Love At The Downbeat is about nightlife in pre-Beatles Newcastle, England.
martin craig acoustic fol
Story behind the song
The early 1960s was a time in the UK when regulations meant next to nothing - you could sneak into X-rated horror films from the age of 10 (and scare yourself witless) and I started going to 18+ clubs from the age of 15. No-one ever asked my age.
Newcastle had the Downbeat and The A-Go-Go, where The Animals cut their teeth, and places like the Marimba and the El-Toro were good warm-up venues. Jazz fans had the New Orleans, where Animals manager Mike Jeffries brought a test pressing of 'House of the Rising Sun' to get our reaction (we wore it out!). Decor was black, lightbulbs were red, jukeboxes were hot! This song is about all that.
Lyrics
LOVE AT THE DOWNBEAT
One red light bulb at the top of the stairs
Nowhere to sit, but nobody cares
They've raided the Marimba so they'll leave us alone
Start the music quick, before that girl goes home
Lookin' for love, lookin' for love at the Downbeat
I'm looking for love at the Downbeat
Black mohair sweater, points on my feet
Choking through every kind of weird cigarette
From Balkan Rough to Sobranie Palette
Lookin' for love, Lookin' for love at the Downbeat
SOLO
Pink Lane Lucy, blue silk dress
Waiting in the line, Barbecue Express
Wearing white stilettos, scarf on her head
Late last night, she spent the morning in bed
She's lookin' for love, lookin' for love at the Downbeat
Now the pictures are out, it's starting to rain
Lucy kicks through the chip papers lying in the drain
Sees the bingo crowd comin' out in a trance
Remembers when the gang used to go there to dance
Lookin' for love, lookin' for love at the Downbeat
Beatnik beauty in a black leather skirt
Oil paint splashes on her brother's old shirt
She can look right through you as she dances slow
Face won't tell you if it's 'yes' or 'no'
Lookin' for love, lookin' for love at the Downbeat
I'm lookin' for love at the Downbeat
Black mohair sweater, points on my feet
Choking through every kind of weird cigarette
From Balkan Rough to Sobranie Palette
Lookin' for love, lookin' for love at the Downbeat
SOLO to END