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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The Fall
Beat Happening Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I walk down stairs to talk to you
I came in, I tried to sit
And I tried to talk this whole thing through
Your love is so complete
And your love justifies my feelings
We should live together
And we should never, never
Bye, bye takaki, and
And bye, bye ai in america, and
Bye, bye heather
Bye, bye, bye, bye
We were walking along the street
And I fell down, and you said to me, you said,
'Calvin you're my guy with incredible blue eyes
But I've got to live my own life'
Falling through her bed you
Walk upstairs to say we're through
But no, uh-uh, uh-uh, no
I already knew
The lyrics to Beat Happening's song The Fall portray a conversation between two individuals who appear to be very much in love, but cannot be together. The singer walks down the stairs to talk to the other person, and tries to sit and talk the whole situation through. The first stanza expresses the idea that the other person's love is so complete that it justifies the singer's feelings, and they should live together, never to part ways. However, the second stanza is filled with disappointment and heartbreak as the other person rejects the idea of being together, and instead chooses to live their own life.
The song portrays the internal conflict of accepting that the relationship is over while holding on to cherished memories of when things were perfect. The lyrics "Bye, bye maro momi, and Bye, bye takaki, and And bye, bye ai in america, and Bye, bye heather" can be interpreted as the singer's way of saying goodbye to all the people that were a part of their life before the relationship ended. The line "Falling through her bed" indicates the emotional turmoil of the singer, who can no longer sleep peacefully in the same bed where they shared intimate moments with their lover.
Overall, The Fall is a poignant and emotional song that captures the complexities of a broken relationship. It touches on themes such as heartbreak, acceptance, and nostalgia, and speaks to anyone who has experienced the pain of losing someone they loved.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll do
This line is not easily definable, so it can be interpreted in a few ways. One interpretation is that the singer is announcing their willingness to do something that is about to be mentioned later on.
I walk down stairs to talk to you
The singer is stating that they have deliberately gone to someone else to have a conversation with them, most likely about something important.
I came in, I tried to sit
The singer has arrived at the location where they planned to talk to someone, and they attempt to make themselves comfortable and ready for the conversation.
And I tried to talk this whole thing through
The artist is indicating that they want to discuss a problem or issue with someone in order to find a solution or resolution.
Your love is so complete
The artist is admiring the depth and quality of the love they have received from someone else.
And your love justifies my feelings
The love that the singer has received from someone else has validated and supported how they feel about that person.
We should live together
The singer is suggesting that they and the other person should cohabitate, possibly as a romantic couple.
And we should never, never
The artist is emphasizing that living together should be a permanent arrangement, and expressing their desire for it never to end.
Bye, bye maro momi, and
The artist is bidding farewell to people they know, including someone named Maro Momi.
Bye, bye takaki, and
The artist is bidding farewell to another person they know, named Takaki.
And bye, bye ai in america, and
The singer is also saying goodbye to someone named Ai, who is located in America.
Bye, bye heather
The artist is saying goodbye to yet another person they know, named Heather.
Bye, bye, bye, bye
The repeated use of 'bye' functions as an emphatic final farewell to all the people mentioned in the previous lines.
We were walking along the street
The singer and another person were on a walk together outside.
And I fell down, and you said to me, you said,
The singer had a physical mishap and fell down while walking with the other person. The person they were with made a comment to them in response to the fall.
'Calvin you're my guy with incredible blue eyes
The person the artist was walking with addresses them by name and compliments their appearance, specifically their blue eyes.
But I've got to live my own life'
The person the artist is walking with is expressing their desire to pursue their own goals and needs, which conflicts with a desire the artist may have for the two of them to be together more closely.
Falling through her bed you
This line, like 'I'll do' at the start of the song, has no clear referent, making it difficult to determine its meaning. One possibility is that it refers to sexual activity or some other intimate interaction involving a bed, and the singer is describing an experience of theirs in vivid terms.
Walk upstairs to say we're through
The singer has ascended a staircase in order to tell the person they have been seeing/interacting with (likely romantically) that they want to break things off.
But no, uh-uh, uh-uh, no
The 'uh-uh's are a way for the artist to reject their own previous statement and express hesitation or uncertainty about wanting to end the relationship.
I already knew
The artist is indicating that they had some prior knowledge or intuition about the situation they find themselves in.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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