"big suit" and mimicking his dances from Stop Making Sense. In 2000, NPR named "Once in a Lifetime" one of the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century. In 2016, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed it as one of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll", and Malcolm Jack wrote in The Guardian that the song "is a thing of dizzying power, beauty and mystery [...] it sounds like nothing else in the history of pop." In 2018, the musician Travis Morrison appeared on NPR's All Songs Considered, where he selected "Once in a Lifetime" as a "perfect song" and said: "The lyrics are astounding; they are meaningless and totally meaningful at the same time. That's as good as rock lyrics get." In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "Once in a Lifetime" number 27 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 1989, Spin readers voted the "Once in a Lifetime" video the sixth-best of the 1980s. In 2003, the BBC critic Chris Jones described the "Once in a Lifetime" video as "hilarious" and "as compelling as it was in 1981". In 2021, Rolling Stone named it the 81st best music video. Personnel Talking Heads David Byrne – lead vocals, guitar Jerry Harrison – synthesizer, organ, backing vocals Tina Weymouth – bass, backing vocals Chris Frantz – drums Additional personnel Brian Eno – synthesizer, percussion, backing vocals Nona Hendryx – backing vocals Adrian Belew – guitar Charts Certifications References External links NPR interviews David Byrne on the occasion of the Once in Lifetime box set release on November 18, 2003 Talking Heads songs Songs written by David Byrne 1980 singles 1981 singles 1985 singles Songs written by Brian Eno Sire Records singles Song recordings produced by Brian Eno Songs written by Jerry Harrison Songs written by Chris Frantz Songs written by Tina Weymouth Live singles 1980 songs Music videos directed by Toni Basil