Games Without Frontiers

"Games Without Frontiers" is a hit 1980 single by Peter Gabriel, released on his third self-titled solo album. It features Kate Bush on backing vocals and became his first UK Top 10 hit, peaking at #4. The song also peaked at #48 in the U.S. It ties with 1986's Sledgehammer as his highest-charting song in the UK. The B-side to the single was two tracks combined into one: "Start" and "I Don't Remember". Title and lyrics The song's title comes from a European game show, Jeux Sans Frontières, that featured teams competing for prizes while dressed in bizarre costumes. The British version of the show was called It's a Knockout, a phrase that also appears in the song. The teams represented towns and cities from each country, so the games had an inevitable element of nationalism. While some games were simple races, others allowed one team to obstruct another. The lyrics are seen as a critique of nationalism and war, which the song portrays as essentially childish. The tag line of the song, "Games without frontiers, war without tears" is a comment on the sublimation of the rivalries within Europe, caused by centuries of war, in a meaningless game. The name Lin Tai Yu, which appears in the song, belongs to a character from the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. Chiang Ching, another name mentioned, refers either to the wife of Chairman Mao and a leader of the Cultural Revolution or to Chiang Ching-kuo, the son of Chiang Kai-shek, who was president of Taiwan at the time the song was written. Additionally, the end of the first verse refers to Hitler and Enrico Fermi: "Suki plays with Leo, Sacha plays with Brit; Adolf builds a bonfire, Enrico plays with it." Hitler started World War II in Europe, while Fermi's nuclear reactor enabled the nuclear weapons which ended the war in Japan. The album version of the song includes the line "Whistling tunes we piss on the goons in the jungle" before the second chorus. This was replaced for the single release with a more radio-friendly repeat of the line "Whistling tunes we're kissing baboons in the jungle" from the first chorus. The whistling is Gabriel along with producers Steve Lillywhite and Hugh Padgham. Music This song features the PAiA Electronics Programmable Drum Set, widely considered the first programmable drum machine (it is not the Roland CR-78, used by many of Gabriel's former Genesis bandmates on both Genesis and solo albums). It also features the Moog Model 15 small analog modular system for many of the synthesizer sounds. One thing to take note of: the synthetic drums at the end (close) of the song (particularly the notable "filter sweep noise blip" accompanying the snare) are not part of the PAiA drum machine.

[Intro] "A one... two... one, two, four..." [Hook: Kate Bush] Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières [Verse 1: Peter Gabriel] Hans plays with Lotte, Lotte plays with Jane Jane plays with Willi, Willi is happy again Suki plays with Leo, Sacha plays with Britt Adolf builds a bonfire, Enrico plays with it [Pre-Chorus 1: Peter Gabriel] Whistling tunes, we hide in the dunes by the seaside Whistling tunes, we're kissing baboons in the jungle It's a knockout [Chorus: Peter Gabriel] If looks could kill, they probably will In games without frontiers, war without tears If looks could kill, they probably will In games without frontiers, war without tears Games without frontiers, war without tears [Hook: Kate Bush] Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières [Verse 2: Peter Gabriel] Andre has a red flag, Chiang Ching's is blue They all have hills to fly them on except for Lin Tai Yu Dressing up in costumes, playing silly games Hiding out in treetops, shouting out rude names [Pre-Chorus 2: Peter Gabriel] Whistling tunes, we hide in the dunes by the seaside Whistling tunes, we piss on the goons in the jungle It's a knockout [Chorus: Peter Gabriel] If looks could kill, they probably will In games without frontiers, war without tears If looks could kill, they probably will In games without frontiers, war without tears Games without frontiers, war without tears [Hook: Kate Bush] Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans frontières Jeux sans...