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Legal TenderThe B-52's

Released: April 27, 1983

Songwriter: Kate Pierson Cindy Wilson Ricky Wilson (B-52's) Keith Strickland Fred Schneider Robert Waldrop

Producer: Steven Stanley

We're in the basement
Learning to print, all of it's hot
10-20-30 million ready to be spent
We're stackin' 'em against the wall
Those gangster presidents

Livin' simple and trying to get by
But honey, prices have shot through the sky
So I fixed up the basement with what I was a-workin' with
Stocked it full of jelly jars and heavy equipment
We're in the basement
10-20-30 million dollars, ready to be spent

Walk into the bank, try to pass that trash
Teller sees and says, "Uh-huh, that's fresh as grass"
See the street pass under your feet
In time to buy the latest model getaway Jeep

So I fixed up the basement
With what I was a-workin' with
Stocked it full of jelly jars and heavy equipment
We're in the basement

So I fixed up the basement
With what I was a-workin' with
Stocked it full of jelly jars and heavy equipment
We're in the basement
Learning to print, all of it's hot, all counterfeit

The B-52's

The B-52’s, (now stylized as The B-52s) are an internationally successful New Wave band also known for their campy fashion. The group’s original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson and Ricky Wilson. Originally, all members of the band played multiple instruments. However, after Ricky Wilson’s tragic AIDS-related death in 1985, instead of hiring a full-time replacement, Strickland transitioned to primarily playing guitar, and the band has used various other musicians for recording and touring purposes.

Their self-titled first album The B-52’s was released to critical acclaim in 1979, spawning the Canadian chart-topping hit “Rock Lobster”, which was also successful in Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK. Rolling Stone magazine later placed the album at #152 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Their second album, Wild Planet, released in 1980, spawned another minor US hit with “Private Idaho”. Whammy! followed in 1983, giving the band a third minor US hit with “Legal Tender”. Their fourth album, Bouncing Off the Satellites, was recorded and mixed but not yet released when Ricky Wilson died in October 1985. It was nearly a year before the album was released, in September 1986. It is the band’s only album that does not feature a picture of its members on the cover.

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