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)
Knee Deep
Big Wreck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the toffs
Before you can jump
I'll push you off
And I'm knee deep with no sleep at all
When you're on my shoulder
I'm knee deep and I can't sleep it off
Bite my lip
'Til it goes away
And all this blood
And all these days
Dry up and blow away
Look over yonder in my past
Everything good will always pass
And I'm knee deep with no sense at all
When you're on my shoulder
I'm knee deep and I can't kiss it off
Clench my fists
Bite my lip
'Til it goes away
Madness comes
It always does
And always finds a way
Sadness comes
And always finds a way
Understand
And reprimand
When you're on my shoulder
But you'll always fly
Always fly away
Ya away
Clench my fists
Bite my lip
'Til it kills the pain
And all this blood
All these days
Dry up and blow away
All my past
All my hate
Always finds a way
Always finds
Always finds a way
The lyrics of Knee Deep by Big Wreck evoke powerful emotions and portray a feeling of being overwhelmed and helpless with life's challenges. The opening line of "Make love by the window with the toffs, before you can jump I'll push you off" suggests a power struggle in relationships, where one person is dominant and the other is submissive. The second verse talks about how everything good will eventually pass, and one is left knee-deep in sorrow and pain with no sense at all. The chorus echoes the same sentiments of feeling trapped, unable to sleep, and constantly clenching fists or biting lips to endure the pain.
The repeated use of "clench my fists" and "bite my lip" give the sense of someone trying to hold back their emotions and hide their true feelings. However, as the song progresses, this effort becomes futile, and "madness" and "sadness" find their way out. The last verse contrasts the person's impotence in bearing their struggles with how someone they care about will always find a way to leave and fly away. The song ends with the repetition of "always finds a way," suggesting a sense of resignation to the fact that there is no escape from the turmoil of life.
Overall, Knee Deep is a poignant reflection on the challenges of coping with emotional pain and helplessness in the face of life's struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Make love by the window
Engage in sexual activity by the window
With the toffs
With people of high social status
Before you can jump
Before you can take action or make a move
I'll push you off
I'll take control and do it for you
And I'm knee deep with no sleep at all
I'm in deep trouble and haven't slept at all
When you're on my shoulder
When I carry the weight of your problems
I'm knee deep and I can't sleep it off
I'm in a difficult situation and can't simply ignore it
Clench my fists
Tightly grip my hands
Bite my lip
Suppress my emotions and not speak out
'Til it goes away
Until the negative feeling subsides
And all this blood
The evidence of my pain and suffering
And all these days
The accumulation of time in misery
Dry up and blow away
Disappear into nothingness
Look over yonder in my past
Reflect on my past experiences
Everything good will always pass
Good things never last forever
And I'm knee deep with no sense at all
I'm in over my head and don't know what to do
When you're on my shoulder
When I have to bear your burden as well
I'm knee deep and I can't kiss it off
I'm dealing with a serious issue and it can't be simply solved with a kiss
Madness comes
Insanity takes over
It always does
It's inevitable
And always finds a way
It always manages to manifest itself
Sadness comes
Depression takes over
Understand
Comprehend the situation
And reprimand
Condemn the actions
When you're on my shoulder
When I have to bear responsibility for your mistakes
But you'll always fly
You'll always find a way to escape the consequences
Always fly away
Always avoid facing the music
Til it kills the pain
Until the pain is so overwhelming that it forces a reaction
And all my past
All of my past experiences
All my hate
All of my anger and resentment
Always finds a way
Always manages to influence my present and future
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: COLIN CRIPPS, IAN THORNLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamesroets800
I'm a 67 year old former prog rock fanatic - from the early days of Pink Floyd, Fever Tree, Vanilla Fudge, Moby Grape, Jimi Hendrix, and others. I've followed music that interests me - and in the 90's I underwent a conversion to grunge by accepting Alice in Chains, Chevelle, 311, and many, many others. But every once in a while, I run across something that's phenomenal - courtesy of my nephew - and that is 'Big Wreck". Awesome music.
@sydsdh
Big Wreck and everything Thornley does is amazing. He is so talented. The new Ian Fletcher Thornley album is another masterpiece.
@davidprotomanni7616
Agreed
@buddyholly4672
This song is so underrated. I still love it
@batmanbatman2628
It's ridiculous how good this band is in the studio....and yet they're light years better live
@michaelgraham9774
This REALLY needs more views than it will ever get.
@queenofsandbanks5432
Daughter and I just sitting in the kitchen singing along.... Played this album a lot .. Need to pull it out again!!!
@chrisbrogan2131
Parenting done right
@TylerLDowning
Brilliant! I bought this album the day it came out in 2001 and I've loved it ever since.
@susanrachel3478
Everything BW plays is amazing ! I’m knee deep and invested do life with this band .. fan or 20 years!!❤️❤️😊🤘