Planet Claire
| "Planet Claire" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The B-52's | ||||
| from the album The B-52's | ||||
| B-side | "Downtown" | |||
| Released | July 6, 1979 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1978-1979 | |||
| Genre | New wave[1] | |||
| Length | 4:35 | |||
| Label | Island, Warner Bros. | |||
| Writer(s) | Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland | |||
| Producer(s) | Chris Blackwell | |||
| The B-52's singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Planet Claire" is the second single released by The B-52's from their self-titled debut album The B-52's. The single was their second single to chart anywhere, at #43 in Australia and #24 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, along with album tracks "Rock Lobster" and "Dance This Mess Around".[2] The song resembles the Peter Gunn television show theme, and also Devo's adaptation of the theme. A possible influence is the song "Glass" by Joy Division from the album A Factory Sample, which not only incorporates the aforementioned Peter Gunn bassline, but also the syncopated guitar part (played on a synthesizer). "Planet Claire" was later covered by Foo Fighters; Fred Schneider also did the vocals on their cover.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by The B-52's, except where noted.| A-side | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Planet Claire" | Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland | Pierson, Schneider | 4:35 | ||||||
| B-side | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Downtown" | Tony Hatch, arranged by Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson | Pierson, C. Wilson | 2:57 | ||||||
Total length: |
7:30 | |||||||||
Personnel
- Fred Schneider: Vocals, walkie-talkie
- Kate Pierson: Keyboards, wailing
- Cindy Wilson: Bongos
- Ricky Wilson: Guitar
- Keith Strickland: Drums, percussion, all other sounds
Chart positions
| Charts (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report) | 43 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[ 3] | 35 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[2] | 24 |
In popular culture
Planet Claire is also the name of a rock musical encompassing songs of The B-52's. The plot involves a young girl named "Claire" who works in a dive bar called the "Love Shack." She is involved in a car crash that causes her to awake on Planet Topaz, where parallel versions of her friends back on Earth help her on a journey of self-discovery before she is returned home. It debuted in 2002 at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre in Frederick, Maryland, and was directed by Tad Janes, with costumes and choreography by Julie Herber. The musical was shown once more in 2004 at the Baltimore Theater Project, and was revived for a third time in Frederick in May 2010. The book of the musical was written by Tad Janes, Gené Fouché and Timothy King.
The instrumentals are featured in the film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.
The DreamWorks Animation movie Monsters vs. Aliens released in 2009 contains a version of the song covered by Les Deux Love Orchestra. This version is noteworthy as Les Deux Love Orchestra contains members of Henry Mancini's original "Peter Gunn" orchestra. Mancini is listed as co-writer on the track. The credits of the film also include the original B-52's version.
The Animation movie Paul released in 2011 contains this song.[4]
Canadian Thrash Metal band Obliveon released a cover of "Planet Claire" on an EP in 1998.
References
- ↑ Planet Claire review on Allmusic "One of the great album openers of the new wave era"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The B-52's awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – The B-52's – Planet Claire". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ Paul Original Soundtrack on Allmusic
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