Planet Claire

"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,^[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]

B-side

• "There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)"
• "Downtown"

ReleasedJuly 6, 1979

Recorded1978–1979

Genre

• New wave^[1]
• dance-rock^[2]

Quick facts Single by the B-52's, from the album The B-52's ...

"Planet Claire"
Single by the B-52's
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.
Songwriters	Henry Mancini Fred Schneider Keith Strickland
Producer	Chris Blackwell
The B-52's singles chronology
"Rock Lobster" (1979) "Planet Claire" (1979) "Dance This Mess Around" (1979)
Audio
"Planet Claire" on YouTube

Close

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]

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.^[8]