The English Beat will be appearing at The Birchmere this week. The English Beat were part of the late 70's/early 80's ska revival, along with other 2-Tone recording artists like The Specials, The Selecter, and Madness. They inspired a legion of dedicated fans despite having a relatively short run of three album releases during their time together.

Ironically, (but not unusual for U.K. bands in the 80's), their early recordings made it to the British charts while without charting in the states, and later records that charted in the U.S. barely got noticed in England. The Beat (as they were known overseas) had their first U.K. hit with a cover of "Tears Of A Clown" in 1979. The highest U.K. chart position The English Beat achieved with an original tune came in 1980. Interestingly, the song made it to the U.K. charts again in 1996, and it's a tune they are well remembered for. What's the name of this song?

Bonus Question: The Reverend Jerry Falwell passed away recently in his office at Liberty University. Falwell was a controversial figure back in the 80's, and remained so right up until his final days. He became a public icon during the 80's for his work furthering Evangelical Christian causes, and for the role he played in helping Ronald Reagan and the Rupublican Party rise to power during that decade. He founded the Moral Majority in 1979, an organization that became a lightning rod for scorn and animosity from the alternative scene almost immediately.

Punk rock bands like the Dead Kennedys, The Circle Jerks, Youth Brigade and Green Day all took shots at the group in their lyrics. Industrial bands like Ministry, KMFDM, Pop Will Eat Itself, and Cabaret Voltaire used the rhetoric of the religious right in dada-ist sample collages. One of the best send ups of the Evangelical movement was a B-side that became a dancefloor hit back in the 80's. The song didn't even bother with lyrics, it was all samples, and it started out with the line "Hey poor! You don't have to be poor anymore!" The band was Front 242, what was the name of the song?