Released: July 6, 1979

Songwriter: Ricky Wilson (B-52's) Jeremy Ayers

Producer: Chris Blackwell

Effie, Madge, Mabel, Biddie
See them on the beach
Or in New York City
Tina, Louise, and Hazel and Mavis
Can you name, name, name, name them today
Can you name, name, name, name them today

Wanda and Janet and Ronnie and Reba, oh oh oh oh
These are the girls of the USA
The principal girls of the USA
Can you name, name, name, name them today
Can you name, name, name, name them today

Oh oh oh, Kate, Kate, Cindy and Crystal and Candy
Mercedes and Joan, Betty and Brenda
Suzie and Anita and Phoebe and Jack, Jackie, oh, oh oh oh
These are the girls of the USA
The principal girls of the USA

Can you name, name, name, name them today
Can you name, name, name, name them today
Can you name, name, name, name

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.