"Rock Lobster" is a song written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson, two members of The B-52s. It was produced in two versions, one by DB Records released in 1978, and a longer version, which was part of the band's 1979 self-titled debut album, released by Warner Bros. The song became one of their signature tunes, and it helped launch the band's success.
"Rock Lobster" was the band's first single to appear on Billboard's Hot 100, where it reached #56. A major hit in Canada, the single went all the way to #1 in the RPM national singles chart. Its follow-up was "Private Idaho," in October, 1980, which reached #74 in the U.S. It was well received by critics and was placed at number 147 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
Read more about Rock Lobster: Composition and Themes, Personnel, Chart Performance and Reviews, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the words rock and/or lobster:
“When we were at school we were taught to sing the songs of the Europeans. How many of us were taught the songs of the Wanyamwezi or of the Wahehe? Many of us have learnt to dance the rumba, or the cha cha, to rock and roll and to twist and even to dance the waltz and foxtrot. But how many of us can dance, or have even heard of the gombe sugu, the mangala, nyang’umumi, kiduo, or lele mama?”
—Julius K. Nyerere (b. 1922)
“I warn you, Jedediah, you’re not going to like it in Chicago. The wind comes howling in off the lake and gosh only knows if they ever heard of lobster Newburg.”
—Orson Welles (1915–1985)