In September 1994, Sónia Tavares, Nuno and John Gonçalves, Miguel Ribeiro and Ricardo Braga enrolled in the Bar Ben Music Competition in Alcobaça and took second place in the competition, to everyone's great surprise, given the band’s short time in existence.
The band performed its first show at the Alcobaça Monastery in July 1995. This was followed by the Belém Cultural Centre (Lisbon) in September 1996 and the Labirintho Bar (Porto) in November 1996.
The Gift masterminded their first record, with the intention of using it as a demo for the media and labels. From this effort, “Digital Atmosphere” was born, a six track enhanced CD featuring interviews and videos, recorded at home but not available in stores. In 1997 the band went on the road, playing at over 30 theatres (many of which sold out) and released video at the end of the tour at Belém Cultural Centre and the Alcobaça Cine-Teatro shows.
Soon after the Digital Atmosphere Tour finished, Ricardo Braga left the band and The Gift was now a four member group once again. In 1998, they established themselves as an independent band forming g their own label, La Folie with the visionary goal of releasing a next record as independents.
Sónia Tavares, The Gift - photo by João Loureiro
In November 1998, the band’s first true record “Vinyl” is released. "Vinyl" combined the potentials of new technologies (samples and synthesizer) with classical instruments (violins, cellos, trumpets, saxophones etc.). “Vinyl” , which was fully funded by The Gift themselves, was named Album of the Year by the Diário de Notícias newspaper a first for a Portuguese independent band and began courting the attention of the labels that previously ignored The Gift’s work. In spite of this, the band chose to stay independent, opting to to use distribution contracts.
From November 1998 through 1999, The band performs over 80 shows, including the biggest Summer Festivals, sells out the most important venues in Lisbon and Porto, wins several awards with the first hit single “Ok! Do You Want Something Simple?” and sells over 35,000 records.
At the end of that year The Gift performs for the first time abroad, in Paris (at La Cigalle) and a few months later participates in the prestigious music fair MIDEM 2000 (in Cannes), taking the first step towards the band’s career outside Portugal.
In early 2000, the band closes the “Vinyl” era, simultaneously releasing the photo book “A Single Diary” (by Ana Pereira) and the video “Single Hand Camera Documentary” (by Gonçalo Covacich), two artistic visions and documentary pieces on the Vinyl Tour. Once again, all the, costs incurred were covered by the band establishing The Gift once and for all as a solid DIY band.
The steps taken abroad continued to gain momentum in June 2000 with the band’s first mini-tour outside Portugal, including dates in Germany (Expo 2000 – Hanover), Macau and again, France (Paris).
At the end of the year The Gift take a break from touring and start writing songs for the next album, some of which are introduced later in 2001 at the Eurosonic Festival in the Netherlands, representing Portugal .
Howie B produces “Film”, The Gift’s second album released again through theirown label, La Folie Records. The band shows its “Film” throughout the country, playing at the Paredes de Coura Festival, the optimushype@meco Festival (sharing the stage with Howie B and Matthew Herbert), at the Interactive TV’s launch in Portugal, live for Sic Radical channel, and radio Antena 3.
“Film” goes Gold at 25,000 units and The Gift win several more awards for its videos (“Waterskin” and “Question of Love” – the album’s first two singles). At the end of 2001, the band was once more invited by Cap Magellan to promote “Film” in Paris.
In March 2002, The Gift flies to the United States to enter the South by Southwest Music & Media Conference in Austin, Texas; in June returned to Paris to perform at the Hôtel de Ville Square; in August Popkomm and Musikfest Am-Ring festivals in Germany; Spain followed in September with shows in Barcelona; in October the band was back in the USA for a short tour in a few north-American cities New York); and in November its first concert in Madrid, Spain, took place.
Of the few performances in Portugal, the Manchester Mad Remixers (which featured The Gift together with Rodrigo Leão and Pedro Oliveira) concerts are a highlight (first at the nightclub Lux, and later at the Frágil and the Clinic bars). This was a project specially created for the "24 Hour Party People" film's premiere.
The band performs in numerous places, Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Bilbao, Vigo, New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Boston, San Diego, London, Caracas, Dunkirk, amongst many other cities.
The Gift was invited to open for The Flaming Lips and Cousteau, and at the end of the year, in December 2003, get an invitation to perform for the recently launched Portuguese MTV, recording one of the first MTV Live shows in the history of MTV Portugal.
In 2004, The Gift celebrated its first 10 years in music and returned to album releases. By the end of the recording sessions, The Gift was faced with a double album, where two distinctive but complementary environments surfaced (one more intimate and introspective, the other more euphoric) and in which duality was the key word. The new relese, the first in three years, is entitled “AM-FM”.
“AM-FM” was released in November 2004 with great expectation from the group's fans, who rapidly sold out the presentation concerts in Alcobaça, Lisbon and Porto (a few days after the band's shows in London, New York and Los Angeles. A week after the retail release, “AM-FM” goes Silver and not long after Gold, selling more than 25, 000 copies.
In 2005 they won the MTV Europe Award for Best Portuguese Act.
The album Fácil de Entender, their first live album was released in 2006. Sells over 25,000 units.
The Gift acted with great success on the Expo 2008 Zaragoza, the day of Portugal at the exhibition.
In 2008 and 2009, The Gift's Sonia Tavares and Nuno Goncalves along with fellow musicians, Paulo Praça [Plaza]and Fernando Ribeiro record and tour with their side project Hoje’s: Amalia Hoje. Amalia Hoje garners triple platinum status selling over 85,000 units and is the Portuguese runaway Album of the Year.
2010 The Gift returns to record Their 5th Album explode and invite Ken Nelson [Coldplay, Gomez, Kings of Convenience, Badly Drawn Boy to produce the Album. The Gift spends three months in Madrid recording
2011 is the year of Explode. Explode is released in Portugal on 1 April and immediately goes to number one in the charts where it holds top ten for over 10 weeks.
Explode is scheduled to be released in North America on 27 September 2011
www.gift.pt
2) THE GIFT are a Symphonic Prog band from, London, formed after Mike Morton (vocals, 6/12 string acoustic guitar, piano and string arrangements) and Leroy James (lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals, samples, effects and programming, piano and string arrangements) came up with the idea of creating a band and making a concept album at the same time.
The concept was devised by Mike Morton and was initially meant to be just one piece.
They brought in other musicians to help with the recording, viz. Jim Thomas (bass), Rod Haverhill (keyboards) and David Storey (drums) and THE GIFT was born.
The band made some initial demos and pressed on with the idea. They sent the demos out to various places and general opinion was positive. So positive in fact, that the Cyclops label (responsible for bands such as Mostly Autumn, Pineapple Thief, Saens and Tr3nity) gave them a deal.
THE GIFT had the desire and conviction to record the album itself. The idea initially was to record one multi-themed piece (a suite called Awake and Dreaming), about “savagery and war and the final triumph of piece” (as their MySpace biography notes), but Cyclops felt it need to be longer and asked them to record a slightly extended finish. This ended up as another suite (of 30 minutes in length), called Fountains of Ash about “domestic violence, again seeking solace in the human spirit” (from their MySpace bio).
Their sound is quite varied, but takes on a definite symphonic rock air to it. They have hard rocking sections, pastoral songs, and “complex time signatures, wild key changes and ambitious concepts.”
Their progressive rock influences include Pink Floyd, Genesis (Gabriel era), Yes, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Porcupine Tree, King Crimson, Tangerine Dream, Rush and Dream Theater. They also take influence from non-prog bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, The Who, Beatles, Massive Attack, U2, Sex Pistols and Prince.
Their debut album (a double CD) Awake and Dreaming, was released on October 9, 2006, by Cyclops.
3) The Gift is a funeral grunge band from Washington, DC featuring members of Turboslut, Exosus and Tradition Dies Here. Their debut LP "Mostly in Sickness" is out now on Amor y Lucha Records, www.amorylucha.org. Free tracks can be downloaded and streamed at their website, www.thegift.bandcamp.com.
Ok! Do You Want Something Simple?
The Gift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
OK! Do you want something simple?
OK! Do you want something simple?
OK! Do you want something simple?
The news
Do you want something simple?
The look
Do you want something simple?
Do you want something simple?
The jokes
Do you want something simple?
The games
Do you want something simple?
The nights
Do you want something simple?
The boys
Do you want something simple?
The girls
Do you want something simple?
The words
Do you want something simple?
The friends
Do you want something simple?
The rest
Do you want something simple?
And sex
Do you want something simple?
Why can't you understand
How I'm feeling now
Why don't you feel me
Why can't you understand
Please open your hand
When you don't know how to do
You want my life
But you've just said no more
Everything is just my fault
The life well done
I can't understand you more, yeah
And I can't understand you more
OK! Do you want something simple?
OK! Do you want something simple?
OK! Do you want something simple?
OK! Do you want something simple?
The films
Do you want something simple?
The songs
Do you want something simple?
And love
Do you want something simple?
The drinks
Do you want something simple?
Art pop
Do you want something simple?
TV
Do you want something simple?
The silence
Why can't you decide
How I'm feeling now
Your heart is following mine
Behind this sacrifice
Can't you see the words
Can't you see the things
But I can go on
Why don't you find another
The Gift's song "OK!" is a song that talks about the desire for something simple in life. The repetition of the phrase "Do you want something simple?" throughout the song emphasizes the need for simplicity in a world that can be overwhelming with news, entertainment, and relationships. The verses talk about different aspects of life, such as friendships, love, and sex, and how they can be made simpler.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Why can't you understand, how I'm feeling now, why don't you feel me", which suggests a struggle in communication and understanding between the singer and the person they are addressing. The final verse suggests frustration on the singer's part as they ask why the other person cannot make a decision, and why they cannot see the singer's point of view.
Overall, the song speaks to the need for simplicity in a complicated world and the struggle to communicate and be understood by others.
Line by Line Meaning
OK! Do you want something simple?
Asking if the listener wants something easy, uncomplicated and straightforward in life.
OK! Do you want something simple?
Repeating the question to emphasize the desire for simplicity.
OK! Do you want something simple?
Asking again if the listener prefers a simple and easy life over a complicated one.
OK! Do you want something simple?
Concluding the chorus by questioning whether the listener wants a simple life in every aspect.
The news
Suggesting that even news can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
Do you want something simple?
Questioning if the listener prefers simplicity in everything, including how things look.
The letters
Implying that even letters can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
Do you want something simple?
Asking if the listener wants simple humor that is easy to understand and not too deep.
The games
Indicating that even games can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
Do you want something simple?
Asking if the listener wants uncomplicated and easy nights.
The boys
Suggesting that boys can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
Do you want something simple?
Asking if the listener prefers simple and easy relationships with people in general.
The words
Implying that even words can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
Do you want something simple?
Asking again if the listener wants a life that is easy, uncomplicated and straightforward.
The friends
Suggesting that even friends can be simple, requiring less effort and complexity.
Do you want something simple?
Asking if the listener prefers an easy and uncomplicated life.
And sex
Including sex as something that can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
Why can't you understand
Expressing frustration towards someone who does not understand the singer's feelings.
How I'm feeling now
Stating that the singer's current emotions are not being acknowledged or understood.
Why don't you feel me
Expressing the desire to be emotionally understood and supported by someone.
Please open your hand
Asking the other person to let go of control and allow the artist to express themselves.
When you don't know how to do
Noting that the other person might not know how to be emotionally present or supportive.
You want my life
Accusing the other person of wanting the singer's life, but perhaps not understanding it.
But you've just said no more
Stating that the other person has reached a limit and is cutting off support and understanding.
Everything is just my fault
Feeling blamed for everything that is going wrong.
The life well done
Implying that the singer is living their life well, but it isn't being acknowledged or appreciated.
I can't understand you more, yeah
Expressing the difficulty in understanding the other person's perspective and feelings.
And I can't understand you more
Repeating the previous line to emphasize the difficulty in understanding the other person.
The films
Suggesting that even films can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
The songs
Implying that even songs can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
And love
Including love as something that can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
The drinks
Indicating that even drinks can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
Art pop
Referring to a specific genre of music that combines pop with artistic and experimental elements.
Do you want something simple?
Asking if the listener wants a less complicated life in every aspect.
TV
Suggesting that even TV shows can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
The silence
Implying that even silence can be simple, but maybe not the listener's preference.
Why can't you decide
Asking the other person to make a decision on how they feel about the singer's situation.
Your heart is following mine
Suggesting that the other person's heart is in sync with the singer's feelings and needs.
Behind this sacrifice
Implying that the singer has had to make sacrifices for the other person, but they aren't being acknowledged or acknowledged.
Can't you see the words
Asking the other person to pay attention to and understand the artist's words.
Can't you see the things
Asking the other person to pay attention to and understand the artist's actions.
But I can go on
Acknowledging the singer's own strength and ability to keep moving forward despite the other person's lack of understanding.
Why don't you find another
Implying that the other person should find someone else if they cannot understand or support the singer.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NUNO MIGUEL CANDIDO GONCALVES, SONIA CRISTINA PASCOAL TAVARES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Miriam Pacheco
Há muitos anos que não ouvia esta canção.... O YouTube é uma máquina do tempo... Obrigada The Gift pela excelente música durante todos estes anos!
Eduardo Lugo
Soy mexicano y llevo más de 10 años amando esta canción☕️
mariela vargas
Eduardo Lugo 2 mexicanos! sin duda los mejores de Portugal
Kamalla
O Album Vinyl dos The Gift é uma obra de arte! Esta música é bem representativa disso!
eduarda pinto
Ontem vi um concerto desta grande banda e faltou-me esta para cumprir a expectativa. Mas o concerto foi brutal! Puro talento!!!
Esmeralda Bernardo
grande voz e uma Grande senhora adoro
Antonio Tavares
Já tinha saudades de ver este video , ouvir a qualidade musical que vocês já tinham, ver os ratinhos do qual a sonia teve tanto medo e tão novinhos que vocês eram , foi assim que tudo começou , como me sinto orgulhoso e muito feliz por vos acompanhar por todo o lado.
mariosilva19
Boas recordações!!! Simplesmente magníficos!
Sara Gonçalves
Grande show, ontem em Santana na Madeira!! Brilharam a Sónia estava um máximo!! Muito obrigada!! :)
Teresa Pires
1999 quando recebi o cd Vinyl no meu aniversário de 15 anos... delirei :)