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."
A Different Way
The Knife Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I′ll be the difference, I'll lift you high
And I understand your hesitation
Our reputation, it′s no surprise
So let me redefine you
And you can see the tide move
Just like tears in the eyes do
Oh, baby, I'll be right here
Between the sea and silence
So breathe easy right here
You can find sunshine in the rain
I will come running when you call my name
Even a broken heart can beat again
Forget about the one who caused you pain
I swear I′ll love you in a different way
Another love, so unforgiving
You′ve been a victim too many times
And I'll be the friend, hold you together
I′ll be forever, will you be mine?
So let me redefine you
And you can see the tide move
Just like tears in the eyes do
And when you're feeling alone
Oh, baby, I′ll be right here
Between the sea and silence
So breathe easy right here
You can find sunshine in the rain
I will come running when you call my name
Even a broken heart can beat again
Forget about the one who caused you pain
I swear I'll love you in a different way
Hey, hey, hey
I swear I′ll love you in a different way
Hey, hey, hey
I swear I'll love you in a different way
The Knife's song "A Different Way" explores the concept of unconditional love and the willingness to be there for someone regardless of their past and what others may say about them. The lyrics suggest that the singer understands the hesitations of the person they're singing to but is willing to redefine them in their eyes and lift them up higher. The singer acknowledges the challenges this person may have faced in the past, perhaps with an unforgiving love, but wants to be the one to hold them together and be their friend. This unconditional love is emphasized through the repetition of the lines "I swear I'll love you in a different way" and "Even a broken heart can beat again".
The use of imagery in the song is also noteworthy, particularly the references to the tide and tears in the eyes. The singer compares the tide to how they will redefine the person and help them see things differently. Tears in the eyes are another metaphor for the tumultuous emotions and challenges that the person may be facing, but the singer promises to be there for them and make them feel less alone. The juxtaposition of the sea and silence, as well as finding sunshine in the rain, highlights the idea of finding hope and happiness in unexpected places.
Overall, "A Different Way" is a moving and heartfelt exploration of the power of love to overcome past hurts and the importance of being a steadfast and supportive presence in someone's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Could you believe I could be different?
Do you think it's possible for me to change and be a better version of myself?
I'll be the difference, I'll lift you high
I want to be the change that makes a positive difference in your life and lift you up.
And I understand your hesitation
I know you're hesitant to open up, but I'm here to listen.
Our reputation, it's no surprise
People might judge us based on our past, but it's not unexpected.
So let me redefine you
Let me show you a new perspective of yourself.
And you can see the tide move
You can witness the change happening, just like you can see the tide moving.
Just like tears in the eyes do
Just like tears indicate a person's emotions, changes can also be an emotional experience.
And when you're feeling alone
Whenever you feel lonely or isolated,
Oh, baby, I'll be right here
I'll be by your side.
Between the sea and silence
In the calmness between sound and the ocean.
So breathe easy right here
Relax and breathe freely right here with me.
You can find sunshine in the rain
Even in tough times, there are still good things to be found.
I will come running when you call my name
I'll be there for you when you need me, just call my name.
Even a broken heart can beat again
You can heal from a broken heart and love again.
Forget about the one who caused you pain
Forget about the source of the pain, focus on moving forward.
I swear I'll love you in a different way
I promise to love you differently, in a more positive way.
Writer(s): Dreijer Andersson Karin Elisabeth, Dreijer Olof Bjorn
Contributed by Muhammad F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.