Breaking Down David Byrne’s History on the Billboard 200

The legend returns to Billboard’s charts this week with his first new album in seven years, 'Who Is the Sky?'

David Byrne has been a fixture on Billboard’s charts for nearly half a century. He arrived way back in October 1977 when his group Talking Heads snuck onto the Billboard 200 with its debut album, Talking Heads: 77. The set eventually climbed to No. 97 the following year and delivered the quirky classic “Psycho Killer,” the band’s (and Byrne’s) first Billboard Hot 100 hit (No. 92 peak in March 1978).

Fast-forward 48 years, Byrne is still achieving new chart milestones. His first solo album in seven years, Who Is the Sky?, arrives at No. 172 on the latest Billboard 200 chart (dated Sept. 20, 2025), becoming his 27th project to reach the chart (combining both his solo works and projects with Talking Heads). Here’s a look at his full Billboard 200 track record:

Artist Billing, Title, Peak Date, Peak Position
Talking Heads, Talking Heads: 77, 3/4/1978, No. 97
Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food, 11/25/1978, No. 29
Talking Heads, Fear of Music, 11/3/1979, No. 21
Talking Heads, Remain in Light, 12/6/1980
Brian Eno & David Byrne, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, 4/11/1981, No. 44
David Byrne, The Catherine Wheel, 2/13/1982, No. 104
Talking Heads, The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads, 5/22/1982, No. 31
Talking Heads, Speaking in Tongues, 10/29/1983, No. 15
Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense, 10/13/1984, No. 41
David Byrne, Music for the Knee Plays, 6/15/1985, No. 141
Talking Heads, Little Creatures, 7/27/1985, No. 20
Talking Heads, True Stories: A Film by David Byrne, The Complete Soundtrack, 11/8/1986, No. 17
Talking Heads, Naked, 5/7/1988, No. 19
David Byrne, Rei Momo, 11/18/1989, No. 71
David Byrne, Uh-Oh, 3/28/1992, No. 125
Talking Heads, Popular Favorites 1976-1992: Sand in the Vaseline, 10/31/1992, No. 158
David Byrne, David Byrne, 6/11/1994, No. 139
David Byrne, Feelings, 7/5/1997, No. 155
David Byrne, Look Into the Eyeball, 5/26/2001, No. 120
David Byrne, Grown Backwards, 4/3/2004, No. 178
David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, 1/24/2009, No. 174
Talking Heads, Same As It Ever Was, 5/30/2009, No. 73
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love, 4/24/2010, No. 96
David Byrne & St. Vincent, Love This Giant, 9/29/2012, No. 23
David Byrne, American Utopia, 3/24/2018, No. 3
Talking Heads, Live on Tour 1978, 4/26/2025, No. 73
David Byrne, Who Is the Sky?, 9/20/2025, No. 172

The chart debut for Who Is the Sky? was preceded by the set’s lead single, “Everybody Laughs,” featuring the Ghost Train Orchestra. It reached No. 2 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart in August, marking Byrne’s highest-charting track ever on the 29-year-old ranking.

The album also reaches the top 10 on several other charts: Indie Store Album Sales (No. 4), Vinyl Albums (No. 5), Top Current Album Sales (No. 9) and Top Album Sales (No. 10).

Byrne’s solo history stretches back to March of 1981, when his collaborative album with Brian Eno, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, debuted on the Billboard 200. Since then, he’s teamed up with everyone from St. Vincent and Mitski to Fatboy Slim and Paramore. But he reached a new career peak in 2018 when American Utopia reached No. 1 on multiple Billboard charts (Top Album Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Alternative Albums). It was just the second time in his career that he’d reached the top of a Billboard chart, the first being in 1992 when Talking Heads’ “Sax and Violins” ruled Alternative Airplay.

And while American Utopia (which won a Tony Award and earned three Grammy nods) was his last full album until now, he hasn’t exactly been in hiding. His song “This Is a Life,” with Son Lux and Mitski, appears on the Everything Everywhere All at Once soundtrack, which reached No. 82 on the Top Current Album Sales chart in 2022 and earned an Oscar nomination for best original song (he even performed the track at the ceremony with Stephanie Hsu). Then in 2023, he brought his 2010 album with Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love, to Broadway. The production earned him a Tony nomination for best original score the following year.

Byrne has been busy these last few years! And now Who Is the Sky? is the latest chapter.