NO! “She’s NOT so popular”! She is neither she! “Jeux Sans Frontieres” is the correct phrase that Kate Bush sings in the backvocal. Well, she’s really not so popular... >)
Peter Gabriel wrote “Games Without Frontiers” in 1980 for his third self-titled solo album, also known as “Mercury”. It reached #4 in UK top parades and #48 in US.
I could write many things about this song but I found in its Wikipedia article a so well explanation that I must only copy and paste here:
“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. (Length:4:05) 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.”
A one, two, one two four
Jeux sans frontieres (4X)
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 hide in the dunes by the seaside
Whistling tunes we're kissing baboons in the jungle
It's a knockout
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
Jeux sans frontieres (3X)
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 tree-tops shouting out rude names
Whistling tunes we hide in the dunes by the seaside
Whistling tunes we're kissing baboons in the jungle
It's a knockout
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
Jeux sans frontieres (repeat to fade)
Download
I could write many things about this song but I found in its Wikipedia article a so well explanation that I must only copy and paste here:
“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. (Length:4:05) 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.”
A one, two, one two four
Jeux sans frontieres (4X)
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 hide in the dunes by the seaside
Whistling tunes we're kissing baboons in the jungle
It's a knockout
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
Jeux sans frontieres (3X)
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 tree-tops shouting out rude names
Whistling tunes we hide in the dunes by the seaside
Whistling tunes we're kissing baboons in the jungle
It's a knockout
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
Jeux sans frontieres (repeat to fade)
Download
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