Talk Talk - 'Life's What You Make It'

For many years, the only song by Talk Talk I knew of was ‘It’s My Life,’ the megahit popularized by Gwen Stefani’s dynamic cover decades later.  Recently, though, I encountered the band’s lesser-known single, ‘Life’s What You Make It.” 

The track was released in 1985, but its sound was way ahead of its time.  Lacking a traditional pop hook, its structure is rather unconventional:  a shadowy piano lick repeats itself ad naseum, while Mark Hollis broodingly echoes the title, “Life’s What You Make It.”  Synth and guitar eventually complement the track, but it is otherwise a relatively bare bones production—at least when compared to other records of the time. 

Stream ‘Life’s What you Make It’ below: