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"Legal Tender" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the B-52's | ||||
from the album Whammy! | ||||
B-side | "Moon 83" | |||
Released | 1983 | |||
Recorded | 1982 | |||
Studio | Compass Point (Nassau) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:40 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Robert Waldrop | |||
Producer(s) | Steven Stanley | |||
The B-52's singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Legal Tender" on YouTube |
"Legal Tender" is the first single released by American new wave band the B-52's from their third studio album Whammy! (1983).
The lyrics of "Legal Tender" tell a story about counterfeiting American dollars by outfitting a basement with "heavy equipment" and learning to print bills because of rising prices. A companion music video was produced featuring Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson in wigs of many shapes and colors.
"Legal Tender" is an upbeat synthesizer-based track with a drum machine and hand-clap rhythm. The lead vocals are shared by Pierson and Wilson. The song appears as the opening track on the band's third studio album Whammy! , signifying that the band had altered their sound quite significantly for the album.
"Legal Tender" was performed live during the Whammy! tour, with Keith Strickland on synthesizer and with horn parts added.
The single was the band's third Billboard Hot 100 chart entry, peaking at #81. The song also reached #9 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, along with album tracks "Whammy Kiss" and "Song for a Future Generation."
The song was an airplay and club hit in Brazil in 1984, and was performed during the band's set at the 1985 Rock in Rio music festival. When the band toured Brazil in 2009 and omitted the song from their live set, fans chanted for them to play it. [3] Because of the song's popularity in Brazil, it appeared on the Brazilian version of Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation , on which it replaced "52 Girls." It was also included on the Nude on the Moon compilation some years later.
Chart (1983) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [4] | 81 |
U.S. Cashbox Top 100 | 81 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play [5] | 9 |
The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson (guitar), and Keith Strickland. Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985, and Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. The band has also added various members for albums and live performances.
Catherine Elizabeth Pierson is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52's. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the early years, as well as being a vocalist, Pierson was the main keyboard player and performed on a keyboard bass during live shows and on many of the band's recordings, taking on a role usually filled by a bass guitar player, which differentiated the band from their contemporaries. This, along with Pierson's distinctive wide-ranging singing voice, remains a trademark of the B-52's' unique sound. Pierson has also collaborated with many other artists including the Ramones, Iggy Pop and R.E.M. Pierson possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range.
Whammy! is the third studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on April 27, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in December 1982 and produced by Steven Stanley. The album spawned three singles: "Legal Tender", "Whammy Kiss", and "Song for a Future Generation".
Bouncing off the Satellites is the fourth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on September 8, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded in July 1985 and was produced by Tony Mansfield. Founding member and guitarist Ricky Wilson died of AIDS after most of the work on the album was completed, but a year prior to its release. The B-52's had gone on hiatus by the time Bouncing Off the Satellites was released, and it took three years for the band to recover from Wilson's death and release their next studio album, Cosmic Thing.
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Ricky Helton Wilson was an American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of rock band the B-52s. Born in Athens, Georgia, Wilson was the brother of fellow member Cindy Wilson. The B-52s were founded in 1976, when Ricky, Cindy, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland and Fred Schneider shared a tropical flaming volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant and, after an impromptu music session at the home of their friend Owen Scott III, played for the first time at a Valentine's Day party for friends. Wilson's unusual guitar tunings were a large contribution to the band's quirky sound.
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"Let's Go" is a song by American rock band the Cars, written by Ric Ocasek for the band's second studio album, Candy-O (1979). A new wave rock song, the song's hook was inspired by the Routers. The song's vocals are performed by bassist Benjamin Orr.
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"Roam" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's released as the fourth single from their fifth studio album, Cosmic Thing (1989). The vocals are sung by Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson, making it the only vocal track on the album without any vocal involvement from Fred Schneider. It is also the only track from the album in which the B-52's worked with a co-writer, Robert Waldrop, who penned the lyrics. Released as a single in 1989, "Roam" peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and entered the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.
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Pierson and Wilson sing about counterfeiting cash in the basement, using it as a feminist metaphor for outsmarting the patriarchy. (New Wave girls love to sing about stealing.)