Remain in Light is the fourth studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on October 8, 1980 by Sire Records. The album was produced by Brian Eno, who also collaborated with the band's lead singer David Byrne on an experimental project called My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Remain in Light is widely regarded as a masterpiece of art rock and one of the best albums of the 1980s.

The album was inspired by the Afrobeat music of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, whose complex rhythms and polyrhythms influenced the band's approach to songwriting and recording. The band experimented with looping, sampling, and overdubbing techniques, creating dense layers of sound that blended different genres and influences. The album also featured guest musicians such as guitarist Adrian Belew, singer Nona Hendryx, and trumpet player Jon Hassell.

The lyrics of Remain in Light were mostly written by Byrne, who adopted a stream-of-consciousness style inspired by early rap music and academic literature on Africa. The themes of the album include identity, alienation, consumerism, and spirituality. The album's cover art was designed by bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz, with the help of MIT's computers and design company M&Co. The cover features a grid of red squares with four black-and-white portraits of the band members.

The album spawned two singles: "Once in a Lifetime" and "Houses in Motion". Both songs were accompanied by innovative music videos that showcased Byrne's eccentric persona and choreography. The album received critical acclaim for its sonic experimentation, rhythmic innovation, and cohesive merging of disparate genres. It also achieved commercial success, reaching number 19 on the Billboard 200 and number 21 on the UK Albums Chart.

Remain in Light has been influential on many artists and genres, such as hip hop, post-punk, new wave, world music, and alternative rock. It has been featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of all time, such as Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NME, and Time. In 2017, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its cultural, historical, or artistic significance.

William Ruhlmann @ AllMusic: The musical transition that seemed to have just begun with Fear of Music came to fruition on Talking Heads' fourth album, Remain in Light. "I Zimbra" and "Life During Wartime" from the earlier album served as the blueprints for a disc on which the group explored African polyrhythms on a series of driving groove tracks, over which David Byrne chanted and sang his typically disconnected lyrics. Remain in Light had more words than any previous Heads record, but they counted for less than ever in the sweep of the music. The album's single, "Once in a Lifetime," flopped upon release, but over the years it became an audience favorite due to a striking video, its inclusion in the band's 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense, and its second single release (in the live version) because of its use in the 1986 movie Down and Out in Beverly Hills, when it became a minor chart entry. Byrne sounded typically uncomfortable in the verses ("And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife/And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?"), which were undercut by the reassuring chorus ("Letting the days go by"). Even without a single, Remain in Light was a hit, indicating that Talking Heads were connecting with an audience ready to follow their musical evolution, and the album was so inventive and influential, it was no wonder. As it turned out, however, it marked the end of one aspect of the group's development and was their last new music for three years.