The B-52's

Call it bad
My bad my bad influence
Big town holds me back
Big town skins my mind
Small minds wear me down
Spreadading salt on fertile ground
Honest pleasures now forsaken
Drastic measures to be taken
Can't accept your difference
They call it bad influence

Free mind, free soul
It's time for liberation to flow
Free mind, free soul
It's time so let your future unfold

Call it bad
My bad my bad influence
Break out of the mold before the mold sets in
Dangerous walls are closin' in
They twist the truth
Then give it a spin
Love's a grenade, I'll pull the pin

Free mind, free soul
It's time for liberation to flow
Free mind, free soul
It's time so let your future unfold

The circle is wide
Shadows flower into the light
Bad influence
Bad such a bad influence

You think I'm bad
You think I'm bad
Well I'm the most fun that you ever had
So good, so good
But people say I'm a bad influence
Wide mouths, narrow minds
Can't accept your difference
Open season on new ideas
They call it bad influence

Free mind, free soul
It's time for liberation to flow
Free mind, free soul
It's time so let your future unfold

My bad my bad influence
Just a bad influence
My bad my bad influence
Call it bad
My bad my bad influence
Wide mouths with narrow minds
Narrow minds, creak and grind
Rally to a peaceful sound
Let the barriers tumble down
My bad my bad influence
My bad my bad influence
Break out of the mold before the mold sets in
Dangerous walls are closin' in
They twist the truth
Then give it a spin
If love's a grenade, better pull the pin!
Call it bad
My bad my bad influence

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.

more tracks from the album

Good Stuff

From the album

Good Stuff (1992)

The B-52's popular songs

Bad InfluenceThe B-52's

The B-52's

Good Stuff