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Whammy! is the third studio album by New Wave band The B-52's, released in 1983. While not as successful as their two previous records, it spawned the underground hit singles "Legal Tender" and "Song for a Future Generation". It is also the only album to have all five original members of the band producing every song on an album.
The track "Don't Worry" is a cover of a song by Yoko Ono. It was removed from later pressings due to legal issues with Ono, who claimed the B-52's had not asked permission or paid her to cover her song. This is controversial; Ono's song, on the 1971 album Fly, is titled "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand in the Snow)" and is musically entirely different from the B-52's track. In fact, all the two songs have in common are the two-word "lyrics" — a repetitively chanted "Don't worry". While the legal fact that she had been credited would suggest she was entitled to profit, The B-52's had credited Ono with songwriting on the track probably more out of tribute than seriousness. On subsequent pressings, the song was replaced with "Legal Tender"'s B-side, "Moon 83" — a remake of their earlier track "There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)".
[edit] Track listing
- "Legal Tender" (The B-52's, Strickland, Waldrop) – 3:40
- "Whammy Kiss" (The B-52's) – 5:20
- "Song for a Future Generation" (The B-52's) – 4:00
- "Butterbean" (The B-52's) – 4:14
- "Trism" (The B-52's) – 3:23
- "Queen of Las Vegas" (The B-52's) – 4:40
- "Don't Worry" (Yoko Ono) – 3:58 / "Moon 83" (on later pressings)
- "Big Bird" (The B-52's) – 4:14
- "Work That Skirt" (The B-52's) – 3:48
[edit] Miscellanea
- Originally intended to be mixed into two continuous tracks, like the previous Party Mix! album, Warner Brothers vetoed this decision in favour of the more traditional track order.[1]
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Production
- Producer: Steven Stanley
- Engineer: Steven Stanley
- Assistant Engineer: Benji Armbrister, Dennis Halliburton
- Art Direction: Gene Greif
- Mastering: Ted Jensen
- Clothing/Wardrobe: Vikki Warren
[edit] Chart performance
[edit] References
- ^ Sexton, M - The B-52's Universe, The Essential Guide to the World's Greatest Party Band.
