Not Given Lightly

Last updated

"Not Given Lightly"
Chris Knox - Not Given Lightly - single cover.jpg
Single by Chris Knox
from the album Seizure
A-side "Not Given Lightly"
B-side "Guppiplus EP"
Released1989 (1989)
RecordedFebruary 1989 at Lab Studios, Auckland
Genre Indie rock
Length5:06
Label Flying Nun
Songwriter(s) Chris Knox

"Not Given Lightly" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Chris Knox. It was released in 1989 and is among Knox's best known songs. [1] While the song did not chart when originally released in 1989, it has since become well known from its use in New Zealand film and television productions, especially in a television advertisement for Vogel's bread in 2007. [2]

Contents

In 2001 the song was placed in 13th in the APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time list, as voted by New Zealand members of the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). The song then featured on the Nature's Best album of the top 30 tracks. [3]

Background and writing

The song was written as a heartfelt love song about Knox's then partner Barbara Ward. The lyrics refer to Ward and the couple's two children with the line "This is a love song for John and Liesha's mother". [3] The song's title and main refrain comes from a lyric in The Velvet Underground song "Venus in Furs" - "Taste the whip, in love not given lightly". [4] The song is performed in Chris Knox's trademark solo style - simple percussion loops with clean and distorted guitar. [5]

Music video

The music video was directed by Chris Knox and shot at his home in Grey Lynn, Auckland. The video starts with an extreme close-up of Knox's face, slowly zooming out over the duration of the song to reveal Knox surrounded by his friends and family. Edits are done on the beat. The video is shot in both black-and-white and colour, with most of the black-and-white footage used at the beginning of the video and most of the colour footage used at the end. [6] [7]

Track listings

Production credits

Charts

The song has never charted in the Official New Zealand Music Chart top 40, but has twice appeared in the New Zealand artists' singles top 20 chart. In August 2012 it charted at number 17 [8] and again in June 2013 at number 16. [9]

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

Chris Knox is a New Zealand rock and roll musician, cartoonist and movie reviewer who emerged during the punk rock era with his bands The Enemy and Toy Love. After Toy Love disbanded in the early 1980s, he formed the group Tall Dwarfs with guitarist Alec Bathgate. The Tall Dwarfs were noted for their unpolished sound and intense live shows. His 4-track machine was used to record most of the early Flying Nun singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don McGlashan</span> New Zealand musician, songwriter, composer

Donald McGlashan is a New Zealand composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who Is best known for membership in the bands Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, and The Mutton Birds, before going solo. He has also composed for cinema and television. Among other instruments, McGlashan has played guitar, drums, euphonium and French horn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SJD (musician)</span> Musical artist

SJD, or Sean James Donnelly, is a musician from Auckland, New Zealand. His music is a mix of pop-rock, soul, and electronic music. The name SJD also refers to Donnelly's touring band when not performing solo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savage (rapper)</span> New Zealand rapper

Demetrius C. Savelio, better known by his stage name Savage, is a New Zealand rapper and a former member of hip hop group the Deceptikonz. Savage was the first New Zealand hip hop artist to have a commercial single achieve platinum certification status in the United States. The "International Breakthrough" accolade of the Pacific Music Awards was created in his honour. Savage also has applied his recognisable voice in the electronic dance music space with 5× platinum hit ''Freaks'' with Timmy Trumpet, and 4 times platinum hit ''Swing'' with Joel Fletcher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anika Moa</span> New Zealand recording artist and television presenter

Anika Rose Moa is a New Zealand recording artist and television presenter. Her debut studio album Thinking Room, was released in September 2001, which reached number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart and provided two Top 5 singles, "Youthful" (2001) and "Falling in Love Again" (2002). Moa competed at the Rockquest songwriting contest in 1998, which led to a recording contract. She is the subject of two documentaries by film-maker Justin Pemberton: 3 Chords and the Truth: the Anika Moa Story (2003), detailing her signing to a record label and the release of Thinking Room, and In Bed with Anika Moa (2010) on her later career.

<i>Natures Best</i> 2002 compilation album by Natures Best series

Nature's Best is a two-disc compilation album of thirty New Zealand popular music songs, selected by a panel as the top thirty New Zealand songs of all time.

The Exponents, formerly The Dance Exponents, is a New Zealand rock group led by vocalist and songwriter Jordan Luck.

Strawpeople are a New Zealand band. They were created by Paul Casserly and Mark Tierney after they had met while working at the Auckland university radio station now known as 95 bFM. Over the years, Strawpeople has brought together various New Zealand songwriters, vocalists and musicians in a collaborative effort and achieved some success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Blood (The Naked and Famous song)</span> 2010 single by The Naked and Famous

"Young Blood" is a song by New Zealand band The Naked and Famous from their debut studio album, Passive Me, Aggressive You (2010). It was released on 7 June 2010 as the album's second single. "Young Blood" debuted at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart. The song received the 2010 Silver Scroll for Song of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimbra</span> New Zealand singer and songwriter

Kimbra Lee Johnson, known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and seven New Zealand Music Awards. Her musical influences range from Prince and Minnie Riperton to Björk and Jeff Buckley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not Many</span> 2003 single by Scribe

"Not Many" is a hip hop single by New Zealand rapper Scribe, taken from his debut album, The Crusader. It was released as a double A-side with "Stand Up".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sensitive to a Smile (song)</span> Herbs song

"Sensitive to a Smile" is a single from the New Zealand reggae band Herbs from the Sensitive to a Smile album. The single reached #9 in the New Zealand chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nature (song)</span> 1969 single from The Fourmyula

"Nature" is a 1969 single by New Zealand band The Fourmyula. The song peaked at number one in the New Zealand singles chart in 1970, won the APRA Silver Scroll songwriting award the same year, and in 2001 was voted the top song in APRA New Zealand's Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time. "Nature" was notably covered in 1992 by New Zealand rock band The Mutton Birds.

Joel Little is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter. He is best known for his work as a writer and producer with artists Lorde, Taylor Swift, Broods, Sam Smith, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, Khalid, Elliphant, Jarryd James, Shawn Mendes, Marina Diamandis, Amy Shark, Goodnight Nurse, Noah Kahan, Years & Years, the Jonas Brothers, and Niall Horan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonight (TrueBliss song)</span> 1999 single by TrueBliss

"Tonight" is the 1999 debut single of New Zealand girl group TrueBliss, the first ever group to be formed under the Popstars banner, as part of the 1999 TVNZ series. "Tonight" debuted at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart, remained in the top 40 for 10 weeks and was certified platinum for sales of over 10,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tami Neilson</span> Musical artist

Tamara "Tami" Neilson is a Canadian-born New Zealand country & soul singer/songwriter. She is the winner of multiple awards, including the 2014 APRA Silver Scroll Awards and Best Country Song Award; she is also the winner of the Best Country Album at the New Zealand Music Awards in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2015, and Best Female Artist at the New Zealand Country Music Awards in 2010, 2011 & 2014.

The 2015 APRA Silver Scroll Awards was held on Thursday 17 September 2015 at Vector Arena in Auckland, celebrating excellence in New Zealand songwriting. The 2015 ceremony marked the 50th presentation of the Silver Scroll award. As well as honouring the best songwriting of 2015, the awards retrospectively awarded the best song of 1981 as previously no award was presented in that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cruise Control (Headless Chickens song)</span> 1991 single by Headless Chickens

"Cruise Control" is a song by New Zealand band Headless Chickens. Written by members Chris Matthews and Michael Lawry, the track was released as the second single from the band's second studio album, Body Blow (1991), in 1991 and reached number six on the New Zealand Singles Chart. Three years later, the song was remixed and re-released as the "Eskimos in Egypt" mix. This version of the song peaked at number 26 in Australia and topped the New Zealand chart as a double A-side with "George".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinewehi Mohi</span> New Zealand musician and producer

Dame Hinewehi Mohi is a New Zealand musician and producer, best known for her double-platinum album Oceania (1999) and its lead single "Kotahitanga (Union)", performing the New Zealand National Anthem in Māori during the 1999 Rugby World Cup, and as a producer for the 2019 Māori language compilation album Waiata / Anthems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maisey Rika</span> Māori singer-songwriter

Maisey Rika is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and composer, performing in both English and Māori. Her five original albums have each reached the Top 40 in the Official New Zealand Music Chart. She was named an Arts Foundation Laureate in 2021, has received awards at the Waiata Māori Music Awards and APRA Awards, including APRA Best Māori Songwriter in 2010 and 2013, and has twice won Best Māori Language Album at the NZ Music Awards.

References

  1. ↑ "Chris Knox unable to talk after stroke". TVNZ. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "Music used in New Zealand Television Commercials: V". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Chris Knox". NZ Music Commission. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  4. ↑ du Fresne, Karl (10 January 2010). "The Beatles, a punk band? I don't think so". Karl du Fresne. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "CHRIS KNOX". Trouser Press. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "Not Given Lightly". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "CHRIS KNOX. NOT GIVEN LIGHTLY". The Film Archive. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  8. ↑ "13 AUGUST 2012". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "03 JUNE 2013". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 "Tall Dwarfs' Chris Knox Recovering From Stroke". The Axemen. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  11. ↑ "Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "Star-studded breast cancer video 'helps save lives'". TVNZ. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "03 JUNE 2013". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.