Private Idaho

"Private Idaho"
Single by The B-52's
from the album Wild Planet
B-side	"Party Out of Bounds"
Released	October 1980
Format	7"
Recorded	1979
Genre	New wave post-punk
Length	3:35
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson, Cindy Wilson, Kate Pierson
Producer(s)	Rhett Davies, The B-52's, Chris Blackwell
The B-52's singles chronology
"Dance This Mess Around" (1979) "Private Idaho" (1980) "Party out of Bounds" (1980)

"Private Idaho" is a single released by The B-52's from their album Wild Planet.

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.^[1]

"Private Idaho" reached number 11 in Australia. It was the 83rd biggest Australian hit of 1980.^[2]

Gus Van Sant used the song title for his movie My Own Private Idaho which he heard while visiting the state in the early 1980s.^[3]

The song was featured in the Adam Sandler movie The Wedding Singer.

The song was also the rink entrance/warmup song for the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads through the 2005-2006 hockey season.

Chart positions

Charts	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart [4]	11
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	74
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	5

References

1. 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 "
2. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50-singles-1988.htm
3. Greenberg, Harvey (Fall 1992). "My Own Private Idaho". Film Quarterly.
4. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50-singles-1988.htm