[Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs #243]
Love Shack
| "Love Shack" | |||||||||||||||||
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| Single by The B-52's | |||||||||||||||||
| from the album Cosmic Thing | |||||||||||||||||
| B-side | Channel Z | ||||||||||||||||
| Released | 1989 | ||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Pop Rock, Post Punk | ||||||||||||||||
| Length | 5:20 | ||||||||||||||||
| Label | Warner Brothers | ||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson | ||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Don Was | ||||||||||||||||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | ||||||||||||||||
| The B-52's singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||
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"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 Modern Rock Tracks.
The song's lyrics describe an impromptu road trip (in a Chrysler "as big as a whale") along the Atlanta Highway to the "Love Shack", a fictional roadhouse where guests dance wildly to a jukebox. One of the guests in the video is the entertainer RuPaul.
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 in a fire.[2] The song acted as a comeback of sorts following the band's decline in popularity in the 1980s coupled with the death of their guitarist, Ricky Wilson, in 1985.[4]
The song received a number of accolades following its release. Named as one of the 365 Songs of the Century in 2001,[5] 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.
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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.[6] 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.[7]
UK single
- "Love Shack" (Edit) – 4:03
- "Love Shack" (LP Version) – 5:21
U.S. 12" 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[8] | 78 |
In popular culture
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This "In popular culture" section may contain minor or trivial references. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture rather than simply listing appearances, and remove trivial references. (August 2010) |
- The Simpsons episode E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt) features the B-52's performing a version of this song entitled "Glove Slap".
- "Weird Al" Yankovic used part of the song in the polka medley for his album Off the Deep End.
- The song is on the video game Karaoke Revolution Volume 3.
- The song is on one U.S. & one European title of the SingStar video game series.
- On the 2009 CMT Music Awards, country duo Sugarland performed the song along with the B-52's. The song appears on Sugarland's live album, Live on the Inside.
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.
- ^ 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.
External links
| Preceded by "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor |
Irish Singles Chart number one single March 8, 1990 |
Succeeded by "Brits Mix 1990" by Various Artists |
| Preceded by "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers |
RIANZ New Zealand number one single January 12, 1990 - February 2, 1990 |
Succeeded by "Welcome to Our World" by John Grenell |
| Preceded by "Come Anytime" by Hoodoo Gurus |
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single September 16, 1989 - September 30, 1989 |
Succeeded by "Sowing the Seeds of Love" by Tears for Fears |
| Preceded by "If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single December 23, 1989 - February 17, 1990 |
Succeeded by "Janie's Got a Gun" by Aerosmith |
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