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Sun 28 September 2025 21:00, UK
Listening to the high-energy pop-rock charm of the B-52s, one wouldn’t expect any devilish activity to seep its way into their discography. Yet, according to singer Cindy Wilson, that may just be the case for one song’s permanent retirement.
The B-52s have become a band of pop culture phenomena, known for their often wacky lyricism, campy stage presence and the unrefined, yet infectious, vocal juxtaposition of Kate Pierson’s brazen singing against Fred Schneider’s sprechgesang style.
Forming in Athens, Georgia, in 1978, Pierson, Schneider, siblings Cindy and Ricky Wilson (on vocals and guitar, respectively) and drummer Keith Strickland came together with a shared love of 1950s and ’60s pop records and irresistible kitsch. Birthed in rock ‘n’ roll’s new wave era, they harnessed an amalgamation of the former with surf rock and early iterations of punk.
In short, they were pure fun, bursting onto the scene with the camp classic ‘Rock Lobster’, an infectious debut that showed a light-hearted side of rock music, performed with an elevated musicianship. A re-released version of the song earned them a cult following in the UK, even finding its way to John Lennon and inspiring him to return to music.
Numerous classics followed, the likes of ‘Love Shack’, ‘Private Idaho’ and ‘Planet Claire’ paving their way into becoming American household names. Their presence became MTV staples, with their music videos looking like the personification of an alternate universe, filled with bright colours and spontaneous dancing. Each member was a sight to be seen. They were dressed like mod rockers, but they sang with a punk growl. The B-52s were unpredictable and wild at their best.
Maintaining a cult following over the decades, the B-52s continue to tour and perform their timeless classics. However, across their illustrious discography, there remains one contentious song. In conversation with Jeff Suwak of Songfacts, Cindy Wilson names ‘Devil In My Car’ as one of her favourites, but reveals that the band refuses to play it live.
“It’s a very long song and for some reason Fred just doesn’t want to do it,” Wilson explains. “There is some kind of superstition about the ‘Devil In My Car’ song – every time we used to perform it something bad would happen. So maybe Fred doesn’t want to do it because of that.”
From their 1980 album Wild Planet, ‘Devil In My Car’ is an admittedly silly tale, as the B-52s scream of the Devil possessing the wheel of their Chevrolet, speeding them towards a freeway to Hell. Speaking of ‘Love Shack’s inception, Wilson says, “When you’re jamming, everybody is conjuring up their own images. Sometimes we’re all singing at the same time and later you go back and you hear what you’re doing.” She says that ‘Devil In My Car’s inspiration came from a band jam, and that she “hates” not being able to bring it to life on stage.
Perhaps an evil energy did find its way into ‘Devil In My Car’, becoming another rock ‘n’ roll superstition, existing in the same vein as Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’ and Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Mr. Bad Luck.’ Still, it has the alluring spirit that makes the B-52s so appealing, after all these years.
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