Once in a Lifetime

Brian Eno has admitted he misheard the original riff’s rhythm when he first heard the jam — and says he still mishears it to this day, counting the beat differently than the band did, giving the song “a funny balance” with “two centers of gravity.” The mistake became a defining, permanent structural feature. No lyrics reproduced.

Byrne’s call-and-response vocal was inspired by American radio televangelist sermons — he sat and listened, pulling phrases to craft the lyric. Jerry Harrison’s Hammond organ climax was lifted directly from The Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On.”