"Party Out of Bounds" | ||||
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Single by The B-52's | ||||
from the album Wild Planet | ||||
Released | 1980 | |||
Format | 7" | |||
Recorded | 1979 | |||
Genre | New wave | |||
Length | 3:21 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson, Cindy Wilson, Kate Pierson | |||
Producer(s) | Rhett Davies | |||
The B-52's singles chronology | ||||
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"Party Out of Bounds" is the title of a 1980 song by The B-52s, from their album Wild Planet. It is also the name of a music show on Sirius Satellite Radio hosted by the band's lead male vocalist, Fred Schneider.
The original version of "Party out of Bounds" is 3:21 minutes. An instrumental version included on the B-side of the vinyl 45 rpm single "Private Idaho" also ran for 3:21 and was listed simply as "Party out of Bounds (Version)". The original has long been a staple of alternative/new wave dance club playlists. Featured with the other dancefloor-bound tracks from the album Wild Planet, the song "Private Idaho" / "Give Me Back My Man" / "Party out of Bounds" peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1980 as album cuts.
The following year, another mix of "Party out of Bounds" appeared on the B-52s Party Mix! EP. The 'Party Remix' was remixed by Daniel Coulombe and Steven Stanley. This version is first embellished with echoes and additional keyboard effects and then reduced to a skeletal beat-and-buzz showdown before clocking in at 5:21 minutes. Several years later, Stanley produced and engineered the B-52s 1983 album Whammy!.
The original and 'Party Remix' versions of "Party out of Bounds" eventually became available in digital format, on the albums Wild Planet and Party Mix!; the two-for-the-price-of-one collections "The B-52's/Wild Planet" and "Party Mix!/Mesopotamia"; the best-of compilations Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation, "The Best of the B-52's: Dance This Mess Around" and Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology; and the various artists collection Out of Bounds: Journey Through Modern Rock. The instrumental version has not been re-released, although a large portion of this features in the Party Mix! version, which, unlike the other remixed tracks on the album, is essentially a straightforward extended remix comprising the album version and instrumentals together with added effects.
The song begins with Schneider and Kate Pierson crashing a party, with the opening beat punctuated by a discordant guitar riff implying unexpected arrival, Schneider screaming "Sur-PRI-ise!" and Pierson 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.