"Private Idaho" is a single released by American band the B-52's from their second studio album Wild Planet (1980).
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 Eagle, Idaho. In preparation of the event, the Idaho Statesman interviewed Fred Schneider 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 called it "a contagious rock dancer" with a "rumbling big beat and surf guitar, with alien vocals." Record World called it a "catchy dance-rocker." 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, along with previous single "Give Me Back My Man" and "Party out of Bounds", both from Wild Planet.Jennifer Dempsey Music USA: The Rough Guide 1999 p134 "As a harbinger of the whole punk/new wave aesthetic, the B-52's turned this to their advantage by stressing cheesy ... even as tunes like "Private Idaho" helped make new wave safe for mainstream listeners who wanted to put on dark glasses " "Private Idaho" reached number 11 in Australia. It was the 83rd-biggest Australian hit of 1980.
Weekly charts Chart (1980) PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)11U.S. Billboard Hot 100 74U.S. Cash Box Top 10078 US Record World Singles Chart79U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play5
Year-end charts Chart (1980) Position Australia (Kent Music Report) 83
Popular culture Gus Van Sant heard the song while visiting Idaho in the early 1980s, and later used the song title for his 1991 movie, My Own Private Idaho.
The song was featured in a scene in A Minecraft Movie, the live action sequences of which were set in Idaho.
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