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."
parade
The Knife Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then we raise our heads for the color red
I am too a spirit and a wonderer
And I welcomed the dew as much as you did
When we're looking for brushwood
In the nearest neighbourhood
Then we follow the sky with the eye
We're stumbling, tripping home again
In the middle of nowhere when we're looking for something
Then we raise our heads for the color red
I am too a spirit and a walker
And I welcomed the dew as much as you did
We found the little man and his aeroplane
But we never located the animal
Examined the dirty ground
Like it never been done modern exploring of 1991
The lyrics to The Knife's song Parade is a whimsical narrative of an adventure in the woods. The first two lines depict a sense of a lost feeling, being in the middle of nowhere and looking for something. However, there is an element of hope when they raise their heads and look for the color red, which could be interpreted as a sign of life or direction. The singer claims to be a spirit and a wonderer, which highlights a carefree and open-minded personality. Moreover, they evoke a feeling of harmony with nature by welcoming the dew, which acts as a metaphor for their willingness to accept life's offerings.
The next lines talk about searching for brushwood and following the sky with their eyes, which conveys a sense of purpose and determination in their journey. The group is easily surprised by the rain and the vegetation, which could indicate their lack of familiarity with the environment. However, they carry on despite stumbling and tripping on their way back home. The second stanza repeats the first, except for the line, "I am too a spirit and a walker", which replaces the term "wonderer". It highlights the journey's physical aspect and their willingness to explore the woods on foot.
The last few lines talk about their adventure's discoveries, where they found a little man and his aeroplane, but they never located an animal, indicating a sense of disappointment. They examined the dirty ground as if they were modern explorers in 1991, thereby providing a sense of humor to the narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
In the middle of nowhere when we're looking for something
When we find ourselves lost in unfamiliar territory, searching for something particular.
Then we raise our heads for the color red
We constantly scan our surroundings for anything that might catch our eye and lead us in the right direction.
I am too a spirit and a wanderer
I am just like you, with a restless and curious spirit that drives me to explore and seek out new experiences.
And I welcomed the dew as much as you did
I share in the appreciation of the beauty of nature and the joy that comes with discovering new wonders in the natural world.
When we're looking for brushwood
When we're in search of basic necessities and supplies to help us on our journey.
In the nearest neighbourhood
In the areas closest to us, where we're most likely to find what we need.
Then we follow the sky with the eye
We turn our gaze upward and study the clouds and other celestial phenomena to gauge the weather or other conditions that might affect our journey.
We search vegetation and surprised by the rain
We scour the land for any signs of plant life that might be useful, and are sometimes caught unawares by sudden changes in the weather.
We're stumbling, tripping home again
Despite our best efforts, we sometimes make mistakes or get turned around, and end up back where we started.
We found the little man and his aeroplane
On our travels, we come across strange and wondrous things that fill us with awe and wonder, like a tiny model plane.
But we never located the animal
No matter how hard we search, there are some things that will always elude us, like a hidden animal in the wilderness.
Examined the dirty ground
We carefully study the terrain beneath our feet, looking for clues to guide us on our journey and keep us safe.
Like it never been done modern exploring of 1991
Our quest for adventure and exploration is not new, and has been passed down for generations. We are simply the latest in a long line of pioneers and adventurers.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KARIN ELIZABETH DREIJER ANDERSSON, OLOF BJORN DREIJER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sadie Corwin
This song was my favorite song when I was 4 years old. I remember running around the backyard with my big headphones on listening to this on my iPod, simpler times…(:
Land Shark
This band is so awesome!
nmeau
Makes me want to march around the house, with a big smile on my face!
Henrik Hellberg
I think that everybody should buy the 3 albums that "The Knife" has made so far. It´s really something else. Love them!
Benedict H
OK!
Zachary Allen
i just got into the knife last night after listening to fever ray on a whim. this band is fucking unreal. where have i been the last 10 years?
Brain704
love the non-hype music, its what i need to escape stupid mainstream :)
clamzcoolio
wow this song is surprisingly happy for The Knife
Stu Fazackerley
Love this tune, heard it on Dallas does indie. Dunno what to do when that podcast ends!!!
cc ch
I`m knowing their music ...son geniales!!!