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
Let's Kiss
Beat Happening Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we've loved each other in many different ways
But there's still one thing left undone
Let me walk you to school today
Let me walk with you everyday
We'll hide behind your locker door
And do what seems to come natural
Lalalalalalalallalalalalalala
I never thought it could be like this
We're in love, let's kiss
Let me come over to your house today
Let me come over everyday
Grab your favourite book and read your parts
And I'll lay my head upon your lap
Just because we're in love doesn't mean it can't be fun
I never thought it could be like this
We're in love, let's kiss
Tell your parents they don't understand
Ask your parents if they've ever felt like this
Tell your parents they don't understand
We're in love, let's kiss
Let's ride out to the park today
Let's ride bikes together every day
We'll lay down in the grass and stare at the sky
We'll stare into the sun and into each other's eyes
Nanananananannanana
I never thought it could be like this
We're in love, let's kiss
The lyrics of Beat Happening's Let's Kiss seem to purely depict young love - it is full of innocent and awkward desires that come with budding relationships. The lyrics of the song suggest that the two people who are in love have known each other for a while and have loved in many different ways, but there seems to be an unconquered territory, which is kissing. They talk about a seemingly simple desire to walk each other up to school every day and hide behind the locker door to kiss. The lyrics suggest that this idea of kissing each other seems to be natural and something that both of them have been waiting for a long time.
The lyrics of Let's Kiss continue to portray the relationship between the two people as cute and innocent. They talk about sitting together at home reading books, while one lays their head on the lap of the other. They also mention that being in love doesn't mean it can't be fun, which re-emphasizes how they see love as something light-hearted and exciting. Other activities they mention – going to the park, riding bikes – are simple, yet romantic. The lyrics suggest that they enjoy spending time together, being together, and simply being in each other's presence. The song's lyrics are upbeat and whimsical, a testament to the joy of being in innocent love.
Overall, Beat Happening's Let's Kiss lyrically captures the special feeling of young love. The song portrays how seemingly small moments shared between two people, such as walking to school, hiding behind lockers or reading books, can be so romantic and meaningful to them. The lyrics are a throwback to a time of childhood innocence, yet there's an underlying feeling of infatuation between the two people in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
We've known each other for quite some time
We have been familiar with each other for a long period of time
And we've loved each other in many different ways
Our love for each other has taken on many different forms
But there's still one thing left undone
There is still one thing we have not done
Let me walk you to school today
Allow me to accompany you to school today
Let me walk with you everyday
Let me walk with you every day
We'll hide behind your locker door
We will conceal ourselves behind your locker door
And do what seems to come natural
And engage in whatever comes naturally
Lalalalalalalallalalalalalala
N/A
I never thought it could be like this
I never anticipated that things would turn out this way
We're in love, let's kiss
We are in love with each other and should engage in a romantic kiss
Let me come over to your house today
Let me visit your house today
Let me come over everyday
Let me come to your house every day
Grab your favourite book and read your parts
Take your favorite book and read your parts
And I'll lay my head upon your lap
I will rest my head on your lap
Just because we're in love doesn't mean it can't be fun
Our love does not require us to be serious all the time
Tell your parents they don't understand
Inform your parents that they do not comprehend our situation
Ask your parents if they've ever felt like this
Ask your parents if they have ever experienced a similar feeling to ours
We're in love, let's kiss
We are in love and should share a kiss
Let's ride out to the park today
Let us go to the park today
Let's ride bikes together every day
Let us ride bikes together every day
We'll lay down in the grass and stare at the sky
We will lie in the grass and gaze at the sky
We'll stare into the sun and into each other's eyes
We will gaze at the sun and into each other's eyes
Nanananananannanana
N/A
I never thought it could be like this
I never expected things to turn out this way
We're in love, let's kiss
We are in love and should share a kiss
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Bret Lunsford, Calvin Douglas Johnson, Heather Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yorkandpomona
the story of the song is fun to fallow and imagine and even reminisce a bit. awww those were the days. id rather not go back ha but this little slice of delight i like :)
@BrittonDeJong
im glad to see so many people dig real music like this, its awesome!
@fakeis751
I never thought it could be portraited so fucking well.
@deathcherub333
i like walffels
@desolatesoul2304
THIS IS LOVE <3
@zharaa8838
Muah!
@pabsquatch
chords anyone?
@velouria777
Ariel pink?
@johnnypululando
@cajademonstruos porque dices eso?
@iamrockism
FREE KISSES ($1)