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."
Ebb Tide Explorer
The Knife Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
frame of mind, frame of mind
in following, in following
changes, changes
during
fall of sea, fall of sea
examine, examine, examine
in following, in following
fall of sea, fall of sea
I’m watching the seaweed dance
upon the moving mountain foam
collecting in the sand foot prints
I am leaving, leaving here
I’m watching the seaweed dance
upon the moving mountain foam
collecting in the sand foot prints
I am leaving here
The lyrics of The Knife’s song “Ebb Tide Explorer” appear to be a reflection on the ever-changing human mindset through a metaphor of the ocean tide. The repetition of “examine” and “frame of mind” suggests an introspective analysis of the self and one’s fluctuating mental state. This is further emphasized by the phrase “in following changes,” indicating that we are always in motion, constantly evolving and adapting to the external environment. The line “fall of sea” implies the ebb and flow of the tide, which can be seen as a representation of life’s highs and lows, ups and downs.
The next part of the song speaks of watching seaweed dance and collect in the sand footprints. This evokes images of the ocean’s natural beauty and its ability to leave its mark on the world. The singer says they are leaving, leaving “here,” which could suggest either a sense of melancholy about leaving behind the beauty of the ocean or a desire to move on from a past experience.
Overall, the lyrics of “Ebb Tide Explorer” use the metaphor of the sea to encourage introspection and reflection on the constantly changing human condition. The repetition of certain phrases reinforces the idea that we are constantly evolving and adapting to our environment, while the imagery of the ocean reminds us of the natural beauty of the world we live in.
Line by Line Meaning
examine, examine, examine
Take a closer look, analyze and scrutinize thoroughly
frame of mind, frame of mind
Mentality, mindset, or perspective
in following, in following
In pursuit, in chase of something
changes, changes
Transformations, alterations, or modifications
during
While, simultaneously with
fall of sea, fall of sea
The process of the tides receding or ebbing
examine, examine, examine
Take a closer look, analyze and scrutinize thoroughly
frame of mind, frame of mind
Mentality, mindset, or perspective
in following, in following
In pursuit, in chase of something
fall of sea, fall of sea
The process of the tides receding or ebbing
I’m watching the seaweed dance
Observing the movements of the seaweed in the water
upon the moving mountain foam
On the top of the waves that resemble a mountain
collecting in the sand foot prints
Gathering in the impressions that her feet leave on the sand
I am leaving, leaving here
I am departing from this location
Contributed by Ava L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.