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.

Get-a-Job
The Beat Lyrics

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There's a training course where
Boys and girls of real ambition
Start a new job in a factory
Where they're making ammunition
But it makes them think of stealing
When they read between the lines
Through the owners of this funfair
You won't find a ride you like

Just get-a-job, get-a-job

Manufacture rubbish
Although no one can afford it
You could make a profit
More than anyone deserves
So you find you're left with poison
So you dump it in our water
And so create the kind of problems
Only radiation cures
Through get-a-job, get-a-job

Get-a-job, get-a-job
Oh you young people are revolting
Eight To five should give the jolt needed
In a few years you won't feel quite the same
You'll be playing their get-a-job games

There's a training camp when
You come from from saving nations
Get a new job and a new leg
Social rehabilitation
Every time you thing of leaving
You get caught between the lines
It's the training for the funfair
You get taken for a ride
You, get-a-job, get-a-job
Get-a-job, get-a-job
Get-a-job, get-a-job
Get-a-job, get-a-job

Get-a-job, get-a-job
Get-a-job, get-a-job

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Beat's "Get-a-Job" address the struggles of young people entering the workforce and the challenges they face in finding stable employment. The opening verse describes a training program for a factory where ammunition is produced, but where the workers are tempted to steal due to a lack of decent pay. The chorus sarcastically advises them to simply "get-a-job," highlighting the difficult and often futile process of job hunting. The second verse hits on the theme of corporate greed, as the factory creates unnecessary products that eventually lead to pollution and environmental damage, while the workers are left with low wages and unstable employment. The song concludes by mocking the idea of "social rehabilitation" for veterans returning from war, highlighting the challenges of finding meaningful work after serving your country.

Overall, "Get-a-Job" is a song that speaks to the frustration and disillusionment of young people grappling with a tough job market and limited opportunities. The lyrics create a bleak portrait of modern work culture, highlighting the disconnect between the needs and aspirations of workers and the greed and indifference of corporate interests. The chorus refrain of "get-a-job" takes on an ironic tone, as the suggestion becomes a taunt and an indictment of the system.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a training course where
There exists a training course somewhere

Boys and girls of real ambition
Motivated young men and women attend this training course

Start a new job in a factory
They commence working in a factory

Where they're making ammunition
The factory produces weaponry

But it makes them think of stealing
Working in the factory drives them to being dishonest

When they read between the lines
In reading deeper into the situation

Through the owners of this funfair
By looking at the owners of this establishment

You won't find a ride you like
There are no enjoyable rides to ride

Just get-a-job, get-a-job
The only alternative is to secure employment

Manufacture rubbish
Produce useless products

Although no one can afford it
Despite it being unaffordable

You could make a profit
It's still profitable

More than anyone deserves
More than what is right

So you find you're left with poison
The side effect of such manufacturing is toxic waste

So you dump it in our water
It is discarded into our water sources

And so create the kind of problems
This act results in the problems we experience

Only radiation cures
Unfortunately, radiation offers the solution

Through get-a-job, get-a-job
The only solution is to find a job

Oh you young people are revolting
The youth are seen as rebellious

Eight To five should give the jolt needed
Working the standard 8 to 5 job ought to be adequate

In a few years you won't feel quite the same
In a few years, the perspective on the situation will have shifted

You'll be playing their get-a-job games
The youth will be adhering to 'the system'

There's a training camp when
There exists a training camp where

You come from saving nations
You have saved nations

Get a new job and a new leg
You are provided with a new job and a new beginning

Social rehabilitation
The objective of this camp is social rehabilitation

Every time you thing of leaving
When you ponder leaving

You get caught between the lines
You get caught up in the words and meanings

It's the training for the funfair
It's a reasonable introduction to the amusement park

You get taken for a ride
In essence, it's all a trick

You, get-a-job, get-a-job
Your only choice is to find work

Get-a-job, get-a-job
The only direction is to find employment

Get-a-job, get-a-job
The only solution is to attain work

Get-a-job, get-a-job
The need of the hour is to seek employment

Get-a-job, get-a-job
The only way to succeed is to secure work

Get-a-job, get-a-job
There's no alternative other than to find a job

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

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