Bouncing off the Satellites is the fourth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on September 8, 1986 by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded in July 1985 and was produced by Tony Mansfield. Founding member and guitarist Ricky Wilson died of AIDS after most of the work on the album was completed, but a year prior to its release. The B-52's had gone on hiatus by the time Bouncing Off the Satellites was released, and it took three years for the band to recover from Wilson's death and release their next album, Cosmic Thing. Recording Bouncing off the Satellites was recorded in July 1985. According to Kate Pierson, "Wig" was written and recorded after the band's label, Warner Bros., asked them to write a hit song for the album. The band had the title in mind for years and devised the song via a jam session. A backwards message was deliberately inserted into the song "Detour Thru Your Mind": in the last 30 seconds of the track, Fred Schneider says, "I buried my parakeet in the backyard. Oh no, you're playing the record backwards. Watch out, you might ruin your needle." Death of Ricky Wilson During the recording, guitarist Ricky Wilson had been suffering from AIDS. Keith Strickland was the only bandmate who was informed of Wilson's illness. Strickland later stated that Wilson "was very protective, particularly of Cindy and his family", due to the public's misconceptions about AIDS. On October 12, 1985, Wilson finally succumbed to the illness, at the age of 32. Pierson has stated that Wilson worked on the album in its entirety prior to his death, and that it was completed. Strickland later recalled, "After Ricky Wilson died, we felt that the band was finished. We couldn't imagine continuing without him. So, we each went our separate ways." The band took a hiatus from their musical careers until they reformed in 1988 for the recording of their next album, Cosmic Thing. Release and promotion The album was finally released on September 8, 1986. Devastated at Wilson's death, the band did not tour and were involved in minimal promotion for the album. However, the band did produce a music video for "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland", which Schneider has stated was both "bittersweet" and the best video they ever made. Pierson later stated, "Warner Bros. figured since we weren't touring after Ricky