Songfacts®:

• This space-party song was written for Earth Girls Are Easy, a campy 1988 film starring Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans. The song first appeared on the film's soundtrack.
• Most of the song is about intergalactic honeybun shaking, but there is a call for political action embedded in the lyric. "Don't let it rest on the President's desk," Fred Schneider sings. "Rock the house!"
  
  The band supports a number of causes, including Amnesty International and Greenpeace. They're careful about not being too preachy in their songs, but often use appearances to support these organizations.
• Nile Rodgers produced this track. When it came time for the B-52s to record their next album, they asked Rodgers to produce it, but had to wait a month before he was done with another project. They used that time to complete four songs with Don Was, including the album's big hit, "Love Shack."
• The B-52s went through some rough times in the years leading up to this song. In 1985, their guitarist, Ricky Wilson, died of AIDS at age 32. Even before his death, they were on the verge of a breakup, with low sales and creative ennui. The four remaining members regrouped in 1987 and found a new creative energy, sparked by this song. When the Cosmic Thing album was released in 1989, it was the breakthrough they needed.