1) The English two-tone ska band The Beat known as The English Beat in North America and The British Beat in Australia.
2) The American power-pop band became known as Paul Collins' Beat in Europe.
1. The Beat are a band founded in Birmingham, England, in 1978. Their music fuses ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock.
The Beat, consisting of Dave Wakeling (vocals, guitar), Ranking Roger (vocals), Andy Cox (guitar), David Steele (bass), Everett Morton (drums), and Saxa a.k.a. Lionel Augustus Martin (1930 – 2017) (saxophone), released three studio albums in the early 1980s: I Just Can't Stop It (1980), Wha'ppen? (1981) and Special Beat Service (1982), and a string of singles, including "Mirror in the Bathroom", "Too Nice to Talk To", "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "Hands Off, She's Mine" and "All Out to Get You".[3]
Although the group’s main fan-base was in the UK, they were also popular in Australia thanks to regular exposure on the government-owned rock radio station Triple J and the nationally-broadcast TV pop show Countdown. They had a sizeable following in the U.S., and a strong presence on that country’s college radio.
After the break-up of The Beat, Dave Wakeling (guitar, lead vocals) and Ranking Roger (vocals) went on to form General Public, while Andy Cox (guitar) and David Steele (bass guitar) formed Fine Young Cannibals with vocalist Roland Gift.
Members of the band often collaborated on stage with The Specials and performed together on tracks such as “Free Nelson Mandela”. In the early 1990s, Roger joined members of The Specials to form the new band The Special Beat, which released two live albums.
Ranking Roger’s son, Ranking Junior, has followed in his father’s footsteps. In 2005, he appeared on The Ordinary Boys’ single “Boys Will Be Boys”. In 2003, The Beat’s original line-up, minus Cox and Steele but with the addition of Junior, played a sold-out one-off gig at the Royal Festival Hall. As of 2005, The Beat has reformed, counting Roger, Blockhead and Morton of the original line-up, with Ranking Junior also on vocals. The band is said to have the blessing of Cox, Steele and Saxa (of Desmond Dekker fame).
The Beat’s lead singer Dave Wakeling also continues to tour as The English Beat, as he has done for the last three decades, with an amazing all-star ska backing band playing the hits of The English Beat, General Public, and his new songs.
Saxa died on 3 May 2017, Ranking Roger died on 26 March 2019.
2. The Beat (known in Europe as The Paul Collins Beat or Paul Collins' Beat), were an American rock and power pop group from Los Angeles, California that formed in the late 1970s. The Beat resurfaced in the 1990s and continues to tour and record new material as Paul Collins' Beat. Frontman Paul Collins has released several projects with his alternative country group The Paul Collins Band, who play Americana music inspired by country rock and folk rock.
Click Click
The Beat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Open your mouth, slide the barrel in
If you don't like it, just don't do it again
Itchy finger, finger, trigger, trigger
Click, click
Click, click, click
Say it's your job to scrape a living up, that's all it does
Well, think it back over it, hurts twice as much as living
Itchy finger, finger, trigger, trigger
Faster, faster, faster, faster
One shot, this is it
Did you delay?
You call it a nightmare, now, I call it a day
You hold yourself steady at the edge of the bed
As you say finger, finger, trigger, trigger
Click, click, click, click, click
Click, click, click
Faster, faster, faster, faster
Faster, faster, faster, faster
Faster, faster, faster, faster
Stop
The lyrics to The Beat's song Click Click explore the theme of gun violence and the destructive cycle it creates. The first verse speaks directly to the act of firing a gun, metaphorically comparing it to a one-shot magazine. The lines "Open your mouth, slide the barrel in" suggest that those who choose to use guns are willingly inviting destruction upon themselves and others. The following line, "If you don't like it, just don't do it again," takes a harsh stance against gun use and encourages listeners to make the choice to take control and not engage in this behavior.
The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrase "click, click" multiple times, represents the sound of a gun's trigger being pulled. It highlights the repetitive nature of gun violence and how easy it can be to continue down a path of destruction. The second verse focuses on the aftermath of gun violence and the toll it takes on society. The line "One in thirty-five is saying sorry through a bottle" suggests that those affected by gun violence often turn to alcohol to cope with the emotional pain. The song ends with a plea to stop the cycle of gun violence, with the repeated phrase "faster" possibly representing the escalation of violence and the urgency to find a solution.
Overall, Click Click is a powerful commentary on the dangers of gun use and the need for society to come together to find a solution to this ongoing problem.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a one shot magazine, give it a spin
The magazine can only be used once, spin the chamber before firing
Open your mouth, slide the barrel in
Place the gun in your mouth to ensure fatal impact
If you don't like it, just don't do it again
If you survive, you can avoid attempting suicide again
Itchy finger, finger, trigger, trigger
The desire to pull the trigger is intense
Click, click
The sound of the empty gun chamber clicking
Click, click, click
Repeatedly pulling the trigger on an empty chamber
One in thirty five is saying sorry through a bottle
One in thirty-five people commit suicide, often with alcohol as a way to cope or apologize to loved ones before death
Say it's your job to scrape a living up, that's all it does
People feel trapped in their work and see no hope beyond it
Well, think it back over it, hurts twice as much as living
Ruminating on the decision to commit suicide causes more pain than continuing to live
Faster, faster, faster, faster
Urgency and desperation to end the pain intensifies
One shot, this is it
This is the one chance to end it all
Did you delay?
Did you hesitate before pulling the trigger?
You call it a nightmare, now, I call it a day
Death is seen as a relief from the torment of living
You hold yourself steady at the edge of the bed
Preparing to shoot oneself while seated on the edge of the bed
As you say finger, finger, trigger, trigger
Repeating actions and words to build courage to pull the trigger
Click, click, click, click, click
Still clicking an empty gun chamber, hoping the next round will fire
Faster, faster, faster, faster
The intensity builds until the final decision is made
Stop
The final decision to end it all is made
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ROGER CHARLERY, ANDREW COX, ANDY COX, EVERETT MORTON, DAVID STEELE, DAVID WAKELING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Άγγελος Γατζιάς
It's a one shot magazine, give it a spin
Open your mouth, slide the barrel in
If you don't like it, just don't do it again
Itchy finger, finger, trigger, trigger
Click, click
Click, click, click
One in thirty five is saying sorry through a bottle
Say it's your job to scrape a living up, that's all it does
Well, think it back over it, hurts twice as much as living
Itchy finger, finger, trigger, trigger
Faster, faster, faster, faster
One shot, this is it
Did you delay?
You call it a nightmare, now, I call it a day
You hold yourself steady at the edge of the bed
As you say finger, finger, trigger, trigger
Click, click, click, click, click
Click, click, click
Faster, faster, faster, faster
Faster, faster, faster, faster
Faster, faster, faster, faster
Stop
Dan Springer
Some of the greatest drum and bass of all time.
LaurenFromRhody401
This song always makes me want to drive really fast
Toyota Kawasaki
Dangerous
Birk Derkowitch
This song rocks!
Chris Gavito
I love EVERYTHING about this - the : click. click. - click. click. click. Now just 1 left in the chamber. The guys were geniuses.
Marcio Rohden
Showww curti muito em 1981 aqui em joinville no America Disco Club
Paul Liddy
Simply brilliant !!
BRICKS AND BASS
Listening to this high on speed is the best thing ever
crazytrace69
Seen them at the US Festival 83 when I was a teen.....they were great......
Shannon Kirshner
Cool, I wasn't even alive then