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"Beat the Clock" is a 1979 song by the American pop and rock duo Sparks. Produced by famed disco producer Giorgio Moroder, it was released as the fourth single from the band's eighth studio album No. 1 in Heaven. The song peaked at number 10 in August 1979 and spent six weeks in the UK Singles Chart. [1]
Released in March 1979 by Virgin Records (with initial copies on colored vinyl) and later licensed to Elektra Records in the US, Nº 1 in Heaven renewed interest in the band after disappointing sales of the preceding albums Big Beat (1976) and Introducing Sparks (1977). It is the band's only album on Elektra, the fourth label that the band was ...
Sparks originally envisioned recording the song using different broadcasting company names in the title and lyrics, and releasing them as singles in their respective countries. In a 1996 interview with VH1 , Ron Mael revealed, "We were actually thinking at one point of making this a song that would be different in every single country.
Sparks re-recorded the song in 1997, one version of which featured vocals by Jimmy Somerville and orchestrations by Tony Visconti. This version peaked at number 70 in the UK, but was slightly more successful on the U.S. Billboard Dance Chart where it became a top 30 hit.
The lyrics are truly magnificent, both in their literal meaning and the way they work with the music, creating a rhythmic counter-melody that echoes Fisher's guitar line, and Muff Winwood’s crystal-clear production emphasizes the song's soaring, anthemic elements; although "Amateur Hour" and "This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us" were ...
Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins became Sparks most successful album in Germany reaching #29 [12] and scored three hits on the German Singles chart. While the album only reached #150 [13] on the UK Albums Chart, the singles did well enough to return the group to the Top 40, the first time since "Beat the Clock" in 1979.
A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip is the 24th studio album by American rock group Sparks.Recorded in gaps between Sparks' film projects, the album uses a full rock-group format to draw on the band's full range of musical styles and was universally acclaimed by critics, who praised both its lyrical and melodic content.
Interior Design did little in the way to reverse the commercial fortunes of the group, and did not appear on the album charts in the US or the UK. The singles "So Important" and "Just Got Back from Heaven" did better, both of which reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart at No. 8 [2] and No. 7 [2] respectively.