Song · The B-52's
“Channel Z” by The B-52's
From the album Cosmic Thing (1989)
“Channel Z” by The B-52's appears on 15 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 1989 and 2023. It was first released in 1989 on the album Cosmic Thing. Its best result is #8 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1989. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #23 alternative song of 1989, #1,530 alternative song of all time and #167 of the '80s.
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"Channel Z" was the first single from Cosmic Thing, the B-52's fifth studio album, in 1989, and it's the party band in a sharper mood than usual. Fred Schneider later called it probably the most straightforward political song they'd done up to then, a look at the state of the country, delivered over a bouncing, surf-flecked groove. Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson and Schneider trade vocals, Keith Strickland handles guitar and keyboards with Pierson on keys too, and Charley Drayton sits in on drums. Don Was produced, and all four members share the writing credit.
Its first run was modest, even as it went to the top of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart that August. Once "Love Shack" and "Roam" broke big, it came back in 1990 with a fresh 12-inch mix, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine later heard it as a smart update of the classic B-52's sound.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 24 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1989 | 107 |
| 1989 | 8 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1989 | 90 |
| 1989 | 21 | Studio Brussel Flanders, Belgium | Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 1989 | 30 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 151 | 91X | 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989) | 191 |
| 1989 | 280 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) | 495 |
| 2002 | 1305 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 548 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2008 | 467 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 461 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 471 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 480 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 485 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 490 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2021 | 736 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2023 | 737 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
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