If you’ve ever found yourself humming along to the upbeat, bouncy rhythm of Talking Heads' 1985 hit, you’ve probably felt that weird sense of "suburban bliss" it radiates. But if you actually sit down and look at the lyrics to and she was, things get trippy. Fast.
It’s not just a song about a girl looking at the world. It’s about a girl literally leaving the planet. Most people hear it as a sunny pop anthem, but David Byrne was actually channeling a very specific, slightly "trashy" spiritual experience he witnessed in Baltimore.
The True Story Behind the Lyrics to And She Was
Honestly, the origin story is better than any fan theory. David Byrne once explained in the liner notes for the Once in a Lifetime box set that he knew a "blissed-out hippie-chick" back in Baltimore. This girl had a very specific routine. She would drop acid—LSD, not the music genre—and head out to a field right next to a Yoo-hoo chocolate soda factory.
Think about that for a second.
You’ve got this industrial, rusty landscape of soda bottles and highway noise, and in the middle of it, someone is having a profound, out-of-body religious experience. Byrne called it a "tacky kind of transcendence." That contrast is exactly what makes the lyrics to and she was so compelling. It’s not a mountaintop in the Himalayas; it’s a backyard in Maryland.
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Levitation and the Yoo-hoo Factory
The opening lines set the scene perfectly. She’s lying in the grass. She can hear the "highway breathing." That’s a classic psychedelic observation—the way inanimate, industrial sounds start to take on a biological pulse when you're under the influence.
- The Factory: The "nearby factory" in the song is that real-world Yoo-hoo plant.
- The Elevation: When Byrne sings about her "starting to rise," he’s describing her sensation of levitating.
- The View: She’s looking down at the neighbor’s house, drifting through the backyard, and eventually "moving into the universe."
It’s a literal description of a trip. She isn't just happy; she is physically (in her mind) unmoored from the earth.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Meaning
A lot of listeners think this is a love song. It’s really not. Or, if it is, it’s a very detached one. Chris Frantz, the band's drummer, once mentioned that the song feels like it's written from the perspective of a guy who is watching this woman drift away and kinda wishes she’d just come back down to earth.
He’s in love with her, but she’s "upside-down" to him.
The bridge features a mysterious "him."
No time to think about what to tell him
No time to think about what she's done
Who is he? A boyfriend? A father? A worried neighbor? Byrne intentionally leaves that blank. It adds to that "missing person" vibe mentioned later in the track. When she’s up there, she’s part of the "world of missing persons," meaning she’s totally checked out of reality. And honestly? She’s "missing enough to feel all right."
The Music Reflects the Trip
The song doesn't just tell you about a trip; it mimics one. If you listen closely to the key changes, it’s actually pretty complex for a Top 40 hit. It starts in E major, but when it hits that bridge, it modulates into F major. Then, as she continues her ascent, it shifts again into G major.
It’s literally rising.
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The music is physically moving "up" the scale as the character moves up into the atmosphere. Most pop songs stay in one lane, but Talking Heads were never most pop bands. They used music theory to reinforce the narrative of the lyrics to and she was without the average listener even realizing they were being manipulated.
Why Little Creatures Was Different
By the time Little Creatures dropped in 1985, Talking Heads were moving away from the dense, polyrhythmic Afrobeat sounds of Remain in Light. They were embracing a more Americana, "normal" sound. But Byrne’s brain was still weird.
He took that Americana sound—the acoustic guitars, the steady 4/4 beat—and shoved these surreal, drug-fueled lyrics right into the middle of it. It’s the ultimate Trojan Horse. You think you’re listening to a catchy radio tune, but you’re actually hearing a detailed account of a hippie girl hallucinating near a chocolate milk factory.
Actionable Takeaways for Music Fans
If you want to appreciate this track on a deeper level next time it comes on the radio, try these three things:
- Listen for the "Breathing": Pay attention to the percussion in the first verse. It has a steady, rhythmic pulse that mirrors the "highway breathing" mentioned in the lyrics.
- Watch the Key Changes: Notice how the song feels like it’s "lifting" during the "She was glad about it" section. That’s the shift to G major.
- Contrast the Visuals: Re-watch the music video directed by Jim Blashfield. It uses a cut-out, Terry Gilliam-esque animation style that perfectly captures the "tacky transcendence" Byrne was talking about.
The lyrics to and she was remind us that beauty and spiritual breakthroughs don't need a cathedral. Sometimes, all you need is a field, a soda factory, and a very vivid imagination.
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Next Steps for Deep Diving:
To get the full 1980s Talking Heads experience, your next step is to listen to the "Extended Mix" of "And She Was." It highlights the rhythmic "pump" that critics at Spin raved about when the single first launched. After that, compare the suburban surrealism of this track to "Stay Up Late" from the same album to see how Byrne used Little Creatures to explore the strangeness of domestic life.