They were formed in 1967, after Allen - then a member of Soft Machine - was denied entry to the United Kingdom due to a visa complication. Allen remained in France where he and a London-born Sorbonne professor, Gilli Smyth, established the first incarnation of Gong. This band fragmented during the 1968 student revolution, with Allen and Smyth forced to flee France for Deià in Majorca.
They found a saxophonist, Didier Malherbe living in a cave in Deià, before film director Jerome La Perrousaz invited the band back to France to record the soundtracks to his movies. They were subsequently approached by the newly formed independent label BYG and signed up for two albums (Magick Brother/Mystic Sister, Camembert Electrique and Allen's solo album Bananamoon.
Gong played at the first Glastonbury Festival and were subsequently one of the first acts to sign to Virgin Records, getting first pick of the studio-time ahead of Mike Oldfield. By 1971, a regular line-up had established itself, and Gong released their Camembert Electrique album. The UK release, put out by Virgin Records subsidiary Caroline Records in 1974, was priced at 49p (i.e. the price of a typical single rather than an album), ensuring that sufficient numbers were sold for the album to chart (had it not been barred from the charts for being so cheap).
Between 1973 and 1974 Gong, now augmented by bass player Mike Howlett and guitarist Steve Hillage, released their Radio Gnome Trilogy — three records that expounded upon the (previously only hinted at) Gong mythology — starting with Flying Teapot and Angel's Egg both released in 1973, and You in 1974. At a gig in Cheltenham, in 1975, Allen refused to go on stage, claiming that a "wall of force" was preventing him. He left the band, as did Smyth, who wanted to spend more time with her two children. The band also lost keyboard player Tim Blake, replaced by Patrice Lemoine.
The band continued under the control of drummer Pierre Moerlen in order to fulfil contractual obligations, touring the UK in November 1975 (as documented on the 2005 release Live in Sherwood Forest '75) and working on their next album Shamal, but Hillage and Miquette Giraudy left before Shamal was released in 1976. (They re-joined the band briefly for a 1977 live reunion.) Gong morphed into a jazz rock outfit, renamed Pierre Moerlen's Gong after the departure of Didier Malherbe in 1976. This group reformed without Moerlen in the early 1990s as Gongzilla.
The Gong mythology, however, continued from the late seventies up until the nineties in Allen's solo work, and with bands such as Euterpe and Planet Gong (a collaboration with Here & Now), while Smyth formed a separate band, Mother Gong.
In 1992, Allen and Malherbe reformed Gong and released the album Shapeshifter, subsequently dubbed "Radio Gnome, Part 4". In 2000, a 5th installment: Zero to Infinity was released, featuring Smyth, and classic line-up bassist Mike Howlett. However 2004 saw a radical new Gong line-up including current member Kawabata Makoto and former member Cotton Casino from Acid Mothers Temple. Allen and Smyth's son Orlando Allen joined on drums for the album Acid Motherhood.
Gong (Gong Ge) is a Chinese pop artist. Use 宫阁
O Mother
Gong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O! RTF girl
Are you stone?
Let me be your china gnome
Play me on your gramophone
And bury me in your garden
Mister Long Shanks
I have other fish to fry
To fry
To fry
Fry…
O Mother
O mother don't do it again
The man in the parlour
You know what he's after
Yer bum titty bum
Pompidou
Who's your father and
Mind how you go…
I Am Your Fantasy
Now is tomorrow afternoon
There is only you and I and the world
I am the dream
That gets into your bed
The night shadow that loves you
Makes love with you
I am your knee
A name shouted at the railway station
The voice that calls you
The candle drips your name
I am your fantasy
And you are the world
The song "I Am Your Fantasy" by Gong showcases a dreamy and romantic vibe with poetic lyrics that can be interpreted in various ways. The song talks about the singer being the dream that enters his lover's bed, the voice that calls out her name, and the candle that drips her name. There is a strong emphasis on the idea of imagination and fantasy, with the singer symbolizing the dreams and desires of his lover. The lyrics create a sense of emotional attachment and intimate connection between the two individuals, with the singer being wholly consumed by his love for his partner.
The song's chorus "I am your fantasy and you are the world" represents the singer's overwhelming desire for his lover, wherein his lover's existence becomes his whole world. It also implies that he can fulfill his lover's innermost desires, and they are a perfect match as he is her fantasy come true. The song's romantic lyrics and atmospheric music transport the listener to a dreamy world filled with love and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
O! RTF girl
Oh, are you dispassionate girl? Or are you just pretending to be?
Are you stone?
Do you have a heart of stone that cannot love or feel emotions?
Let me be your china gnome
Allow me to be your small, decorative ornament that brings you joy and beauty.
Play me on your gramophone
Listen to me and let me sing you sweet melodies that soothe your soul.
And bury me in your garden
Let me be a part of your life and your memories forever, even after I am gone.
Not today thanks
No, I'm sorry, but I'm not interested right now.
Mister Long Shanks
The singer is addressing someone named 'Mister Long Shanks'.
I have other fish to fry
I have other things to do or other people to see that are more important to me right now.
O mother don't do it again
The artist is telling their mother not to repeat something they did before.
The man in the parlour
Refers to a person who is most likely not a family member or someone the artist knows well.
You know what he's after
The singer believes they are aware of what the man's true intentions are.
Yer bum titty bum
This line seems non-sensical and could just be a playful rhyme.
Pompidou
It is unclear what this line means or refers to, but it could be a reference to a person or place.
Who's your father and
The singer is asking a question about their family lineage.
Mind how you go...
Be careful and take care of yourself.
Now is tomorrow afternoon
The present moment is now becoming the near future.
There is only you and I and the world
In this moment, the artist and the person they are addressing are the only people in the world that matter.
I am the dream
The singer represents something that the person listening dreams about or desires.
That gets into your bed
The thing the person is dreaming about becomes a part of their intimate life.
The night shadow that loves you
The artist is a shadowy figure that represents a force of love.
Makes love with you
The artist engages in physical intimacy with the person they are addressing.
I am your knee
The artist is a part of the person's body, perhaps representing support, comfort, or stability.
A name shouted at the railway station
The singer is someone or something that the person is calling out for, perhaps in desperation or longing.
The voice that calls you
The artist's voice represents a desire or need that the person feels and cannot ignore.
The candle drips your name
The singer's passion or love for the person is so strong that it seems to melt or drip like a candle.
I am your fantasy
The singer represents the person's deepest desires and dreams.
And you are the world
The person listening is the most important thing in the entire world to the singer.
Contributed by Logan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Corinne Frere
on Heavy Tune
♥