"First It Giveth" | ||||
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Single by Queens of the Stone Age | ||||
from the album Songs for the Deaf | ||||
Released | August 18, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 2002 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:18 | |||
Label | Interscope | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Queens of the Stone Age singles chronology | ||||
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"First It Giveth" is a song by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age from their album Songs for the Deaf . It was released as a single on August 18, 2003, peaking at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is about the role drugs play in the process of making music. When asked in an interview if it is easier to make music on drugs, Josh Homme said "Well I think we have a song that about this subject called First they Giveth, then They Taketh away, and I think at first you can draw inspiration and then eventually, it negates any inspiration." [1]
"The Lord Gave, and the Lord Hath Taken Away" is a bible quotation found in the Book of Job (Job 1:21). It has become altered to a popular idiom generally used out of Job's context, "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away" (2). This in turn became, "First it giveth, then it taketh away."
The music video for "First It Giveth" shows the band playing live at the Glastonbury Festival and on their tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2002. There are also some backstage scenes included. It is famous among fans for showing Nick Oliveri playing naked on stage. It was directed by Nigel Copp.
The B-sides, "Wake Up Screaming" and "The Most Exalted Potentate of Love", appeared subsequently on the compilation EP Stone Age Complications .
Chart (2003) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA) [2] | 83 |
UK Singles (OCC) [3] | 33 |
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line-up changes. The current line-up consists of Homme alongside Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita, and Jon Theodore. The band also has a large pool of contributors and collaborators. Queens of the Stone Age are known for their blues, Krautrock and electronica-influenced style of riff-oriented and rhythmic hard rock music, coupled with Homme's distinct falsetto vocals and unorthodox guitar scales.
Queens of the Stone Age is the debut studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released by Loosegroove Records on September 22, 1998. It was primarily written and recorded in April 1998 by founding member Josh Homme and his former Kyuss bandmate Alfredo Hernández, with Hernández playing drums and Homme singing and playing the rest of the instruments. Homme also produced the album alongside Joe Barresi. Bassist Nick Oliveri, also a former member of Kyuss, would join the band by the time of the album's release. Queens of the Stone Age received generally positive reviews from critics, who placed it in the stoner rock genre and drew comparisons to krautrock bands such as Neu! and Can, as well as to Kyuss and other metal bands.
Songs for the Deaf is the third studio album by the American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on August 27, 2002 by Interscope Records. It features guest musicians including drummer Dave Grohl, and was the last Queens of the Stone Age album to feature bassist Nick Oliveri. Songs for the Deaf is a loose concept album, taking the listener on a drive through the California desert from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree, tuning into radio stations from towns along the way such as Banning and Chino Hills.
Rated R is the second studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on June 6, 2000 by Interscope Records. It was the band's first album for the label, as well as their first to feature bassist Nick Oliveri and vocalist Mark Lanegan.
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period. Although widely associated with grunge, the band's sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements. The band released seven studio albums, five EPs, and three compilations.
Joshua Michael Homme is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the founder, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he formed in 1996 and in which he sings lead vocals and plays guitar, as well as occasionally playing bass and drums. He also co-founded Eagles of Death Metal in 1998, playing drums and bass for their studio recordings and occasionally performing live with them.
Mark William Lanegan was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age and The Gutter Twins. He released 12 solo studio albums, as well as three collaboration albums with Isobel Campbell and two with Duke Garwood. Lanegan was known for his baritone voice, which was described as being "as scratchy as a three-day beard yet as supple and pliable as moccasin leather" and has been compared to Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave.
Lullabies to Paralyze is the fourth studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on March 22, 2005. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, and sold 97,000 copies in America during its first week of release, eventually topping over 342,000 copies as of March, 2007 according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album has been certified gold in the UK, where it has sold over 100,000 units. It is also the band's first album to be released after bassist Nick Oliveri was fired from the band. Singer/guitarist Josh Homme and singer Mark Lanegan are the only members from the previous album, Songs for the Deaf, to play on this album and it is the first album to feature drummer Joey Castillo and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen.
"No One Knows" is a song by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age written by band members Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan. It was the first single and second track from their third album, Songs for the Deaf, and was released on November 26, 2002. "No One Knows" was a chart success, becoming the band's first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and their only single to top the US Alternative charts. The song was also critically acclaimed, receiving a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2003 Grammy Awards.
"Little Sister" is the first single released by the rock group Queens of the Stone Age from their fourth album Lullabies to Paralyze. It was first issued as a promotional single in December 2004, but was later released as a commercial single on March 7, 2005. The song was recorded live in the studio in one take.
Troy Van Leeuwen is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist in the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. Joining the band in 2002, he is the second-longest-serving member of the band, after founding member Josh Homme. Leeuwen is also a member of the supergroup Gone Is Gone and has fronted his own projects, Enemy and Sweethead.
"Feel Good Hit of the Summer" is a song by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age and written by band members Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri. It is the opening track of their second album, Rated R, and the second single to be released from it. The song also accompanied the UK release of the album on a separate CD entitled Rated U. Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford, at the time fronting his solo band, contributed backing vocals on the song. Upon the album's release, "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" had particular attention drawn to it due to the song's focus on drugs. Despite this, critical reception to the song was generally positive, with various critics considering it a highlight of the album.
"In My Head" is a single released by the rock group Queens of the Stone Age on June 27, 2005, from their fourth album Lullabies to Paralyze. The song originally featured as a track from The Desert Sessions, appearing on Volume 10: I Heart Disco in 2003 where it was named "In My Head...Or Something".
Over the Years and Through the Woods is the title of a live album and video by Queens of the Stone Age. The release features material on audio CD as well as video DVD—both recorded at London's Brixton Academy on Monday August 22, 2005 and KOKO on Tuesday August 23, 2005. Over the Years and Through the Woods is sold as two different packages—either a CD case or a DVD case. Both versions include the same content on the discs. The cover art includes an assortment of stylized letter Q's, which the band has used on the covers of previous studio albums. The title font on the cover was taken from their self-titled album. The DVD content was directed by Chapman Baehler.
Era Vulgaris is the fifth studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age. Recorded from July 2006 to April 2007, it was released on June 11, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 12 in the United States, having been released on June 8 in other countries. The single "Sick, Sick, Sick" was released in May, followed by second single "3's & 7's" in early June, and third single "Make It wit Chu" in October. The album debuted at No. 14 on the U.S. Billboard 200 charts, selling 52,000 copies in its first week. It reached top ten positions in other countries, such as No. 7 in the UK, No. 5 in Canada, and No. 4 in Australia. It was the band's last album with Interscope Records.
"Sick, Sick, Sick" is a song by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age from their 2007 album Era Vulgaris. It was released as a digital download from the U.S. iTunes Store on May 8, 2007. The song features Julian Casablancas of The Strokes on backing vocals and synth guitar. An EP also called Sick, Sick, Sick was given a limited release, containing the title track and three B-sides: a remix of "I'm Designer" and covers of Tom Waits' "Goin' Out West" and Elliott Smith's "Christian Brothers".
Josh Homme is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer who has released 18 studio albums and collaborated with over 25 different artists. He started playing guitar in the 1980s and formed a band with Palm Desert, California schoolmates John Garcia and Brant Bjork, initially under the name Katzenjammer, then Sons of Kyuss, and later shortened to simply Kyuss. The band released an EP called Sons of Kyuss (1990) when Homme was 16 years old, before going on to record four critically acclaimed studio albums and a greatest hits release without breaking through to mainstream success. After the breakup of the band in 1995, Homme considered abandoning his music career, but was persuaded by vocalist Mark Lanegan to join the Screaming Trees on tour as second guitarist.
...Like Clockwork is the sixth studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on June 3, 2013, on Matador Records in the UK, and on June 4 in the United States. Self-produced by the band, it is the first Queens of the Stone Age album to feature full contributions from bassist Michael Shuman and keyboardist and guitarist Dean Fertita, who both joined the band in 2007 to tour in support of the band's fifth studio album, Era Vulgaris, and record its bonus tracks.
Villains is the seventh studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on August 25, 2017 through Matador. The album was announced on June 14, with a teaser trailer taking the form of a comedy skit featuring the band performing a polygraph test with Liam Lynch. The first single, "The Way You Used to Do", was released the following day along with the announcement of a world tour. Villains is the first Queens of the Stone Age album to not feature any special guest musicians, the second to not feature Mark Lanegan, and the first to feature Jon Theodore as full time member of the band.