Not Even Everyone in The B-52s Knew That This Deep Cut Was Actually a “Dirty Little Song”

The B-52s often made music that sounded so silly and unserious that one may not think too much about the meaning behind it. In a 1979 interview with Paul Rambali, members of The B-52s discuss the meanings and intent behind their songs.

Fred Schneider claimed that the band’s songs are “just nonsense.” However, other interpretations suggest otherwise.

“6060–842″ by The B-52s Is a “Dirty Little Song”

In the interview, they discussed their song “6060-842”, released in 1978. The band did not intend to include any “dirty” messaging within the track.

“We often wondered whether things in our songs would cause problems, but we just figured… So what?” said Schneider, “Lyrics like ‘606 0842’ are just, well, funny, whatever, but people are always looking for intent or message.”

Band member Kate Pierson discusses how rock and roll music has always been suggestive. However, she claimed they were not consciously trying to fill their songs with hidden meanings.

Pierson later suggests that “606 0842” is just “another dirty little song.”

Schneider quickly responds by saying “It’s not dirty,” and member Cindy Wilson says she “never thought of it as dirty, [and] thought it was another moon song.”

What Makes “6060-842” Dirty?

The song “6060-842” is about a woman named Tina, who finds a number on a bathroom stall. The number being 6060-842. Alongside the number, it says, “If you’d like a very nice time / Just give this number a call.”

These lyrics suggest that calling the number results in sexual favors. Which, in the song, Tina chose to call. However, there was no one on the other end to answer:

“Dial the number to call/ Get no answer at all/ Dime’s in the slot/ Ready to trot.”

Ultimately, it was discovered that the number had been disconnected:

“Operator, what’s wrong? / I dial stupid number all day long / Operator said / Your number’s been disconnected / Your number’s been disconnected…”

The implied joke of the song is that no women actually respond to sleazy bathroom messages, and by the time one does, the person who wrote the message is gone.

The song could be categorized as “dirty” for its reference to sexual advances. However, the main message in the song is one large joke about how no one actually takes on those particular advances.