Planet Claire

"Planet Claire"
Single by the B-52s
from the album The B-52's
B-side	"There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)" "Downtown"
Released	July 6, 1979
Recorded	1978–1979
Genre	New wave[1] dance-rock[2]
Length	4:35
Label	Island Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Henry Mancini Fred Schneider Keith Strickland
Producer(s)	Chris Blackwell
The B-52s singles chronology
"Rock Lobster" (1979) "Planet Claire" (1979) "Dance This Mess Around" (1979)
Audio
"Planet Claire" on YouTube

"Planet Claire" is a song the B-52s 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,[3] the single reached number 43 on the Australian Kent Music Report chart and number 24 on the Billboard dance chart in the US.[4]

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'."[5] Record World said that it had "an undeniable rhythm track" and "more unique synthesizer lines" compared to "Rock Lobster".[6]

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.[7][8]

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.[9]

Track listing

A-side

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Planet Claire"	Fred Schneider Keith Strickland Henry Mancini	Kate Pierson Fred Schneider	4:35

B-side

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Downtown"	Tony Hatch, arranged by Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson	Kate Pierson Cindy Wilson	2:57
Total length:				7:30

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

Chart (1980)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10]	43
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11]	35
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[4]	24

Chart (1986)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)[12] with "Rock Lobster"	12

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.^[citation needed]

References

1. Mason, Stewart. "Planet Claire – Song Review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
2. Talevski, Nick (2010). Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 725. ISBN 978-0-85712-117-2.
3. Sawdey, Evan (2022-09-28). "The B-52's Sublime 1979 Debut Album (Between the Grooves)". PopMatters. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
4. "The B-52's – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
5. "Singles Reviews > Singles to Watch" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XLII, no. 5. June 14, 1980. p. 18. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
6. "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. June 14, 1980. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
7. "B52's Planet Claire CW message decoded". WorldwideDX.com. Sep 7, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2024. ... where NAWS is a callsign meaning 'Any or all Allied warships', DE is a prosign meaning 'this is', CFH is the callsign of CFS Mill Cove, II which is a short break or dash, ZKR means 'I am guarding frequency ... ' (guarding means listening on), F1 means 'radioteletype mode', and then the list of frequencies begins, listed in kilohertz.
8. "Does the morse code at the beginning of 'Planet Claire' actually say anything?". The Straight Dope. Sep 14, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
9. "Kate Pierson of the B-52s". The A.V. Club. November 1, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
10. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
11. "The B-52's – Planet Claire". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 22, 2020.