Even those already familiar with the Arctic-dwelling tusked whale would likely never have heard the nasally eeeeooooreeeeaaaah of its call, nor the dwoh dwoh of an excited stingray.
It was up to an Athens, Georgia kitsch-rock quintet to fill us in on these and other questionable truths about the denizens of the deep.
Thirty-odd years down the track, it would be easy to dismiss this insanely infectious single and the self-titled debut album that spawned it as insubstantial fluff.
But to do so would be to ignore the fledgling band's remarkable achievement in delivering a near-perfect party disc, an LP that replenishes its store of beehive-bopping jollies with each airing.
Much of the appeal of The B-52's lies in the unabashed celebration of the band's reference points - '50s sci-fi and B-movies, beach parties, dance crazes and punky DIY pop.
Colourful fun is embraced with glee as cowbell-thwacking frontman Fred Schneider barks out commands like a high-camp obergruppenfuhrer, and go-go girl vocal pairing Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson respond with high-pitched, hook-laden harmonies.
The distinctive surf-twang attack in Ricky Wilson's four-stringed guitar playing is also key. It is rudimentary, rhythmic and the launch pad to the album's most ecstatic moments. Only someone strapped to a gurney could be kept from dancing when Wilson locks into 52 Girls' opening riff and when he cuts loose on Rock Lobster's climactic wig-out.
Other highlights are album opener Planet Claire, the Cyndi Wilson-sung Dance This Mess Around and new wave stomper 6060-842. Lesser tracks Hero Worship and Downtown are the only ones to push Wilson's aggressive vocals too far on an otherwise striking release.
Legend has it the B-52's formed over the shared experience of a Flaming Volcano cocktail - a kitsch classic. This, therefore, would be the lava that flowed from that union.
