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.
http://www.krecs.com
I Love You
Beat Happening Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been dreaming
I'm on the beach, oh yeah
To rest my feet, oh yeah
Those poets grin, oh yeah
Who never sin, oh yeah
They fight with russians, oh yeah
With the kgb, oh yeah
At the baltic sea, oh yeah
They know the pope, oh yeah
He's a regular joe, oh yeah
[Repeat: x25]
They say 'give it to me'
I, I and when I woke up
I had a tear in my eye
I was crying
I've been having these dreams
I know this woman, oh yeah
Lives in a tomb, oh yeah
She played a song, oh yeah
But she can talk, oh yeah
The things she says, oh yeah
Could raise the dead, oh yeah
She says that god, oh yeah
He turned her bod, oh yeah
From a chocolate malt, oh yeah
To a pillar of salt, oh yeah
She says 'one, two, three, four
[Repeat: x25]
Give it to me'
And when I woke up
I had a tear in my eye
In my last dream, oh yeah
I made the scene, oh yeah
With tomahawk, oh yeah
We took a walk, oh yeah
Down lover's lane, oh yeah
To serenade, oh yeah
In passion view, oh yeah
In cowboy suits, oh yeah
They say 'one, two, three, four
[Repeat: x13]
Give it to me'
And I was crying
The lyrics to Beat Happening's song I Love You are emotive, surrealistic and almost nonsensical, yet they create an enchanting and dream-like atmosphere. The song begins with the dream imagery of being on the beach, resting feet, talking to poets who fight with Russians and have discussions with the KGB at the Baltic Sea. This imagery continues with the mention of a woman who lives in a tomb but can play a song and has profound things to say, such as how God turned her bod from a chocolate malt to a pillar of salt. The repetition of the phrase 'give it to me' ties the three dream sequences together.
The tone of the song is nostalgic and confused, which is highlighted in the chorus, where the lyrics reveal that the singer has been having these dreams, and when they woke up, they had a tear in their eye. The yearning in the chorus is emotional and tangible, evoking a sense of loss or longing. The repetition of 'I love you' throughout the song matches this emotional power, as if the singer is trying to express their emotions and communicate their love.
In summary, Beat Happening's I Love You is an introspective and surrealistic song that uses dreamy imagery and repetition to create a dreamlike atmosphere. It is an experience of yearning, loss and confusion that culminates in an emotionally powerful expression of love.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been having these dreams
I've been having dreams that I can't wrap my head around
I'm on the beach, oh yeah
I find myself resting on the beach in my dream
To rest my feet, oh yeah
My feet are tired and I need rest
Those poets grin, oh yeah
The poets that I see in my dream are all smiling
Who never sin, oh yeah
These poets never do anything wrong
They fight with russians, oh yeah
These poets engage in heated arguments with Russians
And have discussions, oh yeah
They engage in discussions around various topics
With the kgb, oh yeah
And they also discuss with the KGB
At the baltic sea, oh yeah
All of this happens near the Baltic Sea
They know the pope, oh yeah
These poets have connections and know the Pope personally
He's a regular joe, oh yeah
Despite being the Pope, he's a very casual and humble person
They say 'give it to me'
These people demand to be given what they want
And when I woke up
I woke up from my dream
I had a tear in my eye
I was crying once I woke up
I know this woman, oh yeah
In another dream, I came across a woman
Lives in a tomb, oh yeah
This woman lives in a grave
She played a song, oh yeah
She played music for me
But she can talk, oh yeah
Despite living in a tomb, she can still talk
The things she says, oh yeah
And she says things that are incredibly compelling
Could raise the dead, oh yeah
She has the ability to bring the dead back to life
She says that god, oh yeah
According to her, God has something to do with her transformation
He turned her bod, oh yeah
God transformed her body...
From a chocolate malt, oh yeah
...from something that looks like a chocolate malt...
To a pillar of salt, oh yeah
...to a pillar of salt
She says 'one, two, three, four
She counts down in preparation for something
And when I woke up
Then I woke up again
I had a tear in my eye
Once again I found myself crying upon waking up
In my last dream, oh yeah
In my final dream for that night
I made the scene, oh yeah
I was part of something exciting and popular
With tomahawk, oh yeah
I had a tomahawk with me
We took a walk, oh yeah
We went for a walk
Down lover's lane, oh yeah
We walked down a beautiful path
To serenade, oh yeah
We sang romantic songs
In passion view, oh yeah
We were both filled with passion
In cowboy suits, oh yeah
We were dressed like cowboys
They say 'one, two, three, four
And once again we're counting down to something exciting
Give it to me'
Demanding and asking for something to be given to us
And I was crying
And once again I was crying upon waking up from my dream
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRADDOCK, REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
v a
Incase anyone wanted the lyrics :~) :
I've been having these dreams
I've been dreaming
I'm on the beach, oh yeah
To rest my feet, oh yeah
Those poets grin(?), oh yeah
Who never sin, oh yeah
They fight with russians, oh yeah
And have discussions, oh yeah
With the kgb, oh yeah
At the baltic sea, oh yeah
They know the pope, oh yeah
He's a regular joe, oh yeah
They say 'give it to me' (x 24)
I, i and when i woke up
I had a tear in my eye
I was crying
I've been having these dreams
I know this woman, oh yeah
Lives in a tomb, oh yeah
She played a song, oh yeah
But she can talk, oh yeah
The things she says, oh yeah
Could raise the dead, oh yeah
She says that god, oh yeah
He turned her bod, oh yeah
From a chocolate malt, oh yeah
To a pillar of salt, oh yeah
She says 'one, two, three, four
Give it to me' (x 20)
I've been having these dreams
I've been dreaming
And when i woke up
I had a tear in my eye
In my last dream, oh yeah
I made the scene, oh yeah
With tomahawk, oh yeah
We took a walk, oh yeah
Down lover's lane, oh yeah
To serenade, oh yeah
In passion view, oh yeah
In cowboy suits, oh yeah
They say 'one, two, three, four
Give it to me' (x 13)
And i was crying
v a
Incase anyone wanted the lyrics :~) :
I've been having these dreams
I've been dreaming
I'm on the beach, oh yeah
To rest my feet, oh yeah
Those poets grin(?), oh yeah
Who never sin, oh yeah
They fight with russians, oh yeah
And have discussions, oh yeah
With the kgb, oh yeah
At the baltic sea, oh yeah
They know the pope, oh yeah
He's a regular joe, oh yeah
They say 'give it to me' (x 24)
I, i and when i woke up
I had a tear in my eye
I was crying
I've been having these dreams
I know this woman, oh yeah
Lives in a tomb, oh yeah
She played a song, oh yeah
But she can talk, oh yeah
The things she says, oh yeah
Could raise the dead, oh yeah
She says that god, oh yeah
He turned her bod, oh yeah
From a chocolate malt, oh yeah
To a pillar of salt, oh yeah
She says 'one, two, three, four
Give it to me' (x 20)
I've been having these dreams
I've been dreaming
And when i woke up
I had a tear in my eye
In my last dream, oh yeah
I made the scene, oh yeah
With tomahawk, oh yeah
We took a walk, oh yeah
Down lover's lane, oh yeah
To serenade, oh yeah
In passion view, oh yeah
In cowboy suits, oh yeah
They say 'one, two, three, four
Give it to me' (x 13)
And i was crying
az0r22
GIVEITTOMEGIVEITTOMETGIVETOOTMVETGHGIVETIVEITIVMETIVEMTIVMIEMITIMVEIMEIMGEIMVMIEIOVEIOVIEOGIOEMGMIOEIMOVIMEIMGIMOEIOMVEIOMVEMIOVMMIOVIOMVE
az0r22
SHE SAID THAT GOD OH YEAH HE TURNED HER BOD OH YEAH FROM CHOCOLATE MALT OH YEAH TO A CROISSANT OH YEAH
MP- CRAFT
I love everything about this
YTDC exposed AKA Paul
So rad. Love this
Kentaur Sheppard
What are you waiting for? Give it to him!
Plastenini
:))
Raíssa G. Matos
this one sounds like Life Stinks, from Pere Ubu :)
Julien Boisvert
giitomegiitomegiitomegiitomegiitomegiitomegiitomegiitomegiitome!!!!!!!
BenjaminRenegadeAngel
yes!