• Track: This Beat Goes On / Switchin’ to Glide
• Artist: The Kings
• Album: The Kings Are Here
• Year: 1980

Lyrics:

This Beat Goes On

Hey Judy, get Trudy,
You said to call you up if I was feelin’ moody,
Hey little Donna, ah still wanna
You said to ring you up when I was in Toronto.

I have lots of friends that I can ding at any time,
Can mobilize some laughs with just one call.
Like a bunch of lunatics, we’ll act ’till way past dawn,
Sure, we’ll be rockin’ ’till our strength is gone,

Yeah, this beat goes on.
And on, and on, and on

Hey ladies; oh, you crazies,
Me and Zero request you in the Mercedes.
And then we’ll ride
So zoomy inside
The sky’s the limit, this time I’m switchin’ to glide.

I don’t give a hoot about what people have to say,
I’m laughing as I’m analyzed.
Lunatics anonymous, that’s where we belong,
Sure, cause I am one, till my strength is gone

Yeah, this beat goes on
And on, and on, and on
I have lots of friends that I can ding at any time,
Can mobilize some laughs with just one call.
Like a bunch of lunatics, we’ll act ’till way past dawn

Sure, we’ll be rockin’ ’till our strength is gone

Yeah, this beat goes on.
This beat goes on
This beat goes on
This beat goes on
This beat goes on
This beat goes on
This beat goes on
This beat goes on
This beat goes on
This beat goes on
This beat goes on
This beat goes on

Switchin’ to Glide

Nothing matters but the weekend
From a Tuesday point of view
Like a kettle in the kitchen
I feel the steam begin to brew

Switchin’ to glide, switchin’ to glide
Switchin’ to glide, switchin’ to glide

Energy can be directed
I’m turning it up I’m turning it down
Even love can be affected
Harmony’s the sweetest sound

Switchin’ to glide, Switchin’ to glide
Switchin’ to glide, Switchin’ to glide

Balancing in my head, inside of me
Taking the glide path instead.
Everybody gets the no-no
Hear it ringing in they ears
Lots of ways that you can go GO!
Look around NO disappears

Switchin’ to glide, Switchin’ to glide
Switchin’ to glide, Switchin’ to glide

Get It:

The original album, The Kings Are Here was updated in 2000, and the track list was expanded from 10 to 15 tracks. The new title is, quite cleverly, The Kings Are Here and More, and it can be yours at Amazon:

Dances with Bass YouTube Channel:

Okay, kids, put on your skates and grab your dates, ‘cause we’re headin’ to the roller-rink!

In the 1970s and 1980s, if you wanted to find just about any kid in Anderson, Indiana, you’d likely find them doing the “salchow” down the oval, hardwood floor of Star Skate, while their parents did the “slip ‘n’ twist” along the railing in an often failed effort to keep their balance. The popularity of skating rinks boomed in the 70s with the advent of an improved plastic wheel and of course, disco. The momentum continued into the 80s and although the music changed (thank God) the jams were as much an integral to the skating experience as the hot pretzel and the Slush Puppy.

One band you would likely have heard blaring out of the overhead speakers were The Kings. Our neighbors to the north, The Kings were formed in Vancouver, B.C. in 1977 by David Broadbent (stage name David Diamond), on bass and lead vocals, John Picard (Mister Zero) on guitar, Nicholas Peter (Sonny Keyes) on keyboard, and Max Styles on drums. I’m guessing that Styles’ failure to adopt a new moniker was due to his lack of commitment to the group. He would later quit the group in 1982. The on again/off again band has seen many lineup changes, but David Diamond and Mister Zero have kept the faith, and the band has endured (and still plays occasional small shows today). There are eleven albums attributed to The Kings, but the most notable is their debut, The Kings Are Here, which included the hit songs This Beat Goes On and Switchin’ to Glide.

“Nothing matters but the weekend from a Tuesday point of view.” Man, ain’t that the truth? FWIW, Tuesday is closer to the weekend than it is to Friday; retrospectively speaking, of course. Let that one bounce around the ol’ noodle a while.

Video:

The official video for This Beat Goes On / Switchin’ to Glide is below:

And if you’re itchin’ for more switchin’ (to glide), we urge you to check out his documentary, The Kings: The Anatomy of a One-Hit Wonder, which tells The Kings’ story in more detail:

Lastly—because we have some electrons to spare (read: our page layout wasn’t quite evenly distributed thanks to a long set of lyrics)—we’ve included a post-performance interview of The Kings on American Bandstand in 1980 by the timeless Dick Clark:

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