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Kids with Guns

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"Kids with Guns"
Song

"Kids With Guns" and "El Mañana" are songs from the Gorillaz' second album, Demon Days. They were released 10 April 2006 in the UK as double A-sides for the fourth and final single from the album. Unlike its Top 10 predecessors from Demon Days, "Kids With Guns" / "El Mañana" managed to reach #27 upon its release in the UK. A week later, the single had fallen completely out of the Top 40 in the UK (see 2006 in British music).

In late summer 2005 the winners of the "Search for a Star" competition was announced to collaborate with Gorillaz on this single. In early November 2005, Gorillaz' co-creator Jamie Hewlett announced the release of "El Mañana" as the fourth single to be taken from the album.

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Track listings

In the UK

  1. "Kids With Guns" - 3:45
  2. "El Mañana" - 3:50
  • Single released 10 April 2006 by Parlophone
  • 7" R6685, CD CDR6685
  1. "Kids With Guns" - 3:45
  2. "El Mañana" - 3:50
  3. "Stop the Dams" - 5:41 (CD only)
  • DVD DVDR6685
  1. "El Mañana" (video) - 3:58
  2. "Kids With Guns" (Manchester visuals) - 3:45
  3. "Don't Get Lost In Heaven" (original demo version) - 2:29
  4. "El Mañana" (animatic) - 3:58

In Japan

  1. "Kids With Guns" - 3:45
  2. "El Mañana" - 3:50
  3. "Stop the Dams" - 5:41
  4. "Don't Get Lost In Heaven" (original demo version) - 2:29
  5. "El Mañana" (video) - 3:58

In the EU/Australia

  • Promo CD released in early February 2006 by Parlophone in the EU
  1. "El Mañana" - 3:50
  2. "Kids With Guns" - 3:45
  • Maxi-CD 3540650 released 13 April 2006 by Parlophone in the EU; scheduled for release 8 May 2006 by Capitol Records in Australia
  1. "El Mañana" - 3:50
  2. "Kids With Guns" - 3:45
  3. "Stop the Dams" - 5:41
  4. "El Mañana" (video) - 3:58

Cover images

Music videos

"El Mañana" has a full-budget video from Passion Pictures and "Kids With Guns" features the visuals that were shown during the Demon Days Live show at Manchester Opera House in November 2005.

"El Mañana"

Directed by Jamie Hewlett and Pete Candeland.

According to Gorillaz.com, the video was to be released 11 March 2006. It is now available on the website and can be seen in the UK on Channel 4. On 10 March, the video was released on music.yahoo.com. Template:Spoiler The video is (at least seemingly) a continuation of the Feel Good Inc. video. Noodle is floating along peacefully in the sunshine on her floating island. Suddenly the two helicopters finally catch up to the island and begin to fire upon Noodle and the island with machine guns. As Noodle flees into the windmill, the helicopters fire at the windmill and damage it. Later when Noodle comes out of the windmill to look around, the windmill is now in flames from the onslaught of the attacking helicopters, the helicopters see her and started to attack again, and she is forced back inside the windmill. Finally the island is so damaged that it cannot float anymore and starts to fall to the earth. It crashes into a deep crevice with Noodle still inside. The video then concludes with the helicopters bombing the crashed windmill.

Many themes seem to be displayed throughout the video. Two of such themes are the struggle between childhood innocence and adulthood war, as well as the idea that when kept in a paradise too long, one would rather stay in that paradise as it goes up in flames rather than move on.

Another theme seems to be a comment on targeting innocent by-standers in time of war. Also, the turning of the windmill may symbolize the ticking of a clock, more so as the clock of life or something similar.

The video also has huge political meaning, particularly aimed at Americans and President Bush. The windmill burns not unlike an oil well, and the helicopters are similar to Apache helicopters. Also, the bomb is dropped onto Noodle, who is Japanese, which could possibly be a reminder of The Bombing of Hiroshima, or nuclear weapons in general.

The main themes, which are continued from the Feel Good Inc. video, are once again the dumbing down of mass culture and how mental freedom can be destroyed by the media/"Corporation". This is shown when the floating island (mental freedom) is destroyed by the helicoptors (media/"Corporation"). With Noodle on the island when being attacked, another theme is how children are being desensitized by images of violence and war. This particular theme can also be heard in the song and seen in the music video for "Dirty Harry."

In addition, the floating island seems to have the only green environment around, while the world below is only a barren land. With the floating island(also representing nature) being destroyed by the helicoptors (also representing industry,war,etc.) it also shows the theme of the ecological damage being done to the earth.

The themes in the single, as well as the themes in the entire album are all based on Damon Albarns observations over the state of the world today[1].

Noodle's "death"?

For a few weeks before the video release, strange events were happening at Kong Studios on the Gorillaz Website. Boxes and other packing materials were at the lobby on 16 February. A few weeks later, they were up at Noodle's Room. Noodle had been slowly packing up her stuff, and the Windmill (which is from the video Feel Good Inc.) was tethered to the balcony. After 7 March, when entering the website, a movie would play featuring the windmill flying away from the studios.

Shortly after the video release, few Gorillaz fans believed that Noodle could actually be dead. Whether or not Noodle survived the crash is not shown, though considering the magnitude of the crash and the bomb, it is not unlikely that she was in fact killed. Whether or not the events in the video will become a part of the Gorillaz story and timeline or is simply another staged video remains to be seen.

Currently, at Gorillaz website, Noodle's room is largely barren, though it is still possible to access the links associated with her belongings and Shaun Ryder's head (introduced in the "DARE" video) is still hooked up behind the partition. However, as of 13 March, her room appears to be cracking around the corners, which many have pointed to a connection with "Don't Get Lost in Heaven", especially since it appears on the single DVD. "There was crack on the corner and someone dead and fire coming out of a monkey's head" (the hellhole). However, most people think this has no reference, and that the "crack" is crack cocaine. Additionally, the Armageddon clock seems to slow down, and now has a fourth hand and has fallen off the wall. A part of the ceiling has collasped as well.

A theory exists that the crevice that the windmill island fell into is the "monkey's head" volcano in the song 'Fire Coming Out of a Monkey's Head'.

It is theorized that the events of the video are not merely staged because the helicopters change in appearance. In Feel Good Inc. they are lighter, and seem to more closely resemble Bell 47Gs. In El Manana they appear heavier and more amoured, seemingly modeled more like the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. This would seem to indicate that Noodle was pursued in the Feel Good Inc. video, stayed at Kong Studios, packed up, departed, and was then pursued by two different helicopters in the El Manana video.

Since the video was released, an interview with Damon Albarn by MTV[2] has confirmed that Noodle has been "killed off". However, Damon also said that she may "come back". When rumours of the band splitting up started to come up, some thought that the video was going to signal the end of the Gorillaz.

Noodle's "death" could be related to her past. According to the fictional history of the band, Noodle found that she was in fact a test subject in a secret government super soldier project, meaning she may have been able to survive the blast.


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