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.
Outside The Trains Don
Gang of Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wants to own tomorrow
Discipline, is his passion
Now, he says there's none
Outside the trains don't run on time
He believes it's no coincidence
He thinks sunblock will track him down
He wants his wife to run, and fetch
Order, he's obsessed with order, order
Discipline, is his passion
Now, he says there's none
Order, his obsession
Order, his obsession
Now, he says there's none
Outside the trains don't run on time
He believes it's no coincidence
He thinks sunblock will track him down
Home, it's no castle
He wants his wife, to run, and fetch
Order
The trains don't run on time
Nostalgia
Discipline
Is his passion
Now, he says there's none
Outside the trains don't run on time
The lyrics to Gang of Four's song "Outside The Trains Don't Run On Time" describe a man who has become nostalgic and obsessed with discipline and order. He wants to own tomorrow, but at the same time realizes that there is a certain lack of control in the world. The line "outside the trains don't run on time" represents this lack of control and the man's frustration with not being able to fully attain his desired level of order and predictability. He believes that this lack of control is not a coincidence but rather a symptom of larger societal issues. He also believes that even sunblock could be used to track him down, highlighting his paranoia and feeling of being constantly watched and controlled.
The man's obsession with order and discipline has taken over his life to the point that he sees his home as no castle, but rather a place where he can enforce his strict rules and order. He even wants his wife to run and fetch things for him, showing a clear power dynamic and possible control issues in their relationship. The repetition of the lines "discipline is his passion, now he says there's none" and "order, his obsession, now he says there's none" suggests that the man may be experiencing a loss of control or a realization that his strict adherence to discipline and order is not sustainable.
Overall, the lyrics to "Outside The Trains Don't Run On Time" convey a sense of frustration with the lack of control in the world and the desire for order and predictability. The man's obsession with discipline and order has taken over his life to the point of paranoia and possible control issues.
Line by Line Meaning
He's become nostalgic
He longs for the past and remembers it fondly
Wants to own tomorrow
He desires to control and dominate the future
Discipline, is his passion
He finds great pleasure in strict rules and regulations
Now, he says there's none
Despite his passion, he claims there is no discipline in the present
Outside the trains don't run on time
The outside world is chaotic and lacks order
He believes it's no coincidence
He thinks the disorder outside is intentional and not random
He thinks sunblock will track him down
He is paranoid and believes even everyday items could be used to monitor him
Home, it's no castle
His home is not a place of refuge, but rather just another chaotic environment
He wants his wife to run, and fetch
He desires complete obedience and control over his spouse
Order, he's obsessed with order, order
He is preoccupied with maintaining strict order in all aspects of his life
Order, his obsession
His fixation on order is all-consuming
Now, he says there's none
Despite his obsession, he claims there is no order in the present
Outside the trains don't run on time
Once again, he repeats that the outside world is chaotic and lacks order
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVID ALLEN, HUGO BURNHAM, ANDREW GILL, JONATHAN KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind