This Beat Goes On / Switchin' to Glide

The Zoo Crew, those groovy hippie DJs at THE ZOO radio station, are spinning the iconic "This Beat Goes On / Switchin' to Glide" by The Kings, firing up their devoted Zoo Freaks. This double-A side single from 1980 is a masterclass in rock energy, blending two songs that feel like one continuous party. A juicy piece of trivia comes from Mister Zero, the band’s guitarist, who revealed in an interview with The Hits Just Keep On Comin' that the song’s catchy lyric “Hey Judy, get Trudy” and the Mercedes reference weren’t just random flair. Zero actually owned two vintage Mercedes-Benz cars, a ’65 220 and a ’64 220S, which inspired the line “Me and Zero request you in the Mercedes.” Those boxy, finned classics added a touch of real-life swagger to the song’s vibe.

Another gem is how the song came to life. According to the band’s documentary, Anatomy of a One-Hit Wonder, lead singer and bassist David Diamond sparked the idea for “This Beat Goes On” while tuning up on stage one night. The riff just flowed, and the band later fused it with “Switchin' to Glide” during rehearsals, creating that seamless segue that radio stations couldn’t resist. Speaking of radio, the song’s journey to fame wasn’t instant. Initially released as just “Switchin' to Glide,” it flopped until Elektra Records agreed to release both songs together. Once they did, stations like Chicago’s WLS-AM blasted it to #9 in January 1981, and it hung on the Billboard Hot 100 for 23 weeks, peaking at #43.

The song’s legacy keeps rocking. In 2017, Milwaukee’s 105.7 FM The Fan adopted “Switchin' to Glide” as the anthem for the Milwaukee Baseball Post Game Show, playing the chorus after every Brewers win. And in 2020, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted the track, celebrating its two million Spotify streams and four million YouTube views. The Kings even produced a video for the song using live footage from over 20 years of shows, featured in their concert movie The Kings: Live at Heatwave, capturing their epic 1980 performance alongside acts like Elvis Costello and The Pretenders.

The Kings kicked off their journey in 1977 in Oakville, Ontario, with roots in Vancouver, British Columbia. Originally called WhistleKing, the band—David Diamond (bass, lead vocals), Mister Zero (guitar), Sonny Keyes (keyboards, vocals), and Max Styles (drums)—spent years grinding through club gigs and writing songs. Diamond and Zero were the main songwriters, with Keyes chipping in. By early 1980, they were recording their debut album at Toronto’s Nimbus 9 Studio when fate intervened. Legendary producer Bob Ezrin, fresh off Pink Floyd’s The Wall, dropped by, loved their sound, and took their tapes to Elektra Records in Los Angeles. That hustle led to their breakthrough album, The Kings Are Here, and the rest is rock history.

Stay connected with The Kings through their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Fans can also join the vibe at the The Kings Fan Group on Facebook, a hub for Zoo Freaks and beyond to share their love for the band’s timeless tunes.