"Channel Z" is a song by American band

the B-52's The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant apostrophe; used until 2008), are an American band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, k ...

from their fifth studio album, ''

Cosmic Thing ''Cosmic Thing'' is the fifth studio album by American New wave music, new wave band the B-52's, released in 1989 by Reprise Records. It contains the hit singles "Love Shack", "Roam" and "Deadbeat Club". The music video for "Love Shack" won the a ...

'' (1989).

Release

The song was the first single from ''Cosmic Thing'' but its success was limited. Multiple renditions of the song were released, including the album version and a 7-inch single edit and remix, as well as a "rock mix" and a "rock dub" which were on a five-track CD single in the United States. In 1990, after the success of the follow-ups " Love Shack" and "

Roam "Roam" is a song by American New wave music, new wave band the B-52's released as the third single from their fifth studio album, ''Cosmic Thing'' (1989). The vocals are sung by Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson. The B-52's worked with a co-writer, R ...

" the single was reissued with a new 12-inch mix.

Meaning

Fred Schneider told an interviewer in 2008 that the song was "probably our most straightforward political song up until then... It was about the state of the country t the time And who knew nearly 20 years later it'd be worse?"

Critical reception

Music critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

described it as "a fine song that effortlessly updated the classic B-52's sound", adding that "it made for a good single and still stands as one of their better songs of the era."

Chart performance

In the United States, "Channel Z" topped the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart in August 1989. In Belgium, it reached the top 50, peaking at number 43 on the

Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created in 1995 on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organiz ...

chart. The song peaked at number 61 on the UK Singles Chart following the 12-inch release in 1990.

Music video

The song's music video features the B-52's playing on stage in front of an audience, along with clips of them running through a forest. It was shot outside of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

according to the credits of ''The B-52's 1979–1989''.

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1989 songs 1989 singles The B-52's songs Reprise Records singles Song recordings produced by Don Was Songs written by Cindy Wilson Songs written by Fred Schneider Songs written by Kate Pierson Songs written by Keith Strickland