Sunday, December 20, 2020

Peter Gabriel: Games Without Frontiers

This was on Gabriel's third solo album, which was released in 1980 under the title Peter Gabriel. It made number 4 in the UK singles chart.

'Games without frontiers' is a literal translation of the French phrase 'Jeux sans frontières'. That was the title of the inter-European version of the game show It's a Knockout, and Jeux Sans Srontières was just about my favourite viewing as a small boy in the 1960s.

So the song seems to be abuot trivial games, but also namechecks what sound like world leaders to suggest a deeper political meaning.

As American Songwriter comments:

"Games Without Frontiers" represented a breakthrough of sorts for Gabriel, as it helped him segue from cult artist to chart threat. It happened quicker in the UK, where the song went Top 10, while, in the US, it made a dent in rock radio but didn’t hit the top 40.

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