I think the "52" in "52 Girls" is a reference to 1952, and it conveniently also alludes to the name of the band. Fred from the B-52s was born in 1951 and Ricky and Keith in 1953. The song is an homage to America in 1952, the America into which the B-52s were born.
The girls' names listed in the song (Effie, Madge, Mabel, Biddie, etc.) are ones that were common among teenage girls in middle and upper class white America in the early 1950s. The song purposely lists girl names that would have sounded archaic to listeners in 1979, thus conveying how much time had passed since 1952 and how much the country and teenage pop culture had changed since then.
"These are the girls of the USA, the principal girls of the USA" reflects the confidence these kinds of Americans felt in the postwar era and the prosperous, idyllic lives these teenage girls were living. But this is followed by a tone of nostalgia and sadness: "Can you name them today?". The excitement and self-possessed life that only teenagers can enjoy inevitably passes as kids age into adulthood, and what was once cool and exciting becomes only a distant memory. This is particularly true in the span of time we're considering here, the early 1950s to the late 1970s, when the cultural and political change in the US was so profound and unprecedented. These girls felt on top of the world in 1952, but time moved on as it always does: these girls became adults with nondescript lives, and now we have trouble remembering them at all--we can't even name them today.
In short, this is a great song, both musically and lyrically. Note that all the songs on the amazing side one of the B-52s' first album explore similar themes: "Dance This Mess Around", "Rock Lobster", "Planet Claire" all make references to lost 1950s America while sounding simultaneously retro and like late 1970s new wave. What a cool combination, brilliantly executed. Hey B-52s, I love what you guys did-- bravo!!!
I think the "52" in "52 Girls" is a reference to 1952, and it conveniently also alludes to the name of the band. Fred from the B-52s was born in 1951 and Ricky and Keith in 1953. The song is an homage to America in 1952, the America into which the B-52s were born.
The girls' names listed in the song (Effie, Madge, Mabel, Biddie, etc.) are ones that were common among teenage girls in middle and upper class white America in the early 1950s. The song purposely lists girl names that would have sounded archaic to listeners in 1979, thus conveying how much time had passed since 1952 and how much the country and teenage pop culture had changed since then.
"These are the girls of the USA, the principal girls of the USA" reflects the confidence these kinds of Americans felt in the postwar era and the prosperous, idyllic lives these teenage girls were living. But this is followed by a tone of nostalgia and sadness: "Can you name them today?". The excitement and self-possessed life that only teenagers can enjoy inevitably passes as kids age into adulthood, and what was once cool and exciting becomes only a distant memory. This is particularly true in the span of time we're considering here, the early 1950s to the late 1970s, when the cultural and political change in the US was so profound and unprecedented. These girls felt on top of the world in 1952, but time moved on as it always does: these girls became adults with nondescript lives, and now we have trouble remembering them at all--we can't even name them today.
In short, this is a great song, both musically and lyrically. Note that all the songs on the amazing side one of the B-52s' first album explore similar themes: "Dance This Mess Around", "Rock Lobster", "Planet Claire" all make references to lost 1950s America while sounding simultaneously retro and like late 1970s new wave. What a cool combination, brilliantly executed. Hey B-52s, I love what you guys did-- bravo!!!
[Edit: Grammatical error]