Song of the Day 10/20: Tom Jones and the Cardigans, “Burning Down the House”

I thought Jan. 6, 2021, made clear what the MAGA Republicans wanted to do to Congress, so the current House fire is no great surprise. I blame voters for handing them the matches.

The Talking Heads’ funkiest tune, inspired by a Parliament/Funkadelic concert, became their highest-charting U.S. single, No. 9 in 1983. But the song failed to chart in Britain until 1999, when Tom Jones resurrected it for his album of collaborations, “Reload.” His dance-club-inspired version, recorded in Sweden with Swedish band the Cardigans and their lead singer Nina Persson, wasn’t released in the U.S. – neither was the LP despite it topping the British charts – but the single reached No. 7 in the UK.

Here’s the live version from the Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense.”