In just three entries, Make It New has gone on quite a journey. My goal is to better understand what makes something good New Wave music, and there hasn’t really been a direct consensus. Is it a subgenre of rock, synth-pop, or something else entirely? The only shared understanding so far is that there’s a subversion of the mainstream, a deconstruction of popular trends (often with winking humor) that you can dance to. This was especially true with the previous entry on The Vapors, who made a record about the isolation one felt during The Cold War. It was insightful, even painting a picture of a time so perfectly that it transcends the term dated.
I’m very excited to be moving onto The English Beat. Whereas The Vapors were at best a one hit wonder, The English Beat was a band that churned out a bunch of hits while becoming the progenitors of 80s 2-Tone Ska. Alongside Madness, they were the mainstream example of ska that featured a fusion of rock, calypso, and reggae. While they’re not my favorite group, I am a fan of ska and greatly appreciate their hits – especially “Mirror in the Bathroom.” Coming out the other side of “I Just Can’t Stop It,” I feel that desire to get up and dance.
Whereas I can determine what makes The Vapors fit as a New Wave band, I’m a bit perplexed with The English Beat. To me, they are first and foremost ska. It’s there in the horns, the upbeat guitar riffs, and even the drums that sound like they were recorded in a different room. To me, this album has more in common with bands like The Specials than they do anything that would appear in a John Hughes movie. Sure, it’s catchy and the hooks are infectious, but what exactly makes this New Wave? Is it just a catchall term meaning anything that sounded the least bit ambitious, fusing two vaguely dissonant sounds?
The best place to start is by suggesting that New Wave makes more sense from a lyrical standpoint so far. The Vapors wrote these catchy dance songs about living in bunkers, hiding their melancholy under a flexible guitar riff. Maybe the best way to apply The English Beat to this genre is to assess their music through this lens.
The story goes that they started in 1978 during a time of economic struggles in England. Their music is reflective of this, especially the not-so-subtle “Stand Down Margaret.” Like most people of their social class, The English Beat disapproved of Margaret Thatcher’s rule and used the song as a form of protest until her departure a decade later. Of course, ska as a genre was always designed as a socially conscious genre for the working class. It was a chance to comment on themes like racial and economic inequality, pushing for justice. Compared to acts like The Specials, The English Beat was maybe a little more subtle about it if just because their big hits don’t immediately draw that comparison.
That could be because “Mirror in the Bathroom” has an ambiguity to the listener. While some have argued that it’s actually about snorting cocaine, the singer denies this claim. According to Genius, Dave Wakeling claims that it came about one day while he was shaving. He didn’t want to go to work and was contemplating staying home. While there are no direct mentions to this read in the actual song, they can be interpreted by the use of certain phrases. There are references to him window shopping (or looking and never buying), considering himself narcissistic and growing mental illness. Even the recurring motif of glass tables “to watch yourself while you are eating” suggests some paranoia about being held under scrutiny that needs to be recompensed.
Until observing the lyrics, my personal read was that the “Mirror in the Bathroom” was where someone went when losing their sense of self. Imagine the old film trope of running to a bathroom during a date going bad, talking to the mirror to try and find some deeper truth within yourself. There is a need to find confidence. With Wakeling’s read in consideration, I don’t think this is entirely wrong, though maybe he implied it for more of a social and economic purpose, needing to push oneself to be a cog in the machine. There’s a constant reflection back on the self, and it’s asking what we are seeing and if that ultimately makes us happy.
Another thing I love about the song is the production of the music. Like every song on here, The 2-Tone Ska shines through, albeit this time with more of a rock edge. As the drums clang along, the bass slinks in with this undermining dread, the horns sound paranoid as Wakeling chimes in. This feels like anxiety, this need to find a root of stability. As the lyrics fade out, sometimes in echo, it feels like a wandering mind, dissociating. Does it even want to leave the bathroom? Is the mirror a friend or an enemy? There’s so much espionage in the soundscape and it’s infectious, a hallucination of the working class trying to find a reason to keep moving.
What works in the band’s favor is that despite being socially conscious, there was also something empathetic about their work. In the second song “Hands Off… She’s Mine,” Wakeling recounts falling in love with a girl only to have her choose another man. Given that there’s also the wildly fun “Best Friend” and covers of Andy Williams’ “Can’t Get Used to Losing You” that cover their interpersonal relationships, of friends trying to make the most of their situation. More than some politically active bands, The English Beat has a communal sense, an awareness that one cannot truly be happy unless they have a strong core group of friends.
With that said, there are plenty of moments that draw the listener to 1980s England, where things were much different. It wasn’t just the sense that Thatcher was ruining the country. There was also the presence of fascism, which Wakeling sings against in “Two Swords,” even going so far as to call them derogatory names.
If there’s any real issue with the album (and it depends what you listen to it for), it’s that the vocals aren’t always the clearest upon initial listen. While songs like “Mirror in the Bathroom” have a tempo slow enough that the vocals are clear, moments like “Twist and Crawl” are short, delightful bursts of energy but are impossible to process. In that case, the instrumentation is moving fast enough with so many different pieces at play that it’s difficult to concentrate on anything specific.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because The English Beat continues the proud tradition of ska. There’s not a dull song on the whole record and their ability to shift between faster progressions and slower, almost direct reggae is impressive. They have a versatile track record that shines through in their production. Of the few things that may be deemed subversive, the bass lines are often more manic, racing underneath the other instruments like a wave. The guitars are upbeat but occasionally break into more traditional rock while the horns and additional instruments have twinges of calypso.
It even features songs like “Rough Rider,” a cover of a 1960s Prince Buster song. It is the longest song on the album and pays the closest tribute to the reggae inspiration. With the tempo slowed down, it allows for additional vocalist Ranking Rogers to take the lead. Along with “Whine and Grine” (another Prince Buster cover), these moments perfectly embody what makes ska a unique genre. Much like The Specials, The English Beat being interracial allow for a sense of community, of feeling unity against greater forces. It’s why by the time that they sing “Stand Down Margaret” there is more weight behind it. It’s not the ramblings of Wakeling alone, but of a whole country in desperate need of change.
Of course, the record ends very strong with “Best Friend,” which features that familiar use of repetition and Wakeling’s upbeat vocals singing about another twisted look into life. It’s also the bounciest, catchiest track on the album that alludes to what potential the band would have over the remainder of their career.
To be completely honest, I don’t love this record but really admire it as a cornerstone of 80s ska. While The Specials’ self-titled record is among my all-time favorites, I am generally more of a third-wave ska fan, in part because of how it molds so perfectly with punk and pop-punk. Of course, those records often feel less concerned about social matters, or more directly calling for change. In that way, third-wave feels hollow even as they’re more inclusive from a gender standpoint, having bands like Save Ferris and early No Doubt discuss their own disparity within the community. Also, it’s less concerned with reggae, which definitely makes The English Beat stand out more.
With that said, I have by some random luck seen The English Beat twice in my life. I understand that this is a contentious point, especially since the original band ended in 1983, and what passes today isn’t considered a perfect line-up. Even the fact that they’re technically “The Beat” in Europe but not America (a point that I can’t find a lot of research on). What I can say is that they were on bills with other acts that I was more interested in (including The Knack, Blondie, and The Violent Femmes), but they were still fun and buoyant, able to still get the crowd moving. They have a lot of great hits that made for a fun set.
But back to the point of this column… what exactly makes The English Beat a New Wave band? What is it about the sound that ties them to this ambiguous genre? At best, I believe that this is a subcategory and not the primary inspiration for the band. I still see them as ska first and foremost, maybe with a more accessible sound. Even their use of reggae feels more focused on the pop structure than what Bob Marley was doing.
The best that I can come up with is the idea that they’re a rock band that have just enough elements of experimentation and pop to qualify. You definitely come out of “Mirror in the Bathroom” or “Tears of a Clown” and remember the guitar lines, the way that the vocals fluctuate while presenting these vivid images. Whereas The Specials were more dedicated to having tracks with upbeats and fast tempos, The English Beat doesn’t exist in one lane. In some ways, their less political songs are subversive to the genre because they lack urgency. They’re just fun ditties that have universal themes of affection.
I’m not entirely sure that this qualifies as a definition of New Wave, especially when I wrote about The Vapors being an overtly political band who rarely sang about affection. The question becomes whether or not New Wave was more about an era than a specific tone. As it stands, the music so far has covered everything from a passionate slow dance to an epic about the burgeoning threat of World War II. Given that Bow Wow Wow veers further into punk, I don’t honestly believe that we’ll get a straight answer anytime soon.
There’s a reason that The English Beat has continued to thrive, where even their spin-off band General Public has had a lasting impact. They are one of the most recognizable ska bands of their generation, and it’s largely thanks to their sound being just accessible enough that you don’t have to be a ska fan to love songs like “Best Friend.” They were capable of conveying so much, blending different styles in a way that improved the genre. While it feels less singular in theme and tone than The Vapors, it has a lot more going on that is interesting. It leaves the listener wanting to press replay, and for a band of any stature that is the highest compliment someone can give.
Up Next: Bow Wow Wow – “I Want Candy” (1982)
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