Every other one of their songs is better than Love Shack. By far, this is in my Top 3 of theirs. Along with Channel Z. Vastly underrated is - Is That You Mo-Dean?
The singer summarized the most important part of Mesopotamian civilization and that is Hammurabi's Laws, which is I think the first recorded instance of laws being laid down. This set the stage for orderly society in general and advancement in areas like in institutions of courts, education, medicine etc. Although I haven't yet read a book about it and really should before I talk.
@@dennishoshowsky8692 I read about the start of agriculture and the early start of civilization in the world. After many millenia of stone age cultures we started having some pretty amazing cities in Sumeria/ Babylon and leaders like Hammurabi started making and writing down laws. "to make justice visible in the land". This is seen today as a turning point of sorts. And as they say , the rest is history.
Iconoclastic happy to have got it and danced my ass off to it since it came out, my roommate thought I was crazy! I wanted a full album of this shit. Cake is a cool song too.
you know that ain't no shi, this world would be a lot better off if people would take that advice it's simple advice but often times the simplest is the best!
Love this song. It takes me back to the summer of 1982 or 83 in Detroit. The Electrifying Mojo use to play this song every night. He made this song last for about 15 minutes lol!!! I miss those days!!!
It was the only B-52s song I knew in high school exactly for this reason! Then I left Detroit for college and heard Rock Lobster for the first time. NO PLACE has ever matched Detroit for DJs and stations.
It's amazing how fresh and hip this sounds in 2019. The B-52's are one of a kind. May did we rock it out in my college days in the mid 1980's to the B-52's. Party on!
Yup. Mojo was a BIG part of integrating groups like B52's, Kraftwerk etc..into Detroit urban culture. You would hear this at backyard parties and skating rinks everywhere.
Hell yeah this was the shit in the D and still is even though I don't live in Michigan anymore I don't think they know about this out here in Tulsa Oklahoma
@@7miledog I remember him playing cuts off Pink Floyd's The Wall soon after its release in '79, blew me away that an urban R&B FM radio station did so!!
I’ve loved this band since I was seven years old. They taught me how to sing. And my dad surprised me with their concert at the Santa Barbara bowl in 1990 when I was 10 I think I was the only one in the audience that knew every single song and sang it out loud to my hearts delight. 30 years later and I’m still in love with them: best odd group of musicians to ever form a band and explore their weirdness and share it with us. Love them like no other. They laid down the law!!
I got an illegal tape from the B52´2 in 1981 and where flashed with 12 Years. I grow up in east Berlin (GDR) and it wasn´t possible to buy such kind of music. They follow me in my life still now :)
Right?!? :-) Similarly, discovered through "Cosmic Thing" then held onto through present. Some days (I have this data intensive job) it's the only thing that helps me power through and feel joy. "When the blues whomp you up on the side of the head Throw 'em to the floor and kick 'em out the door When the blues kick you in the head And you roll out of bed in the morning Just sit on the porch and swing"
Great story! I've been a fan since 9 years old too (Cosmic Thing era) and love them more and more the older I get. For the past year I haven't been able to listen to much else. My happy place!
@@Johnnywhamo I can only speak of my personal experience. I grew up in an Atlanta suburb, and have lived in Georgia my entire life. When I was in high school in the 80's, a second show was added at the Fox Theater, which meant the ticket sales very extremely good. They always were very popular with everyone I knew, and to be honest, I have never heard one person call them any kind of name. Maybe you experienced something different, but Georgians have always been very proud of them.
When I taught ancient civilizations, I'd always start off playing this song to my students. They had to write down everything they learned from the song. We'd listen to it again and again, until the class could sing it by heart, boys doing their part and the girls enjoying the hah-ah-ahs. Fun times!
"B-4 I talk, I should read a book!" - PREACH! - Saw them in concert many years ago around 1981 in Kalamazoo, MI - They literally weakened the balcony structure they rocked so hard! Rock Lobster and Planet Claire! OMG! Never forget it!...fast forward 30 something years later - I see them in Hollywood California - a lil older but still rocking! Amazing.
I recently saw them in Highland Park, Il and they rocked harder than I could've imagined. But imagine seeing them in the early 80s is all I can do, that must've been something else.
Wish I saw them in person. You are lucky. I am jealous. I'm hoping to sit at the bar with them in the next world. When I do I am going to put flowers in Kate Pierson's hair, because she is my heart throb.
Turn your watch, turn your watch back About a hundred thousand years A hundred thousand years I'll meet you by the third pyramid I'll meet you by the third pyramid Ah come on, that's what I want We'll meet in Mesopotamia, oh-oh-oh I ain't no student (we're goin' down to meet, feel those vibrations) Of ancient culture (I know a neat excavation) Before I talk I should read a book But there's one thing That I do know There's a lot of ruins in Mesopotamia Six or eight thousand years ago They laid down the law Six or eight thousand years ago (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh) They laid down the law (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh) I'll meet you by the third pyramid I'll meet you by the third pyramid Ah come on, that's what I want We'll meet in Mesopotamia, oh-oh-oh Now I ain't no student (we're goin' down to meet, feel those vibrations) Of ancient culture (I know a neat excavation) Before I talk I should read a book (Mesopotamia, that's where I wanna go) But there's one thing that I do know (Mesopotamia, that's where I wanna go) There's a lot of ruins in Mesopotamia Six or eight thousand years ago They laid down the law Six or eight thousand years ago (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh) They laid down the law (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh) In Mesopotamia (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh) They laid down the law (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh) In Mesopotamia (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh)
The never ending clear tone voice singing of Cindy, mostly all upper range, solo or harmonizing. That includes most of the assorted shrieks, whoops, and voice oddities that spread throughout their albums catalog. As good as Kate is, its Cindy that pulls all these pieces together that makes the complete duet B-52 sound. Robert at 67.
Cindy IS the one to watch...from obviously nervously unsure in her younger years to her becoming the icon she actually always was for their finality. Lovely.
One of my favorite B-52s songs! I found this cassette at a local thrift outlet and nabbed it for 25¢...amazing score! The whole thing is just next level, probably my favorite after Dance this Mess Around
D CriderMojo was the man, I knew him when I attended Eastern Michigan University in 1977 and I use to talk with him frequently when he was with WJLB in the Penobscot Building during his breaks, I worked afternoon as a computer operator for First America Bank.
I'm instantly transported back to the summer of 1983! Awful well water, no AC, I'm young and beautiful and don't even realize it ... Oh, the power of music ....
The lyrics make me laugh. It's like someone said "I bet you can't write a song about Mesopotamia" and this guy goes and makes the song and it's like "I don't know much about Mesopotamia but here's a sick groove"
Recently I bought their “Live Germany 1983” DVD at a local estate sale; their live performance of this song in Dortmund just blew me away...so intensely and excellently performed; also, the lead singer’s (Fred Schneider) energetic “Mesopotamian funk” style dancing during his vocal breaks was fun to watch and enhanced the entire music experience to the max!
It sometimes takes a lot of time and reflection to realize what a great recording really is. David Byrne had creative differences with the B52's, which was one main reason this wasn't a full album. Yet, this pairing produced one of the most unique B52 songs ever released. Nobody was happy with the finished product. It was the same story with XTC and Todd Rundgren. Andy Partridge and Rundgren did not see eye-to-eye and Partridge was very unhappy with the finished product on the 1986 album Skylarking. Yet, it spawned one of XTC's greatest singles: Dear God. Today, Partridge sings a different tune about the album and he should. If you were to speak with the B52's today about this effort, they may have the same feelings. They didn't really appreciate what they had accomplished together.
In Detroit back in the day there was a DJ named The Electrifying Mojo on WGPR radio. He used to play this song and Planet Claire by The B-52s. He knew how to dig deep to find the jams. Then again we’re The D and no one do it like us.
This was (and always has been) my favorite B52's track. My dad introduced me to this band in his car over a decade ago when TH-cam was a new thing. So that gives you a bit of a time frame. Anyway, he would always love Rock Lobster, Private Idaho and Love Shack. While all those tracks are great, he never listened to my favorite. Mesopotamia. I actually had to show him the song when I was old enough to learn how to type, and I was appalled that he had never heard it before...This will forever be my favorite B52's track. In my opinion, BETTER than Planet Claire, BETTER than Rock Lobster, BETTER than Love Shack, better than any of their tracks. There's something about this song that just hits the mind & heart differently... Such a beautiful harmony of vocals, strings and rhythm. Man... The B52's was somethin' different...
OMG..I love these guys. I think this is my favorite song. For some reason I remember this song the most from their concert. Very high energy...I loved it!! Thanks 80s for the memories ❤❤❤
A cornucopia of different textures of voices but the end result is always the same, hardcore. They definitely were a special hybrid of my musical upbringing. I can't remember a party that I attended that didn't heat up when one of their tracks were played.
B-52s was my childhood. My mom would play the tapes all the time and I'd sing along having no idea what the heck it was all about. Imagine a 5 year old singing "Good Stuff", "Hot Pants", and "Hot Lava" XD
Princess Phantasm It makes me laugh when people say that this generation's music is so sexual and I just sit there and smile and sing "Hot Pants" in my head. But yeah no, JUST this generation is so sexual ;)
I was a senior in high school when this came out, and I listened to it a lot.. I don't think I knew any talking heads at the time other than maybe what I heard on SNL (psycho killer and take me to the river). I only recently discovered that David Byrne produced this, and started noticing his touch on things. Lots of it on this track, like the swelling arpeggios and the croaky clavinet, it sounds like it came right off of fear of music and remain in light. I can totally see how his involvement could have created a rift in the sessions as he seems to be somewhat of a control freak. Too bad that they didn't perservere to get the full album done, I think that what we got was and is fantastic, despite the obvious change in the vibe from the earlier (and later) records, it stands on it's own.
this song cured one of the worst hangovers i ever had, the people next door were booming it out so loud the walls shook and the couch was jumping at like 7:00 am
Um a Detroit og 43 years old this was the jam back in the days all the east side ogs use to be playing this in there lowrider trucks and the dj mojo always played this on his show.
Jerry Flynn Yes sir it was, Detroit was instrumental in making this song number "1" with the help of the Electrifying Mojo. I use to own a Fiat X19, I would blast my stereo driving down Woodward Ave with the top off and flashing my lights when this song came on the radio. Oh wow I miss those days, good memories.
@@dondiclemons2650 How about the intro to Angels on his solo record where he has long hair? Very similar. Also similar to early Heads like Not in Love. No, that scratchy rhythmic thing is very Byrne and I hear it on this track.
I so much wish that I was in that brainchild moment in the living room or wherever, while this ( and all of their songs) were born. I wanna be a b52, too!!! Wahhhhh!
Just heard this on Tony Smith Presents on Studio 54 Radio. I was like 'Is that the B-52's?' How did I never hear this until 2019? This is pretty damn good!
I work back gate of Fillmore, they and their touring crew are so pleasantly professional and great to work with, that they became my favorite touring the band.
In 1982 I found 2 cassettes in a bin outside some shops. One by Patrice Rushen, which I didn't feel the love for, and the other Mesopotamia. 37 years later and I still love this song.
My mom used to be a teacher, and I had her class for history 6th grade year. She played this song and had us close our eyes and envision Mesopotamia. Part of our history class, all while we learned about history and our recorded beginning
JiveDadson Seriously. Every single TH-cam video about a movie, tv show, or song gets a comment about it being underrated. Heck, even TH-cam COMMENTS get “underrated comment” comments LOL.
First heard this song on either WBLS or KISS as part of a house mix. 91, 92... "Garage" house and when "old" school jams were starting to blow. Would go to 4th and Broadway and cop "old school" mix tapes. The Kitchen, Acid Jazz... what happened-lol
I don't understand why this isn't one of their most popular songs. 100% better than Love Shack!
word
So say we all!
The enduring popularity of Love Shack is one of life's minor mysteries.
Not as Danceable
Every other one of their songs is better than Love Shack.
By far, this is in my Top 3 of theirs. Along with Channel Z.
Vastly underrated is - Is That You Mo-Dean?
Easily their most underrated track.
Most B52 Fans love this song, so that is not really the case
Every music video has its "underrated" comment. One suspects there must be a systemic flaw in the rating mechanism.
What makes you believe it's underrated? Did you travel the globe taking a survey from every citizen of the world?
And easily one of their best if not the best
Eh…
The singer summarized the most important part of Mesopotamian civilization and that is Hammurabi's Laws, which is I think the first recorded instance of laws being laid down. This set the stage for orderly society in general and advancement in areas like in institutions of courts, education, medicine etc. Although I haven't yet read a book about it and really should before I talk.
All modern civilization are possible because of mesopotamians and their advances in civility and culture.
How do you know all this? I'm fascinated,really,
@@dennishoshowsky8692 I read about the start of agriculture and the early start of civilization in the world. After many millenia of stone age cultures we started having some pretty amazing cities in Sumeria/ Babylon and leaders like Hammurabi started making and writing down laws. "to make justice visible in the land". This is seen today as a turning point of sorts. And as they say , the rest is history.
Funny
👏👏😊
One of the deepest grooves of all time.
mariana trench deep
Iconoclastic - I agree. This bass-line is very deep!
Iconoclastic happy to have got it and danced my ass off to it since it came out, my roommate thought I was crazy! I wanted a full album of this shit. Cake is a cool song too.
Sadly this was just an EP. However, the leftovers from this album were later infused into Whammy! And there's plenty to dance to there. . .
..and one of the rubberyist.
This song never gets old.
never !!! i play it constantly
don't you mean ANCIENT?
There is one thing that I do know -- this is one of the greatest grooves ever laid down by the B52's and that's saying something.
FOR REALZ!!!
U laid down the law😂
I concur !!!!
"I ain't no student of ancient culture. Before I talk, I should read a book." - Words to live by.
Esp. for politicians.......
Depends on the book author...Just saying.......
Before you read a book, you should learn how to read s book. Once you have mastered that, it doesn't matter who the author is.
I'm not saying it's aliens, but it's aliens...
you know that ain't no shi, this world would be a lot better off if people would take that advice it's simple advice but often times the simplest is the best!
Love this song. It takes me back to the summer of 1982 or 83 in Detroit. The Electrifying Mojo use to play this song every night. He made this song last for about 15 minutes lol!!! I miss those days!!!
That was Juan Atkins and Derrick May's edits. They did ghost remixing for him. Check out the book 'The Underground Is Massive.'
Damn, I loved MOJO
I remember The Electrifying Mojo. Used to listen to him almost every night on WGPR (107.5 FM) here in Detroit, Mi.
I think he made it last for an hour .....Deeeeeee-troooooiit!
It was the only B-52s song I knew in high school exactly for this reason! Then I left Detroit for college and heard Rock Lobster for the first time. NO PLACE has ever matched Detroit for DJs and stations.
This is one of their most mesmerising songs.
Yes, and Planet Claire. Love these guys♥️
Long before "Walk Like an Egyptian", was considered hip, the cool kids were groovin' in Mesopotamia.
Do the Hammurabi!
@David Huber The Enkitu Crowd.
It's amazing how fresh and hip this sounds in 2019. The B-52's are one of a kind. May did we rock it out in my college days in the mid 1980's to the B-52's. Party on!
playing this to bring in 2020!
Yes we sure did at FSU I saw them with Lenny K & The Cult at U of F we took X and its was XMAZING
Et ça sonne toujours aussi frais en 2022
yes!!!
@@sahasrarachakra1 yes i concur
This right here is their Greatest song and I don’t care!!! The beat the funk the vocals it makes you dance 🕺 instantly!!!
The B 52s used to have Detroit on lock..and all the backyard parties had to play Rock Lobster and p,anet Claire. I still remember the dances....
Yup. Mojo was a BIG part of integrating groups like B52's, Kraftwerk etc..into Detroit urban culture. You would hear this at backyard parties and skating rinks everywhere.
Hell yeah this was the shit in the D and still is even though I don't live in Michigan anymore I don't think they know about this out here in Tulsa Oklahoma
When you feel tired...dont go to sleep...tie ah knot..hang on..dont let go.......best Dj in the world..electrifying mojo..
Oh yeah...seen em 3 times in the 80s, 90s and 00s, twice outdoors @ Pine Knob/DTE!! The entire audience would be dancing their socks and shoes off!!
@@7miledog I remember him playing cuts off Pink Floyd's The Wall soon after its release in '79, blew me away that an urban R&B FM radio station did so!!
I’ve loved this band since I was seven years old. They taught me how to sing. And my dad surprised me with their concert at the Santa Barbara bowl in 1990 when I was 10 I think I was the only one in the audience that knew every single song and sang it out loud to my hearts delight. 30 years later and I’m still in love with them: best odd group of musicians to ever form a band and explore their weirdness and share it with us.
Love them like no other.
They laid down the law!!
I got an illegal tape from the B52´2 in 1981 and where flashed with 12 Years. I grow up in east Berlin (GDR) and it wasn´t possible to buy such kind of music. They follow me in my life still now :)
Bravo, que la jeunesse soit avec toi. :-)
Right?!? :-) Similarly, discovered through "Cosmic Thing" then held onto through present.
Some days (I have this data intensive job) it's the only thing that helps me power through and feel joy.
"When the blues whomp you up on the side of the head
Throw 'em to the floor and kick 'em out the door
When the blues kick you in the head
And you roll out of bed in the morning
Just sit on the porch and swing"
What a awesome story!! Thank you!!
Great story! I've been a fan since 9 years old too (Cosmic Thing era) and love them more and more the older I get. For the past year I haven't been able to listen to much else. My happy place!
Its insane how ahead of their time they where. Sounds even better today
Yes, this is crazy funky 👍
Cannot get enough of the harmony
One of the best songs recorded of all time.
Favorite album ever. Can't explain why, it just hit me right years ago and still has impact. Great original artists. Irreplaceable.
Athens GA, has an embarrassment of riches ! B- 52’s, Can Do No Wrong !!
I was living in Germany when this song came out, and I was so proud that they were a band from the South. Just magic!!
You'd be one of the few, back in the day the south rejected them at first called them all sorts of names and wanted nothing to do with them.
@@Johnnywhamo I can only speak of my personal experience. I grew up in an Atlanta suburb, and have lived in Georgia my entire life. When I was in high school in the 80's, a second show was added at the Fox Theater, which meant the ticket sales very extremely good. They always were very popular with everyone I knew, and to be honest, I have never heard one person call them any kind of name. Maybe you experienced something different, but Georgians have always been very proud of them.
When I taught ancient civilizations, I'd always start off playing this song to my students. They had to write down everything they learned from the song. We'd listen to it again and again, until the class could sing it by heart, boys doing their part and the girls enjoying the hah-ah-ahs. Fun times!
That's so awesome!!!
A real teacher
I think that’s so cool. Right on.
I wanna be in your class
I've had this song in my head for....30 years now. 🔊✨🤗
me tooooooo
Even young Kids can't resist this Genious; I know music and these guys know how to entertain the Human Spirit.
Don't worry, it's probabley a good thing to remember the good stuff that makes you feel good.
Exactly!!
Me too. An evergreen sonic obsession
The Electrifying Mojo use to play this and the jams back in Detroit
Yes!! When all good music was fair game 🏆
Yes indeed, that was the first I had heard of the B52s
Yeeeeeeeesss!!!
Yes sir!
This whole album is hypnotic. Love it!
I still know the words by heart. I loved this song when I was 10. It’s now 2023 and I’m 50!
I wore this track out on my record player as a kid 🤣 still love it 40 years later!
I wore out the entire album, and a diamond stylus.
"B-4 I talk, I should read a book!" - PREACH! - Saw them in concert many years ago around 1981 in Kalamazoo, MI - They literally weakened the balcony structure they rocked so hard! Rock Lobster and Planet Claire! OMG! Never forget it!...fast forward 30 something years later - I see them in Hollywood California - a lil older but still rocking! Amazing.
Yes Janice, this is real talent at it's best.
I recently saw them in Highland Park, Il and they rocked harder than I could've imagined. But imagine seeing them in the early 80s is all I can do, that must've been something else.
I saw them in Tampa in the summer of 80. Mind blown.
Wish I saw them in person. You are lucky. I am jealous. I'm hoping to sit at the bar with them in the next world. When I do I am going to put flowers in Kate Pierson's hair, because she is my heart throb.
They did the same thing at the Paramount theater in Springfield Mass.
The Electrifying Mojo, 98. WJLB, Midnight Funk Association Detroit, Michigan!!!!
Hold on tight, don't let go...
From the d too one love
107.5 WGPR Detroit’s first owned black radio station is where he started @ n the D.
"Just remember ain't nobody bad like me" 😂😂😂😂😂
Some songs just send a vibe of unwavering coolness impossible to unseed. I confirm again in 2022.
Rick on guitar was a stunning genius! RIP, incredible harmonies, harmony with Fred shouldn't work, but it DOES! Fantastic
This is my favorite B52's song.
There are a lot of good ones. Rock Lobster and Roam are mine.
Turn your watch, turn your watch back
About a hundred thousand years
A hundred thousand years
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
Ah come on, that's what I want
We'll meet in Mesopotamia, oh-oh-oh
I ain't no student (we're goin' down to meet, feel those vibrations)
Of ancient culture (I know a neat excavation)
Before I talk
I should read a book
But there's one thing
That I do know
There's a lot of ruins in Mesopotamia
Six or eight thousand years ago
They laid down the law
Six or eight thousand years ago (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh)
They laid down the law (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh)
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
Ah come on, that's what I want
We'll meet in Mesopotamia, oh-oh-oh
Now I ain't no student (we're goin' down to meet, feel those vibrations)
Of ancient culture (I know a neat excavation)
Before I talk
I should read a book
(Mesopotamia, that's where I wanna go)
But there's one thing that
I do know (Mesopotamia, that's where I wanna go)
There's a lot of ruins in Mesopotamia
Six or eight thousand years ago
They laid down the law
Six or eight thousand years ago (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh)
They laid down the law (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh)
In Mesopotamia (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh)
They laid down the law (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh)
In Mesopotamia (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, ooooh)
My history teacher played this song while learning about Mesopotamia
Chapter 3: A Lot of Wooing in Mesopotamia
Were there really hieroglyphics in Mesopotamia? Or were u too busy groovin to listen?
Same here
I also brought this in and played it while in school studying anthropology/ancient cultures. 😀
Same
This is definitely a classic jam
Always loved this track, some beautiful and weird harmonies from the girls in it that brings tears to the eyes
B52s are definite icons, no doubt. I don't think they've gotten the recognition they deserve, but hey, that's how it goes. I LOVE them.
Even though Fred can't 'sing', a most underated front man, never a dull moment. Robert at 68.
The never ending clear tone voice singing of Cindy, mostly all upper range, solo or harmonizing. That includes most of the assorted shrieks, whoops, and voice oddities that spread throughout their albums catalog. As good as Kate is, its Cindy that pulls all these pieces together that makes the complete duet B-52 sound. Robert at 67.
You’re right. Here Cindy hold this track together.
Alright Robert!! ❤
Cindy IS the one to watch...from obviously nervously unsure in her younger years to her becoming the icon she actually always was for their finality. Lovely.
never tire of listening to this. Amazing song. Nice to see Ned Flanders before he ended up in Springfield.
One of my favorite B-52s songs! I found this cassette at a local thrift outlet and nabbed it for 25¢...amazing score! The whole thing is just next level, probably my favorite after Dance this Mess Around
Just picked up this EP at a thrift for a buck. cover and media near mint. Enjoying it .
Shout out to the BMF series for highlighting this classic!
Getting goosebumps...so many memories. I loved the B-52s back in 1982 and 1983...
Mojo was the man !! and the Benny Hill Show, while smokin REGULAR weed......
By the way, I mainly grew up on the East Side....nice picture Nina
D CriderMojo was the man, I knew him when I attended Eastern Michigan University in 1977 and I use to talk with him frequently when he was with WJLB in the Penobscot Building during his breaks, I worked afternoon as a computer operator for First America Bank.
I'd use to honk my horn, flash my lights and look up at the sky anticipating to see the MOTHERSHIP !...hooked lol
produced by David Byrne of the Talking Heads
I'm instantly transported back to the summer of 1983! Awful well water, no AC, I'm young and beautiful and don't even realize it ... Oh, the power of music ....
The lyrics make me laugh. It's like someone said "I bet you can't write a song about Mesopotamia" and this guy goes and makes the song and it's like "I don't know much about Mesopotamia but here's a sick groove"
Recently I bought their “Live Germany 1983” DVD at a local estate sale; their live performance of this song in Dortmund just blew me away...so intensely and excellently performed;
also, the lead singer’s (Fred Schneider) energetic “Mesopotamian funk” style dancing during his vocal breaks was fun to watch and enhanced the entire music experience to the max!
I'm glad they played this on BMF this was and still the shit. 😊😁❤
I’d been looking for this song for 30 years! I heard it back in the day, but I never knew the artist. Thank you BMF!!
Big hit in Detroit!!
Lol I'm watching BMF now and I just heard this song
The B-52's...one of the best southern bands of all time.
This song when it came out back in the day was a HUGE!!! RB hit. Especially in Detroit.
one of the most underrated bands ever. that chorus is genius
It sometimes takes a lot of time and reflection to realize what a great recording really is. David Byrne had creative differences with the B52's, which was one main reason this wasn't a full album. Yet, this pairing produced one of the most unique B52 songs ever released. Nobody was happy with the finished product. It was the same story with XTC and Todd Rundgren. Andy Partridge and Rundgren did not see eye-to-eye and Partridge was very unhappy with the finished product on the 1986 album Skylarking. Yet, it spawned one of XTC's greatest singles: Dear God. Today, Partridge sings a different tune about the album and he should. If you were to speak with the B52's today about this effort, they may have the same feelings. They didn't really appreciate what they had accomplished together.
Best thing they ever did. Nice to he hear Ricky jangling like a mad man. This song gives me hope.
Cool band and a timeless tune. It sounds as good as it probably did 33 years ago.
...turn back the clock, but less than 10.000 years
They actually played this on urban radio way back in the day.
In Detroit back in the day there was a DJ named The Electrifying Mojo on WGPR radio. He used to play this song and Planet Claire by The B-52s. He knew how to dig deep to find the jams. Then again we’re The D and no one do it like us.
I can remember mojo doing this in Detroit wgpr, Mr electrifying
You already know
This was (and always has been) my favorite B52's track. My dad introduced me to this band in his car over a decade ago when TH-cam was a new thing. So that gives you a bit of a time frame. Anyway, he would always love Rock Lobster, Private Idaho and Love Shack. While all those tracks are great, he never listened to my favorite. Mesopotamia. I actually had to show him the song when I was old enough to learn how to type, and I was appalled that he had never heard it before...This will forever be my favorite B52's track. In my opinion, BETTER than Planet Claire, BETTER than Rock Lobster, BETTER than Love Shack, better than any of their tracks. There's something about this song that just hits the mind & heart differently... Such a beautiful harmony of vocals, strings and rhythm. Man... The B52's was somethin' different...
Mine too..
B-52s concert in 2008 was one of the highlights of my life! Kate was as hot as she was in the 80s
I saw them at The Gorge in Washington State one time, they played this song, it was great
They performed on the beach in Gulf Shores Alabama in August 2012. Now THAT was awesome and they opened with this song!
BMF didn't bring me here.... Mojo brought me here!
OMG..I love these guys. I think this is my favorite song. For some reason I remember this song the most from their concert. Very high energy...I loved it!! Thanks 80s for the memories ❤❤❤
A cornucopia of different textures of voices but the end result is always the same, hardcore. They definitely were a special hybrid of my musical upbringing. I can't remember a party that I attended that didn't heat up when one of their tracks were played.
B-52s was my childhood. My mom would play the tapes all the time and I'd sing along having no idea what the heck it was all about. Imagine a 5 year old singing "Good Stuff", "Hot Pants", and "Hot Lava" XD
Haha my dad would for me
***** dont forget dirty back road , a sex song fore sure
chris payne That too! But I just mentioned the ones I'd listen to repeatedly haha
I'm listening to these songs years later like "this is so sexual..."
Princess Phantasm It makes me laugh when people say that this generation's music is so sexual and I just sit there and smile and sing "Hot Pants" in my head. But yeah no, JUST this generation is so sexual ;)
2023 still loving the B52's ❤
I was a senior in high school when this came out, and I listened to it a lot.. I don't think I knew any talking heads at the time other than maybe what I heard on SNL (psycho killer and take me to the river). I only recently discovered that David Byrne produced this, and started noticing his touch on things. Lots of it on this track, like the swelling arpeggios and the croaky clavinet, it sounds like it came right off of fear of music and remain in light. I can totally see how his involvement could have created a rift in the sessions as he seems to be somewhat of a control freak. Too bad that they didn't perservere to get the full album done, I think that what we got was and is fantastic, despite the obvious change in the vibe from the earlier (and later) records, it stands on it's own.
They killed it! ...just so easy... listen to that harmony. Wow we had no idea how good we had it back then. What a wonderful time machine. Much love.
One of my favorite grooves to play on guitar--the wild crowd--live version--rocks even deeper than this!
My favorite B52s song for sure. Heavy sounds!
I lerve this song and the B52’s so much. ❤️
this song cured one of the worst hangovers i ever had, the people next door were booming it out so loud the walls shook and the couch was jumping at like 7:00 am
Wow--just realize how much this groove sounds like "jeopardy" Greg Kihn Band. Killer groove.
This is much better, produced by David Byrne.
Kids distance learning at home about Mesopotamia. Mom: "Hey I remember that song by the B-52's. Let me play it!"
David Byrne of Talking HEads produced this mini-album. It was amazing but sold nothing! Shame! Get them grooves!
He hated them and quit early. that’s why it’s only a EP and not a full album.
This song totally rocks!
Um a Detroit og 43 years old this was the jam back in the days all the east side ogs use to be playing this in there lowrider trucks and the dj mojo always played this on his show.
This song is a Detroit staple! Ironic the city mirrors the song!
Yes!
Jerry Flynn Yes sir it was, Detroit was instrumental in making this song number "1" with the help of the Electrifying Mojo. I use to own a Fiat X19, I would blast my stereo driving down Woodward Ave with the top off and flashing my lights when this song came on the radio. Oh wow I miss those days, good memories.
hey, don't forget Patti Smith's "Dead City" written about your Motor City!
I remember dancing in PUNK clubs to the B-52's. On tables! In Detroit! All of us screaming "WHY WON''T YOU DANCE WITH ME??? I'M NOT NO LIMBERGER!!"
Electrifying mojo!!!!!
"before I talk, I should read a book" lol! yes Fred, there's a lot of ruins there! always loved the girls harmonies!
So off the wall and brilliant
I played the album all the time and I'm not even from Detroit. Love the B-52's this brings back so many, wonderful memories. Thanx :)
I love this song so much! Just discovered it a few weeks ago.
Fell in love with this song in the smoke of the smoke machine, under the strobe lights, at the underground clubs in Chitown
This was my song! Just hearing again after many years. Luv B-52s
The best album artwork of all time.
I can hear producer David Byrne's influence all over this great tune.
Not on this one. If you listen to Byrnes solo work then listen to the Tom Tom club you’ll know where the groves came from.
@@dondiclemons2650 How about the intro to Angels on his solo record where he has long hair? Very similar. Also similar to early Heads like Not in Love. No, that scratchy rhythmic thing is very Byrne and I hear it on this track.
I so much wish that I was in that brainchild moment in the living room or wherever, while this ( and all of their songs) were born. I wanna be a b52, too!!! Wahhhhh!
A great, great band. Impossible not to like them.
Such a groovy sound
Damn, this song is unbelievable! How have I not heard this one before? It's addictive.
Addictive! That's the perfect word for this song!
Il n'est jamais trop tard :-)
Hard to imagine this stuff is over 30 years old. It really hasn't dated AT ALL.
+Richard Bradbyrn good music is so evergreen!!
+Richard Bradbyrn Fine example of "light-years ahead of their time".
1982
I bet you if you gathered 1,000 Pitchfork readers and played them this song, half of them would think this came out in 2017
Maybe in 100 000 years we'll be listening to it again ;)
One of my favorites!!
Thank you! From my first semester in college. I love the B-52's, since the New Wave invasion in 1979-1980!
When Music is Art and Poetry.... the B52'S and David Byrne ☺
Thank you for posting this. Love this song. Their sound still holds up today.
Ken15643 American UFO's
Yes, it Really does , ... -- I'll meet you by the third pyramid .... / They're So Brilliant
Just heard this on Tony Smith Presents on Studio 54 Radio. I was like 'Is that the B-52's?' How did I never hear this until 2019? This is pretty damn good!
I work back gate of Fillmore, they and their touring crew are so pleasantly professional and great to work with, that they became my favorite touring the band.
As a history teacher. I approve of this song.
In 1982 I found 2 cassettes in a bin outside some shops. One by Patrice Rushen, which I didn't feel the love for, and the other Mesopotamia. 37 years later and I still love this song.
My mom used to be a teacher, and I had her class for history 6th grade year. She played this song and had us close our eyes and envision Mesopotamia. Part of our history class, all while we learned about history and our recorded beginning
This is SOOOOO underrated LP of B'52s, it is one my favorite. All of it especially "Cake".
I am tired of posting snarky responses to "underrated" comments. There is at least one on every music video.
JiveDadson Seriously. Every single TH-cam video about a movie, tv show, or song gets a comment about it being underrated. Heck, even TH-cam COMMENTS get “underrated comment” comments LOL.
Just love Kate pierson! Her energy and authenticity is just amazing!
First heard this song on either WBLS or KISS as part of a house mix. 91, 92... "Garage" house and when "old" school jams were starting to blow. Would go to 4th and Broadway and cop "old school" mix tapes. The Kitchen, Acid Jazz... what happened-lol
I arrive in Mesopotamia
watch: turned back
vibrations: felt
talked: before I read a book
*I AM FORCIBLY REMOVED FROM MESOPOTAMIA!*
Because you missed your contact by the third pyramid
@@williamtourville456 Ill meet you there
@@stjohnsrealtor5609 In Mesopotamia
I am in love with this song. I really enjoy the male singers voice, ' I should read a book.'
It is so random. Which is why I like it.
Diktator Alexander try monster by fred schneider
I just did. And their indeed is a monster in his pants..
+Diktator Alexander bad monster!
His vocal delivery is so humorous and distinctive - “I ain’t no STUdent ... of ANCient CULTURE!” Lol
Erik Freitas LOL it’s great
My favorite group of all time
Amazing harmonies, singers and guitar.