After several years of gigging in Boston and Cambridge, the band signed to a major label and released its debut album In Loving Memory of... in 1997. The single The Oaf was a major Top Ten hit for the band that year.
Due to Thornley's Canadian nationality, the band's biggest commercial success was actually in Canada rather than the United States. The album's subsequent singles, Blown Wide Open and That Song, were not as successful on the American charts as The Oaf had been, but in Canada they were both Top Ten hits.
In October of 2001, Big Wreck played a special show at Toronto's Roy Thompson Hall accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Uzume Taiko Ensemble of drummers, with The Tragically Hip's Paul Langlois and Robby Baker also making appearances.
The band's second album The Pleasure and the Greed (released in 2001) was marred by poor marketing and was not as big a hit as their debut album, especially in the United States. The band subsequently broke up a year later in 2002.
Thornley moved back to Toronto, launching the band Thornley. Doherty has gone on to be in the indie band Death of 8, but the other band members never emerged with new projects.
Ian and Brian rekindled their friendship, which lead to a reunion in 2011.
This reunion, however, would not include founding members Dave Henning and Forrest Williams.
Albatross, the band's third album, would be released on March 6, 2012, and would be Big Wreck's best charting album of all time, debuting at #5 on the Canadian albums charts, and would see its title track hit #1 on the Canadian Rock charts, which it would hold for six weeks straight. It would also spawn the singles Wolves and A Million Days, and would receive the CASBY award for "Favourite New Album" in 2012.
2014 would see the release of their fourth album, Ghosts, on the 10th of June. The album would debut at #5 on the Canadian Rock charts, and would go on to debut at #4 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, making it their highest charting album on that chart to date. Ghosts would come to spawn three singles: the name-sharing Ghosts, Come What May, and Hey Mama.
Big Wreck's fifth studio album, Grace Street, would see its release on February 3, 2017. The album would end up peaking at #5 on the Canadian Albums chart, much like Albatross and Ghosts. However, the lead single One Good Piece of Me would end up outperforming Ghosts (the song), with the track charting high on two separate charts within the first week of airplay. The other two singles that spawned from Grace Street were Digging In and You Don't Even Know.
On June 5, 2019, founding guitarist Brian Doherty would pass away after a battle with cancer. He was 51.
Big Wreck would release their sixth studio album, ...but for the Sun, on August 30, 2019. The band would end up dedicating the album to the late guitarist in memory of him. The album would see Locomotive, Too Far Gone, One More Chance and Alibi be the four singles to spawn, and would also see an in memoriam tour dedicated to Doherty.
...but for the Sun would be the last full-length album recorded with longtime drummer Chuck Keeping, as he would end up leaving the band in 2021 to focus on family life.
In the following years, Big Wreck would hire new drummer Sekou Lumumba (the former drummer for Ian Thornley's side project, Thornley) to replace Chuck Keeping, and would go on to release 3 EPs: 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3.
Pages, Big Wreck's 7th album, was released on November 24, 2023.
Discography:
Studio Albums
In Loving Memory Of... (1997)
The Pleasure And The Greed (2001)
Albatross (2012)
Bag of Tricks (Live, 2013)
Ghosts (2014)
Grace Street (2017)
...but for the Sun (2019)
Pages (2023)
EPs
7.1 (2021)
7.2 (2022)
7.3 (2023)
Members:
Ian Thornley (Vocals, Guitar, 1992 - present)
Chris Caddell (Rhythm Guitar, 2019 - present)
Dave McMillan (Bass Guitar, 2010 - present)
Sekou Lumumba (Drums, 2021 - present)
Past Members:
Brian Doherty (Guitar, 1992 - 2019 (d. June 5, 2019))
Paulo Neta (Guitar, 2010 - 2017)
Dave Henning (Bass Guitar, 1993 - 2002)
Forrest Williams (Drums, 1994 - 2002)
Brad Park (Drums, 2010 - 2012)
Chuck Keeping (Drums, 2012 - 2021)
That Song
Big Wreck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But in my room its forced
It has to be in some car across the street
And I always catch the back of your head in the crowd
Don't turn around its never you
And you ruin those memories
And those photos are great
If I catch them with the sun in my eye
But if I stare
Just turns into you and me
We're just standing there
And now its over
Would you hear me
Scream at the top of my lungs
And when you go there
Would you hear me
Scream at the top of my lungs
So I always fool my friends
And we head down there
They think that we are rude
We just drove by your old house
And you weren't there
And I'm always great
When I'm with your buds
And they lie
They think that I'm just fine
Its always been that way
Just a pocketbook brando
And when you hold him
Would you hear me
Scream at the top of my lungs
You love my whisper
But did you hear me
Scream at the top of my lungs
So you crank that song
And it might sound doomed
So just leave the room
While l sit and stare
Cause this is a rare
I really love that tune
Man I love that song
I really love that song
I love that song
So when you go
Would you hear me
Scream at the top of my lungs
And when your hated
Would you hear me
Scream at the top of my lungs
So you crank that song
And it might sound doomed
So just leave the room
While I sit and stare
Cause they that's rare
I really love that tune
Man I love that song
I love that song
The lyrics to Big Wreck's song "That Song" deal with nostalgia and the power of music to transport the listener back in time. The singer of the song deeply associates a particular song with a past love or experience, to the point where listening to it alone in their room feels forced and inadequate compared to the visceral response they get when the song is played outside in the world, either in a car driving by or at a concert. However, the song's connection to the past is complicated by the fact that the singer's memories are tied up with someone who is no longer a part of their life, and who they are afraid of re-encountering. They catch glimpses of this person in crowds or when passing by their old house, but can never bring themselves to confront them directly. The song ends with a plea for the absent lover to hear their screaming, suggesting regret and longing.
The lyrics are full of striking imagery, such as "photos are great/If I catch them with the sun in my eye" and "Just a pocketbook brando," both of which evoke a sense of longing and wistfulness. The repeated refrain of "And when you go there/Would you hear me/Scream at the top of my lungs" is a powerful expression of unrequited love and the intense emotions that music can evoke.
Line by Line Meaning
So I always get nostalgic with that song
This song always reminds me of the past and brings back sentimental memories.
But in my room its forced
However, when I listen to it alone, it doesn't have the same effect and feels like I'm forcing the emotion.
It has to be in some car across the street
I need to hear it in a car passing by outside to truly feel the connection.
And I always catch the back of your head in the crowd
Every time I'm in a crowd, I can't help but look for you and catch a glimpse of the back of your head
Don't turn around its never you
But when you turn, it's never really you and it just ruins the moment.
And you ruin those memories
Seeing you in the crowd ruins the memory that the song invokes.
And those photos are great
Looking back at old photos is great.
If I catch them with the sun in my eye
But the photos are only great if I catch them with the sun in my eye.
But if I stare
If I stare at the photos for too long,
Just turns into you and me
They just turn into memories of you and me standing there.
We're just standing there
It's just a frozen moment in time of us standing there together.
And now its over
But now our relationship is over.
Would you hear me
Do you hear me
Scream at the top of my lungs
screaming at the top of my lungs in agony.
And when you go there
And when you move on,
Would you hear me
Do you still hear me
So I always fool my friends
I always pretend to my friends
And we head down there
And we go to your old house.
They think that we are rude
They think we are just being disrespectful.
We just drove by your old house
We just drove by where we used to be together.
And you weren't there
But you were not there.
And I'm always great
I always appear to be doing well
When I'm with your buds
When I'm with your friends.
And they lie
And they pretend
They think that I'm just fine
That I'm doing alright.
Its always been that way
It's always been like that.
Just a pocketbook brando
I'm just imitating Brando in my pocketbook.
And when you hold him
And when you hold someone new
Would you hear me
Do you hear me
You love my whisper
You loved when I whispered to you.
But did you hear me
But do you really hear me now?
So you crank that song
So you turn up that song.
And it might sound doomed
And the song might remind me of our doomed relationship.
So just leave the room
So just leave me alone with the song.
While I sit and stare
While I sit and stare at nothing in particular.
Cause this is a rare
Because this connection to the song is rare
I really love that tune
I really love that song.
Man I love that song
I really, really love that song.
And when your hated
And when you are hated.
Lyrics © Anthem Entertainment
Written by: IAN THORNLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind