Games Without Frontiers (3:57)
238,320 plays (70,734 listeners)
“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.
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.
Video
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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 builts a bonfire, enrico plays with it
-whistling tunes we…
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Jane plays with willi, willi is happy again
Suki plays with leo, sacha plays with britt
Adolf builts a bonfire, enrico plays with it
-whistling tunes we…
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Shouts
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DrKeys522 wrote:
Love this track.
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Shmaughn wrote:
srsly tho: she is so fucking gay.
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CyclopsEyeMusic wrote:
Gabriel in general is guilty of "actually expanded...paradigm(s)" all over the place.
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timelapses wrote:
I was about 10 when I first heard this song...and the 'otherness' of it actually expanded my paradigm...grateful for that!
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Northernwaste wrote:
this song has been my ringtone for over a year and I never get sick of it
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Rozzen wrote:
oh wow i thought he was saying she's so popular until reading these comments
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Rozzen wrote:
this might be the catchiest song ever
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julio641 wrote:
this is a great song
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victorfreitas wrote:
Jeux sans frontieres, i understood something else too!
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victorfreitas wrote:
awesome
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minor-threat wrote:
I thought it said "She's so fucking gay" Man I was wrong.
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artgeek707 wrote:
If looks could kill they probably will
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PmF wrote:
Hahahaha, back when I was younger, I thought it was "She's so funky" than "Jeux sans frontieres".
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Pondybolk wrote:
Hated it in High School. I appreciate him more now that I'm an old man.
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LucaBrasiXL wrote:
Adolph builds a bonfire... Enrique plays with it...
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chicknfried wrote:
wouldnt it be great if you could somehow plug into the music peter gabriel hears in his head every day ?
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DEK78 wrote:
Ha!! Clarkson is the number one fan. Think James May is playing the keyboard LOL!!
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maykram wrote:
thought this was good once, now it just sounds silly. Can imagine Jeremy Clarkson being a fan.
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Lesscities wrote:
good songwriter/singer...So critical..so good
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LilCactus7 wrote:
I love him too
Peter Gabriel
Games Without Frontiers
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Recent Activity
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ripreed, nelson2k, motocop1869 and 2 other people loved Peter Gabriel – Games Without Frontiers. 21 minutes ago
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SCRAND3R added Games Without Frontiers to the playlist cool stuff dude. 4 hours ago
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tommykm added Games Without Frontiers to the playlist GenePhiGabriel. Thursday morning
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