This song is basically a comic homage to the Dance Craze movement, esp. in the early/mid 1960s. The names in the song of the "16 dances" (8 of which are named) would sound silly to listeners even when this song came out (in 1979), but real dance crazes in the 60s era had names just as ridiculous-sounding, e.g. The Mashed Potato or the Watusi (two of the most famous ones from the decade, both starting in 1962).
Several lines of the lyrics in the first verse also reference directly the song "Stop in the Name of the Love" by the Supremes (1965) which helps situate the time period.
I don't think there's a deeper meaning beyond that. The narrator is clearly a sad girl who's beau is no longer interested in her during this Dance Craze era. This is the entire shtick of this album - putting the B-52s unique musical style and particularly Fred's unhinged-sounding singing voice to simple topics of American nostalgia, whether it be going to the beach (Rock Lobster), sci-fi/space travel (Planet Claire, There's a Moon...), or in this case, 60s Dance Crazes.
This song is basically a comic homage to the Dance Craze movement, esp. in the early/mid 1960s. The names in the song of the "16 dances" (8 of which are named) would sound silly to listeners even when this song came out (in 1979), but real dance crazes in the 60s era had names just as ridiculous-sounding, e.g. The Mashed Potato or the Watusi (two of the most famous ones from the decade, both starting in 1962). Several lines of the lyrics in the first verse also reference directly the song "Stop in the Name of the Love" by the Supremes (1965) which helps situate the time period. I don't think there's a deeper meaning beyond that. The narrator is clearly a sad girl who's beau is no longer interested in her during this Dance Craze era. This is the entire shtick of this album - putting the B-52s unique musical style and particularly Fred's unhinged-sounding singing voice to simple topics of American nostalgia, whether it be going to the beach (Rock Lobster), sci-fi/space travel (Planet Claire, There's a Moon...), or in this case, 60s Dance Crazes.