Biography

Led by monotoned vocalist and K Records founder Calvin Johnson, Olympia's Beat Happening had an entirely unique take on what it meant to be punk rock. Stridently adhering to DIY ethics, the band played a primitive, jangly style of pop. The songs often sounded like they might fall apart at any moment, yet they were so undeniably catchy the band endeared itself to a tremendous swath of the indie underground of the 1980s and '90s. Following Beat Happening's break-up, Calvin Johnson went on to form Dub Narcotic Sound System and released a solo album in 2005.

Top Tracks

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• Bad Seeds

• Black Candy

• Bonfire

• Cast A Shadow

• Cat Walk

• Crashing Through

• Down At The Sea

• Foggy Eyes

• Fortune Cookie Prize

• Godsend

• I Dig You

• Indian Summer

• Knock On Any Door

• Look Around

• Me Untamed

• Midnight A Go-go

• Nancy Sin

• Noise

• Our Secret

• Polly Pereguinn

• Ponytail

• Red Head Walking

• Sea Hunt

• Secret Picnic Spot

• Tiger Trap

Discography

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• You Turn Me On

  K/Sub Pop

  1992

• Dreamy

  K/Sub Pop

  1991

• Black Candy

  K/Sub Pop

  1989

• Jamboree

  K Records

  1988

• Beat Happening

  K Records

  1985