Their music has featured on numerous film and TV soundtracks. The song "Dry the Rain" from their 1997 debut EP, Champion Versions, later to be released on the 3 EP's album, was possibly their most popular track and was famously featured in the John Cusack film, High Fidelity. The song "Smiling" from the self titled album "The Beta Band" is the background music to the UK's Soccer AM, Cross-Bar challenge. "Needles in My Eyes" was featured on a fourth season episode of House MD.
Well known fans include John Cusack, Mani, from Primal Scream and Stone Roses and Noel Gallagher.
Their live performances were legendary, often ending with the whole band playing percussion. Their dancing and energy got the whole audience moving, often in the same style as their idols on stage. Their "Best of" CD contains a CD of them playing live at the Shepherds Bush Empire in one of their final gigs and manages to capture some of this energy. It has been suggested, sometimes by the band themselves, that they were better live than recorded.
Steve has now released an album under his own name after his post-Beta Band projects Black Affair and King Biscuit Time, John, Robin and Gordon Anderson aka Lone Pigeon have formed The Aliens (www.myspace.com/thealiens1) and Rich is The General & Duchess Collins.
Dragon
The Beta Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it ever any wonder that you get knocked down
Coming down fast gonna pass you on the right
I loved you before but now I turn in the night
Why you never seem to try
Moving down the way and getting lost
Blackness is (a place) in my mind
Is there any point in knowledge when you're old (and infirm)
Why you never seem to try
(Keep ass is ass? Cruel thing?)
How could you hear how to feel it?
How could you hear how to sing it?
I never been the type to sing all night but Ah!
Sitting on your bed [being?bean?] balanced on your head
Rolling back those fears
The loose lipped trouble dutch double on the monkey
You can see it in his face when you hear it in his (voice)
Why you never seem to try?
How could you hear how to feel it?
How could you hear how to sing it?
I never been the type to sing all night but Ah!
How the west was won its a lie but its made to sound like fun
The Beta Band's "Dragon" is a dreamy, surrealistic journey through disparate sounds and images. The lyrics are filled with random and seemingly unrelated phrases that are open to interpretation. The song opens with the lines "Jumping up and down and fooling around/Is it ever any wonder that you get knocked down". These lines seem to suggest that carelessness can lead to negative consequences. The next lines, "Coming down fast gonna pass you on the right/I loved you before but now I turn in the night", seem to suggest a feeling of disconnection and a loss of love or commitment. The phrase "Why you never seem to try" is repeated throughout the song, possibly hinting at a desire for more effort or engagement in a relationship or life in general.
The song then moves to the image of getting lost and the idea that knowledge may be meaningless in the face of aging and decline. The line "The less that you know is the more that you learn" may suggest a notion of ignorance being blissful or the idea that one can learn more when they approach life with a sense of openness and curiosity. The lines "Keep ass is ass? Cruel thing?/How could you hear how to feel it?/How could you hear how to sing it?" are difficult to make sense of, but seem to convey a sense of confusion or disorientation. The song then concludes with the lines, "How the west was won its a lie but its made to sound like fun", which suggests a criticism of the idea that history is simply a grand narrative of progress.
Line by Line Meaning
Jumping up and down and fooling around
Engaging in frivolous activity
Is it ever any wonder that you get knocked down
It's not surprising when you face the consequences of your actions
Coming down fast gonna pass you on the right
Life moves quickly and you'll be left behind
I loved you before but now I turn in the night
My feelings have changed and I can't sleep
Why you never seem to try
Questioning someone's lack of effort
Moving down the way and getting lost
Wandering aimlessly and losing direction
Blackness is (a place) in my mind
Feeling lost and uncertain
The less that you know is the more that you learn
The more you realize how little you know
Is there any point in knowledge when you're old (and infirm)
Questioning the value of learning when you're nearing the end of your life
Why you never seem to try
Repeating the question about someone's lack of effort
(Keep ass is ass? Cruel thing?)
Unclear and potentially nonsensical phrase
How could you hear how to feel it?
Questioning the ability to understand emotional experiences
How could you hear how to sing it?
Questioning the ability to hear music and sing it accurately
I never been the type to sing all night but Ah!
Acknowledging a departure from personal norms
Sitting on your bed [being?bean?] balanced on your head
Sitting in an unusual position
Rolling back those fears
Overcoming fears and anxieties
The loose lipped trouble dutch double on the monkey
Unclear and potentially nonsensical phrase
You can see it in his face when you hear it in his (voice)
Physical and auditory cues indicating something is wrong
Why you never seem to try?
Repeating the question about someone's lack of effort
How could you hear how to feel it?
Repeating the question about understanding emotional experiences
How could you hear how to sing it?
Repeating the question about hearing and singing accurately
I never been the type to sing all night but Ah!
Repeating the acknowledgement of a departure from personal norms
How the west was won its a lie but its made to sound like fun
Questioning the accuracy of history and how it's presented
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: STEPHEN PAUL MASON, RICHARD GREENTREE, ROBIN JONES, JOHN MACLEAN, CARLOS DIERNHAMMER, EGON LOUIS FRAUENBERGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
N C
This album is an absolute gem, it’s great to expand one’s conscience. 👍
Pato
i love this song, can't believe there's no comments.
LENA D
I like this one best on the album it's cool. Love the beta band !!
raskolnnikov
A late reply.....still feckin great tune by a feckin legendary band.
Marc Ohannesian
Here's a comment....F'in Epic album by an F'in monumental band.
Snorkel Dawg
This song is a masterpiece
Norglad Niyaba
I really love this vibe.. this song and human beings
Gabby
were you there with me in 2001 discovering this for the first time? No radio play in the States but my taste in music lead me to this back then ;) and internet didn't work like it does now.
SlyRy
Yep from the States too. The first time I heard them was around that same time watching the 1999 Oscar-winning documentary about the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre, One Day in September. I rented it from Blockbuster, woo! There's a segment that features their song 'It's Not Too Beautiful' for a good minute or so playing during a helicopter ride as we follow the story to the German airport. I was blown away by that sound. I kept rewinding it over and over and over again listening to that piece, writing down the lyrics, then heading online to track it down. Found it, and the rest was history. No one I personally knew in my high school knew who the band was but those I shared with ended up loving them too.
Shane V
We are a group of music lovers nerding out over our favorite songs that fall under a new theme each day. Come show us what you got! Today’s theme is “Dragon Energy”.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SupercordsMusicClub/