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.
It
Gang of Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Subject story on the front page suffering from suffrage
Title unsung heroine of Britain position to attain
Housewife heroines addicts to their homes
It's her factory it's her duty it's her factory
Paternalist journalist
He gives them sympathy because they're not men
Scrubbing floors they're close to the earth
In a man's world because they're not men x4
In a man's world in a man's world
A little of a lot keeps them happy
Avoid the answers but keep them snappy
That's all
The lyrics to Gang of Four's song "It's Her Factory" describe the way that women are treated in society and the media. The opening lines criticize the daily press for suppressing important stories about women's suffrage, while the title refers to an "unsung heroine of Britain" who is poised to attain a position of power. However, the song goes on to criticize the way that women are often portrayed as "housewife heroines" who are addicted to their domestic roles. In fact, the title of the song itself emphasizes the idea that women's work is often treated as a kind of factory, a place where they are expected to fulfill certain duties without much recognition or appreciation.
The song also points out the ways in which women are marginalized within the patriarchal system. A "paternalist journalist" is described as giving women sympathy simply because they are not men, while the lyrics emphasize the fact that women are not considered to be fully human in a "man's world." The line "scrubbing floors they're close to the earth" suggests that women are devalued in comparison to men, and that their work is often seen as simpler or less important. The repeated phrase "in a man's world because they're not men" drives home the message that women are often excluded from positions of power and influence simply because of their gender.
Line by Line Meaning
Items daily press views to suppress
The media purposely hides certain news stories or topics by choosing not to publish them in order to maintain a specific narrative.
Subject story on the front page suffering from suffrage
The featured news story is about the struggle for women's right to vote and is experiencing pain and oppression.
Title unsung heroine of Britain position to attain
The woman being written about in the article is an amazing but unrecognized hero who deserves more social status.
Housewife heroines addicts to their homes
Stay-at-home mothers are forced to be confined to their own homes and are still somehow expected to be heroic.
It's her factory it's her duty it's her factory
Women are the ones who have to work in factories and are expected to take on this responsibility as their own duty.
Paternalist journalist
The journalist responsible for writing about women's struggles exhibits a smug and self-righteous attitude.
He gives them sympathy because they're not men
The journalist only offers pity and slight acknowledgment to women's struggles because he deems them as lesser than men.
Scrubbing floors they're close to the earth
The laborious and menial work of scrubbing floors is a metaphor for women being lowly and relegated to earth-like status.
In a man's world they're not men
Women's place in a male-dominated society is still limited and dismissive of their worth as individuals.
In a man's world because they're not men x4
Reiteration of the idea that women's place in society is only evaluated in relation to men and their gender status.
In a man's world in a man's world
An outright declaration that society is defined and run by men and women are inferior to them.
A little of a lot keeps them happy
The idea that women should be satisfied with tiny crumbs of progress or happiness, even if it only scratches the surface of their true worth.
Avoid the answers but keep them snappy
Journalists writing about women's issues are more interested in producing pithy and attractive soundbites, rather than delving into deep, complex issues that truly matter.
That's all
The song concludes by reinforcing the idea that society can only give women so much before they are ultimately silenced and dismissed.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVE ALLEN, ANDREW GILL, JON KING, HUGO H. BURNHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cayle Brekka
His guitar literally sounds dangerous. Probably one of the most iconic players ever.
James D
Well said
dj
True
Kelly Townsend
Very dangerous and very outside-the-box of rock convention’s tidy perfect scales and solos, Gill was a complete original
therealsoulproduct
Had to watch this again to be reminded of how badass this legendary Post-Punk band was. They rocked the hell out of this performance! Losing Andy was one of the many sucky things about 2020. But that guitar feedback will linger on and on...#RIPAndy
martin moffitt
Absolutely dangerous sound!
Matthew J Douglas
I didn't know he was sick. I saw him in 2019 and he looked in great shape. Really great infact. So how did he die so suddenly. Was it heart failure
Russell
Gang of Four toured Australia, NZ and China in late 2019. On return to UK Andy Gill developed a mystery illness. His partner later wrote that it was likely Covid 19 but before it had been identified.
dj
One of the best bands ever!
Doug Smith
The absolute best of an exceptionally high quality arsenal of songs from this killer band