The only American The Beat I acknowledge belongs to ESG. That’s my diplomatic way of saying it was an act of cultural imperialism that The Beat had to rename themselves The English Beat for the U.S.A when ‘Murica’s own The Beat were little more than a Costco Cheap Trick. Certainly, the so-called English Beat went on to have far greater cultural impact stateside than their Yank namesake with various songs popping up in Hollywood movies over the decades – most notably Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Grosse Point Blank, and some shitty Spiderman flick. Ultimately, The Beat U.S.A was aiight, they was cool, but they never recorded anything as John Blaze as Mirror In The Bathroom, Ranking Full Stop, or The Beat’s version of Tears Of A Clown.
(From I Just Can’t Stop It album; 1980)
A glaring ommission from my Cover Me Good list, tbqh – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles gave it wings, but The Beat made it fly (in all senses of the word.) Same happy music/sad lyrics contrast as the O.G version, but less whimsical and with the added bonuses of a saxophone solo and Ranking Roger’s outro.
Final score: 2 Tone – two, Motown – one.
