"Private Idaho" is a single released 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, p ...

from their 1980 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 s ...

''.

Composition

are from

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 ...

, and never played a concert in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

until September 13, 2011, when they played at Eagle River Pavilion in

Eagle, Idaho Eagle is a city in Ada County, Idaho, 10 miles northwest of Boise. The population was 30,346 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water ...

. In preparation of the event, the

Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...

interviewed

Fred Schneider Frederick William Schneider III (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band The B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his ''sprechge ...

about the song's meaning. "Idaho is pretty mysterious to all of us," he said. "I know it's a beautiful state, but then I know there's also a lot of crazy right-wingers and all that stuff. ...The song's about all different things. It's not like a parody of Idaho or anything."

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it "a contagious rock dancer" with a "rumbling big beat and surf guitar, with alien vocals."

Chart history

The single was their second ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry, at #74. The single also peaked at #5 on the US

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 t ...

, along with previous single "

Give Me Back My Man "Give Me Back My Man" is a song written and recorded by the American rock band the B-52's. It was released as the second single from their album ''Wild Planet'' (1980), and is one of many solo vocal performances from Cindy Wilson in the band's ea ...

" and "

Party out of Bounds "Party Out of Bounds" is the title of a 1980 song by The B-52's, from their album ''Wild Planet''. Featured with the other dancefloor-bound tracks from the album, the song peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1980 ...

", both from ''Wild Planet''. "Private Idaho" reached number 11 in Australia. It was the 83rd-biggest Australian hit of 1980.

Popular culture

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultur ...

heard the song while visiting Idaho in the early 1980s, and later used the song title for his 1991 movie, ''

My Own Private Idaho ''My Own Private Idaho'' is a 1991 American independent adventure drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant, loosely based on Shakespeare's ''Henry IV, Part 1'', '' Henry IV, Part 2'', and ''Henry V''. The story follows two friends, Mike ...

''. *The song featured in the Adam Sandler movie ''The Wedding Singer'' (1998) *It is also heard in Noah Hawley, Noah Hawley's directorial debut ''Lucy in the Sky'' (2019). *The ECHL's Idaho Steelheads used the song as their rink entrance/warmup song through the 2005-2006 hockey season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Private Idaho (Song) 1980 songs 1980 singles The B-52's songs Songs written by Fred Schneider Songs written by Kate Pierson Songs written by Keith Strickland Songs written by Cindy Wilson Warner Records singles Works about Idaho