On Cosmic Thing, everyone will remember “Love Shack”. Many will fondly remember “Roam”. Alt rock fans won’t forget “Channel Z”. But I’ll always remember “Topaz”. The second-to-last track. The almost forgotten song. The easily overshadowed one. But it was The B-52’s finally stepping outside of their party mentality. Still kids at heart, but this was a band that was growing up before our ears. “Topaz” gave us a more mature perspective and sound that I appreciated back in high school. And still do.

“New cities by the sea. Skyscrapers are winking. Some hills are never seen. The universe expanding.”