{"id":458919,"date":"2025-09-28T22:34:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T22:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/458919\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T22:34:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T22:34:12","slug":"the-song-the-b-52s-will-never-play-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/458919\/","title":{"rendered":"The song the B-52s will never play live"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(Credit: Alamy)<\/p>\n

Sun 28 September 2025 21:00, UK <\/p>\n

Listening to the high-energy pop-rock charm of the B-52s<\/a>, one wouldn\u2019t 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\u2019s permanent retirement.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s brazen singing against Fred Schneider\u2019s sprechgesang style.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

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 \u201960s pop records and irresistible kitsch. Birthed in rock \u2018n\u2019 roll\u2019s new wave era, they harnessed an amalgamation of the former with surf rock and early iterations of punk. <\/p>\n

In short, they were pure fun, bursting onto the scene with the camp classic \u2018Rock Lobster\u2019, 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Numerous classics followed, the likes of \u2018Love Shack\u2019<\/a>, \u2018Private Idaho\u2019 and \u2018Planet Claire\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2018Devil In My Car\u2019 as one of her favourites, but reveals that the band refuses to play it live.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very long song and for some reason Fred just doesn\u2019t want to do it,\u201d Wilson explains. \u201cThere is some kind of superstition about the \u2018Devil In My Car\u2019 song \u2013 every time we used to perform it something bad would happen. So maybe Fred doesn\u2019t want to do it because of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

From their 1980 album Wild Planet, \u2018Devil In My Car\u2019 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 \u2018Love Shack\u2019s inception, Wilson says, \u201cWhen you\u2019re jamming, everybody is conjuring up their own images. Sometimes we\u2019re all singing at the same time and later you go back and you hear what you\u2019re doing.\u201d She says that \u2018Devil In My Car\u2019s inspiration came from a band jam, and that she \u201chates\u201d not being able to bring it to life on stage. <\/p>\n

Perhaps an evil energy did find its way into \u2018Devil In My Car\u2019, becoming another rock \u2018n\u2019 roll superstition, existing in the same vein as Stevie Wonder\u2019s \u2018Superstition\u2019 and Jimi Hendrix\u2019s \u2018Mr. Bad Luck.\u2019 Still, it has the alluring spirit that makes the B-52s so appealing, after all these years.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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