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.
Sorry
The Beat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each time I try to speak it does sound like sorry
Setting up races you've gotta keep winning
Imaginary races,
You jump until you're bleeding and you're needing
And you're wanting it so badly timed your sighing,
All lying
And she's trusting you completely stupid
Feeling attack put up defenses
Nothing you've ever said made much sense
Words are just another violence
Nothing rings as true as silence.
Dream I can fly in desperation,
Sorry
Must have mixed up remorse with anticipation,
Sorry
Each time I try to break this hurry,
Sorry
Start off apologizing for saying sorry.
Leaving,
Me pleading
All through wanting it so badly timed my sighing
All lying
And you trusted me completely foolish.
Sounds like sorry
It sounds like sorry
It always sounds like sorry
The lyrics to The Beat's song "Sorry" suggest a feeling of anxiety and pressure to perform. The first verse talks about trying to live, but it feeling more like worry. The singer is struggling to express themselves in a way that doesn't come across as apologizing rather than standing up for themselves. They feel like they are always competing in imaginary races and pushing themselves to the point of bleeding just to feel like they can succeed. The singer seems to be lying to someone they care about, and that person trusts them completely without realizing what's really going on.
The second verse talks about feeling attacked and putting up defenses. The singer doesn't feel like anything they say makes sense, so they opt for silence instead. They dream about flying and escaping the sense of pressure that they feel, but even that turns into remorse and anticipation. The chorus repeats the same sentiment over and over again - that everything they say sounds like an apology, even though they don't want to be apologizing all the time. The song ends with the singer and someone else leaving, and the singer feeling foolish for putting their trust in that person.
Overall, "Sorry" seems to be a song about struggling to find one's voice and identity in a world that can feel very competitive and pressurized. The singer wants to express themselves and connect with the people they care about, but they feel like they are constantly falling short and letting people down. They are stuck in a cycle of apologizing and wanting to be understood, but not knowing how to go about it.
Line by Line Meaning
Try to live but it's more like worry.
Attempting to live life to the fullest, but feeling overwhelmed with worry and anxiety.
Each time I try to speak it does sound like sorry
Feeling like every time you express yourself, it comes out apologetic and submissive.
Setting up races you've gotta keep winning
Creating unattainable goals and expectations for oneself and feeling the need to constantly win and outdo oneself.
Imaginary races,
Creating a competition that only exists in one's own mind.
You jump until you're bleeding and you're needing
Pushing oneself so hard to reach these unattainable goals that it causes harm and desperation.
And you're wanting it so badly timed your sighing,
Desiring something so passionately that it becomes overwhelming and exhausting.
All lying
Engaging in deceitful behaviors or thoughts to cover up insecurities or mistakes.
And she's trusting you completely stupid
Feeling guilty for taking advantage of someone's trust and vulnerability.
Sorry
Apologizing for one's own behavior and choices.
Feeling attack put up defenses
Reacting defensively to criticism or perceived threats.
Nothing you've ever said made much sense
Struggling to understand someone else's point of view or communication style.
Words are just another violence
Feeling that words themselves can be hurtful and damaging.
Nothing rings as true as silence.
Believing that silence is often the most powerful form of expression and communication.
Dream I can fly in desperation,
Yearning for freedom and escape from challenging circumstances.
Must have mixed up remorse with anticipation,
Confusing feelings of guilt or regret with feelings of hopefulness or excitement for the future.
Each time I try to break this hurry,
Attempting to slow down and be present in the moment, but struggling due to the pressures of daily life.
Sorry
Apologizing for apologizing too much and being overly apologetic in general.
Start off apologizing for saying sorry.
Feeling guilty for constantly apologizing and fearing that it inconveniences or annoys others.
Leaving,
Departing from a situation or relationship.
Me pleading
Begging or requesting something from someone else.
All through wanting it so badly timed my sighing
Constantly desiring something or someone so desperately that it becomes nearly unbearable.
And you trusted me completely foolish.
Taking advantage of someone else's trust and mistreating them in the process.
Sounds like sorry
Noticing that everything you say and do comes off as apologetic or submissive.
It sounds like sorry
Feeling frustrated with oneself for constantly apologizing and lacking self-confidence.
It always sounds like sorry
The pattern of overly apologetic and self-conscious behavior seems to be a consistent theme throughout one's life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Michelle Wright, Peter Zizzo, Tina Shafer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jubjub2112
Love being the first thumbs up for an epic song like this! Thanks for all the uploads!!
Chris Edwards
RIP Saxa
David Hunter
Ranking Roger, as well... : (
Sylvia Romero
Bye Roger