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.
Of the Instant
Gang of Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who owns what you use?
This land is your land
This land is my land
Right now to touch flesh is real
Let us think only of the instant
There was something that I can't remember
We are in a happy state
It all comes to those who wait
While others plot the fate of nations
We spent the afternoons in an embrace
Somehow, you can't block it out
The bitter taste of interference
We still try to construct the difference
The space between a word and its sense
We, it seems, can own ourselves
In imagination
Then you say, we make our own world
Not everyone takes what they are given
If we believe what we are saying
We have the chance to include ourselves out
Who owns what you do?
Who owns what you use?
Then you say, we make our own world
Not everyone takes what they are given
There was something that I can't remember
Did you say "I've had enough"?
There was something that I can't remember
We have the chance to include ourselves out
In "Of the Instant", Gang of Four explores the concept of ownership and autonomy. The repeated questioning of "who owns what you do?" and "who owns what you use?" challenges the traditional notion of ownership and control in society. The line "this land is your land, this land is my land" is a reference to the popular American folk song, which further conveys the idea of sharing and community ownership.
The song also touches upon the theme of living in the moment, with the line "let us think only of the instant". The characters in the song find solace in the present moment, seeking refuge in the physical touch of another person. However, there is a hint of frustration and longing, with the line "there was something that I can't remember", indicating that the characters are unable to completely disconnect from the outside world.
The song also encourages self-ownership and individual agency, with the line "we, it seems, can own ourselves in imagination". However, they still acknowledge the interference of external forces, with the reference to "the bitter taste of interference". Ultimately, the song ends on a hopeful note, with the idea that individuals have the power to shape their own world and "include ourselves out" of undesirable situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Who owns what you do?
Who has ownership over your actions?
Who owns what you use?
Who has ownership over the things you utilize?
This land is your land
This piece of land belongs to you
This land is my land
This piece of land belongs to me
Right now to touch flesh is real
Currently, physical contact is the only reality we can experience
Let us think only of the instant
Let's focus solely on the present moment
There was something that I can't remember
I have a vague memory of something that I can't recall clearly
Did you say "I've had enough"?
Did you express that you cannot tolerate something any longer?
We are in a happy state
We are currently content and satisfied with our situation
It all comes to those who wait
The rewards belong to those who are patient and persistent
While others plot the fate of nations
While some individuals are scheming and planning for the destiny of their governments and countries
We spent the afternoons in an embrace
We consumed our afternoons in each other's arms
Somehow, you can't block it out
For some unknown reason, you cannot ignore the feeling or sensation
The bitter taste of interference
The unpleasant sensation of external influence
We still try to construct the difference
We are still attempting to create a clear distinction
The space between a word and its sense
The gap between the spoken or written term and its intended meaning
We, it seems, can own ourselves
It appears that we can possess ourselves
In imagination
Through the power of the mind
Then you say, we make our own world
Then you state that we have the ability to shape our reality
Not everyone takes what they are given
Not every person accepts what they are allocated
If we believe what we are saying
If we have confidence in what we are communicating
We have the chance to include ourselves out
We possess the opportunity to abstain from participating
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANDY GILL, JON KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind