"Give Me Back My Man" is a song written and recorded by the American rock 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 ...

. It was first released as a single in the UK and other countries in July 1980, and featured as the fourth track of their second studio album, ''

Wild Planet ''Wild Planet'' is the second studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in August 1980 by Warner Bros. (US) and Island Records (Europe, Japan). As with their first album, the B-52's traveled to Compass Point Studios in the Ba ...

'', released in August 1980. The song is one of many solo vocal performances from

Cindy Wilson Cynthia Leigh Wilson (born February 28, 1957) is an American musician and one of the vocalists, songwriters and founding members of New wave music, new wave rock band the B-52s. She is noted for her distinctive contralto voice and also plays per ...

in the band's earlier years. In a 1980 review, ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'' described "Give Me Back My Man" as "A web of musical intrigue ... Emotional vocals with a backdrop of instrumentation continually varying in texture. Quite good really." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' highlighted "Cindy Wilson's

Patsy Cline Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American singer. One of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she was known as one of the first country music artists to successfully Cross ...

-influenced singing."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

said that the song "allows Cindy Wilson a unique opportunity to croon a broad, expressive melodic line."

Mike Mills Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., hi ...

, bassist of

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

, named "Give Me Back My Man" when asked about his favourite music in 1991. In the 2023 book ''The Story of the B-52s'', Scott Creney and Brigette Herron wrote: "A processed swooshing guitar swells up at the beginning of each verse, and the mix is littered with electronic popping sounds. The unnatural compression on Keith's drums and the layers of Cindy's voice over the outro conspire to create an otherworldly ambience." They claimed that Give Me Back My Man' hits even harder than ' Dance This Mess Around', its 'heartbroken Cindy' counterpart from the previous album."

Releases

"Give Me Back My Man" was released as the second single from the album ''

'' in 1980. A remixed version was released as a single from ''

Party Mix! ''Party Mix!'' is a remix album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1981 by Warner Bros. (US) and Island Records (Europe, Japan). It features three songs from their first studio album, ''The B-52's'' (1979), and three songs from th ...

'' in 1981.

Live performances

"Give Me Back My Man" was a staple in the B-52's' concerts in the 1980s and was usually one of the first few songs played. Early on, it was played mostly as it was on the record, with Schneider adding

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( ; or , : bells and : play) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a Musical keyboard, keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the v ...

. After the release of the ''

'' album in 1981, the band performed "Give Me Back My Man" and others in the extended style in which they were presented on that album. The song was re-integrated into the set of the B-52's' 2008 Funplex tour.

Track listing

;Original releaseThe B-52's – Give Me Back My Man track listing
/ref> # "Give Me Back My Man" — 3:52 # "Give Me Back My Man" — 3:42 (instrumental) ;Remix # "Give Me Back My Man" # "Party Out Of Bounds (Instrumental Version)"

Chart performance

The song charted on the U.S.

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart along with album track "

Party Out of Bounds "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 Dan ...

" and prior single "

Private Idaho "Private Idaho" is a single released by the B-52's from their second studio album ''Wild Planet'' (1980). Composition The B-52's are from Athens, Georgia, and never played a concert in Idaho until September 13, 2011, when they played at Eagle Ri ...

", reaching number five (chart rules at the time allowed multiple album tracks to occupy the same position together). Released as a single in the UK, it hit number sixty-one on the UK Singles Chart.

"Weird Al" Yankovic version

The main melody of "Give Me Back My Man" was incorporated into the

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...

song "Mr. Popeil" from the studio album ''

"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D ''"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D'' (often referred to simply as ''In 3-D'') is the second studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on February 28, 1984, by Rock 'n Roll Records. The album was one of many produced b ...

'' (1984), along with female backing vocals that imitate some of the mannerisms of Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson.

References

Bibliography

* {{authority control The B-52's songs 1980 singles 1980 songs Island Records singles Song recordings produced by Rhett Davies Songs written by Fred Schneider Songs written by Keith Strickland Songs written by Cindy Wilson