Talk Shows on Mute
# Talk Shows on Mute

"Talk Shows on Mute" is a song by the American alternative rock band Incubus. It was released as the second single from the band's 2004 album, A Crow Left of the Murder..., and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #18 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and also peaked at number 16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.

## Background

The song has a mellow and stripped-down sound, with lyrics containing references to George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Lead singer Brandon Boyd says the inspiration for the song came to him while watching a talk show on an airplane.

"I was on an airplane when a talk show began playing on the TVs. I decided to start narrating for the people, which is a really great game if you're ever bored enough. I realized a time will probably come when television will watch us if we're watching it, if that hasn't already happened, figuratively or literally. It sounded like some sort of pseudo-Big Brother nightmare, so I wrote it down."

## Music video

The song's music video was directed by Floria Sigismondi, who also directed the band's "Megalomaniac" video. The video alludes to another George Orwell novel, Animal Farm. It depicts a world where animals have taken over, and the members of Incubus are shown on a talk show demonstrating "stupid human trix".

## Track listing

US/EU CD Single

* Talk Shows On Mute
* Wish You Were Here (Live In Osaka, Japan)
* Talk Shows On Mute (Live In Osaka, Japan)
* Hello - BBC Radio 1 Version

Yellow 7"

* Side A
* Talk Shows On Mute
* Here In My Room - BBC Radio 1 Version
* Side B
* Vitamin - Live "Bootleg" Version - Osaka, Japan
* Hello - Live "Bootleg" Version - Osaka, Japan

## Charts

| Charts (2004) | Peak Position |
| - | - |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 42 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 24 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 43 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard) | 16 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard) | 3 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard) | 18 |
