The B-52s Songs Ranked
The B-52s (styled as The B-52’s prior to 2008) are an American new wave band that was formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards), Cindy Wilson (vocals, percussion), Ricky Wilson (guitar), and Keith Strickland (drums, guitar, keyboards). Ricky Wilson died from AIDS-related illness in 1985, and Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. The band also added touring members for albums and live performances. The group evoked a “thrift shop aesthetic”, in the words of Bernard Gendron, by drawing from the 1950s and 1960s pop sources, trash culture, and rock and roll. Schneider, Pierson, and Wilson sometimes use call-and-response-style vocals (Schneider’s often humorous sprechgesang contrasting with the melodic harmonies of Pierson and Wilson), and their guitar- and keyboard-driven instrumentation composes their trademark sound which was also set apart from their contemporaries by the unusual guitar tunings used by Ricky Wilson on their earlier albums. The band has had many hits, including “Rock Lobster”, “Planet Claire”, “Private Idaho”, “Whammy Kiss”, “Party Out of Bounds”, “Wig”, “Love Shack” and “Roam”. Here are all of The B-52s songs ranked.
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20. Lava (The B-52s, 1979)
“My personal favorite of this album is Lava, it is groovy from beginning to end, the lyrics are fantastic (“I’m gonna jump into a crater.”/”See ya later.”). And really, how many songs have you heard that mention Krakatoa and manage to rhyme something with it without sounding forced?”
19. She Brakes for Rainbows (Bouncing Off the Satellites, 1986)
“I love this song. read once that it was written when one of the B52’s saw a homeless lady with a shopping cart that had a bumper sticker that said ‘I Brake for Rainbows’, and the homeless lady inspired this song.”
18. Moon 83 (Whammy!, 1983)
“This marks the point where Keith stopped playing drums and moved up to guitar & keys, effectively turning the band into a duo with three lead singers. Synths and drum machines are everywhere.”
17. Meet the Flintstones (Music From Bedrock: The Flintstones, 1994)
“Single unknown because not appearing on an album, but excellent!!! It’s delirious, creative, harmonious, and melodic. To put on a party to decince everyone.”
See more: The B-52s Albums Ranked
16. Good Stuff (Good Stuff, 1992)
“While it’s sad to be without all the original members, this album continues the tradition of at least one grand anthem and a solid set of fun dance / party music.”
15. Dance This Mess Around (Dance This Mess Around, 1990)
“Her voice reminds me a little bit too much of Patti Smith’s, especially in the beginning. There is something about women yelping that I like. I guess that’s why I make my mom scream all the time. Anyways, this song does it for me. Totally loving the vocals.”
14. Legal Tender (Whammy!, 1983)
“Just a nice little song about counterfeiting money… Actually I think it’s a very well constructed song when, combined with the synth is a great example of ’80s music. Great song!”
13. Party Out of Bounds (Wild Planet, 1980)
” think almost every B52s’ song with seemingly esoteric meaning has some sort of subtext. Party out of Bounds I think is referring to the government, making an analogy of running a party to running a country.”
12. Deadbeat Club (Cosmic Thing, 1989)
“Nowhere near the transcendence of their best work, but still enjoyable. It’s almost maddeningly slow – you can’t really dance to this – but presumably that’s the point. These deadbeats are such slackers that they can’t even play their dance music fast. Nice vocals by Kate and Cindy, though.”
11. Strobe Light (Wild Planet, 1980)
“Strobe Light” is the closest the B-52’s ever got to punk rock, though even with its frenetic pacing, it’s distinctly more in keeping with a warped post-punk vibe. The rubbery spy guitar riff is really exciting, and it’s a super fun track from start to finish. Gotta love it when Fred Schneider says he’s gonna kiss your pineapple. A show-stopper, it is.”
10. Song for a Future Generation (Whammy!, 1983)
“Song for a Future Generation” is my favorite B-52’s song by some distance and perfectly encapsulates all the reasons I love the band. It’s culled from their 1983 album Whammy!, which is the only time they ever did straightforward synthpop. As I grow older, I’m finding that Whammy! is probably becoming my favorite album they ever made, as the style just suits them so well. This song, basically a series of bizarre personal ads set to exuberant synthpop, is so unabashedly camp and never fails to lift my mood. “
9. Mesopotamia (Mesopotamia, 1982)
“This sure feels like it could’ve been a full album, I wish it was. I’m not sure what problems David Byrne and/or the studio had, I heard it had to with the change of sound cause I noticed there’s no surf rock added in but I think this one could’ve been as good as their debut. Their title track may be their best song ever.”
8. 52 Girls (The B-52’s, 1979)
“Yeah, Kate and Cindy has to be a reference to themselves which makes me think that the song could be about principal girls in the band’s life, who influenced them. But I also thought it could be people in the news from then also. In all, it’s a great song. As for the different version of the song, it just changes it entirely.”
7. Devil In My Car (Wild Planet, 1980)
“Don’t have a clue whether there’s a sub-conscious meaning to this song, all I know is that it’s an amazing song! Vocals are overpowering!”
See more: The Police Albums Ranked
6. Planet Claire (The B-52’s, 1979)
“I can’t tell you how many times I heard this song in high school — it was kind of an anthem for my little group of wannabe new-wavers, geeks and losers. Plus, best use of the Peter Gunn Theme ever (er, apart from the Peter Gunn Theme, of course).”
5. Give Me Back My Man (Wild Planet, 1980)
“This song is so tragic it can rip your heart out. Cindy is amazing and you can feel the passion and emotion in her voice as she sings”
4. Roam (Cosmic Thing, 1989)
“I remember this being the theme music to the Peace Corps. back in the day. Trying to get us dumbasses to join. What they don’t tell ya is how many women are assaulted sexually and killed in the countries that you pay your own way to”
3. Private Idaho (Wild Planet, 1980)
“Possibly my all time favorite B-52’s song. Great vocal performances from Fred, Kate, and Cindy. And of course great guitar work from Ricky. A fun, hoppin’ little record!”
2. Love Shack (Cosmic Thing, 1989)
“Ricky Wilson’s guitar is missed, but this is still an extremely fun and catchy tune. Not a bad place to start my introduction to the later works of the band.”
1. Rock Lobster (The B-52’s, 1979)
“I first heard this song when they were on Saturday Night Live, and Kate Pierson utterly and completely freaked me out, from her ‘noises’ to her moves to her hair. I remember going to bed and being completely freaked, dejected, repulsed, scared. Damn, dudettes, I was a weird kid.”