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.
Human Being
The Beta Band Lyrics
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That's what I like to see
Got me on a Tuesday
That's what it's meant to be
Put me on a Wednesday
I would want to say
Married on a Thursday
Make another way
She's gonna break your neck
Saturday comes around
She offed me on the deck
I thought I'd make it Sunday
But I didn't see it coming
And the stormies started humming
And my friends they started running
I only want to count the days
To say we made another day
Daytime seems to last so long
And that's for screaming live alone
Some piece of mind for the girl inside
Some little piece for the man who hides
Some piece of mind for the girl inside
Some little piece for the man who hides
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you see us crying
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you see us crying
I find it very hard
To say what I see
What's going through her mind
When she's looking the me
If all the things I've said right now
For both of us came true
Nobody would look for me
When I disappear in you
And it's never very clear just who's in control
It's all so beautiful what's the point of it all
I only want to count the days
To say we made another day
Daytime seems to last so long
And that's for screaming live alone
Some piece of mind for the girl inside
Some little piece for the man who hides
Some piece of mind for the girl inside
Some little piece for the man who hides
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you see us crying
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you see us crying
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you hear us trying
We might just break can you see us crying
The Beta Band’s song “Human Being” seems to be about the ups and downs of a long-term relationship. The lyrics chronicle the events that take place during the week, beginning with the singer being “got” by his girlfriend on a Monday and ending with her “offing” him on Saturday. Despite the tumultuous nature of the relationship, the singer expresses a desire to keep going (“I only want to count the days / To say we made another day”) and to find some “piece of mind for the girl inside / Some little piece for the man who hides.”
The lyrics are cryptic and the meaning is open to interpretation, but they seem to convey a sense of longing for connection and the difficulty of maintaining it over time. The repeated refrain “We might just break, can you hear us trying / We might just break, can you see us crying” suggests that the relationship is fragile and may not survive, but the couple is still making an effort to stay together. The line “It's all so beautiful what's the point of it all” suggests that despite the challenges, the singer still finds love and relationships to be worthwhile.
Overall, the song seems to capture the complicated emotions and challenges of navigating a long-term relationship, and the sense of hope that can still exist even in the midst of difficulty.
Line by Line Meaning
She got me on a Monday
I'm happy that we met on a Monday
Got me on a Tuesday
It was meant to be that we fell in love on a Tuesday
Put me on a Wednesday
If it were up to me, I would have chosen a Wednesday to start our relationship
Married on a Thursday
We found a unique way to express our love and commitment on a Thursday
Make another way
We were unconventional in how we took our vows
Swore me on Friday
We promised to stay together forever on a Friday
She's gonna break your neck
She's fiercely protective of our relationship
Saturday comes around
On this day, we had a disagreement
She offed me on the deck
She ended things between us abruptly, leaving me hurt and confused
I thought I'd make it Sunday
I held onto hope that we could reconcile on Sunday
But I didn't see it coming
I didn't expect the breakup to happen so suddenly
And the stormies started humming
The chaos of our emotions became overwhelming
And my friends they started running
Those around us could feel the tension and chose to distance themselves
I only want to count the days
I cherish every moment we spend together
To say we made another day
We've overcome obstacles and made it through another day together
Daytime seems to last so long
When we're apart, time seems to drag on
And that's for screaming live alone
Being without each other is a painful existence
Some piece of mind for the girl inside
I want to provide my partner with comfort and stability
Some little piece for the man who hides
I also need reassurance and support in our relationship
We might just break can you hear us trying
We're fighting to hold our relationship together, despite the challenges
We might just break can you see us crying
Our emotions are intense and we're struggling to keep it together
I find it very hard
It's difficult for me
To say what I see
To articulate what's going through my mind
What's going through her mind
I can't always understand my partner's thoughts and feelings
When she's looking at me
Her facial expressions don't always give me any clues
If all the things I've said right now
If our relationship were exactly like how I envision it
For both of us came true
If everything worked out perfectly for us
Nobody would look for me
I would feel lost and invisible without my partner
When I disappear in you
I feel like I'm completely consumed by our relationship
And it's never very clear just who's in control
We're constantly negotiating our roles and power dynamics in the relationship
It's all so beautiful what's the point of it all
Even with its complexities and challenges, our relationship is still worth it in the end
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: STEPHEN PAUL MASON, RICHARD GREENTREE, ROBIN JONES, JOHN MACLEAN, CAROLE KING, TONI KATHRIN STERN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind