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."
Forest Families
The Knife Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some kids left on their own
They said we had a communist in the family
I had to wear a mask
Too far away from the city
We had to make this room
Fathers were football players, Volvo workers, policemen
Music tonight
I just want your music tonight
I saw her by the organ
She was laughing while pressing the keys
She said my favourite book was dirty and
You should not show you can read
Too far away from the city
We never heard its noise
We learned how to stay fit and things like
Green tones hide the blush
Music tonight
I just want your music tonight
Music tonight
I just want your music tonight
Too far away from the city
We came to breathe clean air
Nature lovers' safe oasis
And the mothers walked towards the forest
Music tonight
I just want your music tonight
Music tonight
I just want your music tonight
The Knife's song Forest Families is a reflection on growing up in a remote, isolated community. The first verse reveals that some of the children were left on their own, and there were rumors of a communist in the family, which required the singer to wear a mask. This could be seen as a metaphor for feeling ostracized or different from mainstream society. In the second verse, the focus turns to the parents, with descriptions of fathers who were football players, Volvo workers, and policemen. The mothers' professions are not explicitly stated, which could symbolize a lack of recognition for women's work in this community. The singer emphasizes their isolation, noting that they were too far away from the city to hear its noise. They learned to stay fit and appreciate nature, finding it to be a safe haven.
The chorus, which repeats twice, shifts the focus to music. The singer just wants to hear music tonight, perhaps as a way to escape and feel connected to something beyond their isolated world. The third verse introduces a character, a girl playing the organ, who tells the singer not to reveal they can read. This could symbolize a fear of standing out or being different from the expected norms of the community. The final lines depict the mothers walking towards the forest, again highlighting the community's connection to nature.
Overall, Forest Families is a song that delves into the complexities of growing up in a remote community. It touches on themes of isolation, ostracization, gender roles, and the power of music as a means of escape and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Too far away from the city
Living in a remote area with little connection to urban civilization
Some kids left on their own
Children growing up without the supervision or guidance of adults
They said we had a communist in the family
Allegations of political ideology within the family
I had to wear a mask
Conformity to societal expectations or hiding one's true identity
We had to make this room
Creating a space for oneself in a place with limited resources
Fathers were football players, Volvo workers, policemen
The common occupations of the fathers in the community
What the mothers did I didn't know
The lack of knowledge regarding the mothers' roles in the community
Music tonight
Desire for music in the present moment
I saw her by the organ
A chance encounter with a woman playing an organ
She was laughing while pressing the keys
The woman finding enjoyment in making music
She said my favourite book was dirty and
Judgment or criticism of one's personal preferences
You should not show you can read
The importance of hiding one's intelligence or education in the community
We never heard its noise
The absence of city sounds in a rural area
We learned how to stay fit and things like
The community's focus on healthy living and natural remedies
Green tones hide the blush
Nature's ability to calm and conceal one's emotions
We came to breathe clean air
The community's desire for a pristine environment
Nature lovers' safe oasis
The protection and appreciation of nature as a cherished value
And the mothers walked towards the forest
The role of mothers in leading the community towards nature
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KARIN ELIZABETH DREIJER ANDERSSON, OLOF BJORN DREIJER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind