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.
What We All Want
Gang of Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not for lack of trying
Can't put my finger on it
You can't help being hard up
Can't trust the god we trusted
Don't think that's any insurance
I need something to fill my time
Could I be happy with something else?
I need someone to fill my time
This wheel spins, let me off
These doubts nagging worries
Nothing to work towards
This demon on back
Preaches the razor's cut
The hope that does not fade
Could I be happy with something else?
I need something to fill my time
Could I be happy with something else
I need something to fill my time
This wheel spins, let me off
It's not for lack of trying
Can't put my finger on it
You can't help being hard up
Can't trust the god you trusted
Don't think that's any insurance
Could I be happy with something else?
I need something to fill my time
Could I be happy with something else
I need someone to fill my time
Could I be happy with something else?
I need something to fill my time
Could I be happy with something else
I need someone to fill my time
What we want's not what we get
The opening line of the song poses a request to stop, to get off the wheel that is spinning. It’s a metaphor for the endless cycle of daily life that often seems pointless and unsatisfying; a cycle that the singer doesn't want to be a part of anymore. The following line, "It's not for lack of trying," indicates that the singer has made an effort to break the cycle, but to no avail. They're unable to put their finger on why they can’t break the pattern.
The subsequent lines suggest that the singer is struggling with finding purpose and meaning in their life. They can’t find anything to work towards, and doubts and worries chip away at them constantly. The “demon” on their back preaches the razor’s cut, which could be interpreted as a reference to self-harm, but also to the ever-present temptation of escape. The singer ushers in the idea of finding happiness in someone or something else, beyond what they deem as the 'god' we’ve trusted, however, the final line of the song 'What we want’s not what we get' suggests that the singer is aware that the fulfillment they seek may forever elude them.
The lyrics reflect the universal struggle of needing more from life than just a never-ending routine. The song encapsulates the frustration of feeling stuck with no clear direction or purpose in life. The recurring motif of the ‘wheel’ spinning, represents the cyclical nature of life and the desire to break free. The song is a powerful critique of capitalism that has an evil in its creation of repetitive and unsatisfying jobs on one hand and then tempting the workers to buy things to try and make themselves happy on the other.
Line by Line Meaning
This wheel spins, let me off
Life goes in circles and I want to get off this ride
It's not for lack of trying
I've been trying but I still feel dissatisfied
Can't put my finger on it
I can't identify the source of my unhappiness
You can't help being hard up
It's difficult to escape financial struggles
Can't trust the god we trusted
We can't rely on things we've believed in before
Don't think that's any insurance
Believing in something isn't a guarantee of success or happiness
Could I be happy with something else?
I wonder if there's something else that can bring me happiness
I need something to fill my time
I'm searching for activities or hobbies to provide meaning and fulfillment
This demon on back
I have a constant inner demon or fear that holds me back
Preaches the razor's cut
This fear sometimes advocates for drastic, self-destructive solutions
The hope that does not fade
Despite everything, I still hold onto hope
These doubts nagging worries
I constantly battle doubts and anxieties
Nothing to work towards
I feel aimless and lacking in direction
What we want's not what we get
Our desires and reality rarely align
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Geoffrey Allen, Hugo Burnham, Andrew Gill, Jonathan King
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind