Editing Cosmic Thing (section)

==Recording and production==
Recording of the album was focused in two locations: Skyline Studios in New York City, and [[Dreamland Recording Studios]] in [[West Hurley, New York]].<ref name="Liners">{{cite AV media notes |title=Cosmic Thing |author=The B-52's |author-link=The B-52s |date=1989 |type=CD liner notes |publisher=[[Reprise Records]] |id=9 25854-2 |location=Burbank, California}}</ref> The initial sessions in New York City were produced by [[Nile Rodgers]], while the West Hurley sessions were helmed by [[Don Was]].<ref name="Hart"/> The band had previously worked with Rodgers when he recorded their song "[[(Shake That) Cosmic Thing]]" for the soundtrack to the 1988 film ''[[Earth Girls Are Easy]]''.<ref name="Azerrad"/>

The album's biggest hit, "[[Love Shack]]", was the last song recorded for the album and was developed from a 15-minute unfinished piece the band had created.<ref name="Hart"/> Strickland had initially felt the song was not ready to be released, but Pierson and Schneider felt it would be successful.<ref name="OralHistory"/> After the band finished their sessions with Was a day ahead of schedule, he asked if they had any more material and the song was brought in to refine and embellish upon.<ref name="Hart"/>

Music journalist [[Michael Azerrad]] noted that Strickland devised the album's final track sequence as if it were a film, moving from rural themes to more abstract concepts, culminating with an instrumental coda akin to a [[closing credits]] sequence.<ref name="Azerrad"/> Strickland later elaborated: "We sequenced it in a way that we felt told a story. I don't know if anybody's ever noticed it, but one song leads into the other in a nice way. It tells a story from beginning to end."<ref name="OralHistory"/>