"Pass This On" is a single from the Swedish electronic duo
The Knife, released in 2003. It is the third track on The Knife's second studio album, ''
Deep Cuts''.
Music video
Synopsis and credits
"A flaxen haired, spider-limbed female impersonator takes the mic in a rustic chalet. A woman in the small audience gets up out of her seat. Is she leaving? A glaring thug approaches the stage. Is he going to end her song by force? No, they're both moved by the music, and soon everyone is dancing. Except for one young woman, whose blank stare closes out the video on a question mark." (''Slant Magazine'', January, 2010)
The music video for the song was directed by
Johan Renck
Bo Johan Renck (born 5 December 1966) is a Swedish director of music videos, TV and film. He was originally a singer-songwriter from 1991 to 2001, using the moniker Stakka Bo, and had an international hit with his single " Here We Go" in 1993. Re ...
and features
female impersonator
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...
Rickard Engfors in a room
lip-synching
Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals.
Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
to the song. Both members of The Knife,
Karin and
Olof Dreijer
Olof Björn Dreijer (born 27 November 1981) is a Swedish DJ and record producer, best known as one half of the electronic music duo the Knife, formed with his sibling Karin Dreijer.
Although the Knife very rarely performed live concerts, Olof ...
, are visible in the video; Olof is seen dancing next to Engfors and flirting with him, and Karin appears at the end of the video, sitting at a table and looking at Engfors and Olof.
Other versions
Covered by ''
Dan Sartain
Daniel Fredrick Sartain (August 13, 1981 – March 20, 2021) was an American musician. His music encompasses a variety of genres, including rockabilly, punk rock and the blues.
Career
After releasing two self-produced albums through independe ...
'' in 2014 on his album ''
Dudesblood''.
Formed the basis of Carnival's 2006 house track "Not Over Yet".
Reception
''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...
'' placed the music video for "Pass This On" at No. 37 on its ''Best of the Aughts: Music Videos''.
Track listings
*Swedish CD, Maxi single
# "Pass This On (Dahlback & Dahlback Remix)" - 5:36
# "Pass This On (M.A.N.D.Y. Remix)" - 6:58
# "Pass This On (M.A.N.D.Y. Instrumental)" -6:55
*UK CD single
Knife, The - Pass This On UK Single
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...
. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
# "Pass This On (Original)" - 3:49
# "Pass This On (Dahlbäck And Dahlbäck Mix)" - 5:32
# "Pass This On (M.A.N.D.Y. Knifer Mix)" - 6:54
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2003 singles
2003 songs
The Knife songs
Songs written by Olof Dreijer
Songs written by Karin Dreijer
Music videos directed by Johan Renck
LGBT-related songs