As many Belgian bands, Gorky rose to the attention of the crowd during Humo's Rock Rally. They finished third in the edition of 1990, enough to gain record company interest. Together with producer Wouter Van Belle, they recorded their self-titled debut album, which was intimistic and powerful at the same time. Singer Luc De Vos managed to write very personal yet recognizable lyrics filled with imaginative imagery. Not less than five singles were taken from the album. Songs such as "Lieve kleine Piranha" and especially "Mia" remain very popular up till today.
In 1992 the band recorded a semi-acoustic album "Boterhammen" in a park in Brussels. This was a series of intimistic concerts held every Friday during summer, an initiative by the Ancienne Belgique called 'Boterhammen in het park'. This album features guest performances of Rick De Leeuw, singer of the Dutch group Tröckener Kecks and guitarist Patrick Riguelle (see Riguelle & Hautekiet, Kadril). This album becomes the last act of the group Gorky.
Soon afterwards Luc De Vos reforms the band and the record company insists it would be called Gorki (with an "i"). Together with old-timer Sylvain Van Holme (a.o. Two Man Sound) the new band moves to Dakar in Senegal to go record the album "Hij leeft" in the Xippi studios of Youssou N'Dour. The album is much more subtle than the older products of Gorki "which makes the melodies and the superior lyrics of De Vos sound even better" (Oor). The album achieves a gold status in Belgium and 3 singles are released.
1994 and 1995 are a lot more quiet for the group. Luc De Vos goes literary and becomes a columnist for leading Flemish newspaper "De Standaard" and radio station "Studio Brussel".
In 1995 the group bivouac in the ICP-studios in Brussels together with Jo Bogaert (the man behind Technotronic) to record their fourth album entitled "Monstertje" (Little monster). Record company Virgin initially refused the mix Bogaert had made in his home studio, so the album is remixed for a second time. Singles from the album are "Lang zullen ze leven" (Long will they live - For they are jolly good fellows), "Monstertje" (Little monster) and "Kom me toch halen" (Come and get me).
Luc de Vos died unexpectedly on 11/29/2014, only 52 years of age.
Band members (Gorky):
- Luc De Vos : vocals, guitar
- Geert Bonne : drums
- Wout De Schutter : bass
Band members (Gorki):
- Luc De Vos : vocals, guitar
- Erik Van Biesen : bass
- Luc Heyvaerts : keyboards
- Wim Rogge : guitar
- Steven Van Havere / Eric Bosteels / Bert Huysentruyt : drums
Soms Vraagt Een Mens Zich Af
Gorki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hoe het in godsnaam overleven
De nacht vol boze dromen
En de wekker om halfzeven
De heldentocht in de file
De heldentocht naar de discotheek
Om punten te verdienen
We bouwen aan de toekomst, we leven voor elkaar
We bouwen aan de toekomst en we houden van elkaar
Ik zag je voor het eerst
Bij het zwembad met je moeder
Ze was even mooi als jij
Ik werd haar slaaf, haar kleine loeder
En ze kreeg voor haar verjaardag
Een auto van je vader
We doen het op de achterbank
En ik voel me geen verrader
Want we bouwen aan de toekomst, we leven voor elkaar
We bouwen aan de toekomst en we houden van elkaar
Hier heerst vrede
En er is hoop voor iedereen
Hier heerst vrede
Er is hoop voor iedereen
© Copyright Gorky
The lyrics of "Soms Vraagt Een Mens Zich Af" contemplate the complexities of survival in a world dominated by work and materialistic ambitions. The song title translates to "Sometimes a person wonders," and this sets the tone for the reflective nature of the lyrics. The singer of the song ponders how to survive the night filled with unpleasant dreams, only to be confronted with the rigors of daily life the next morning.
The lyrics make a poignant observation that daily commute and the need to earn points (in the context of the discotheque) consume a significant part of our lives. The song speaks to the universal struggle of finding love and connection in today's world, where individual aspirations are highly prioritized over communal connections. The lyrics suggest that building the future and loving one another should be the primary focus of our existence.
The second verse takes a more personal tone, depicting the singer's encounter with the love interest's mother, who becomes the center of his attention. However, he does not feel guilty about this experience, as he believes that building the future and loving one another is more important than societal judgments of infidelity. The song's conclusion asserts that hope and peace are attainable for everyone, even in a world that often seems chaotic and unforgiving.
Line by Line Meaning
Soms vraagt een mens zich af
There are times when a person wonders
Hoe het in godsnaam overleven
How to survive, in God's name
De nacht vol boze dromen
The night full of bad dreams
En de wekker om halfzeven
And the alarm clock at half past six
De heldentocht in de file
The heroic journey in traffic
De heldentocht naar de discotheek
The heroic journey to the discotheque
Om punten te verdienen
To earn points
En vannacht niet alleen te zijn
And not to be alone tonight
We bouwen aan de toekomst, we leven voor elkaar
We are building for the future, we are living for each other
We bouwen aan de toekomst en we houden van elkaar
We are building for the future and we love each other
Ik zag je voor het eerst
I saw you for the first time
Bij het zwembad met je moeder
At the swimming pool with your mother
Ze was even mooi als jij
She was as beautiful as you
Ik werd haar slaaf, haar kleine loeder
I became her slave, her little rascal
En ze kreeg voor haar verjaardag
And she got for her birthday
Een auto van je vader
A car from your father
We doen het op de achterbank
We do it on the back seat
En ik voel me geen verrader
And I don't feel like a traitor
Hier heerst vrede
Here, there is peace
En er is hoop voor iedereen
And there is hope for everyone
Hier heerst vrede
Here, there is peace
Er is hoop voor iedereen
There is hope for everyone
Contributed by Owen K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.