The group had a single in the British Top 60 with "At Home He's A Tourist" in 1979, which was blacklisted by Top Of The Pops for its use of the relatively innocuous term "rubbers". Storming, Doc Marten-booted and fueled by a heady cocktail of Gramsci, Marx and lager, out of the Leeds art-school scene that produced The Mekons and Delta 5, they played a stripped-to-the-wire, funk-fueled permutation of punk rock. This is best exemplified by the dry production and forceful polemic of debut effort Entertainment! - Gang of Four's later albums (Songs Of The Free and Hard) found them softening some of their more jarring qualities, and drifting towards disco.
Critic Stewart Mason has called "Love Like Anthrax" (their first single, later re-recorded as "Anthrax") not only the group's "most notorious song" but also "one of the most unique and interesting songs of its time"; it's also a good example of Gang of Four's social perspective. After a minute-long, droning, feedback-laced guitar intro, the rhythm section sets up a funky, churning beat, and the guitar drops out entirely. In one stereo channel, King sings a "post-punk anti-love song", comparing himself to a beetle trapped on its back ("and there's no way for me to get up") and equating love with "a case of anthrax, and that's some thing I don't want to catch." Meanwhile in the other stereo channel (and slightly less prominent in the mix), Gill reads a deadpan monologue about public perception of love, and the prevalence of love songs in popular music: "Love crops up quite a lot as something to sing about, 'cause most groups make most of their songs about falling in love, or how happy they are to be in love, and you occasionally wonder why these groups do sing about it all the time." The simultaneous vocals are more than a little disorienting, especially when Gill pauses in his examination of love songs to echo a few of King's sung lines.
Allen left after Solid Gold and was replaced briefly by Buster Jones (who never recorded with the group), then by Sara Lee; Allen later co-founded Shriekback, Low Pop Suicide and The Elastic Purejoy.
Their angular, slashing attack and liberal use of dissonance had a significant influence on their post-punk contemporaries in the States, including Mission Of Burma. Gang Of Four went on to influence a number of successful funk-tinged alternative rock acts throughout the 80s and 90s - even, arguably, many rap-rock and nu metal groups who were "not in touch with their ancestry enough to realize it" (Andy Kellman, on allmusic.com) - although few of their followers were as arty or political. Michael "Flea" Balzary of Red Hot Chili Peppers has stated Gang of Four were very influential on his band's early music.
Gang of Four can also be credited as one of the early influences on techno or electronic music; they released dance remixes of several later singles.
Recently the band has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, initially due to emergence of new post-punk influenced bands such as The Rapture and Radio 4 and then the rise of Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, which led to the renewed patronage of the NME. The original Burnham/Allen/Gill/King lineup reformed in November 2004. In October of 2005, Gang of Four released a new LP featuring new recordings of past songs, entitled Return The Gift.
Dave Allen also co-hosts a twice-weekly "New Music Hour" radio show with Portland, Oregon's 94.7 alternative radio station.
Andy Gill died on 1st February, 2020 from, according to reports, a respiratory illness caught on the group's tour in Asia the preceding year. He was the only original member still playing in the Gang Of Four.
5-45
Gang of Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With all that blood flowing from the television.
At a quarter to six
I watch the news
Eatingeating all my food
As I sit watching the red spot
In the egg which looks like
All the blood you don't see on the television.
Still body nowno movement yet
Five men lie die flat on their backs
Were they born to lie in state
Defend the ever stagnate great?
Down on the street assassinate
All of them look so desperate
Declared blood war on the bourgeois state
Watch new blood on the 18 inch screen
The corpse is a new personality
Ionic charge gives immortality
The corpse is a new personality
Down on the street assassinate
All of them look so desperate
Declared blood war on the bourgeois state
Watch new blood on the 18 inch screen
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
The corpse is a new personality
Watch new blood on the 18 inch screen
The corpse is a new personality
Watch new blood on the 18 inch screen
The corpse is a new personality
Watch new blood on the 18 inch screen
The corpse is a new personality
Watch new blood on the 18 inch screen
The corpse is a new personality
Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment
Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment
Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment
Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment
Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment
Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment
Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment
Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment
Down on the street assassinate
All of them look so desperate
Declared blood war on the bourgeois state
The lyrics to the Gang of Four song 5-45 deal with themes of violence and the impact of the media on our daily lives. The first verse describes a scene in which the singer is trying to eat his tea while watching the news on TV. But the images on the screen are so violent, in particular the "red spot in the egg" which resembles blood, that it makes it difficult for him to enjoy his meal. The second verse takes a darker turn, as we hear about "five men [who] lie die flat on their backs" and the suggestion that they were somehow fated to be in this position, either due to their social class or the political system they found themselves in. The third and final verse concludes with a series of repetitions of the line "Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment", which seems to highlight the way in which violence has become a form of popular culture that people consume through the media.
Throughout the song, Gang of Four use clever wordplay and imagery to convey their message. The line "The corpse is a new personality" is a particularly striking example of this, suggesting that even in death, people can become celebrities or public figures. The repeated use of the word "assassinate" also adds to the sense of violence and danger that runs through the song. Overall, 5-45 is a thought-provoking and powerful commentary on the relationship between violence, media, and society.
Line by Line Meaning
How can I sit and eat my tea
The singer questions their ability to enjoy their meal while being exposed to violent and bloody images on television.
With all that blood flowing from the television.
The television is broadcasting violent and bloody images that are difficult for the singer to handle.
At a quarter to six
The time of day that the singer watches the news.
I watch the news
The artist regularly watches the news.
Eatingeating all my food
The artist is multitasking by watching the news and eating their meal at the same time.
As I sit watching the red spot
The singer is fixated on a red spot, possibly blood or violence, on the egg they are eating while watching the news.
In the egg which looks like
The singer is describing how the red spot in the egg resembles the blood they see on television.
All the blood you don't see on the television.
The artist may be suggesting that the violence portrayed on television is only a small portion of the actual violence happening in society.
Still body nowno movement yet
The artist is describing a scene where there are five bodies lying still and motionless.
Five men lie die flat on their backs
The five bodies belong to men who have died and are lying on their backs.
Were they born to lie in state
The singer poses a rhetorical question about the futility of sacrificing oneself for a stagnant or corrupt cause.
Defend the ever stagnate great?
The artist questions the worthiness of defending a stagnant and corrupt society.
Down on the street assassinate
The singer suggests that there is violence and assassination happening on the street.
All of them look so desperate
The perpetrators of the violence and assassination are described as appearing desperate.
Declared blood war on the bourgeois state
The perpetrators are rebelling against the middle and upper class society, expressing their anger through violent means.
Watch new blood on the 18 inch screen
The artist is urging the listener to take notice of the violence portrayed on television.
The corpse is a new personality
The artist is suggesting that the dead bodies on the street become sensationalized and significant because of their portrayal on television.
Ionic charge gives immortality
The singer is implying that the intense energy and screen presence of the dead bodies on television give them an immortal quality.
Guerilla war struggle is a new entertainment
The singer is suggesting that violence and rebellion have become a form of entertainment for some people.
All of them look so desperate
The desperation and anger of those who rebel against the societal order is once again emphasized.
Declared blood war on the bourgeois state
The violent rebellion against the middle and upper class society is repeated.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ANDREW GILL, DAVE ALLEN, HUGO H. BURNHAM, JON KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@janeanet
22 y/o and i stumbled upon this song. really powerful song and it made me a fan of gang of four. can’t wait to dive deeper into their other songs
@jali4000
Easily one of their most powerful songs, and I think that's really saying something with Gang of Four. Anyone keen on learning some of the theory behind this song I think a great place to start would be Baudrillard's work on the Gulf War.
@ecoterrorism_liker7251
LMFAO
@jali4000
@@ecoterrorism_liker7251 was there a critique there or just got the giggles?
@ecoterrorism_liker7251
Fickle Epicure you have zero clue what you're talking about
@jali4000
@@ecoterrorism_liker7251 any chance i could get some sort of explanation so i can learn from my mistakes or was that drive-by comment satisfying enough for you?
@ecoterrorism_liker7251
@@jali4000 google the word "pretentious"
@royaltar6961
That Bass line
@MrCSRocker
I was just getting my shit together in the early '80s. GoF was quite helpful.
@kreftmaker
Guerrilla war struggle is a new entertainment!!