Released: April 1, 1978

Songwriter: Ricky Wilson (B-52's) Fred Schneider

Producer: Chris Blackwell

[Verse 1]
Sca-do-ba-da, eww
Sca-do-ba-da, eww
(Sca-do-ba-da) We were at a party (Eww)
(Sca-do-ba-da) His ear lobe fell in the deep (Eww)
(Sca-do-ba-da) Someone reached in and grabbed it (Eww)
(Sca-do-ba-da) It was a rock lobster (Eww)

[Chorus]
(Ah-ah-ah-ah) Rock lobster
(Ah-ah-ah-ah) Rock lobster

[Verse 2]
Eww
Eww
We were at the beach (Eww)
Everybody had matching towels (Eww)
Somebody went under a dock (Eww)
And there they saw a rock (Eww)
It wasn't a rock (Eww)
It was a rock lobster (Eww)

[Chorus]
(Ah-ah-ah-ah) Rock lobster
(Ah-ah-ah-ah) Rock lobster

[Verse 3]
Rock lobster, rock lobster
Motion in the ocean (Hoorah)
His air hose broke (Hoorah)
Lots of trouble (Hoorah)
Lots of bubble (Hoorah)
He was in a jam (Hoorah)
He's in a giant clam! (Hoorah)

[Bridge]
Rock, rock, rock lobster!
(Ah-ah-ah-ah) Down, down...
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah

[Verse 4]
Sca-do-ba-da, eww
Sca-do-ba-da, eww
(Sca-do-ba-da) Underneath the waves (Eww)
(Sca-do-ba-da) Mermaids wavin' (Eww)
(Sca-do-ba-da) Wavin' to mermen (Eww)
(Sca-do-ba-da) Wavin' sea fans (Eww)
(Sca-do-ba-da) Sea horses sailing (Eww)
(Sca-do-ba-da) Dolphins wailing (Eww)

[Chorus]
(Ah-ah-ah-ah) Rock lobster
(Ah-ah-ah-ah) Rock lobster

[Verse 5]
Rock lobster, rock lobster
Hoorah, hoorah
Red snappers snappin' (Hoorah)
Clam shells clappin' (Hoorah)
Mussels flexin' (Hoorah)
Flippers flippin' (Hoorah)
Rock, rock

[Bridge]
Rock, rock, rock lobster!
(Ah-ah-ah-ah) Down, down...
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Lobster! Rock!
Lobster! Rock!
Let's rock!

[Breakdown]
Boys in bikinis
Girls in surfboards
Everybody's rockin'
Everybody's frugin'
Twistin' 'round the fire, havin' fun
Bakin' potatoes, bakin' in the sun
Put on your nose guard
Put on the lifeguard
Pass the tanning butter
Here comes a stingray
There goes a manta ray
In walked a jellyfish
There goes a dogfish
Chased by a catfish
In flew a sea robin
Watch out for that piranha
There goes a narwhal
Here comes a bikini whale! (AHHHHH)

[Outro]
Rock lobster (Lobster, rock lobster)
Rock lobster (Lobster, ah-ah-ah-ah)
Rock lobster (Lobster, rock lobster)
Rock lobster (Lobster, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah)
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah

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.