Legal Tender (song)

Last updated
"Legal Tender"
Legal Tender single.jpg
Single by the B-52's
from the album Whammy!
B-side "Moon 83"
Released1983
Recorded1982
Studio Compass Point (Nassau)
Genre
Length3:40
Label Warner Bros.
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s) Robert Waldrop
Producer(s) Steven Stanley
The B-52's singles chronology
"Give Me Back My Man"
(1980)
"Legal Tender"
(1983)
"Whammy Kiss"
(1983)
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).

Contents

Description

The lyrics of "Legal Tender" tell a story about printing counterfeit American currency, in which the protagonist outfits a basement with "jelly jars" and "heavy equipment", and learns to print money due to inflation and 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! (1983), signifying that the band had altered their sound quite significantly for the record.

"Legal Tender" was performed live during the Whammy! tour, with Keith Strickland on synthesizer, and horn parts added. The band has also performed the song on various occasions throughout the years.

Chart performance

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 a 1984 airplay and club hit in Brazil, and was included in the band's performance at the 1985 Rock in Rio festival. When the band toured Brazil in 2009, omitting the song from the 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 is also featured on the group’s Nude on the Moon (2002) compilation album.

Chart positions

Chart (1983)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [4] 81
U.S. Cashbox Top 10081
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play [5] 9

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The B-52s</span> American rock band

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Pierson</span> American singer, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist (b. 1948)

Catherine Elizabeth Pierson is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52s. 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-52s' 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.

<i>Whammy!</i> 1983 studio album by the B-52s

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".

<i>Bouncing Off the Satellites</i> 1986 studio album by the B-52s

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Wilson</span> American singer-songwriter and musician (b. 1957)

Cynthia Leigh Wilson is an American musician and one of the vocalists, songwriters and founding members of new wave rock band the B-52's. She is noted for her distinctive contralto voice and also plays percussion during live shows. She is the younger sister of the late guitarist Ricky Wilson (1953–1985), who was also a founding member of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Wilson (guitarist)</span> American guitarist (1953–1985)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2)</span> 1975 single by the Isley Brothers

"Fight the Power" is a song recorded by the Isley Brothers, who released the song as the first single off their landmark album, The Heat Is On. The song is notable for the usage of the word bullshit, which was censored during radio airplay.

John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band is an American rock band from Rhode Island which began its career in 1972, and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s. Originally known as simply Beaver Brown, they got their name from a paint can. The classic lineup of the group started out as a New England bar band based in Narragansett, Rhode Island and established a following up and down the Northeast corridor with strongholds in the beach resort towns of Narragansett and Misquamicut, Rhode Island; New York City; New Haven, Connecticut; Boston, Massachusetts; and Asbury Park, New Jersey.

<i>Mesopotamia</i> (EP) 1982 EP by the B-52s

Mesopotamia is an EP by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1982. It was produced by David Byrne of Talking Heads and was originally planned to be the band's third studio album. Due to conflicts with Byrne and record label pressure, recording sessions were aborted prematurely and only six of ten songs to be completed were released. The record was distributed as a 12-inch EP by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and by Island Records on vinyl and cassette in the UK and other non-U.S. markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Only You (Yazoo song)</span> 1982 single by Yazoo

"Only You" is a song by English synth-pop duo Yazoo. It was written by member Vince Clarke, while he was still with Depeche Mode, but recorded in 1982 after he formed Yazoo with Alison Moyet. It was released as Yazoo's first single on 15 March 1982 in the United Kingdom, taken from their first album, Upstairs at Eric's (1982), and became an instant success on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number two on 16 May 1982. It would also reach the top 10 in neighbouring Ireland as well as Australia. In the US, "Only You" was released as the band's second single in November 1982 and charted at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also made the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

"Party Out of Bounds" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's, from their second album, Wild Planet (1980). Featured with the other dancefloor-bound tracks from the album, the song peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1980 as an album cut and has long been a staple of alternative/new wave dance club playlists. Lyrically, the song is a guide on how to better plan house parties in order to prevent potential disasters. An instrumental dub mix was included on the B-side of the vinyl 45 rpm single "Private Idaho".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Me Blind</span> 1984 single by Culture Club

"Miss Me Blind" is a song by English new wave band Culture Club. Known for a guitar solo midway through the song, it was the third single released from the album Colour by Numbers in North America, peaking at number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in spring 1984. This gave the band its sixth consecutive top 10 hit in the US, as well as its final top 10 hit in that country, although the group would score several other top 20 hits in the US. The single reached number 5 in Canada, and was also released in several South American countries, Australia, and Japan. It was also the band's biggest R&B hit, reaching number 5 on the US Billboard Soul/R&B chart.

"I've Got a Crush on You" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It is unique among Gershwin compositions in that it was used for two different Broadway productions: Treasure Girl (1928), when it was introduced by Clifton Webb and Mary Hay, and Strike Up the Band (1930), when it was sung by Doris Carson and Gordon Smith. It was later included in the tribute musical Nice Work If You Can Get It (2012), in which it was sung by Jennifer Laura Thompson. When covered by Frank Sinatra he was a part of Columbia Records.

<i>Bossa Nova Hotel</i> 1983 studio album by Michael Sembello

Bossa Nova Hotel is the 1983 debut album of rock singer/guitarist Michael Sembello. The album was a continuation of the work that Sembello began with producer Phil Ramone on "Maniac," which became a number one US pop hit after it was featured in the film Flashdance and on its soundtrack album. Bossa Nova Hotel peaked at number 80 on the US album chart and included the soundtrack hit in addition to two more chart entries, "Automatic Man" and "Talk."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Song for a Future Generation</span> 1983 single by the B-52s

"Song for a Future Generation" is a song by new wave band the B-52's. The song was released as the third single from their third studio album Whammy! (1983), peaking at #63 on the UK Singles Chart. It is the first of two songs by the B-52's to feature more than three band members singing lead vocals, the second being "Theme for a Nude Beach" from their follow-up studio album Bouncing off the Satellites (1986).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planet Claire</span> 1979 single by The B-52s

"Planet Claire" is a song by the B-52's, released as the second single from their self-titled debut album in July 1979. Based on Duane Eddy's version of Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn theme, the single reached number 43 on the Australian Kent Music Report chart and number 24 on the Billboard dance chart in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whammy Kiss</span> 1983 single by the B-52s

"Whammy Kiss" is the second single released by the B-52's from their third studio album Whammy! (1983).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance This Mess Around</span> 1979 single by the B-52s

"Dance This Mess Around" is a song by American new wave band The B-52's. It was released in 1979, as the third and final single from their self-titled debut album. The song features Cindy Wilson on lead vocals, as well as Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson, and has become a live favorite, even 40 years after its release. It was heard once in Alex Strangelove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jungle Love (The Time song)</span> 1984 single by The Time

"Jungle Love" is a song from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Skies</span> 1982 single by the Fixx

"Red Skies" is a song by new wave/rock band the Fixx. Released in 1982, it was the third single from the group's debut album, Shuttered Room. It reached number 13 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks but peaked at number one on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart in early 1983.

References

  1. Molanphy, Chris (June 29, 2018). "The Deadbeat Club Edition, Part 1". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate . Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  2. Sheffield, Rob (February 24, 2023). "The 100 Best Songs of 1983, the Year Pop Went Crazy". Rolling Stone . Retrieved September 4, 2023. 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.)
  3. "B-52s - Shiny Happy People", SameSame, Interview with Kate Pierson, by Christian Taylor. July 27, 2009 Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 79.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 34.