Once In A Lifetime (track) by Talking Heads
Year: 1980
From the album Remain In Light (track #4)


Once In A Lifetime appears on the following album(s) by Talking Heads:
- Remain In Light (track #4) (this album) (1980)
- Stop Making Sense (track #6) (1984)
- Popular Favorites 1976-1992 - Sand In The Vaseline (track #14) (compilation) (1992)
- The Best Of Talking Heads (track #9) (compilation) (2004)
- Brick Box Set (track #37) (compilation) (2005)
- Once In A Lifetime - The Best Of (track #3) (compilation) (1992)
Condition: Brand New
Condition: Like New
Condition: Very Good
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Once In A Lifetime ratings

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av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this track. | Show all 808 ratings for this track.
Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
95/100 ![]() | 3 days ago | Bjartmar03 | ![]() | 80/100 |
90/100 ![]() | 09/17/2023 05:37 | Brigand99 | ![]() | 84/100 |
100/100 ![]() | 09/11/2023 01:25 | culwin | ![]() | 76/100 |
90/100 ![]() | 09/05/2023 08:24 | iasoninho | ![]() | 91/100 |
100/100 ![]() | 08/30/2023 21:04 | Oid | ![]() | 84/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 92.7/100, a mean average of 91.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 92.9/100. The standard deviation for this track is 13.0.
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Quite possibly the greatest pop song of all time
Perhaps the best song of 1980. Everything is right: lyrics, unconventional instruments for the lead, catchy chorus. Byrne and Eno pushing each other to a lonely height of pure genius.
Excellent song. Loved this song for years and still as powerful now
Such a catchy song. Even though it gets used in just about every movie, TV show, trailer, and commercial, it never gets old.
Same as it ever was
I'm not a lyric guy but the lyrics here are amazing.
Many artists who have a track on the level of something like Psycho Killer struggle to create another quite of the same caliber. Not Talking Heads. I've put a lot of thought into this and Once In A Lifetime might have a legitimate case for best song of all time. Utterly Brilliant.

Wow, that's all I can say is just WOW

Wonderfully weird, and a serious contender for best song of all time

The track that got me into Talking Heads
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