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
Run Down the Stairs
Beat Happening Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
i really do
i get so scared
when i try to talk to you
cause you know me when i open up my mouth
you see my eyes when i say what i say
when i say what i say
yeah, when i say what i say
but i don't know the truth
and i can't talk
i clap my hands
and go for a long walk
i cut my hair
i run down stairs
run down stairs
i dance around in a small room
with the lights turned down
i think about you now
i walk around late at night
cause i can't go to sleep cause you're not here
to turn out the light
turn, turn, turn out the light
i guess it's all right
my hands hold the world
they hold my head
they hold my knees up to my chest
they tell the truth
they love you so
my hands would touch you but they don't know how
they don't know how
they don't know how
they don't know how
The lyrics of Beat Happening's song "Run Down the Stairs" express the fear and anxiety of the singer when it comes to expressing their true feelings to someone they care about deeply. The opening lines of the song convey the singer's desire to tell the truth but also their fear of being vulnerable and judged when they try to communicate with the person they want to express themselves to. The lines "you see my eyes when I say what I say" suggest that the fear of being seen and judged is a driving force behind the singer's hesitation to speak honestly.
The chorus of the song expresses the singer's confusion and feeling of helplessness, as they do not know the truth and struggle to communicate their emotions. The line "I clap my hands and go for a long walk" implies that the singer is attempting to distract themselves from their emotions but ultimately cannot escape the turmoil inside. The image of running down the stairs, cutting hair, and dancing around in a small room further emphasizes the singer's restless and disoriented state.
The final lines of the song suggest that the singer's hands hold the truth and their love for the person they're singing to, yet they still cannot find a way to express themselves: "my hands would touch you but they don't know how." The song captures the universal struggle of being vulnerable and open with someone you care about, portraying the fear, confusion, and frustration that often accompany such endeavours.
Line by Line Meaning
i wanna tell the truth
I have a desire to tell you the truth sincerely.
i really do
I genuinely want to express the real situation.
i get so scared
I become too frightened when I try to speak honestly.
when i try to talk to you
Whenever I attempt to converse with you.
cause you know me when i open up my mouth
You can read me when I try to speak openly.
you see my eyes when i say what i say
You perceive my eyes when I speak what is in my mind.
when i say what i say
When I articulate my thoughts.
yeah, when i say what i say
Yes, whenever I try to speak my mind.
but i don't know the truth
Although I want to tell the truth, I am uncertain about it.
and i can't talk
Furthermore, I cannot express my thoughts verbally.
i clap my hands
I use nonverbal expressions like clapping my hands.
and go for a long walk
I try to take a long walk when I am unable to express myself verbally.
i cut my hair
I change my appearance to distract myself from the situation.
i run down stairs
I try to avoid the situation by running downstairs.
i dance around in a small room
I express myself through dance in a small room with limited movement.
with the lights turned down
I prefer dancing in a dimly lit room without bright lights.
i think about you now
I am continuously thinking about you at this moment.
i walk around late at night
I wander around aimlessly at night due to my inability to sleep without you.
cause i can't go to sleep cause you're not here
I cannot sleep deeply without you around.
to turn out the light
To turn off the light so that I can sleep.
turn, turn, turn out the light
Switch the light off repeatedly.
i guess it's all right
I feel it is okay to still not express my thoughts verbally.
my hands hold the world
I hold the world with my hands metaphorically.
they hold my head
My hands hold my head up.
they hold my knees up to my chest
They place my knees to my chest to comfort myself.
they tell the truth
My hands express the truth nonverbally.
they love you so
I love you so much that my hands express my emotions.
my hands would touch you but they don't know how
My hands desire to touch you, but I am unable to do so.
they don't know how
I am not sure how to express myself physically or verbally.
Contributed by Cooper W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.