Scandal was formed in New York City in 1981 by guitarist Zack Smith. The other initial members included: bassist Ivan Elias (1950–1995), guitarist Keith Mack, keyboardist Benjy King, (1953-2012) drummer Frankie LaRocka (1954-2005) (later replaced by Thommy Price), and singer Patty Smyth. Bon Jovi lead singer Jon Bon Jovi also briefly played guitar for the band in 1983.
The band had much success early on but due to struggles within the group and their record company, it slowly dissolved—losing member after member. By the time "The Warrior" tour hit the road in 1984, all that remained of the original lineup were Smyth and Mack. Scandal broke up shortly after the tour ended. The group (minus Ivan Elias, who died of cancer in June 1995; he was replaced by Kasim Sulton) reunited in 2004 for VH1's Bands Reunited show and did a string of concerts on the United States East Coast culminating in a show at Irving Plaza in their home city (New York) on February 9, 2005. During the summer of 2006, the band (excluding Price and Sulton) reunited again for VH1's "We Are the '80s" tour, playing a string of large - mainly outdoor - venues and earning critical acclaim. During the summer and fall of 2007, they toured again (this time without Zack Smith).
In July 2008, Billboard reported the upcoming release of new music by Patty Smyth and Scandal (featuring original members Keith Mack and Benjy King). At a performance in Dewey Beach, Delaware on August 3, 2008, Smyth indicated Scandal would be releasing a new five song EP in the near future. Scandal also performed one of their new songs, "Trust in Me". Other new titles include "Make It Hard" and "End of the Girl". Patty Smyth & Scandal debuted their first single as a band ("Hard for You to Love Me", also referred to as "Make It Hard") in over 24 years on January 17, 2009 in Ridgefield, Connecticut to a standing ovation. Smyth stated the song will be available to purchase digitally in February 2009, with the new EP to follow shortly. However, the single has been indefinitely delayed as the EP will be expanded to a full-length album, according to Smyth's blog in May 2009.[6] As of December 2011, the only new music released was "Silent Night", their cover of the Christmas classic, which was featured in the NCIS Season 9 Christmas episode, "Newborn King" and subsequently available for purchase on the band's official website.
Original drummer Frankie LaRocka died in 2005 after undergoing surgery. Original keyboardist Benjy King died on September 20, 2012, from injuries sustained in an accident.
Albums
Scandal (EP) (1982) - No. 39 U.S. (RIAA: Gold)
Warrior (1984) - No. 17 U.S. (RIAA: Platinum)
Beat Of A Heart
Scandal Feat. Patty Smyth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was a little too much today
Love on the wing
Flew so high it just melted away
So sweet on the run
So little time to make you see
What can't be undone
But sometimes a fool
Gets lucky and wins
Sometimes the innocent pay
For an old man's sin
But when the amber light
Of daylight's gone
All I want to feel
Is the beat of a heart
The street that night
Had a little too much to say
And the look in your eyes
It was a little too far away
But sometimes a fool
Gets lucky and wins
Sometimes the innocent pay
For an old man's sin
Sometimes a fool
Gets lucky and wins
Sometimes the innocent pay
For an old man's sin
But when the amber light
Of daylight's gone
All I want to feel
Is the beat of a heart
Just a little life ticking away
The beat of a heart
You come take me far away (Musical Break)
Sometimes a fool
Gets lucky and wins
Sometimes the innocent pay
For an old man's sin
But when the tears are dark
And we stand as one
All I want to feel
And when the amber light
Of daylight's gone
All I want to hear
Is the beat of a heart
The beat of a heart
You come and take me far away
The lyrics to Scandal's "Beat of a Heart" explore the theme of love and its fleeting nature. The opening stanzas describe how love can be compared to the heat of the sun - it can be a little too much sometimes and often disappears just as quickly. The lyrics continue to express the idea that sometimes, we may have something passionate and quick, but it may not have been meant to last.
The chorus of the song brings a change of tone and rhythm with a more upbeat and positive message. The singer's view of love has shifted, and they are now longing for a deeper, more meaningful connection. They want to feel the "beat of a heart" and be taken away in its rhythm. The bridge of the song touches on the idea that while life can be unpredictable and difficult, we always have the beat of our hearts to guide and comfort us.
The latter verses of the song depict a scene where the singer is standing on a street at night, recognizing that there may be distance between themselves and their partner. Despite the fact that love can be fleeting and distance can occur, the singer still wants to feel the beat of a heart, which represents the hope of a deeper connection.
Overall, the song is centered around the concept of the beat of the heart being the rhythm of life, love, and hope. While love may come and go and life can be unpredictable, the beat of the heart remains constant and offers comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
The heat of the sun
The intense heat of the sun is making me uncomfortable.
Was a little too much today
The current temperature is not tolerable for me today.
Love on the wing
Love is in the air and in my heart.
Flew so high it just melted away
However, the high level of romantic love that was soaring just melted away and disappeared.
So sweet on the run
This love was so sweet that it was almost intoxicating and difficult to resist.
So little time to make you see
Unfortunately, there was not enough time to make my love interest see the truth and full extent of my feelings.
What can't be undone
The past cannot be undone.
Was maybe never meant to be
Perhaps, our love relationship was never meant to be.
But sometimes a fool
Occasionally, the actions of a foolish person can turn out favorably.
Gets lucky and wins
Luck sometimes gives a foolish person a winning advantage.
Sometimes the innocent pay
Sometimes innocent individuals pay the price for the sins committed by others.
For an old man's sin
This failure is mainly due to an old man's previous mistakes and inadequacies.
But when the amber light
However, when the natural light illuminating the sky turns to an amber hue,
Of daylight's gone
and the light of day disappears,
All I want to feel
I desire to sense and experience,
Is the beat of a heart
nothing else but my partner's heartbeat too close to my soul.
The street that night
That evening, the street was full of people, noise, and illegal activities.
Had a little too much to say
Everyone was saying too many things that were almost overwhelming.
And the look in your eyes
And the expressions on your face,
It was a little too far away
they were slightly distant from me and difficult to interpret.
Just a little life ticking away
Our lives are short and ironically, it feels as though time is passing us by.
You come take me far away
Please take me away from the chaos and the noise right now.
But when the tears are dark
However, when my eyes are filled with tears and my thoughts are gloomy,
And we stand as one
And we depend on each other for comfort and support,
All I want to feel
all I need to experience is
And when the amber light
and once the sun sets and the light changes hue to amber,
Of daylight's gone
and the visible light from our star disappears,
All I want to hear
the only thing I need to listen to is,
Is the beat of a heart
your heart beating close to mine.
You come and take me far away
Please don’t let me stay in this situation as I need to escape.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KEITH MACK, PATTY SMYTH, ZACHARY HOLT SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jettyjumper21
The heat of the sun
Was a little too much today
Love on the wing
Flew so high it just melted away
So sweet on the run
So little time to make you see
What can't be undone
Was maybe never meant to be
But sometimes a fool
Gets lucky and wins
Sometimes the innocent pay
For an old man's sin
But when the amber light
Of daylight's gone
All I want to feel
Is the beat of a heart
The street that night
Had a little too much to say
And the look in your eyes
It was a little too far away
But sometimes a fool
Gets lucky and wins
Sometimes the innocent pay
For an old man's sin
Sometimes a fool
Gets lucky and wins
Sometimes the innocent pay
For an old man's sin
But when the amber light
Of daylight's gone
All I want to feel
Is the beat of a heart
Just a little life ticking away
The beat of a heart
You come take me far away (Musical Break)
Sometimes a fool
Gets lucky and wins
Sometimes the innocent pay
For an old man's sin
But when the tears are dark
And we stand as one
All I want to feel
And when the amber light
Of daylight's gone
All I want to hear
Is the beat of a heart
The beat of a heart
You come and take me far away
@lisajoye5721
Patty Smyth had one of the best female voices in music. Love her.❤
@mikelyons5632
Best voices period. I think female voices are generally better anyway. Here's is definitely top 5 all time, IMHO. 🙂
@geraldcorona9910
Well, it's been 40 yrs.
Just stopped by to check on something. ...... yup!!
I'm still in love with Patty! 😪
@08prema
Awe the 80’s can we just go back❤
@AgentJayZ
In 1985, I was a DJ at a hard rockin' bar. CCR, ZZ Top, Bob Seeger and Skynyrd... This was my favorite song, and I played it every night. Turned it up a bit past 10, and it was well received.
@swampy64-re5gc
Wouldn't it be great , I miss those days so much , definitely the best decade of my life , the music that fashion was just the best 🤡👍👍
@robertliddle4711
The song, her style, just scream the 80s and I miss it. She absolutely rocks.
@Serpico-official
Totally!! ❤
@AgentJayZ
In 1985, I was a DJ at a rough bar, and I played this song every night. Always cranked the amps into "yellow" for that first hit on the drums. Left it there until the song was ending. The building shook, and I loved every second of it.
@truxtc11
Patty’s just so cool. I remember being a kid and seeing her videos. I had such a huge crush on her. Lol God, the 80’s were a great time to be growing up.