| “ | Easy does it, easy does it, they got something to say mental | „ |
Kids With Guns is the fourth single (alongside El Mañana) and third track from Gorillaz' second studio album, Demon Days. It features Swedish singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry.
It was released on April 10, 2006 in the UK as a double A-side with "El Mañana" as the fourth and final single from the album. Unlike its Top 10 predecessors from Demon Days, Kids With Guns/El Mañana reached #27 upon its release in the UK.
Background Information[]
Real Life Backstory[]
"Kids With Guns" is based off an anecdote in which a boy brought a knife into the school of Damon Albarn's daughter, Missy Albarn.[2]
| “ | A nice boy just decided to pick up a knife and show it to his friends at lunchtime. It’s a very real problem, but I’m not treating it as a problem. It’s part of the brutalisation of a generation that’s going on at the moment. | „ |
| ~ Damon Albarn |
Fictional Backstory[]
In the autobiography Rise of the Ogre, Russel stated that since guns have been glamourised in pop-culture since their inception, it’s been hard to sing anti-gun songs without leaning into that view.
Noodle describes "Kids With Guns" as "a cautionary tale about being forced into a position of having to arm your children."[3]
| “ | The arms are ambiguous, but there is a definite sense of conflict on the way. De-sensitize yourself before you get taken advantage of. "They’re turning us into monsters" is an expression of that transition of training people how to lose their compassion. | „ |
| ~ Noodle, We Are The Dury[4] |
Lyrics[]
[2-D]
Kids with guns, kids with guns
Taking over
They won't be long
They're mesmerized skeletons
Kids with guns, kids with guns.
Easy does it, easy does it, they got something to say mental[3]
[2-D, Neneh Cherry]
Drinking out (Push it real)
Pacify (Push it real, push it)
Vitamin souls (Push it, push it real)
Street desire (Push it real, push it)
Doesn't make sense to (Push it, push it real)
But it won't be long (Push it real, push it)
Kids with guns. Kids with guns
Easy does it, easy does it, they got something to say no to
[2-D]
They're turning us into monsters
Turning us into fire
Turning us into monsters
It's all desire, it's all desire, it's all desire
Drinking out
Pacify
Vitamin souls
Street desire
Doesn't make sense to
But it won't be long
'Cause kids with guns, kids with guns
Easy does it, easy does it, they got something to say no to
Now they're turning us into monsters
Turning us into fire
Turning us into monsters
It's all desire, it's all desire, it's all desire
[Neneh Cherry, 2-D]
Push it, push it real (It's real)
Push it real, push it
Push it push it real (It's real, real)
Push it real, push it
Push it, push it real (It's real)
Push it real, push it
Push it push it real (It's real, real)
Push it real, push it
Push it, push it real (It's real)
Push it real, push it
Push it push it real (It's real, real)
Push it real, push it
Push it, push it real (It's real)
Push it real, push it
Push it push it real (It's real, real)
Push it real, push it
Push it, push it real[5]
[Neneh Cherry]
I don't know what I'm gonna do
Oh, oh, oh, oh
After day, after night come
Don't, don't kill me now
After night come day
oh, oh, oh
After day, after night come
Don't, don't kill me now
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Chart[]
- Australian Singles Chart: 31
- Italian Singles Chart: 33
- Irish Singles Chart: 39
- UK Singles Chart: 27
Video[]
Gorillaz - Kids With Guns (Official Video)
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Notes in the booklet to Gorillaz, The Singles Collection 2001-2011.
- ↑ "Damon Albarn", Notion, November 2005 issue
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gorillaz. Page 193 Rise of the Ogre. Penguin Group. Published 26 October 2006.
- ↑ 9. Next up, Kids with Guns. A slower track, yes?, We Are The Dury, April 2005.
- ↑ Gorillaz. Page 16-24 Demon Days PVG. Faber Music. Published 29 November 2005.
