The name comes from the bouffant wigs that are part of the band's distinctive look, worn by singers Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson. Along with Wilson and Pierson, fellow vocalist Fred Schneider, drummer (and later guitarist) Keith Strickland, and guitarist Ricky Wilson (Cindy's older brother) formed the band after a drunken night at a Chinese restaurant. They shared a passion for mixing and matching older styles with a partying, good-time public image, which set them apart from many staid 70s contemporaries.
Their sound is particularly marked by the vocals of Wilson and Pierson, with Kate singing in a slightly deeper voice, along with the generally monotone or spoken-word vocals of Schneider. Aside from their vocals, the band also had a unique New Wave sound that was a combination of 50s and 60s dance music and surf rock, and the unusual guitar-string tunings utilized by Ricky Wilson. Although a clear part of said movement, their music was more experimental than most new wave groups, indulging in all manner of odd vocal and synthesizer effects. The B-52's created a quirky dance vibe that became very popular and their tours have been successful for decades.
Website= http://theb52s.com/
Give Me Back My Man
The B-52's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And calls his name
Wishin' everything could be the same
Like when she had him
I'll give you fish
I'll give you candy
I'll give you everthing I have in my hand
Walking out of Korvettes
Package in her hand
Motions to all the seabirds
Throws divinity on the sand
I'll give you fish
I'll give you candy
I'll give you everthing I have in my hand
Give me, give back my man
Give me, give back my man
Head's in a whirlpool
Spinnin' round and round
If she don't get her man back
She's gonna drown
I'll give you fish
I'll give you candy
I'll give you everything I have in my hand
Give her, give back her man (I'll give you fish, I'll give you candy)
(I'll give you everything I have in my hand) oh oh, whoa oh oh
I'll give you fish (oh)
I'll give you candy (oh whoa oh oh)
I'll give you everything I have in my hand (oh oh whoa, oh oh whoa)
I'll give you fish
I'll give you candy
I'll give you everything I have in my hand
The B-52's song Give Me Back My Man is a tale of lost love and desperation. The story follows a woman who has lost her man and is willing to do whatever it takes to get him back, even cutting her hair and making promises of fish and candy. She longs for everything to be the same as it was before, when she still had him. The chorus of the song is a desperate plea for her man’s return. The woman’s head is spinning in a whirlpool and she feels as though she will drown if she doesn’t get him back.
The verse about walking out of Korvettes with a package in her hand and throwing divinity on the sand is interesting as it paints a vivid picture of the woman and her surroundings. Korvette's was a department store chain that operated in the northeastern United States from the 1940s until the 1980s, and "divinity" refers to a type of candy that is often associated with the south. The imagery of throwing divinity on the sand is unexpected and adds to the exaggerated and surreal tone of the song.
The repeated lines of “I’ll give you fish, I’ll give you candy, I’ll give you everything I have in my hand” further emphasize the desperation of the woman and her willingness to do anything to get her man back. The repetition of this phrase also serves as a hook that is easy to sing along with and remember.
Line by Line Meaning
She cuts her hair
She changes her appearance
And calls his name
She longs for her lost love
Wishin' everything could be the same
She wants things the way they used to be
Like when she had him
She misses her former partner
I'll give you fish
She offers material possessions to someone
I'll give you candy
She offers temporary pleasure to someone
I'll give you everthing I have in my hand
She offers everything she currently has
Walking out of Korvettes
She leaves a store
Package in her hand
She is holding something she bought
Motions to all the seabirds
She gestures to birds
Throws divinity on the sand
She throws something symbolic or abstract on the ground
Give me, give back my man
She pleads for her partner to return to her
Head's in a whirlpool
She is emotionally overwhelmed
Spinnin' round and round
She feels disoriented and dizzy
If she don't get her man back
She will not be happy without her partner
She's gonna drown
She feels like she is suffocating without her partner
Give her, give back her man
She asks for someone to help her get her partner back
(I'll give you fish, I'll give you candy)
She repeats her offers of material possessions and temporary pleasure
(I'll give you everything I have in my hand) oh oh, whoa oh oh
She repeats her offer to give everything she currently possesses
I'll give you fish (oh)
She repeats her offer to give fish while expressing emotion
I'll give you candy (oh whoa oh oh)
She repeats her offer to give candy while expressing emotion
I'll give you everything I have in my hand (oh oh whoa, oh oh whoa)
She repeats her offer to give everything she currently possesses while expressing emotion
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Cindy Wilson, Cynthia Wilson, Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson, Robert Waldrop
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hermask815
@@McDowallManor
a. B-52s is a great band
b. in most songs Fred is the principal singer .
C. Kate and Cindy appear mostly as background singers.
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i wish there were
more songs where the girls were the foreground.
sure, Kate is great whereever she appears (candy, shiny happy people)
but all i was saying was that Cindy is dramatically underrepresented.
@Bonjevalien
I just love how everyone in the band just supports. It’s totally Cindy’s moment
@cristobalmaiden
Is because the playback
@chongsdong
@@cristobalmaiden You don't get it.
@ReelLifeCanada
Monterino, agreed, this is something that likely has been underappreciated over the decades. The B52s were a team effort, Fred was always letting the girls do their thing, and boy could they take it... 52 Girls? Wonderful harmonies, such a fun band. I can only imagine how much fun their local shows were with all their friends in attendance.
@knowhere60
Awww...she was the Kid Sister if the band. Still a teenager in 1980.
@ReelLifeCanada
@@knowhere60 Close, Cindy was born in 1957, so 23 in 1980, but what a voice and cute too. She was a teenager when they first formed in 1976. You are right, she was the kid sister, the youngest member of an amazing band.
@culwin
I used to think this was just an OK song, and didn't think much about it. But only recently have I come to appreciate it and realize that it's probably my favorite song of theirs now.
@tadge72
I totally agree . They got famous in the Uk after love shack - and o listened to earlier tracks in the early 90s . It a strange track - but I really like it .
@MyLeftMitten
This was always my favorite! I went cross country in a old Valiant listening to B52’s & Wild Planet with three friends. It was the best
@bobdeludna8101
I suscribe !!