In the early 1970s, bands knew their place. Pop music was catchy and didn’t stray far from love, while punk music was abrasive and deeply rooted in social politics. Bands stayed on one side or the other, each relegated to its fans and walls erected to keep the two separate.

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Then in 1978, the wall came down. The Talking Heads released “More Songs About Buildings and Food,” an album that would usher in the ’80s’ loose boundaries about what was an acceptable topic for a pop song.

The Talking Heads’ sophomore album infused intelligence and social poignancy into pop music that has remained a strong tenet of the pop-music aesthetic until a recent trend toward a more sensuous style of songwriting.

The success of “More Songs About Buildings and Food” opened the door for new wave music in the ‘80s, creating a wider acceptance for songs about avant garde art and an aversion to the accepted American lifestyle delivered over a wash of dance rhythms and spastic melodies.

Working with Brian Eno, producer for David Bowie, Devo and others, “More Songs About Buildings and Food” was as much a move forward in production as it was in songwriting. The album combines commentary on the accepted value system with strong melodies and concise songwriting to create a move in mainstream music toward intelligent pop music.

“I couldn’t live like that, no siree/ I couldn’t do the things the way those people do/ I wouldn’t live there if you paid me to,” lead singer David Byrne barks in his wavering falsetto at the end of “The Big Country.”

“More Songs About Buildings and Food” marks the inception of punk rock’s now-diluted message into the mass consciousness and raised the bar for other artists under the watchful eyes of culture at large.