Love Shack
"Love Shack" is a single by rock band The B-52's. Originally released in 1989 from their album Cosmic Thing, the single was the band's biggest hit song and first million-copy seller.[1] It was also the band's first song to reach the Billboard Top 40 charts, peaking at number three,[2] also reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart, and was number one for eight weeks in Australia and also number one on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Produced by Don Was,[3] the song's inspiration was a cabin around Athens, Georgia, complete with tin roof, where the band conceived "Rock Lobster," a single from their first album. B-52's singer Kate Pierson lived in the cabin in the 1970s, and the cabin existed until 2004, when it burned down.[2] "Tin roof...rusted," wailed by lead singer Cindy Wilson, was originally an outtake added to the track, and is perhaps the song's most memorable line. It has come to mean many things to different listeners.[4] The now famous drag queen RuPaul can be seen dancing in the music video. The song was a comeback of sorts following the band's decline in popularity in the early 1980s coupled with the death of their guitarist, Ricky Wilson, in 1985.[5]
The song received a number of accolades following its release. Named as one of the 365 Songs of the Century in 2001,[6] the video for the song received an award from MTV as the Best Group Video, and was named the Best Single of 1989 by Rolling Stone.[1] Additionally, it was ranked #243 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2006, it was also named as one of VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s, placing at #40.
Track listing
The single release contained various tracks depending on the country it was released in. The United States had a b-side of "Roam," a song that would later reach number three as well, and other countries had singles with either "Channel Z" or a live version of "Rock Lobster" as the b-side.[7] In 1998 and 1999, the single was released again with a number of remixes, including one by DJ Tonka, but the re-release did not chart in the United States, although it did enter the United Kingdom charts.[8]
UK single
- "Love Shack" (Single Version) – 4:20
- "Love Shack" (LP Version) – 5:21
U.S. 12" single / CD maxi-single
- "Love Shack" (12" Remix) – 8:00
- "Love Shack" (Remix/Edit) – 4:07
- "Channel Z" (12" Rock Mix) – 6:24
- "Love Shack" (12" Mix) – 6:10
- "Love Shack" (A Capella) – 3:56
- "Love Shack" (Big Radio Mix) – 5:31
Charts
| End-of-year chart (1990) |
Position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] |
78 |
In popular culture
See also
References
- ^ a b David Mansour, From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrews McNeel Publishing, 2005.
- ^ a b MSNBC: "B-52's 'Love Shack' burns down." December 16, 2004. URL accessed January 24, 2007.
- ^ Fred Bronson. Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits. Watson-Guptill, 2003.
- ^ Song, Facts. "Song Facts "Love Shack"". songfacts.com. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=692.
- ^ Richie Unterberger, Samb Hicks, Jennifer Dempsey. Music USA: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides, 1989.
- ^ CNN: "Songs of the Century". March 7, 2001. URL accessed May 23, 2009.
- ^ The B-52s Unofficial Discography: "Love Shack." URL accessed January 24, 2007.
- ^ The B-52s Unofficial Discography: "Love Shack 99." URL accessed January 24, 2007.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1990". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1990. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ Apple iTunes Intro - Part 1 on YouTube. Retrieved on March 2, 2011.
External links