‘We Got the Beat’ is a song by the American rock band the Go-Go's, written by the group's lead guitarist and keyboardist Charlotte Caffey. The band first recorded the song in 1980 for a single on UK-based Stiff Records, and later rerecorded it for their debut album Beauty and the Beat. The initial single release brought the Go-Go's underground credibility during their first UK tour and in the band's hometown of Los Angeles. The first version reached No. 35 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart due to its popularity in clubs as an import, and the second version was a top 10 hit in both the United States and Canada. It is considered a new wave classic hit, as well as being the Go-Go's' signature song. The song was named one of "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".
The Go-Go's wrote their own songs, and along with the Bangles and The Dixie Chicks, are one of the most successful all-girl bands to do so. ‘We Got The Beat’ was written by guitarist Charlotte Caffey, who drew inspiration from some Motown beats, specifically one that mentioned the name of her group. Caffey said in an interview: "I thought it would be very clever to do 'Going To A Go-Go.' I thought, Well, let's try working this out as a cover song. Which is really funny when I think about it. I was listening to it a lot one day, and later that night, the song came to me within five minutes. I don't even know if it has anything to do with listening to that song, but this whole idea came to me. It was one of those things that just went right through me and came out my hand; I wrote it down, recorded it a little bit, and then brought it into rehearsal a few days later."
‘We Got the Beat’ became the Go-Go's biggest hit, spending three weeks at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, behind Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' ‘I Love Rock 'n Roll’. It was during the song's time in the U.S. top 10 that Beauty and the Beat topped the U.S. Billboard 200. Cash Box said "The Grammy Awards-nominated Go-Go's continue on their winning ways with this new recording of the cut that started it all for the girls in 1980 as an English single on Stiff; punchy, to-the-point power-pop." Billboard called it a "catchy rocker" that has "the same endearing charm" as ‘Our Lips Are Sealed.’
The song plays in the opening scene of the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, where we meet the main characters in their natural habitat: the Ridgemont Mall. The song doesn't appear on the soundtrack, but got a lot of attention from the film.
Labels – Stiff (1980), I.R.S. (1981, 1982), A&M (1982)
Songwriter – Charlotte Caffey
Producers – Paul L. Wexler (original version), Richard Gottehrer, Rob Freeman (re-recorded version)
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]See the people walking down the street
Fall in line just watching all their feet
They don't know where they wanna go
But they're walking in time
[Chorus]
They got the beat
They got the beat
They got the beat, yeah
They got the beat
[Verse 2]
All the kids just getting out of school
They can't wait to hang out and be cool
Hang around 'til quarter after twelve
That's when they fall in line
[Chorus]
They got the beat
They got the beat
Kids got the beat, yeah
Kids got the beat
[Verse 3]
Go-go music really makes us dance
Doing the pony puts us in a trance
Do the watusi just give us a chance
That's when we fall in line
[Chorus]
'Cause we got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat, yeah
We got it
[Outro]
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
Everybody get on your feet
We got the beat
We know you can dance to the beat
We got the beat
Jump back, kick round
We got the beat
Round and round and round
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat