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.
Return the Gift
Gang of Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're on the price list
Head away from the years
You're on the price list
Head away from the years
You're on the price list
Everything will stop your new changing
Go to Scotland no obligation
We'll send you an invitation
We'll send you an inside shower
We'll send you an inside shower
It's on the market
You're on the price list
It's on the market
You're on the price list
It's on the market
You're on the price list
In the spring who can say?
Please send me evenings and weekends
Shared by with the weeks
Please send me evenings and weekends [Repeats]
The lyrics of Gang of Four's song "Return The Gift" confront the listener with a strong and urgent message, utilizing repetition to drive the point home. The phrase "Head away from the years/You're on the price list" is the repetitive chorus, and it seems to be a warning to the listener about the dangers of society's commodification of individuals. The lyrics emphasize the idea that everything will hinder one's personal growth and development by placing them on a "price list," objectifying them and limiting their potential.
The second half of the song, almost an afterthought, mentions Scotland as a refuge, where, without obligation, the listener will be invited for an "inside shower." The lyrics' meaning here is more opaque, but the reference to Scotland feels like a metaphorical escape from the constraints and expectations of daily life, only to confront us again in the last repetition of "It's on the market/You're on the price list."
The song has been interpreted as a critique of consumer society and the idea that everything is for sale, even human beings, reducing them to mere commodities. It seems to be a call to free oneself from the trappings of capitalism and materialism.
Line by Line Meaning
Head away from the years
Don't dwell on the past
You're on the price list
You've become a commodity for others to buy or sell
Everything will stop your new changing
External factors will prevent you from growing or evolving
The grid will be filled
Society will limit your potential and put you in a box
Go to Scotland no obligation
You have the freedom to explore new places without obligation
We'll send you an invitation
You're welcome to join us on our journey
We'll send you an inside shower
We'll provide you with comfort and shelter
It's on the market
Almost everything has a monetary value
In the spring who can say?
The future is uncertain
Please send me evenings and weekends
Asking for time to enjoy life outside of work
Shared by with the weeks
Hoping to share time with loved ones outside of work
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID ALLEN, HUGO BURNHAM, ANDREW GILL, JONATHAN KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ToddtheExploder
One of the very best songs from one of the very best bands when we were at our very best....
Olive Eisner
Head away from the yearsYou're on the price listHead away from the yearsYou're on the price listHead away from the yearsYou're on the price listEverything will stop your new changingThe grid will be filledGo to Scotland no obligationWe'll send you an invitationWe'll send you an inside showerWe'll send you an inside showerIt's on the marketYou're on the price listIt's on the marketYou're on the price listIt's on the marketYou're on the price listIn the spring who can say?Please send me evenings and weekendsShared by with the weeksPlease send me evenings and weekends [Repeats]
Ilias Gkalgkanopoulos
the perfect bass
RyDawg084
Beast Tune!! ~~~🔥🔥🔥
genki2genki
If you don't get "please send me evenings and weekends" then you weren't around when this came out. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Boe Jiden
@fidel fonseca bruh he already said what I means
fidel fonseca
genki2genki what does this mean?
Lev Lafayette
@Nick Monkton Not just one or the other, but both. GoF would take popular culture phrases and adapt them to their politics (with some wry cynicism included).
Another example is from Damaged Goods, "the change will do you good", which was a grocery chain slogan.
Senor Platano
The song is about a guy who wins a gameshow and when the host asks him what prize he wants he says he wants time and not money.
genki2genki
+Enrico Contestabile If you were subscribing to a newspaper you would fill out a card that asked you if you wanted daily (the morning edition) or the evening edition. The weekend edition was always larger, hence, more expensive. So, on the form you might just check "daily" or "evenings and weekends."