Synopsis

The B-52's perform "Legal Tender" in a vivid studio setting dominated by colorful lighting, playful choreography, and an ever-changing parade of wigs. Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson take center stage, switching between exaggerated hairstyles and striking poses as the song's mischievous fantasy about printing counterfeit money unfolds. Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, and Ricky Wilson appear in shorter, sharply edited shots, adding to the band's offbeat visual personality. The deliberately artificial presentation matches the track's cartoonish take on inflation, consumerism, and financial desperation.

Factoids & Trivia

• Released in 1983, "Legal Tender" was the first single from the B-52's third studio album, "Whammy!"

• The video's most recognizable visual device is its collection of brightly colored, sculptural wigs worn by Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson. The styling builds on the elaborate hair looks that had already become part of the B-52's identity.

• The other band members are used more sparingly than Pierson and Wilson, keeping the focus on the singers' highly stylized performance and the video's fashion-driven imagery.

• The song's premise is a comic counterfeiting fantasy: rising prices inspire the characters to imagine setting up equipment and printing their own money. The video treats that idea as playful pop-art absurdity rather than a realistic crime story.

• "Legal Tender" received substantial MTV exposure in 1983, helping introduce the B-52's eccentric visual language to a wider television audience.

• The track was recorded during the sessions for "Whammy!" at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, with production by Steven Stanley.