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)
The Oaf
Big Wreck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep it cracked they won't be here no more
Who'd you leave along the way
Leave 'em there don't come back today
Now who's the one who treats you right
Yeah leave him there don't come back to fight
Now who's the lad who wants to be
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
Throw the rocks and break the glass
I'll get down on my knees and kiss your ass
'Cause you're the one to be in my dreams
It never was It isn't what it seems
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
Now who's the dragon at my door
Well I shot it now, it don't come back no more
Gonna fire up someday
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
Feel my hand wrapped around
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
In "The Oaf," Big Wreck sings about a relationship that has gone sour. The opening lines ask about someone that the singer saw at their door, and the implication is that this person is no longer welcome in their life. The verses are addressed to the person who has caused the pain, telling them to leave the singer alone and not to come back. The singer is frustrated because they have tried to be good to this person, but they have not appreciated or respected their efforts.
The chorus reflects the singer's feelings of being trapped and on the run. They feel like their luck has been wasted and that they can't escape their problems. The singer is torn between wanting to fight back against their troubles and submitting to them. The second verse starts with the singer asking who is treating the person well now, suggesting that someone new has come along. However, the singer doesn't want to be that person, and they make it clear that they have given up on the possibility of a happy ending with the person they once loved.
Overall, "The Oaf" is a song about a failed romance, but it deals with these themes in a very rock and roll way. The anger and frustration in the lyrics are reflected in the hard-driving guitar riffs and pounding drums. The song is a great example of the alternative rock sound that was popular in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Line by Line Meaning
Who'd you drag around my door if I
Who have you brought to my door? If I leave it open, they won't come back.
Keep it cracked they won't be here no more
If I only leave the door slightly open, they won't return.
Who'd you leave along the way
Who have you abandoned on your journey?
Leave 'em there don't come back today
Don't bother going back for them today, leave them where you left them.
Now who's the one who treats you right
Who is treating you well now?
Yeah leave him there don't come back to fight
Leave that person where they are, don't come back and argue.
Now who's the lad who wants to be
Who is the person that desires to be with you?
It never was and it just can't be me
It was never me and it won't ever be me.
My luck is wasted
My good fortune has been squandered.
I'm on the run somewhere
I am escaping from something or someone.
Throw the rocks and break the glass
Cause destruction and chaos by throwing rocks and breaking glass.
I'll get down on my knees and kiss your ass
I will grovel and do anything to please you.
'Cause you're the one to be in my dreams
Because you are the person I want in my dreams.
It never was It isn't what it seems
It was never real and it isn't what it appears to be.
Now who's the dragon at my door
Who is the threatening person at my door?
Well I shot it now, it don't come back no more
I defeated the dragon, it won't return.
Gonna fire up someday
I will ignite my passion and energy one day.
Feel my hand wrapped around
My hand is clenched tightly.
Lyrics © ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: IAN THORNLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nate
Lyrics:
Who'd you drag around my door if I
Keep it cracked they won't be here no more
Who'd you leave along the way
Leave 'em there don't come back today
Now who's the one who treats you right
Yeah leave him there don't come back to fight
Now who's the lad who wants to be
It never was and it just can't be me
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
Throw the rocks and break the glass
I'll get down on my knees and kiss your ass
'Cause you're the one to be in my dreams
It never was It isn't what it seems
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
Now who's the dragon at my door
Well I shot it now, it don't come back no more
Gonna fire up someday
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
Feel my hand wrapped around
My luck is wasted
I'm on the run somewhere
beatlebummlh
It really pisses me off that these guys aren't huge. Great songwriting, great musicianship, great vocalist. They never should've broken up, and we should have about 15 years of Big Wreck material. Most underrated band of all time.
Jean Morin
Well, "Thornley" (the band after the break up) is great!
Freeloader462
I guess it ended in a big wreck. Lol
Dwayne Wladyka
23 years later, this song still sounds amazing!
Infiad
@Abe Wilcox I remember thinking I was seeing rock royalty in the making.
Abe Wilcox
@Infiad that is where I heard them for the first time. I caught the end of their set right before creed in Washington DC in 96ish. Saw Ian crushing the guitar and the next day went and bought ILMO, about a year later they became my favorite band. They came to Baltimore in the summer of 2001 on their TPATG tour and they played a venue that at the time was called The Brass Monkey. To this very day, that was the best show I've ever been to.
Gangsters Anonymous
👍
Zoe Zzzarko
Yesssssss ❤💜💙💚💛💗
A M
Cool fresh and tight always the big wreck!
Dalena H. Benavente
I was my college campus's DJ back in the day and I forced this song into the playlist rotation until people started calling it in to request it. It became the #1 requested song for 13 weeks and got mad play at all the fraternity parties after that. I was pretty proud of myself for it 😎