mirror in the bathroom the Beat

[jakedizzle]

I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing but I've never heard of Grosse Pointe Blank.

[mrisor892]

an old tune that still rattles around in my head from time to time, such tight timing from all in this, the dulled guitar strokes sound awesome and the funny thing is that they all look like they came from different genres of music but together they were slick and on point. fucking well done ladz!!!!

[dirkwearsws]

this.....is....the...coolest..­.drummer....ever!

[etornel79]

sorry...i forgot South Africa too.....

[etornel79]

ok...ok...is that Seinfeld...??...whats up with that...

[etornel79]

this is awesome skin-head music..ska..the nazi destroyed the scene and now the world thinks that ALL skin heads are evil..we need to re-educate the world...SKINHEADS AND S.H.A.R.P..FOR LIFE..NOT Nazi's..PS..THE U.S. LOVES HER ALLIES..god bless you guys and merry christmas..Great Britain..Australia..New Zealand..Poland..Belgium..Neth­erlands..Norway..Sweden..Turke­y..Spain..Finland..Germany..Ta­iwan..Japan..and the ones i haven't mentioned..sorry..in a hurry..god bless us all....and i mean the world

[bolloxinator]

I woke up today with this song in my head for some unfathomable reason (other than it's a classic from my yoof). Thanks for posting it.

Had a wonderful time, would definitely visit again.

[dirkwearsws]

Mr. Morton is the coolest drummer ever...period.

[dirkwearsws]

4 people must not like Roger's shoes

[Kentari88]

Thumbs up because I'm only 5 and I'm listening to this! Thumbs up if you're still listening to this in 2132! Thumbs up if you like bananas!

[mdunct]

@Kentari88 Haha! You are too much!!!

[etornel79]

u.k. skinheads kick ass...not nazi skins...who gave the movement a bad name...but the original oi.'s.....you guy's live forever...fuck nazi's....people....whites and black's...under one music and life style....the world think we are about hate...they got us mixed up with the other guy's.....U.S.A...love you..................

[StealthEmerald]

my first concert, a youngster not yet a teen...hardcore punk with leopard stripe mohawk older sister took me, and of all places the venue was 'the masonic temple' in toronto....thanks for taking me back.lol

[ImDaBeastat69]

they outa' be careful

John Cusack might kill them with a pen O_O

[timeout1958]

One of the best "alternative radio" songs of all time...Top Three at least!

[Daveycrocket16]

Saw them last night at Brum Town hall, really great atmosphere. Rankin Rogers son is fab too. Go see!

[TomDudeDorsett]

Their*

[boh3m3]

Thumbs up if your first thought was of Grosse Pointe Blank and John Cusack being a badass.

[MooshkiJ]

@boh3m3 Thumbs up if you watched this on MTV 15 years before Grosse Pointe Blank was released. 

[TheHarryButtery]

Thumbs up if you saw the look on the band member's faces as they thought of this song. Smelt the toilet in the studio during recording. Were the groupie who went balls deep.You wanna make a statement about how you heard this first? Yes you do, because your a little shit.

[kskatone]

Delicious is the only word I can think of... Sends chills down my spine even more so after all these years!

[kmjwakey]

THIS IS ENGLAND

[bobbylamesma]

Saw these at the 80's rewind last weekend. They smashed it and the crowd went wild! The drummer still looks so cool

[kujo839]

not bad.

[benj8706]

i'm gonna see these on may 3rd in brumtown!!

[dovie2blue]

One of the best things about ska is how danceable it is. Roger really always sets the bar for dancing...

[dovie2blue]

@andywhorehall It's good BECAUSE it is ska.

[jacksbaps]

Saw these this week in Lem Spa excellent X good night out X

[wheezer]

I loved doing coke in the bathroom back in the 80's!

HA HA Its true, so admit it !

Only those will get it!

[benj8706]

absolutely amazing ska band and an amazing band in general but these guys weren't cut out for music videos (personally i hate music videos)

[dovie2blue]

@benj8706 Why do you say that, I think this is a great vid! A lot better than some of the crap that was turned out during that time period.

[666gothicbunni666]

If I was in a band, I'd wanna be in a Ska band.

They all look like they have shit loads of fun (:

[EgoDeath]

@666gothicbunni666 and @StuzRoz, This is two tone not ska.

[DenAffektiert]

@EgoDeath Except 2 Tone is generally considered ska. Since it was the revival and mixing of Jamaican Ska and English Punk.

most of the time Ska is separated in to three "waves"

Jamaican Ska was the first wave, 2 Tone is the second wave, and then the more current ska-punk which is the third wave.

[StuzRoz]

THE best SKA band of the 70/80's

Choooons

[Amazingfeet]

just seen the beat tonight what a great night, shame they don't stil have the same bloke singin tho!

[StuzRoz]

The original singer still plays as 'The English Beat' mainly in the USa where, surprisingly there is a decent marker for him to make a decent living. Not the same though I'm sure. LONG LIVE THE BEAT.

[Gegs1873]

Fu#ken love this ..loved The Beat back in the day....still fu#ken love this...the 80s..rulez

[saturdaymeltdown]

absolutely f**king brilliant

[azalea66]

I cannot believe no one has commented in 2 months.This is a CLASSIC

[tacticalbattledroid]

top tune. love it still.

[azalea66]

Oh man this SKA music

[FranticManiac]

WoW!!I saw these guys back in '83 on tour with the Police. Guess who was the better performance?

[waynewaynewaynes]

: )

[Declan50]

Ahh yes...their signature song!

[BLANKEXPRESSI0N]

Cool as fuck, At last i found The Beat, if you type in the Beat you get a load of shit but no the beat.You have to type in the name of the song and then the beat, pissed out of my fuckin head.

[duratti]

recorded in the Rum Runner nightclub in birmingham, birth place of Duran Duran

[NobodyBlessAtheism]

There isn't a video on YouTube with more than 20 comments where a fight doesn't break out.

Man's natural state is at war. And you're all bastards.

[morningsnoopy]

used to hav a crush on the blonde singer!

[pjd24]

the guy you fancied was Dave Wakeling, he's not singing with them now, its ranking roger and his son ranking junior, seen them twice recently, still good to watch.

[doormanrus]

no one can touch this tune its class end ov.

[fmel2346]

I love the 80's the mix of the old and the new. Notice that the beat didnt have no keyboards. Sax was the main weapon!!!!

[reefero7]

all debate on this matter is now finished, PLEASE

[janlaar]

Hey kids, settle down, it's just a video.

[macstar2002]

theres something special about this tune... first ever digitally recorded song, or first song on a cd, something like that???

[whudan1982]

english fella born in 82 from my name...love this choone thru my mum...80's rocked ska is class...

[kiloscott]

Saxa!

This has to be one of the most literal videos ever: "Well, you're in a bathroom, fellas, and then you're walking past a show window, see, and then..."

Pretty unimaginative.

[jess2665]

At 1st glance, yes. But song could be about an almost demented case of narcissism (e.g., locks himself in bathroom, can't leave house unless he ends up near a mirror, lyrics even mention mental illness).

Notice as the video goes on, that the reflections are distorted/disjointed, perhaps reflecting the narrator's mental state.

Narcissism doesn't usually go 2 such lengths, but it fits with the frantic, dark mood of the song.

Just a thought.

[kiloscott]

Nah, it's just Art School Crap. Content, camera movement, framing, editing--it's all pretty rank.

("Looky, there's even a mirror underneath the soap! Ooops, I dropped the soap! Ahh, now that's proper!")

Have loved the song since it first came out, it's not difficult to understand, don't need a lame verse-by-verse visual explication. Would be surprised if the director ever went anywhere.

Check out the mirror scene at the end of Lady from Shanghai sometime. That is how it's done.

[jess2665]

Uh, yeah, but keep in mind this was 1983 or something--two years after Mtv started broadcasting. Truly innovative videos were few and far between, especially from ska bands for one of their first hits.

(Apologies to any ska artists currently reading these posts.)

[kiloscott]

This song came out in 1980. I doubt they waited three years to do a video. Never saw it at that time on MTV and would be surprised if it received much airplay there if it did at all. It's not the lack of innovation so much as it has no interesting ideas, i.e. imagination. Even Duran Duran did nothing this bad.

[markauckland]

the ska movement was about the music, not spending millions of dollars on videos, all these uk record companies (go-beat, two tone etc) had very little money, and promo videos were still a fairly new idea

[kiloscott]

Yo, Kiwi,

It was Go-Feet, not "go-beat." Promo videos date from the beginning of the 20th Century (a 4 minute short of Caruso, even though no one could hear him sing, was nothing if not a promo video). Interesting ideas only result from large infusions of cash?? 3:08 of Saxa puffing away would have been more entertaining. Still love this song. The English Beat are playing in Santa Cruz this Saturday for $15 and next month in San Jose for free! And those whores The Police want what for a ticket?

[cargo441]

Jesus Christ.

Congratulations, kiloscott, you are the undisupted authority on one-hit-wonder ska bands, promo videos, and whatever other trivial bs you wish to lay claim to.

Lighten up, Francis.

[kiloscott]

Blow me, newbie.

[cargo441]

Ooooo, good comeback.

Sorry, though, I'm not a newbie. Also, maybe you could find a promo video from early 20th Century on "getting over oneself".

All hail King kiloscott ! ! !

[Insert majestic trumpet sounds here.]

[kiloscott]

Then how is it you joined yesterday and have viewed all of one video? You are as newbie as they come. You know shit, but this would never stop you from having a know-nothing opinion. And when someone points out that you don't know what you're talking about, you get all pissy and rude. What a little weirdo.

[cargo441]

I closed a former account and opened a new one. Hence, not a newbie.

And how am I a little weirdo, while you are keeping track of my YouTube activities?

Sorry to come off as rude. However, I stand by my "know-nothing" opinion that you're pretentious.

And who said I don't know what I'm talking about? The only response I've received is your thought-provoking (i.e., childish) "blow me" request.

[cargo441]

And "pissy and rude"? Hmmmm. Sounds like someone needs to find some mid-20th Century promo videos on "projection."

[kiloscott]

Amazing! As though nobody can tell you are also Jess2665. The hubris is leaking out of your ass, catamite. I long ago learned never to argue with the know-nothing, the unreasonable, and the mentally ill. I occasionally forget this. Looks like I hit a trifecta here.

[cargo441]

Your highness,

Again, great comeback. You are truly a man among men.

Get over yourself. And grow up. And quit being such an obsessive, obnoxious prig.

[armand2048]

If you need a hand getting that Thesaurous out of you arse - call somone else!!

[kiloscott]

What a dumbshit. You can't even spell the word right. Always entertaining to be insulted by self-deluded British nitwits. Tell us all about your O-levels.

[merseyside]

kiloscot,self deluded british nitwits?half your videos are by british groups you souldnt generalise a whole people when directing your anger at a few

[merseyside]

anyway when it came out who listend to the words anyway,it was the sound,the beat,it got you on the dancefloor that,ll do me,just like madness etc ,the lyrics are pretty daft but a good sound to jump around and dance to

[AFCWimbledonPhil]

merseyside, are you serious? The lyrics are no way "pretty daft" they are about schizophrenia. All the 2-Tone bands were lyrically and musically outstanding and a massive influence on the music I love today.

[merseyside]

when your twenty one or so like i was when this come out ,to me it was the sound,not the lyrics,when your in a club and say ths come on you cant help to get up and dance,if you put the same lyrics to say ,jazz,it wouldnt be the same thats all,looking in the cold light of day ,yes the lyrics do have meaning,but its the sound that counts

[merseyside]

of course i agree with what your saying ,i saw most of the 2tone bands in their prime,i also include the likes od early ub40 and early dexys midnight runners, the specials songs had really good lyrics,concrete jungle ,to much etc,selector bad manners , yes i had a scooter then an went to the rallies .plus a mad evertonian,supporting wimbledon though ,you cannot be serious lol

[kiloscott]

Hey, Right. The Brits I like are not self-deluded nitwits, of which there is clearly no shortage. Who said I was angry? I'm always entertained!

[biffskin]

The song was written about cocaine i thought?

[biffskin]

i thought it was about cocaine addiction though? I dont think they had much room to depict cocaine back then.

[titaniumpecker]

Alan Dourmashkin - are you out there???

[300C1985]

seen it done live and oh my god my feet hurt from to much moonstoping

[oneoffs]

Great song great band.

[paulmorson]

quality. long may it be played on scooter rallys

[Jonners23]

choice song

[motown357]

This really takes me back ! thanks for posting it.

[biffskin]

Mirror in the bathroom

recompense

For all my crimes

of self defense.

Cures you whisper

make no sense

Drift gently into

mental illness.

[peepingpom]

a classic song

[StuzRoz]

The Beat were the BEST Ska band of the 80's - BAR NONE. Stand Down Margaret & Mirror - OH yes, Ska perfection.

[morningsnoopy]

another great ska/two tone classic from the old skool x

[deaoft]

SO GOOD!!

[gunnerglory]

What a song. It's about cocaine if I'm not mistaken? Definately a favorite

[ZondaFSR]

The Beat - Fantastic band with a song ahead of it's time.

[terrynutkins22]

what a fucking tune

[SENSUALVIBRATIONS]

Wow! Trevor mc donald on sax way to go!!!!

[numberstation]

Ha ha ha,you funny fucker!

[talktal]

i knew there was a real video clip for this.

[GothicGirl28]

ace

[numberstation]

Oh,and at 00.40 he's walking past C&A on Corporation Street.Ha!

[numberstation]

Cool as fuck.

[FuckingJoey]

Great song