“Rock Lobster” by B

"Rock Lobster" came out twice, and both times it was the B-52's announcing themselves. The band first put it out in April 1978 as their debut release, on DB Records, then recut it the next year for their self-titled debut album, issued by Warner Bros. in the US and Island in Europe and Japan. Singer Fred Schneider and guitarist Ricky Wilson wrote it: new wave made for the dance floor, the song that launched the band and one of their signatures ever since.

Critics took to it, and Rolling Stone ranked it No. 147 among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in December 2004. John Lennon said hearing it was what made him decide, in 1980, to start recording again after five years away. In Athens, Georgia, it even gave the professional ice hockey team its name, the Rock Lobsters.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.