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.
Natural's Not in It
Gang of Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What to do for pleasure
Ideal love a new purchase
A market of the senses
Dream of the perfect life
Economic circumstances
The body is good business
Sell out, maintain the interest
Renounce all sin and vice
Dream of the perfect life
This heaven gives me migraine
The problem of leisure
What to do for pleasure
Coercion of the senses
We are not so gullible
Our great expectations
A future for the good
Fornication makes you happy
No escape from society
Natural is not in it
Your relations are of power
We all have good intentions
But all with strings attached
Repackaged sex keeps your interest [Repeat: x6]
The problem of leisure
What to do for pleasure
Ideal love a new purchase
A market of the senses
Dream of the perfect life
Economic circumstances
The body is good business
Sell outs ? maintain the interest
Remember Lot's wife
Renounce all sin and vice
Dream of the perfect life
This heaven gives me migraine
This heaven gives me migraine
This heaven gives me migraine
"Gang of Four's" song "Natural's Not in It" is a powerful attack on consumer culture and capitalism, exploring themes of leisure, pleasure, power relations, and the commodification of human bodies. The song highlights how capitalism shapes and controls our desires and wishes, including our sexual desires and aspirations, by defining what is "natural" and what is not, and presenting us with a plethora of consumer choices to satisfy these desires. The lyrics condemn the manipulation of human senses and emotions for commercial gain, arguing that the pursuit of profit has made the body a commodity that is bought and sold in the marketplace.
The lyrics of "Natural's Not in It" suggest that people are not naturally inclined towards consumerism, but rather are coerced into pursuing it through advertising, propaganda, and the constant pressure to conform to societal norms. The song suggests that people can resist these pressures and can develop their own free will and autonomy, but only by being conscious of the commercial forces that surround them. The lyrics also criticize the way that sex and love are marketed and packaged, suggesting that these emotions are not natural but are instead sold like any other commodity, with all the associated power dynamics and strings attached.
Line by Line Meaning
The problem of leisure
The issue with having free time
What to do for pleasure
How to enjoy oneself during leisure time
Ideal love a new purchase
The belief that true love can be bought
A market of the senses
The idea that personal enjoyment is a commodity to be traded
Dream of the perfect life
The desire for a life that is without problems
Economic circumstances
The impact of money and finances on everyday life
The body is good business
The human body is valuable and can be exploited for profit
Sell out, maintain the interest
Compromising personal values to maintain popularity and attention
Remember Lot's wife
The warning against becoming too attached to material possessions
Renounce all sin and vice
Rejecting behaviors that are considered immoral or unethical
Dream of the perfect life
The longing for a life that is without flaws or difficulties
This heaven gives me migraine
The struggle to find happiness despite societal pressures
Coercion of the senses
The manipulation of personal feelings and sensations
We are not so gullible
People are not easily fooled or deceived
Our great expectations
The high hopes and dreams people have for their future
A future for the good
Hoping for a positive outcome for oneself and others
Fornication makes you happy
The belief that casual sex brings joy and pleasure
No escape from society
The inability to fully separate oneself from the influence and expectations of society
Natural is not in it
Real and authentic experiences are hard to come by in a manufactured society
Your relations are of power
Interpersonal connections are often based on dominance and influence
We all have good intentions
People generally mean well, but sometimes their intentions are compromised by other factors
But all with strings attached
All good things come with certain obligations or conditions
Repackaged sex keeps your interest [Repeat: x6]
Marketers and media outlets recreate sex in order to keep people interested and engaged with their products
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVE ALLEN, ANDREW GILL, JON KING, HUGO H. BURNHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@1997residente
I want to thank Sofia Coppola.
After Scorsese and Tarantino, the director with the best musical taste...
@strace67
I was in a garage band in high school in the 80's... we were ok... I finished a set one night ( i was like 16) and the fella running sound told me he thought I sounded like Andy GIll. I was floored. To this day the best compliment i ever got!
@jcking78123
RIP Andy- post-punk, new wave, math rock and dance-punk wouldn't have been the same without you. Four decades of serious musical influence (so far) right there.
@ozmonaut1
Gang of Four broke new ground with this record, the spiky angular guitar work and the fabulously stripped down minimalism made a record the likes of which had never been heard before, so very original
@Unadapted
Television did quite a good job of it 2 or 3 years earlier.
@bertrandmarotte4401
Terry: this album is more relevant than ever: this heaven gives me migraine
@scooter6172
DEVO
@nachotube7012
They have a bit of Captain Beefheart in them.
@SicklyHeavyHeart
RIP Andy Gill.
@scumonthepond
..an absolute genius with a legacy to match.