One of the more popular and enduring groups of a short-lived trend, The Beat released three albums: "I Just Can't Stop It" (1980), "Wha'ppen" (1981) and "Special Beat Service" (1982), and a string of excellent singles including "Mirror in the Bathroom", the politically-charged "Stand Down Margaret" (which refers to controversial British PM Margaret Thatcher), "Save It For Later" and "I Confess".
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.
Official Website: www.davewakeling.com
Best Friend
The English Beat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You been talkin' about yourself again
And no one seems to share your views
Why doesn't everybody listen to you kid?
How come you never really seem to get through, is it you?
Talk about yourself again, you
Talk about yourself
Always you, you, you
She's on a holiday
She's got her summer frock on
Suck on an ice cream
It's meltin' in the hot sun
First date's made you pray for more
I wanted you, wanted
Everybody knows the score
I wanted you, wanted
What are we pretendin' for?
Let's talk about ourselves on the floor
Let's talk about yourselves, nothing more I promise
Talk about ourselves again
I just found out the name of your best friend
Talk, talk, talk about yourself again
Yes I just found out the name of your best friend
I just found out the name of your best friend
You been talkin' about yourself again
And no one seems to share your views
Why doesn't anybody listen to you kid?
How come you never really seem to get through, is it you?
Talk about yourself again, you
Talk about yourself
Always you, you, you
Talk about yourself again, again, again
I just found out the name of your best friend
Just found out the name of your best friend
I just found out the name of your best friend
I just found out the name of your best friend
Just found out the name of your best friend
I just found out the name of your best friend
Just found out the name of your best friend
The English Beat's song "Best Friend" speaks about a person who is very self-centered and only talks about themselves in conversations with others. The song's narrator has just found out the name of this person's best friend, which suggests that they have been talking about themselves to this friend as well. The lyrics ask why nobody seems to listen to this person and why they never seem to get through to others. The repetition of "you, you, you" emphasizes the self-centered nature of this person, who always talks about themselves and appears to be focused solely on their own views and opinions.
The song also features the description of a girl on a holiday, enjoying her summer and indulging in an ice cream. The singer seems to be infatuated with her, but is aware that everybody else knows this already. They suggest that they should instead focus on talking about themselves on the floor rather than pretending to be interested in someone else. The song's title is repeated throughout the song and suggests that the person who is always talking about themselves doesn't have a genuine friend who is interested in them as a person.
Overall, "Best Friend" is a commentary on self-centeredness and the lack of genuine connections between people who only talk about themselves. The lyrics suggest that this kind of behavior is not productive or fulfilling, and ultimately isolates people from others.
Line by Line Meaning
I just found out the name of your best friend
The singer recently learned the name of the person who the subject considers to be their closest friend.
You been talkin' about yourself again
The subject has been discussing their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences with others.
And no one seems to share your views
Despite sharing their thoughts and feelings, others don't seem to agree with or understand the subject's perspective.
Why doesn't everybody listen to you kid?
The subject wonders why others don't seem to pay attention to or value their opinions.
How come you never really seem to get through, is it you?
The subject questions whether their own communication skills or personality traits are preventing them from effectively conveying their ideas.
Talk about yourself again, you
The singer is urging the subject to focus on their own thoughts and experiences once more.
Talk about yourself
The singer continues to encourage the subject to discuss their own feelings and opinions.
Always you, you, you
The subject seems to have a tendency to always bring the conversation back to themselves.
She's on a holiday
The subject is now singing about a different person who is on vacation.
She's got her summer frock on
The person on vacation is wearing a summer dress or outfit.
Suck on an ice cream
The person on vacation is enjoying an ice cream treat.
It's meltin' in the hot sun
Due to the warm weather, the ice cream is beginning to melt.
First date's made you pray for more
The first date went well and the person is eager to see the other again.
I wanted you, wanted
The singer is expressing a desire for the person they are singing about.
Everybody knows the score
The situation is clear or obvious to everyone involved.
What are we pretendin' for?
The artist questions why they are pretending something that is not real or genuine.
Let's talk about ourselves on the floor
The artist suggests that they talk about themselves and their experiences while sitting or lying on the floor.
Let's talk about yourselves, nothing more I promise
The singer vows to only discuss the topic of themselves and will not bring up anything else in the conversation.
Just found out the name of your best friend
The singer reiterates that they recently learned the name of the subject's closest friend.
Talk, talk, talk about yourself again
The artist is continuing to urge the subject to focus on themselves and discuss their own experiences.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Roger Charlery, Andrew Cox, Andy Cox, Everett Morton, David Steele, David Wakeling
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paulhart6830
The Beat, The Specials, Madness, Selector, Bad Manners, and UB40, what an era for incredible music.
Testimony to that is when you revisit their music, 35 years later, it stills sounds just as good today.
I love that their music today is so easily available , I Confess, I'm a fan, and will always be.
@samuelspoons3553
The peak was 1979-1981 but 1982/83 was still good despite Labour of Love UB40 were great uphill 1987
@kevinrobinson8214
11❤❤the l
@markmahoney1619
One of the best pop songs ever written
@renevermeer
one of my favorite tracks of the beat love this band there are so good
@notgadot
*favoUrite
@stephcaggiano6093
Was rifling through cassette tapes (yes, cassettes!) at a random record shop in Greenwich Village, NYC in 1984. They had them filed under "B" for Beat. Had my finger on this very album. Random woman walking past me in the aisle spotted me hesitating on it...stopped and said, "You must buy that! It will change your life!" Best advice I've ever received!
@neilhohmann10
Apparently, they were The Beat in the UK but went by The English Beat in the US market.
@notgadot
@@neilhohmann10 why?
@jimbojazza5539
@@notgadot There was already an American band called The Beat. It happened the other way too, The Spinners became The Detroit Spinners over here.