"Roam" by The B-52's

Top 10 Alert!

Gold Record Alert!

Song#:  4147

Date:  12/23/1989

Debut:  88

Peak:  3

Weeks:  20

Genre:  Pop, Rock

Pop Bits:  The B-52's scored their first Pop Top 10 hit with "Love Shack," the second single from their album Cosmic Thing. It would be a #3 gold seller that took the band to new heights of popularity. For a follow up, this next single was selected. It would basically replicate the results of their previous hit by getting to #3 and going gold (#10 Dance, #6 Modern Rock). In turn, the album would reach #4 and eventually reach the 4x platinum mark. A fourth single, "Deadbeat Club," would be a modest hit just cracking the Pop Top 30 at #30.

ReduxReview:  For this song, vocalist Fred Schneider stepped to the side and let Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson take full charge of the song. It turned into a great showcase for their vocals and harmonies. Both singers had interesting voices, but when put together they created something unique and memorable, which when paired with Schneider made the B-52's sound. However, the two on their own were awesome and this hit proved it. This was a fun, catchy pop tune that was perfect for driving with the windows down on a warm summer day. Wherever you were headed, this song provided a wonderful soundtrack for the trip.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  After everything wrapped up with Cosmic Thing and the associated tour, original member Cindy Wilson chose to go on hiatus from the band. The remaining trio decided to carry on and would record their next album Good Stuff with producers Nile Rodgers and Don Was. Both had produced tracks for Cosmic Thing. The LP was highly anticipated, but then the title track first single surprisingly stalled at #28 on the Pop chart (#1 Modern Rock) and that left the album stalling at #16. It would go gold, but it was a disappointment after the multi-platinum success of their previous LP. The band would have one last Pop chart entry in 1994 with "(Meet) The Flintsones," the theme song to the live action movie version of the 60s animated TV show The Flintstones. For the single, they were billed as The BC-52's. Wilson would rejoin the band soon after and they would tour and work on various projects as a group and individually. They wouldn't record another album until 2008's Funplex, which peaked at #11.

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