what do you get when you combine anti-capitalist marxism with a little dose of creativity and edginess? really danceable post-punk.
gang of four was a maoist political faction that formed in china in the 70s that consisted of politicians jiang qing, zhang chunqiao, yao wenyuan, and wang hongwen. four fellows from leeds, england (jon king, andy gill, hugo burnham, and dave allen) noticed that jiang qing sounded an awful lot like jon king, and the band gang of four was born to honor this joke.
gang of four is mostly remembered for their explosive 1979 debut album entertainment! and were a big influence on the artsy post-punk genre with their catchy funk/disco/dub-inspired punk rock, inspiring bands like franz ferdinand and bloc party. they combined anti-capitalist and leftist lyricism with jagged, syncopated beats. “Damaged Goods” is gang of four’s most recognizable song by far.
“Damaged Goods” is a jerky earworm where the pieces refuse to be in perfect sync but that’s what makes it so good. inverting the usual guitar-melody bass-rhythm pattern in music, the guitar provides the bouncy, rhythmic foundation for the melodic (and awesome) bass line as they play in elegant parallel to one another.
the lyrics set up an interesting duality between lust and consumerism, and instead of being about a person i’m inclined to believe it’s about purchasing useless (damaged) goods at a discount because you’re overcome by greed and regretting it later- because, you know, you bought it out of lust, not love. the bridge heartbreakingly reveals that there are no refunds for damaged goods. there’s something relatable about that because i’ve spent a lot of money on backpack keychains that always end up breaking (true story).
i’ll say it, this song is awesome. it immediately reminded me of “Michael” by franz ferdinand, which was THE song that got me into indie rock. it’s a bop from start to finish and there isn’t much i don’t like about this. is it a masterpiece? i don’t know if masterpiece is the right word, but it’s one of the most inventive and fun songs i’ve ever listened to. this is an indie hit!
q-street 