a wide shot showing the full band: Byrne jogging in sync with Mabry, Holt, bassist Tina Weymouth, and live guitarist Alex Weir.
Byrne’s body is a vessel for his music throughout the entire film, but it is a veritable instrument in “Life During Wartime.” He throws his entire body back in time to the percussion; he lies on the ground and spasms like a dying ant; he literally runs laps around the entire stage during the song’s synth-solo bridge. And after all that——he immediately goes back to jogging alongside the rest of the band to finish out the song.
’s rendition of “Life During Wartime” is a pure-and-simple feat of physicality, musicality, and cinema. When I went to see the restored film myself recently, I had to glue myself to my seat to keep from bopping, jogging, and all-out sprinting in the theater, a la Byrne. But lord knows I, and everyone else there, wanted to. And when you go seein theaters yourself, I implore you to throw caution to the wind, get up, and dance. Maybe you can even learn how to shake those hips like Byrne.
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