In the run-up to his first, full-length project in seven years, ‘Who Is The Sky?’, David Byrne has released its second single, ‘She Explains Things To Me’.

The track follows its predecessor, ‘Everybody Laughs’, in taking a stripped-down, musical approach, with Byrne’s vocals distinct over a light instrumental, courtesy of Ghost Train Orchestra. 

The story in his lyrics is blatant and simple: she explains things to him. “She explains what a character really meant / What was their motive? What was their intent?”. He praises the woman for being all-knowing and supplementing his life with her wisdom. 

In a press statement, Byrne cites Rebecca Solnit’s book, Men Explain Things to Me, as inspiration for this release. Solnit’s collection of essays is responsible for popularising the term “mansplaining”, wherein men offer unsolicited explanations to women, assuming superior knowledge. ‘She Explains Things To Me’ reverses this concept as Byrne looks away from himself and instead looks specifically to a woman for knowledge, and is seemingly in awe of her intelligence. 

The guitar strums behind the former Talking Heads frontman’s voice create a cheery atmosphere, solidifying the song as a loving ode to a woman’s smarts. All in all, it’s a feminist hymn that sets an exciting precedent for Byrne’s upcoming album.