Talking Heads celebrate 50th anniversary with new ‘Psycho Killer’ video starring Saoirse Ronan: “This video makes the song better”

Talking Heads have premiered the first ever music video for their iconic hit ‘Psycho Killer’ starring Saoirse Ronan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their live debut.

• READ MORE: Talking Heads: every album ranked in order of greatness

The band had been teasing an announcement via a brief clip of the moon at night and the sun emerging from behind the clouds, which they said would arrive today (June 5). Fans had been hoping they were teasing a reunion, but it ended up being different from what they were anticipating.

The video coincides with the 50th anniversary of the band’s live debut, where they opened for the  Ramones at CBGB on June 5, 1975.

Directed by Mike Mills, the video shows a young woman (Ronan) moving through her daily routine in her bedroom, kitchen, office and car, each day becoming a different version of herself. At points, she veers from content to furious to numb, sometimes spiraling into sudden outbursts or silences.

Check it out below:

“This video makes the song better- We LOVE what this video is NOT – it’s not literal, creepy, bloody, physically violent or obvious,” the band said in a press release.

Mills added: “This album literally changed what was possible in life for me, so to get to play with the subversive, uncategorizable beauty of Talking Heads, and to play with Saoirse who brought so much surprise, power, vulnerability and mischief to the party, it’s one of the best things I ever got to be a part of – still can’t believe it actually happened.”

Meanwhile, Ronan said: “To simply be mentioned in the same breath as Talking Heads is hands down one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me, let alone making a video with the singular Mike Mills to accompany one of their most iconic songs – ‘Psycho Killer’. I have grown up listening to their music, so this truly is a childhood/teenage/lifelong dream come true. Mike, myself and the rest of the creative team had so much fun making this, and I can’t wait for Talking Heads fans to see it!”

‘Psycho Killer’ was first released in 1977 and remains one of Talking Heads’ best known songs. It also became the first of their singles to chart.

Talking Heads haven’t performed together since 1984 and officially disbanded in 1991. While announcements from the line-up have been far and few between in the time since then, all four founding members – Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison, and Chris Frantz – did come together in 2023 for their first full reunion in 20 years.

That reunion was for the 40th anniversary of their iconic concert film, Stop Making Sense, and saw a wave of press appearances alongside a Q&A from director Spike Lee. This was followed by a tribute album that saw The National, Miley Cyrus, Paramore and more deliver covers of the band’s most famous tracks.

The band all unanimously said at various points during this time that a full-blown reunion was not on the cards, and reports said that the members rejected an offer of $80million from Live Nation to get back on the road.

Speaking to NME about a potential comeback, Frantz said: “I did try it a couple of times and the last time was about 20 years ago, and after that, David just said: ‘I never want you to ask me that question again. I’m not going to address that matter.’ It’s a shame and it is what it is.”

While plans for comeback shows have been dismissed, the members have been sharing a number of re-releases in recent years.

Last autumn they dropped a “super deluxe” edition of their 1977 debut ‘Talking Heads: 77’, and Record Store Day 2025 saw them share a live album from 1978 called ‘Live On Tour’. In December, the band also got fans talking when they made a guest appearance on the US gameshow Jeopardy! and asked contestants trivia questions about the band’s career.

As for his time away from the band, Bryne teamed up with Robyn at the start of the year for a surprise rendition of ‘Dancing On My Own’ at Saturday Night Live‘s SNL 50: The Homecoming concert. Before then, The Walkmen‘s Hamilton Leithauser revealed that the singer is working on a brand new solo album that he will feature on it.

As for Jerry Harrison, last year he confirmed that he would be joining forces with King Crimson‘s Adrian Belew to embark on a 2025 ‘Remain In Light’ UK and European tour.

The post Talking Heads celebrate 50th anniversary with new ‘Psycho Killer’ video starring Saoirse Ronan: “This video makes the song better” appeared first on NME.