German band Bananafishbones released a cover the song in 2002.The song plays at the end credits of Christian Petzold's 2018 film Transit, based on Anna Seghers' novel of the same name.A cover of the song by Release the Sunbird was featured in the series finale of the television series Gossip Girl, as well as their 2012 album Imaginary Summer.A cover of the song was used in the Season 1 finale of Shameless.David Byrne sued for copyright infringement and, in a legal settlement, Crist issued a video apology for his improper use.
Senate in Florida, used the song in a campaign video without obtaining permission.
Director Johnson re-used some of the effects techniques in award-winning videos for Peter Gabriel the following year: " Sledgehammer" and " Big Time". Some parts were shot in the back yard and pool of actor Stephen Tobolowsky, who was co-writing Byrne's film True Stories at the time. Johnson and features the band and various objects revolving, including boxes revolving around David Byrne's head, as well as a couple growing older, masked businessmen pummeling each other with briefcases and a runaway shopping cart, as if in their own "road to nowhere". The video for the song was directed by Byrne and Stephen R. So, out of embarrassment, or shame, I wrote an intro section that had a couple more in it."
The front bit, the white gospel choir, is kind of tacked on, 'cause I didn't think the rest of the song was enough. "I wanted to write a song that presented a resigned, even joyful look at doom," recalls David Byrne in the liner notes of Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads.