"And the Beat Goes On" is a 1979 single by the American music group the Whispers. The song was their first of two number-one singles on the Soul chart, and their first Top 20 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 19. "And the Beat Goes On" was the group's only number-one song on the dance chart. It was also their first and biggest hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also peaked at number 27 on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' chart. In 1996 after

Phyllis Hyman Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Hyman's music career spanned the late 1970s through the early 1990s, and she was best known for her expansive contralto range. Some of her most ...

died, the Whispers honored her with a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

: ''Thank God! The Beat Goes On''. The fictionalized story intertwines the long-running career of the Whispers with the rise of Hyman, using songs by the Whispers including ones Hyman sang with them such as "The Beat Goes On". The Whispers played themselves while R&B singer Alyson Williams played the role of Hyman.

Track listing

7" single #"And the Beat Goes On" – 3:25 #"Can You Do the Boogie" – 3:50 12" single #"And the Beat Goes On" – 7:30 #"Can You Do the Boogie" – 6:07

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other notable versions

*In 1996, Lorenza released a dance club version of the song that reached number 87 in Germany. * In 2024, the song was remixed with

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

's 2002 single " I'm Alive" by Majestic and the Jammin Kid. The single, titled " Set My Heart on Fire", debuted at number 6 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.

In popular culture

The song was sampled in Monie Love's 1989 single "I Can Do This" from her debut album '' Down to Earth'',

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

's 1998 single "

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

" and BigXthaPlug's 2023 single " Mmhmm". It was also featured in the 2002 video game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City''.

References

{{authority control 1979 songs 1979 singles 1996 songs 1996 singles Post-disco songs SOLAR Records singles Songs written by Leon Sylvers III The Whispers songs