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
Radio gnome invisible
Gong Lyrics
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Radio gnome
Radio gnome, radio gnome invisible
Then when you're receiving
Perceiving your telepathic powers
Who knows why the wind blows through this window
Why you believe in me
What's that in the sky now?
Teapots that can fly now
Voices in your head
Tell me what they said
Banana, nirvana, manana (you know)
Banana, nirvana, manana (i know)
Banana, nirvana, manana (we know)
Banana, nirvana, manana (who knows)
Banana, nirvana, manana (you know)
Banana, nirvana, manana (i know)
Banana, nirvana, manana (we know)
Banana, nirvana, manana (who knows)
Everything you think shows
Hanging round your head
Underneath your long hair
Tell me what you feel there
You hear me
But I don't see you
You feel me
One day I'll be you
Radio gnome
Radio gnome invisible
Then when you're receiving
Believing your telepathic powers
Who knows why the wind blows through this window
Why you believe in me
We believe in you
What's that in the sky now?
Teapots that can fly now
Voices in your head
Tell me what they said
The lyrics of the song "Radio Gnome Invisible" by Gong revolve around the concept of perceiving telepathic powers and discovering the mystical world of gnomes. The lines "Gnome, gnome, Radio gnome" introduce the listener to the central theme of the song. The repeated phrase "Radio gnome invisible" may imply that the world of gnomes exists parallel to the human world but is not visible to normal human eyes. The chorus "Who knows why the wind blows through this window, why you believe in me, we believe in you" suggests that the song is an invitation to the listener to open their mind to the mystical world of gnomes and telepathic powers. The line "tell me what they said" refers to the voices in the head, which may be interpreted as the different thoughts and emotions that people experience.
The following lines "Banana, nirvana, manana (you know), Banana, nirvana, manana (I know), Banana, nirvana, manana (we know), Banana, nirvana, manana (who knows)" are nonsensical words that create a rhythmic flow in the song's verses. However, they can also be viewed as an invitation to loosen up and be open to exploring the mystical world of the gnomes.
The lines "Everything you think shows, hanging round your head, underneath your long hair, tell me what you feel there" suggest that the song is about uncovering the hidden thoughts, emotions, and powers that individuals possess. The final lines of the song "You hear me but I don't see you, you feel me, one day I'll be you" can be interpreted in different ways. They may suggest the gnomes' presence but invisibility to the humans or the idea that one day humans will transcend their mortal limitations and become one with the spiritual world.
Line by Line Meaning
Gnome, gnome
Addressing or referring to a gnome or a group of gnomes
Radio gnome
A gnome-associated radio station or program
Radio gnome, radio gnome invisible
A radio program for gnomes that is not visible to humans
Then when you're receiving
When you are tuning into the radio program
Perceiving your telepathic powers
Recognizing and using your innate abilities to communicate telepathically
Who knows why the wind blows through this window
Questioning the mysteries of nature and life
Why you believe in me
Wondering why the listener trusts and believes in the singer or the radio program
We believe in you
Offering support and belief in the listener's abilities
What's that in the sky now?
Questioning a strange sight or phenomenon in the sky
Teapots that can fly now
Describing a surreal or magical sight of flying teapots
Voices in your head
Alluding to the listener's inner thoughts and voices
Tell me what they said
Asking the listener to share what they are hearing or thinking
Banana, nirvana, manana (you know)
A nonsensical phrase, possibly referencing various states of consciousness or experiences, and acknowledging that the listener is aware of them
Banana, nirvana, manana (i know)
The singer agrees and also acknowledges their own understanding of these states
Banana, nirvana, manana (we know)
Acknowledging that both the singer and the listener are familiar with these states
Banana, nirvana, manana (who knows)
Wondering who truly understands or can explain these states or experiences
Everything you think shows
Suggesting that the listener's thoughts and inner world are revealed and expressed through their actions and words
Hanging round your head
Referring to the inner thoughts and ideas that are constantly present in the listener's mind
Underneath your long hair
Possibly referencing the listener's physical appearance or a metaphorical veil that hides their thoughts and feelings
Tell me what you feel there
Encouraging the listener to open up and share their innermost thoughts and feelings
You hear me
Acknowledging that the listener can hear the artist or the radio program
But I don't see you
Not being able to physically see the listener, as they are tuning in to an invisible radio program
You feel me
Recognizing that the listener can feel a connection to the singer or the radio program
One day I'll be you
Suggesting that the listener will someday have the same level of understanding and connectivity as the artist or the radio program
Then when you're receiving
Referring again to the act of tuning into the radio program
Believing your telepathic powers
Encouraging the listener to trust and have confidence in their telepathic abilities
Who knows why the wind blows through this window
Continuing to question the mysteries of life and the natural world
Why you believe in me
Once again wondering why the listener has faith in the artist or the radio program
We believe in you
Reiterating the message of support and belief in the listener's abilities
What's that in the sky now?
Repeating the earlier question about an unusual sight in the sky
Teapots that can fly now
Repeating the surreal image of flying teapots
Voices in your head
Repeating the idea of inner voices and thoughts
Tell me what they said
Reiterating the request for the listener to share their innermost thoughts and feelings
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Corinne Frere
on Heavy Tune
♥