The roots of Gene lay in a band called Spin, which featured guitarist Steve Mason and drummer Matt James. Spin disbanded after their career was sidetracked by their bassist's injury in a car crash, yet Mason and James continued playing together, recruiting bassist Kevin Miles through a mutual friend. The trio eventually met Welsh native Martin Rossiter, and the quartet formed Gene in 1993. Over the course of the next few months, the band wrote a batch of songs and had performed a number of concerts by the end of the year. A pair of music journalists, Keith Cameron and Roy Wilkinson, formed the Costermonger label in order to release Gene's debut single, "For the Dead," in April 1994. Nearly every copy of the limited-edition release sold out within the first week, and Gene soon became favorites of the British music weeklies. That July, "Be My Light, Be My Guide" became a number one hit on the indie charts, and Gene had emerged as one of the leading new bands of the burgeoning Britpop movement. Major-label interest beckoned, and the group signed with Polydor, who subsidized Costermonger in the U.K. An acclaimed third single, "Sleep Well Tonight," followed in September, and in January of 1995, Gene was named Best New Act at NME's Brat Awards.
Until the release of the group's debut album, Olympian, in the spring of 1995, Gene had continued to build momentum, partially because Martin Rossiter had adopted Morrissey's technique of giving articulate, outrageous and witty interviews. Olympian, however, was greeted with mixed reviews, and although the group had a sizable fan base -- the album debuted in the Top Ten -- they were soon overshadowed by the legions of groups that popped up in the wake of Blur and Oasis' success. Even so, "Haunted by You" and "Olympian" both became Top 20 hits. Early in 1996, To See the Lights, a collection of B-sides and BBC sessions, was released in England. For the remainder of the year, Gene was quiet, preparing their second album, Drawn to the Deep End. "Fighting Fit" was released as a teaser in the fall and became a Top Ten hit, but Drawn to the Deep End didn't follow through on its success. Although it debuted in the Top Ten upon its release in early 1997, it was greeted with decidedly mixed reviews and quickly fell down the charts, although the group's core audience remained loyal. By the new millennium, the band was without a label. They founded Contra and issued the live set Rising for Sunset: Live at the Troubadour in 2000. The album went almost unnoticed among the indie scene, however a true comeback loomed ahead. In mid-summer 2002, Gene emerged with Libertine, their strongest material since Olympian. A late summer/early fall trek across America coincided with the release.
Bibiography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
There is another artist ith the same name:
2) GENE (جين) a Syrian neoprogressive rock band, one of the best acts in the Syrian rock scene, they started under the name ZODIAC playing progressive rock songs for bands such as ( Karmakanic ) later on they changed their name to GENE and decide to use Arabic lyrics with the progressive music creating a very unique style of their own, proving again how flexible Arabic language can be.
They are:
Maen rajab: Guitars
Omar harb: Bass guitar (The Hourglass - Anas & Friends)
Shadi Ali: Vocals (Guest in Anas & Friends)
Sahel Zen Eldien: Drums
Hazem Al-Ani: Piano & Keyboards
Anas Abd al-Moumen: Guitars (Anas & Friends)
GENE released their debut self-titled album in August 2008 .
As Good As It Gets
Gene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The greedy live off you and me
This is the code, we can break history
But the greedy still fear you and me
So get out the way
People have to work
Not wallow in the dirt
I bet that this is as good as it gets, yes
How can you ask for more?
If you're paid, you're not poor
This is as good as it gets, yes
We've been bought, we've been sold
But at least we're not old
When red became blue, hope denied
Our dreams swept away with the tide
So get out the way
People want to work
Not fester in the dirt
We all want to work
I bet that this is as good as it gets, yes
How can you ask for more?
If you're paid, you're not poor
This is as good as it gets, yes
We've been bought, we've been sold
But at least we're not old
Can your heart take the cold?
As Good As It Gets is a song that speaks to the struggles of the working class, and the way that society can often fail to provide for its people amidst a culture of greed and materialism. Gene sings of the way that those who are greedy are willing to live off of the rest of us, and how this has become embedded in our society. However, he also suggests that it is possible to break this cycle of greed and fear, and rewrite history in a better way.
The chorus of the song speaks directly to the idea of the American Dream, and the way that many people feel that they have reached their peak in life simply by being paid and not living in poverty. Gene challenges this idea, suggesting that we should be striving for more, rather than settling for what we have. The line "we've been bought, we've been sold, but at least we're not old" highlights the way that many people are willing to sacrifice their values and autonomy in order to achieve financial stability.
Overall, As Good As It Gets is a song that speaks to the concerns of the working class in modern America. It highlights the way that we can become trapped in cycles of greed and fear, and the importance of pushing for change and progress.
Line by Line Meaning
Be careful in life and you'll see
Life is full of greed and one must be vigilant to see and beware of the people who feed on us.
The greedy live off you and me
There are people in this world who live off the sweat of others and exploit them.
This is the code, we can break history
History can be changed and rewritten by breaking the old codes and starting afresh.
But the greedy still fear you and me
Even though they exploit us, the greedy fear us the most because we have the power to rise against them.
So get out the way
The people who want to work need to be allowed to work without any hindrance.
People have to work
Work is essential for a living and people should not be denied it.
Not wallow in the dirt
People should not be forced to live in extreme poverty and degrading conditions.
I bet that this is as good as it gets, yes
This is the best we can expect given the current system and situation.
How can you ask for more?
Given the current circumstances, how can one expect more than what we have?
If you're paid, you're not poor
Even with low wages, one cannot be considered poor as long as they are paid for their work.
We've been bought, we've been sold
We have been used and exploited by those who have the means and resources.
But at least we're not old
At least we have the energy and means to make a difference, unlike the elderly who are powerless.
When red became blue, hope denied
When the ruling party changed, our hopes for a better future were dashed.
Our dreams swept away with the tide
Our aspirations for a better life were washed away by the forces beyond our control.
People want to work
Most people want to work and contribute to society.
Not fester in the dirt
No one wants to be trapped in a life of poverty and hopelessness.
Can your heart take the cold?
Can you bear the harsh realities of life and still keep going?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RAFE VAN HOY, CHARLES HARMON JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ohim666
Be careful in life and you'll see
The greedy live off you and me
This is the code, we can't break history
The greedy still fear you and me
So get out of the way
People have to work
Not wallow in the dirt
People have to work
Oh, I bet that
This is as good as it gets, yes
How can you ask for more?
If you're paid you're not poor
This is as good as it gets, yes
We've been bought, we've been sold
But at least we're not old
When red became blue
Hope denied
Our dreams swept away
With the tide
So get out of the way
People want to work
Not fester in the dirt
We all want to work
Oh, I bet that
This is as good as it gets, yes
How can you ask for more?
If you're paid you're not poor
This is as good as it gets, yes
We've been bought, we've been sold
But least we're not old
Get out of the way
People want to work
Not fester in the dirt
We all want to work
Oh, I bet that
This is as good as it gets, yes
How can you ask for more?
If you're paid you're not poor
This is as good as it gets, yes
We've been bought, we've been sold
But least we're not old
Can your heart take the cold?
@jayadamone
Their proper farewell album this. Sad times as they lit my world from 1994-97, 3 years of bliss
@mariatheocampo307
Underrated band.Wonderful song.
@richardbailey71
Amazing ❤❤
@yogih2032
very great music.. 1999.. what a memory..
@user-bc1wh5ld7z
beautiful music. I spent my teenager to listen their tune.
@ohim666
Be careful in life and you'll see
The greedy live off you and me
This is the code, we can't break history
The greedy still fear you and me
So get out of the way
People have to work
Not wallow in the dirt
People have to work
Oh, I bet that
This is as good as it gets, yes
How can you ask for more?
If you're paid you're not poor
This is as good as it gets, yes
We've been bought, we've been sold
But at least we're not old
When red became blue
Hope denied
Our dreams swept away
With the tide
So get out of the way
People want to work
Not fester in the dirt
We all want to work
Oh, I bet that
This is as good as it gets, yes
How can you ask for more?
If you're paid you're not poor
This is as good as it gets, yes
We've been bought, we've been sold
But least we're not old
Get out of the way
People want to work
Not fester in the dirt
We all want to work
Oh, I bet that
This is as good as it gets, yes
How can you ask for more?
If you're paid you're not poor
This is as good as it gets, yes
We've been bought, we've been sold
But least we're not old
Can your heart take the cold?
@yezkaflores7406
I was in the University while I've listening/watching the video
:3
Thank you, Mister!
@jameslansing7252
Great, Great band!
@MsFiendy
thank you for posting!!! great song from my teenage years, and great memories of Rodney on the Roq in the 90s!
@rodgergibbs
The Labour anthem at the time was 'things can only get better', this is a direct response