The B-52s

The B-52s are a New Wave Band out of Athens, Georgia, the same birthplace of REM. They are most well-known for their quirky Sci-fi themed songs and beehive hairdos worn by the female members. The members are:

• Fred Schneider - vocals, cowbell, toy piano, glockenspiel
• Kate Pierson - vocals, keyboards, maracas
• Keith Strickland - guitar, drums, keyboards, programming, backing vocals
• Cindy Wilson - vocals, tambourine, bongos
• Ricky Wilson (deceased) - guitar

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Discography:

• The B-52's (1979)
• Wild Planet (1980)
  • both albums were later released as a single album called The B-52s/Wild Planet
• Party Mix (1981)--Remix Album
• Mesopotamia (1982)--EP produced by Talking Heads member David Byrne
  • Both were later released as a single album called Party Mix/Mesopotamia
• Whammy! (1983)
• Bouncing off the Satellites (1986)
• Cosmic Thing (1989)
• Good Stuff (1992)
• Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation (1998)--Greatest Hits album
• Nude on the Moon(2002)--A 2-disc anthology of previously recorded songs from between 1979-1998
• Funplex (2008)
• With the Wild Crowd(2012)--Live album

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The B-52s provides examples of the following tropes:

• A Good Name for a Rock Band: They're named after Kate and Cindy's trademark beehive hairdos.
• Author Existence Failure: Ricky Wilson died of AIDS in 1986, during recording of Bouncing Off the Satellites
• Beehive Hairdo: Was one of the band's calling cards in the 70s and 80s via Cindy and Kate.
• Call-and-Response Song: Pretty much most of their entire discography is this, with Kate and Cindy doing the response parts.
• Cloudcuckoolander: All five members, but Fred seems the goofiest.
• Cool Car: Fred describes one in "Love Shack": I got me a Chrysler, it's as big as a whale"
• Cut Song: Originally Whammy included a cover of Yoko Ono's "Don't Worry" without her consent. Under threat of lawsuit, it was replaced on subsequent copies by a re-recording of "There's A Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon).", but was still labelled as "Don't Worry." Fortunately, if you want to hear the cover, then YouTube is your friend.
• Did Not Do the Research: Shamelessly admitted in the song "Mesopotamia".
• The Eighties
• Precious Puppies: "Quiche Lorraine" is actually about a poodle who runs away from Fred Schneider, dumping him for a Great Dane. Fred gets his revenge by throwing away the key to her kennel.
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: "Cake", "Housework" and "Wig".
• Greatest Hits Album: Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation, released in 1998. Also has two new songs exclusive to it: "Debbie" and "Hallunicating Pluto".
• Intercourse with You: "Strobe Light", "Good Stuff", Deviant Ingredient" and "Love in the Year 3000."
• Instrumentals: "Work That Skirt", "Follow Your Bliss", and "The World's Green Laughter"
• Large Ham: Fred Schneider. Give him a mic and he will ham it up, even if the song doesn't need it.
• List Song: "52 Girls" is mostly a list of girl names.
• Mind Screw: "Detour Thru Your Mind"
• New Wave
• The Nineties
• Non-Appearing Title: "Legal Tender", "Moon 83". And by definition, all their instrumental songs count.
• Protest Song: "Juicy Jungle" and "Channel Z"
• Repurposed Pop Song: "Junebug" was used in a Target commercial. They also used the intro to "52 Girls".
• Self-Titled Album: Like many bands, their debut was this.
• Signature Song: "Rock Lobster", or arguably "Love Shack".
• Shaped Like Itself: "There's A Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)"
• The Something Song: "Song For a Future Generation", "Theme For a Nude Beach" also qualifies, since a song is also a theme.
• Title-Only Chorus: "Rock Lobster"
• Unusual Euphemism: "Strobe Light" has one: "Let me kiss your tummy/Let me kiss your pineapple!"
• Vocal Tag Team: Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, and Cindy Wilson.