I HATED this song for a lot of years.
There were few people more excited than me over the release of the Cosmic Thing album in 1989. You see, 1) I had been a fan of the band for years prior to this and 2) their first single, "Channel Z", was one of my favorite songs at the time. Also 3) it was their first album in four years, and the first since the death of Ricky Wilson
I purchased the album on cassette at a record store in Cheektowaga, NY, while on vacation soon after its release, and I was not at all disappointed. Top to bottom, every song was great. Even this one.
And then this song was released as the second single, and it was EVERYWHERE. Now, everyone was a fan of this quirky little band from Georgia that I had been a fan of for a very long time. This song was largely responsible for that, and I resented that for a very long time.
I grew out of that eventually. This song is one of the best illustrations of the three-part harmonies that make the B-52's great and unique. Plus, it's a song that you can't help but sing along with.
I will admit that I was not a huge fan of the single edit. Even though cutting out a few "bang bang"s might have seemed like a good idea, I do think it took something away from the song - the build-up to Cindy Wilson's famous line.
You know it. You just said it in your head. I don't need to.
I could not resist sharing this version that the band performed with Sugarland, making it a FIVE part harmony in spots. This is faithful to the album version and you can hear what I mean when I say that buildup is important. It makes the whole song better.
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