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Engineered to do it all. That's a laptop evolved with Intel Evo Platform. Welcome to Hit Parade, a podcast of Pop Chart History from Slate magazine, about the hits

from coast to coast. I'm Chris Malanphy, chart analyst, pop critic, and writer of

Slates Why Is This Song Number One series. On today's show, In early 1980, a single materialized on the charts that was so unusual it would inspire a former

beetle. More on that former beetle in a moment. As for the song, which dated back to 1978, it was called Rock Lobster, and it was by a five-person band who named themselves

after a collection of letters and numbers, designating both a 1950s military bomber and more to the point a

1960s bouffant hairdo the B 52s. On first listen the the B-52's rock lobster was a cavalcade of Kitch, but it also had the edge of

punk and its quirky surf guitar and primitive keyboards connected it to early rock and roll.

It was old and new at the same time, the leading edge of Rock's new wave. A little.

Rock!

Rock!

Star!

Rock lobster!

A little over three years after Rock lobster peaked on Billboard's Hot 100, well shy of the top 40,

another band that emerged in the aftermath of punk made its Hot 100 debut.

By now, New Wave Pop was all over the charts.

But nothing on the radio in 1983 sounded much like this band either. It was by four men who also named themselves with a string of letters, the abbreviation for Rapid Eye Movement, the dream phase of a deep night's sleep, R.E.M.

...