The Knife won a Swedish Grammy award for best pop group of the year 2003, but they boycotted the ceremony by sending two representatives of another artist group dressed as gorillas with the number 50 written on their costumes, apparently as a protest against male dominance within the music industry. Their album Deep Cuts was also nominated for a Swedish Grammy as the best record of the year 2003, although that award went to The Cardigans. It was also in 2003 that the The Knife was featured as Artist of the Week at HitQuarters, which helped them gain greater attention in the worldwide music community.
The group became prominent in late 2005 when José González covered "Heartbeats" on his 2003 album, Veneer. The song was used by Sony in a commercial for Bravia television sets, and released as a single in early 2006. The group commented on this in a Dagens Nyheter article, claiming that Sony paid a large sum of money to use the song. In view of the group's left-wing views and non-commercial philosophy, they excused this transaction on the basis that the money was needed to establish their record company.
The Knife's song "We Share Our Mothers' Health" from their album Silent Shout was featured by the iTunes store as a free song of the week in late 2006. This song was also featured in the ABC series Ugly Betty, as well as an episode of CSI: NY.
In February 2005, the Knife performed their first ever live show at London's ICA, appearing with Rex the Dog and playing in front of a video created for the event by artist/film maker Andreas Nilsson. With this one live performance The Knife embarked on a major tour in 2006, and after selling out shows worldwide, a DVD of the tour was announced. The DVD was released in Sweden on November 8, 2006, and is titled Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience.
Silent Shout was named the best album of 2006 by Pitchfork Media.
At the Swedish Grammy awards in January 2007, The Knife won in all six categories they were nominated in: Composer of the Year, Music DVD of the Year, Producer of the Year, Pop Group of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. Again, they did not attend the award ceremony.
In 2009 the duo wrote the opera Tomorrow, In a Year, celebrating 150 years since Darwin's Origin of Species was published.
In April 2013 they released the album Shaking The Habitual.
In 2014 Karin Dreijer revealed in a interview that the Knife were calling it quits for good. "When we finish the tour now in November we will close down, it’s our last tour," they said. "We don’t have any obligations to continue, it should only and always be for fun."
Girl
THE KNIFE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were looking for a hotel
We were in between
We were a few chosen
Somewhere to fit in
Something that's fitting
After one day it started itching
And we laughed
At the moonlight far beyond
And we ran through
The moonlight far beyond
We were looking for something to blow up
We were looking for someone to follow
We were had one way out
We were some hours left
We were so close
We knew we were chosen
We aimed for high speed
And for someone who could catch me
The Knife's "Girls' Night Out" is a song that paints a picture of a night of adventure and uncertainty. The first verse describes the search for a room or hotel, indicating that the singer and her friends were displaced and seeking a place to belong. They were "between," meaning they were neither here nor there - in the midst of a transitional phase. As they searched for a place to fit in, they also sought something that was fitting for them. Unfortunately, after a day of searching, they found that whatever place they had found started itching and caused bleeding when they rubbed it - suggesting that this was not their true home.
Despite this, they continued onward and found themselves caught up in the mystery and excitement of the night. They laugh at the moonlight far beyond, running through it as if searching for something more. In the second verse, the group appears to be seeking some sort of thrill or excitement through blowing something up and following someone. They had one way out and just a few hours left, indicating that this was a spontaneous adventure that they embarked on, with a limited time frame. Even though they were unsure of what was going to happen, they knew they were "chosen" and aimed for high speed, hoping to find someone who could catch them.
Overall, "Girls' Night Out" suggests the uncertainty and adventure associated with trying to find a sense of belonging and excitement, even when it is not always clear where that may be found.
Line by Line Meaning
We were looking for a room
We were searching for a place to belong, somewhere to call our own.
We were looking for a hotel
We were seeking comfort and refuge, a safe haven away from the world.
We were in between
We were caught in limbo, unsure of where we fit or what direction to take.
We were a few chosen
We were among the select few, chosen to go on this journey together.
Somewhere to fit in
We craved acceptance, a place where we could feel like we belonged.
Something that's fitting
We desired something that suited us well, that matched our personalities and desires.
After one day it started itching
Soon after we arrived, restlessness set in and we became uncomfortable.
And we rubbed until it was bleeding
We tried to alleviate our discomfort by trying different things, but it only made it worse.
And we laughed
Despite our struggles, we found moments of joy and laughter.
At the moonlight far beyond
We found beauty in the world around us, even in the darkness.
And we ran through
We were filled with a sense of freedom and adventure, exploring the world together.
We were looking for something to blow up
We wanted to shake things up, to make our mark on the world.
We were looking for someone to follow
We sought guidance and leadership, wanting someone to show us the way.
We were had one way out
We knew there was only one path forward, one way to achieve our goals.
We were some hours left
We were under a time crunch, feeling the pressure of time running out.
We were so close
We were on the brink of success, nearly achieving our objective.
We knew we were chosen
We were confident in our abilities and our destiny, knowing we were meant to succeed.
We aimed for high speed
We strived for greatness, wanting to achieve our goals quickly and efficiently.
And for someone who could catch me
We wanted someone who could keep up with us, who could match our pace and share in our journey.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KARIN ELIZABETH DREIJER ANDERSSON, OLOF BJORN DREIJER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CallieCalico728
I rediscovered your incredible music again recently so this timing is awesome. YOU'RE SO SWAG
Finny
Wow who would have known we would get an anthem for the Finnish metro
Jaron
i love this song so so so much
KNIFE GIRL
it loves you too:)
japaneseman12
I don’t remember subscribing. But this is probably the best thing I’ve seen and heard in 25 years.
imagiro
this song is legitness
Black_Knight1241
This is so surreal and I like it
pajaliisa
i vibe with this hard
moo
<33
むム
💜