The Beat That My Heart Skipped

For the small group of followers we have that attend Katerwaul shows, this is the song they most talk to me about. For a large percentage of the people seeing us for the first time at these shows a small number of those come to me and ask me about this song. So i think that it is safe to assume that this song is regarded as one of our most popular tunes.

I think its mostly because of the 4 minute massive wall of sound followed by the acapella part performed by every member of the band. Suddenly now we've forced you to listen to the words, simply because there is nothing else there. Acapella rounds such as the one we've employed in this song are not often used in modern music, a sad fact seeing as its one of the oldest musical forms. I can't say given the subject matter of the song that we have not done it on purpose. I felt such a subject as the one we are tackling needed such musical subtlety. The message is more important than the music in this instance.

I don't want to go into great detail picking apart every metaphor and simile, but I will say that this song is about personal matters, a failing relationship, but coupling it with the contrasting end to that of the late Mark Speight and his partner Natasha Collins. No matter how bad things were for me it was nothing compared to the setting of a modern day Romeo and Juliet story, that one could argue is the story of Mark and Natasha. With all the media hype and rumours aside, it was Jeremy Burridge's (Mark's best friend and co-host of SMart) article "Mark and Me" that hit me. There's was a tragic love story that will forever be tainted by rumours and speculations and they will no longer be remembered for their careers or who they were. And Mark will be the forgotten inspiration to many children aspiring to enter the art world. Yes he was a cartoon funny-man but for me and many other people in their twenties he was a great inspiration leading to who we are today. You can laugh all you want at such an odd claim but I'm sticking by it.

So here are the lyrics as they are before being committed to the new album, enjoy.

" i find myself wearing the flames of our love
through a spirit of recklessness, for my love of violence
and i hide from your name
it burns my ears, the catalyst of everything
and my heart is shivering
and you were everything, everything
and you wear such infamy

the beat that my heart skipped
the beat that my heart skipped
the beat that my heart skipped
the beat that my heart skipped

and they found her in the bathtub all loaded with pills
he was hanging from the rafters at the bottom of the hill
and the noose it didn't kill him he died of a broken heart
this is how they'll be remembered and not for their love nor their art
and now its time to breathe

so what now of the children in this trivial end?
keep the lies from their mouths, from their hearts
so what now of the children in this trivial end?
shut the lies from their mouth, from their hearts"

thanks for reading, feel free to sing along at our next show

you can read "Mark & Me" by Jeremy Burridge here http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/18/bbc.television