Official video:

I had forgotten that The English Beat were on the I.R.S. label! Several of my favorite bands were and I swear I’ve addressed this issue before, so I won’t bore you with it again.

I was aware that the song “Best Friend” existed long before I knew it was titled “Best Friend.” In fact, I have an ancient mix tape of songs recorded off the radio where I’ve labeled the song “Talk About Yourself.” I must have recorded that in high school – like in 1983.

Both “Mirror in the Bathroom” and “Best Friend” seem to be about people who prefer themselves to everyone else. On the VH1 show Bands Reunited, singers Dave Wakeling and Rankin’ Roger revealed that they left The English Beat to form General Public because they figured dividing the profits two ways meant more money for each of them. One wonders if both these songs might not be little autobiographies of lyricist Dave Wakeling.

EDITED TO ADD: From their 1980 debut album, I Just Can’t Stop It.