Though not officially broken up, the band has not performed together in public since the early 1990s. In 2005, they were invited by Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse to perform at All Tomorrow's Parties but respectfully declined the invitation.
The band met while attending The Evergreen State College and began recording in 1983. The band's basic lineup was drums, guitar and vocals, though when they formed their only instruments were a pair of maracas and a Sears Silvertone guitar purchased at a thrift shop. Heather once joked in an interview that the history of the band could be told through a list of the various people they'd borrowed drums from. Heather and Calvin had been members of a previous band and approached Bret, who had no musical experience at the time, saying they ought to start a band and go to Japan. Indeed, it was on a trip to Tokyo that the band members recorded Three Tea Breakfast, an EP that established the band's reputation.
Calvin Johnson was one of the founders of seminal indie rock label K Records. The label achieved modest success and continues to hold its independent integrity, claiming to have been "exploding the teenage underground into passionate revolt against the corporate ogre since 1982."
Beat Happening (1985), their full length debut, was critically acclaimed, as was Jamboree (1988). By the release of Dreamy in 1991, Beat Happening was one of the most popular bands in the indie rock community, leading to their pivotal role in the International Pop Underground Festival, which brought anti-corporate rock its earliest mainstream acceptance. Their last full-length album was 1992's You Turn Me On, which represented the band breaking many of their established conventions from earlier albums, most notably on Godsend, which runs 9 minutes in length and features blatant use of multitrack recording. The album was described by allmusic.com as "A masterpiece." Though never announcing a break-up and claiming at one point to still practice once a month, the members of Beat Happening have moved on to various other projects. In 2000 they released the Angel Gone single, their first new release in eight years.
A Beat Happening box set, Crashing Through, which collects all of the band's officially released music except for two of their tracks from a live cassette split with The Vaselines, was released in 2002. The box set included a booklet containing a lengthy essay on the history and impact of the band by Lois Maffeo, as well as rare photos of members Calvin, Heather and Bret.
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Crashing Through
Beat Happening Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Freeze, dry clean, then retire
Yeah yeah, that cockroach(?) overdue
Yeah yeah, gotta get a new haircut too
Yeah yeah, who says dreams don't come true
Whoa whoa, got a new thing crashing through
Set work top over tower
Yeah yeah, (back seat stab overjewel??)
Yeah yeah, heard 'bout that on the news
Yeah yeah, can't stop that lopsy do
Whoa whoa, got a new thing crashing through
Push cart, that won't go
Catch ball, then overthrow
Yeah yeah, that's old school
Yeah yeah, that's overdue
Yeah yeah, skip that too
Whoa whoa, got a new thing crashing through
Whoa whoa, got a new thing crashing through
Whoa whoa, got a new thing crashing through
Got a new thing crashing through
The Beat Happening's song "Crashing Through" is a catchy, upbeat tune that has seemingly nonsensical lyrics. However, upon closer inspection, the lyrics reveal the band's sardonic wit and social commentary. The first few lines, "Back burner is on fire/ Freeze, dry clean, then retire," is a clever wordplay on the idiom "back burner," meaning something that has been put aside or neglected, but in this case, it is actually on fire. It is as if the things that they have put aside have now exploded and cannot be ignored. The lines, "Yeah yeah, that cockroach overdue/ Yeah yeah, gotta get a new haircut too/ Yeah yeah, who says dreams don't come true," poke fun at our society's obsession with keeping up appearances and the pursuit of the American Dream. The idea that a cockroach is overdue implies that someone has been neglectful in their cleaning duties, but instead of immediately taking care of the problem, they prioritize getting a new haircut. It is a humorous commentary on misplaced priorities.
The rest of the verses follow a similar pattern of pointing out societal absurdities. The line "Set work top over tower/ (??) drop don't go sour" is likely about the ephemeral nature of success. Even if you have reached the top, there is always the risk of things "going sour," so it is better to not get too invested in it. "Yeah yeah, (back seat stab overjewel??)/ Yeah yeah, heard 'bout that on the news/ Yeah yeah, can't stop that lopsy do" seems to be commenting on the tendency of the media to sensationalize violence and the public's fascination with it. The lines "Push cart, that won't go/ Catch ball, then overthrow/ Yeah yeah, that's old school/ Yeah yeah, that's overdue/ Yeah yeah, skip that too" are a commentary on how society always wants the "new thing" and is quick to abandon anything that is "old school" or "overdue."
Overall, "Crashing Through" offers a clever and humorous commentary on our society's misplaced priorities and eagerness for the next big thing.
Line by Line Meaning
Back burner is on fire
Something that was neglected and put on the back burner is now catching fire and demanding attention.
Freeze, dry clean, then retire
Tackle all the important tasks, then leave and retire.
Yeah yeah, that cockroach(?) overdue
An unpleasant task that has been on the to-do list for too long is now unavoidable.
Yeah yeah, gotta get a new haircut too
Another task added to the already long list of things to do.
Yeah yeah, who says dreams don't come true
Despite everything, the dream is still alive.
Whoa whoa, got a new thing crashing through
Something new and unexpected is happening.
Set work top over tower
The importance of work outweighs everything else.
(??) drop don't go sour
Don't let something good go bad and turn sour by neglecting it.
Yeah yeah, (back seat stab overjewel??)
It's time to face unpleasant but necessary situations that have been put off.
Yeah yeah, heard 'bout that on the news
There's no escaping certain news and events.
Yeah yeah, can't stop that lopsy do
Despite wanting to stop, it's impossible to resist the urge to do something unconventional or unexpected.
Push cart, that won't go
A frustrating situation where efforts are not bearing fruit.
Catch ball, then overthrow
An expectation or opportunity that has been missed or bungled.
Yeah yeah, that's old school
Realizing that traditional and tried-and-tested methods often work best.
Yeah yeah, that's overdue
Noticing that there are things that need to be done that should have been done earlier.
Yeah yeah, skip that too
Deciding that certain things that were important before are now not worth the effort.
Whoa whoa, got a new thing crashing through
Something new and unexpected is still happening, despite everything else.
Whoa whoa, got a new thing crashing through
The new and unexpected thing is so significant that it bears mentioning twice.
Whoa whoa, got a new thing crashing through
The new and unexpected thing is so significant that it bears mentioning thrice.
Got a new thing crashing through
Whatever this new and unexpected thing is, it's important and exciting.
Contributed by Victoria V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.