Planet Claire
title: "Planet Claire" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1979-songs", "1980-singles", "the-b-52's-songs", "island-records-singles", "songs-written-by-fred-schneider", "songs-written-by-keith-strickland", "warner-records-singles", "song-recordings-produced-by-chris-blackwell", "songs-with-music-by-henry-mancini"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Claire" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Planet Claire |
| cover | Planet Claire single.jpg |
| type | single |
| artist | the B-52's |
| album | The B-52's |
| B-side | {{unbulleted list |
| released | July 6, 1979 |
| recorded | 1978–1979 |
| genre | |
| length | 4:35 |
| label | |
| writer | |
| producer | Chris Blackwell |
| prev_title | Rock Lobster |
| prev_year | 1979 |
| next_title | Dance This Mess Around |
| next_year | 1979 |
| misc | |
| :: |
| name = Planet Claire | cover = Planet Claire single.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = the B-52's | album = The B-52's | B-side = {{unbulleted list|"There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)"|"Downtown" | released = July 6, 1979 | recorded = 1978–1979 | studio = | genre = | length = 4:35 | label = | writer = | producer = Chris Blackwell | prev_title = Rock Lobster | prev_year = 1979 | next_title = Dance This Mess Around | next_year = 1979 | misc =
"Planet Claire" is a song the B-52's released in July 1979 as the second single from their first album The B-52's. 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.
Cash Box said that "bongos, Ventures-influenced guitar work and morse code blips are calling all pop, AOR audiences to dance to this humorous followup to 'Rock Lobster'." Record World said that it had "an undeniable rhythm track" and "more unique synthesizer lines" compared to "Rock Lobster".
The Morse code at the beginning of the song is "NAWS DE CFH - ZKR F1 3394.....", which is from a "call tape" recording transmitted by Canadian Forces Station Mill Cove in Hubbards, Nova Scotia.
In 2011, band member Kate Pierson expressed her dissatisfaction with the way engineer Robert Ash mixed her vocals with the Farfisa organ on the studio version, using effects to make her vocals "sound like a synthesizer", and stated that she prefers the sound of live performances of the song.
Track listing
| headline = A-side | extra_column = Lead vocals | title1 = Planet Claire | extra1 = | writer1 = | length1 = 4:35 | headline = B-side | extra_column = Lead vocals | total_length = 7:30 | title1 = Downtown | extra1 = | writer1 = Tony Hatch, arranged by Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson | length1 = 2:57
Personnel
- Fred Schneider – lead vocals, walkie-talkie
- Kate Pierson – Farfisa organ, keyboard bass, harmony vocals
- Cindy Wilson – bongos
- Ricky Wilson – guitar
- Keith Strickland – drums, Claire sounds
Chart positions
::data[format=table] | Chart (1980) | Peak position | |---|---| | Australia (Kent Music Report) | 43 | | US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 24 | ::
::data[format=table] | Chart (1986) | Peak position | |---|---| ::
Cover Version
An instrumental cover version of the song performed by Les Deux Love Orchestra is featured in the DreamWorks animated motion picture Monsters vs. Aliens.
References
References
- Mason, Stewart. "Planet Claire – Song Review". [[AllMusic]]. [[All Media Network]].
- Talevski, Nick. (2010). "Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door". Omnibus Press.
- Sawdey, Evan. (2022-09-28). "The B-52's Sublime 1979 Debut Album (Between the Grooves)".
- (June 14, 1980). "Singles Reviews > Singles to Watch".
- (June 14, 1980). "Single Picks".
- (November 1, 2011). "Kate Pierson of the B-52s".
- "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien.
- "The B-52's – Awards". [[AllMusic]]. [[All Media Network]].
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::