Counting The Beat
Encyclopedia
"Counting the Beat" is a single by New Zealand
rock band The Swingers
released in 1981 from their album of the same name, Counting the Beat.
from Split Enz
. Although the band had several hit songs in New Zealand, "Counting the Beat" was their only major chart success in Australia and they are considered a one hit wonder in that country. The song is well known for its catchy beat and memorable music video.
The song was #1 in Australia in March 1981 and in New Zealand that May. The song was the number one charting song of 1981 in Australia according to the Kent Music Report
end of year chart.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rock band The Swingers
The Swingers
The Swingers were a New Zealand rock band. Formed out of the remnants of The Suburban Reptiles, the founding members were Phil Judd , Wayne Stevens , and Mark Hough . Formed in 1979, the band released the single "One Good Reason" which was a top 20 hit in New Zealand...
released in 1981 from their album of the same name, Counting the Beat.
History
The single was performed by The Swingers, with frontman Phil JuddPhil Judd
Philip Judd is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for being one of the founders of the bands Split Enz and The Swingers.-Split Enz:...
from Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
. Although the band had several hit songs in New Zealand, "Counting the Beat" was their only major chart success in Australia and they are considered a one hit wonder in that country. The song is well known for its catchy beat and memorable music video.
The song was #1 in Australia in March 1981 and in New Zealand that May. The song was the number one charting song of 1981 in Australia according to the Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
end of year chart.
Popular culture
- In the early to mid 1990s, the title of the song was also the name of a New Zealand music show, broadcast on (mostly independent) radio stations across New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. - From the early-mid 1990s until the early 2000s, the song was used as the theme for New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
soft drink, Lemon and Paeroa. - From 1998-2002 the song was used in advertisements for K-Mart AustraliaKmart AustraliaKmart Australia Limited is a discount department store chain owned by Wesfarmers. It operates 172 stores in Australia and 15 in New Zealand, with its head office located in Mulgrave, Victoria. Wesfarmers uses the Kmart name under licence from Sears Holdings Corporation.-History:Kmart Australia...
. - It was included on an episode of the Australian TV series 20 to 120 to 120 to 1 is an Australian television series, currently hosted by Bert Newton that counts down an undefined "top 20" of elements or events of popular culture, such as films, songs, sporting scandals. Previously the show was hosted by Charles "Bud" Tingwell and narrated by David Reyne...
, covering "one hit wonders". "Counting the Beat" was ranked number 13 and was identified as Australian in origin. As The Swingers were signed with Australian label Mushroom RecordsMushroom RecordsMushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
and were resident in Australia at the time, the song is sometimes seen as an Australian song. - In 2011, MediaWorks New Zealand owned television channel TV3TV3 (New Zealand)TV3 is a New Zealand commercial television network, owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Launched on 26 November 1989, the first private television network in New Zealand...
used the song in some programme advertisements, Since 6 February 2011 the song is now used as their official theme song.