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 (Ψ¬ΩΩ) 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 .
London Can You Wait?
Gene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have sinned
I didn't hear the siren, or see him giving in
My kith and kin
I have sinned, again
He said
"London, can you wait
For all the things I have to say
My kith and kin
I have sinned
The alarm rang loud, the lights were on
And I didn't see a thing
My kith and kin
Death just walked in, again
He said
"London, can you wait
For all the things I have to say
How long can you wait?"
I was having the time of my life
So why did you have to die?
I'm lost
Again
The song "London Can You Wait?" by Gene tells the story of a person who is racked with guilt and sorrow following the death of someone close to them. The opening lines, "My kith and kin, I have sinned, I didn't hear the siren, or see him giving in," suggest that the death was sudden and unexpected, catching the singer off guard. The repetition of "I have sinned, again" implies that the singer feels responsible for the death, even though they had no control over the situation.
The chorus, which asks "London, can you wait for all the things I have to say?" suggests that the singer wishes they had more time to talk to the person who died. This longing for more time is repeated later in the song with the line "How long can you wait?" The final verse adds another layer of anguish to the song, with the singer wondering why they had to experience the joy of life while the other person had to die.
Line by Line Meaning
My kith and kin
My family and friends
I have sinned
I have done something wrong
I didn't hear the siren, or see him giving in
I didn't notice the warning signs or realize that something was wrong
My kith and kin
My family and friends
I have sinned, again
I have made another mistake
He said
"London, can you wait
For all the things I have to say
London, can you wait?"
The singer is asking London to wait until he's ready to speak and express himself.
The alarm rang loud, the lights were on
And I didn't see a thing
I was oblivious to the danger even when alarm bells were ringing and lights were flashing.
Death just walked in, again
Another person has died, and the singer is struggling to cope with the pain of loss.
He said
"London, can you wait
For all the things I have to say
How long can you wait?"
In the midst of the singer's grief, he begs London to wait patiently while he tries to find the right words to articulate his emotions.
I was having the time of my life
So why did you have to die?
I'm lost
Again
The singer is mourning the loss of someone he loved, questioning why they had to die when he was feeling so happy and fulfilled. He feels lost and overwhelmed by his grief.
Lyrics Β© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: KEVIN DAVID MILES, MARTIN CHARLES ROSSITER, MATTHEW JAMES WRIGLEY, STEVEN ASHLEY MASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JOAQUIM OLIVA I SALA
1995 ; " Els meus amics i parents
he pecat
No vaig sentir la sirena, ni el vaig veure rendir .se
Els meus amics i parents
He pecat, una altra vegada
I ell va dir
Londres, pots esperar ?
Per totes les coses que he de dir
Londres, pot esperar ?
Els meus amics i parents
he pecat
L'alarma va sonar fort, els llums eren encesos
No vaig veure res
Els meus amics i parents
La mort acaba de despertar, una altra vegada
I ell va dir
Londres, pots esperar ?
Per totes les coses que necessito dir
Quant de temps pots esperar ?
Estava passant el millor moment de la meva vida
Llavors, per què vas haver de morir?
estic perdut
Una altra vegada "
Cat H
I saw Gene so many times, they were always brilliant. Their albums are still some of my favourites. Totally underrated band.
Ken Pudsey
Very true Cat!
JA GARVEY
One of the greatest songs of the 90's. Unfair that Martin Rossiter got chants of "Morrissey! Morrissey!" at earlier gigs. Nobody chanted at Liam n Noel "Beatles! Stones! T-Rex! The Jam! or Ian Brown! at Liam. There was snobbery towards Gene and OCScene for sounding retro but not at Oasis or Suede for doing the same.
Giuseppe G
Same thing happened at 97 performance in Toronto when the were touring Drawn to the deep end, moz chant by 1 clown. Got to meet Martin as we were in a line to come in, he came out to have a smoke and talked and signed my ticket. Gene didn't sound like smiths, and they are my all-time favorite band along with Gene and stone roses
Alex Thorburn
So underrated
Tavis Hurn
Gene were 20x OCS, in my opinion. Virtually peerless in that crazy Britpop period, not noticeably derivative unlike most. I saw them 3 times and was blown away each time.
Tony Bates
This is a masterpiece and deserves so much more attention than it got.
Peter Yorn
Great song and the change is amazing
fantapants
I've been searching for this for ages. I remember seeing this when it first aired (It was presented by Damon Albarn form Blur - introducing all the Britpop bands). At the time, I hadn't even heard of Gene but after I saw this I became a huge fan and I continue to be a huge fan now. An amazing band who are sorely missed. Thanks for the upload.
Vicky Bryan
Just one of their great tracks. Saw them live twice in the 90s. Shamefully underrated.