There were two bands named The Beat, both active at the same time in the la… Read Full Bio ↴There were two bands named The Beat, both active at the same time in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Both bands mutually decided to use different names while operating different parts of the world:

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.

Down
The Beat Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mr fish is having a party
Down at the sea
With really loud music and the food is free
Down, down at the sea
So let's put on some sun tan lotion
Drive your car out to the ocean, to the ocean, to the ocean

Where we can play all day

Down at the sea
And we won't care if there's anyone's there
Down, down at the sea
I've got the beach ball and you've got the song
Everbody's gonna sing along, gonna sing along, gonna sing along

Put the radio under a palm tree
Down at the sea
It's a swinging place for you and me
Down, down at the sea
Dance, dance, swish, swish
I dance with the clams and you dance with the fish, you dance with the fish, you dance with the fish

When the sun comes down we'll go to sleep
Down at the sea
Mrs lobster's gonna tuck us in
Down, down at the sea

And we'll dream about the waves out there
Combing in and washing us away, washing us away, washing us away

Overall Meaning

The Beat's "Down at the Sea" is a cheerful and playful song that describes a fun day at the beach. The mood of the song is set in the opening line, where Mr Fish is having a party down at the sea. The vibrant and loud music with free food that is characteristic of a party at the beach are also mentioned. The singer then invites the listeners to apply some sun tan lotion and drive their car to the ocean, indicating that it is a perfect day for beach activities. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "down at the sea," conveying the singer's excitement at being at the beach.

The second stanza starts with the singer expressing their carefree attitude towards the crowd at the beach as they have brought their own entertainment, a beach ball and a song to sing along to. The singer encourages the listeners to join in the fun and dance along. They suggest putting the radio under a palm tree, an iconic image of the beach setting. The chorus is repeated twice, emphasizing the joy of being at the sea.

The final stanza of the song is about the end of a fun day at the beach. As the sun sets, the singer suggests it's time to go to sleep. Mrs Lobster is mentioned in a playful manner, indicating that even the sea creatures are part of the fun. The lyrics become dreamy as the singer mentions waves "combing in and washing us away." It's a poetic way to end a playful song with a sense of longing to stay at the beach.

Line by Line Meaning

Mr fish is having a party
There is a party being hosted by a fish

Down at the sea
The location of the party is at the sea

With really loud music and the food is free
The party has loud music and offers free food

So let's put on some sun tan lotion
To prepare for going to the sea, we should apply sunscreen

Drive your car out to the ocean, to the ocean, to the ocean
We should drive our car to the ocean to reach the party destination

Where we can play all day
At the party, we can play throughout the day

And we won't care if there's anyone's there
We will not be concerned about the presence of others at the party

I've got the beach ball and you've got the song
One person has a beach ball and the other has a song

Everbody's gonna sing along, gonna sing along, gonna sing along
Everyone will join in singing together

Put the radio under a palm tree
To enhance the party environment, the radio can be placed under a palm tree

It's a swinging place for you and me
The party is an enjoyable place for both of us

Dance, dance, swish, swish
Let's dance and move around

I dance with the clams and you dance with the fish, you dance with the fish, you dance with the fish
In this fun environment, one person dances with the clams and the other with the fish

When the sun comes down we'll go to sleep
At nighttime, we will rest when the sun sets

Mrs lobster's gonna tuck us in
Mrs. Lobster will assist us with getting comfortable to sleep

And we'll dream about the waves out there
While sleeping, we will dream about the sea waves

Combing in and washing us away, washing us away, washing us away
In the dream, the sea waves wash us away

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Jordan Gardiner

3y↑33

I love Jakes humility and humbleness. He now possesses qualities that an excellent fighter makes. He really came a long way, not only as a fighter but as a person as well. He said he never cared about winning the tournament he just wanted to put an end to his scuffles with Ryan once and for all. “Win or lose makes no difference it ends tonight”. He only entered the tournament because that was the only way he could get to fight Ryan. Ryan was all about the spectator sport he only liked to fight when he had an audience present. Without an audience watching him fight, he had nothing else.