"Party Out of Bounds" is the title of a 1980 song by

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, ...

, from their album ''

Wild Planet ''Wild Planet'' is the second studio album by the B-52's, released in 1980. As with their first album, the B-52's traveled to Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas to record ''Wild Planet''. Several of the songs from the album had been concert ...

''. Featured with the other dancefloor-bound tracks from the album, the song peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart in 1980 as an album cut and has long been a staple of alternative/new wave dance club playlists. Lyrically, the song is a guide on how to better plan house parties in order to prevent potential disasters. An instrumental dub mix was included on the B-side of the vinyl 45 rpm single "

Private Idaho "Private Idaho" is a single released by The B-52's from their 1980 album ''Wild Planet''. Composition The B-52's are from Athens, Georgia, and never played a concert in Idaho until September 13, 2011, when they played at Eagle River Pavilion in ...

". The following year, another mix of "Party Out of Bounds" appeared on the B-52's' '' Party Mix!'' EP, remixed by Daniel Coulombe and Steven Stanley to feature elements of the dub mix, embellished with echoes and additional keyboard effects. Two years later, Stanley produced and engineered the B-52's' 1983 album ''

Whammy! ''Whammy!'' is the third studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on April 27, 1983 in the United States, with Warner Bros. Records as the primary label. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in December ...

''.

Song

The song begins with the B-52's crashing a party, with the opening beat punctuated by a discordant guitar riff implying unexpected arrival, Fred Schneider screaming "Sur-PRI-ise!" and

Kate Pierson Catherine Elizabeth Pierson (born April 27, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52's. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the B-52s, she has performed alongside Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneid ...

belting out "PAR-TAY!". It quickly becomes evident that this party is poorly-planned and executed. The balance of the lyrics describe what can go wrong at a party, how to remedy these bad situations, and prevent them from happening in the first place with proper planning. The title "Party Out of Bounds" was also used as the title of the 1991 book ''Party Out of Bounds: The B-52's, R.E.M. and the Kids Who Rocked Athens, Ga.'' by Rodger Lyle Brown. That book remains the only chronicle of the early Athens music scene written by someone who lived in Athens throughout the period of 1976 through 1987.

Radio show

''Party Out of Bounds'', a music show on

Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially lau ...

hosted by Schneider, was named after the song. It aired Friday nights, 9pm to 12am (ET) on First Wave. On the radio show, Schneider played a mix of new wave-era dance, remixes and rarities, interspersed with his own humorous bits and anecdotes. The show's last broadcast was on August 22, 2008, as Schneider left the station to pursue other projects.

References

{{Authority control The B-52's songs 1980 singles Songs written by Fred Schneider Songs written by Kate Pierson Songs written by Keith Strickland Songs written by Cindy Wilson Warner Records singles 1980 songs