"Deadbeat Club" is a song written and performed by American new wave band

the B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, p ...

. The song was released as the fifth and final single from their fifth studio album, ''

Cosmic Thing ''Cosmic Thing'' is the fifth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1989. It contains the singles "Love Shack" and "Roam". The success of the album served as a comeback after the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985. ...

'' (1989). "Deadbeat Club" peaked at 30 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 21 on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

, No. 35 on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Top Singles chart, and No. 73 on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

in 1990.

Background

The song is about the band's early days in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

when they would hang around in cafes drinking coffee. Because they did not work or do anything, their parents nicknamed them "Deadbeats".

Allen's Allen's, earlier A. W. Allen Limited, is an Australian brand of confectionery products produced by Nestlé. Allen's is the top brand of sugar confectionery in Australia. It is best known for Minties, a soft chewable mint-flavored confectionery, ...

, mentioned in the nostalgic song, was a real-life place in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

Normaltown Normaltown is a neighborhood in Athens, Georgia, by the Athens Regional Medical Center and named for the State Normal School formerly located there. It was the first area of Athens to be wired for electricity after the completion of the Mitchell B ...

is a neighborhood of Athens. The music video features

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

frontman

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Poss ...

Tracklisting

;CD and 12" # "Deadbeat Club" – 4:48 # "

Love Shack "Love Shack" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's from their fifth studio album, ''Cosmic Thing'' (1989). It was released on June 20, 1989, and was produced by Don Was. The song was a comeback for the band following their decline in p ...

" – 5:20 # "B-52's Megamix" – 6:32

Charts

References

The B-52's songs 1989 songs 1990 singles Song recordings produced by Don Was Song recordings produced by Nile Rodgers Songs written by Cindy Wilson Songs written by Fred Schneider Songs written by Kate Pierson Songs written by Keith Strickland {{1990s-single-stub