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)
You Caught My Eye
Big Wreck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In "You Caught My Eye" by Big Wreck, the singer is confessing his attraction to someone who has caught his eye. He begins by acknowledging the other person's ability to easily attract and captivate others, and how he himself has been hooked. He then discusses how he typically keeps his feelings to himself, but in this case, he can't help but be vocal about his interest. He goes on to paint a picture of other men who attempt to capture the attention of the object of their desire, but ultimately fail, while he is the one who has been successful. He concludes by stating that he is not concerned with whether or not the other person reciprocates his feelings, as he is simply content with the fact that they have caught his eye.
At its core, "You Caught My Eye" is a song about desire and attraction. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who has been ensnared by someone they find alluring, despite their typically reserved nature. The singer is essentially admitting that they have been captivated by the other person's physical appearance and charm, which has caused them to abandon their usual sense of caution.
One interesting aspect of the song is its musical composition. "You Caught My Eye" features a heavy, distorted guitar riff that is complemented by pounding drums and bass. This gives the song a sense of urgency and intensity, which mirrors the singer's feelings of attraction and desire. Additionally, the song's lyrics are relatively straightforward, which allows the music itself to take center stage and convey the emotions that the singer is feeling.
Overall, "You Caught My Eye" is a passionate and heartfelt song that speaks to the universal experience of being struck by someone's physical appearance and feeling powerless to resist their charm. The lyrics are straightforward and relatable, and the music adds an extra layer of intensity and emotion that makes the song truly standout.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you can set em up
You have the ability to attract people towards you.
And knock em down
You can easily impress people with your charm and personality.
One by one
You have the ability to impress multiple people at once.
You can tell your friends about it
You may boast about your charm and appeal to your peers.
How we had some fun
You may share your experiences with others and talk about how enjoyable they were.
I'll tell you why
I will explain the reason why I am drawn towards you.
Yeah you caught my eye
You have grabbed my attention and interest.
Everybody's talking about there's one
People often discuss the idea of there being a special person in every crowd.
In every crowd
In any group of people, there is bound to be someone who stands out.
I've never been the type of guy
I have never been someone who openly expresses their feelings.
Who's singing it out loud
I have never been one to profess my attraction to someone publicly.
But you caught my eye
Despite this, you have managed to capture my attention and appeal to me.
Oh yeah, you caught my eye
You have strongly intrigued and interested me.
There's no other way to put it
There is no other explanation or description for my attraction towards you.
So let's not even try
It is unnecessary to attempt to explain it any other way.
For so many fellows run their mouth
Many men boast boastfully and brashly about their romantic interests.
And so few of them know
However, few of these men truly understand the depth of their own emotions.
And how to make you messy, babe
Few men know how to truly entice and appeal to you.
Dripping on the floor
Few men know how to make you feel truly weak and overwhelmed.
You caught my eye
Despite this, you have managed to capture my attention and appeal to me.
Oh yea, you caught my eye
You have strongly intrigued and interested me.
Well I wasted lots of time again
I have spent much time fruitlessly pursuing pointless endeavors.
With talk of getting high
I have spent too much time focusing on trivial and insignificant matters.
Now I wanna waste some time
I now wish to spend my time pursuing meaningful and enjoyable things.
Climbing up your thighs
I hope to pursue a romantic and physical relationship with you.
Well there's no other way to put it
There is no other explanation or description for my attraction towards you.
So let's not even try
It is unnecessary to attempt to explain it any other way.
You caught my eye, oh
You have strongly intrigued and interested me.
Well, some they will
Some people will invariably reject you.
And some they won't
Others, however, may be receptive to your advances.
I don't even care
Regardless, I am not deterred or upset by the possibility of rejection.
Even if you're walking by
Even if you are initially not interested in me.
Nose up in the air
Even if you are initially snobbish or dismissive towards me.
You caught my eye
Despite all of this, you have still managed to capture my attention and appeal to me.
Oh yea, you caught my eye
You have strongly intrigued and interested me.
There's no other way to put it
There is no other explanation or description for my attraction towards you.
So let's not even try
It is unnecessary to attempt to explain it any other way.
You caught my eye
You have strongly intrigued and interested me.
Lyrics © ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@christinesorenson2003
I can't love this enough. I've seen this guy many, many times! What a genius!
@eljefeguapobarbon
This whole band is an immeasurable amount of talent.
@supersackbros.6004
eljefeguapobarbon yep!
@FahQ-fo3zc
they all met in music school.. to bad
@Gibraltarx2
Why isn’t this played more and pushed on radio!!!! God damn, I’ve always loved this track ever since this album dropped... Dirty, Sexy Tune!!!
@iwearbrownunderwear
His versatility is genius not to mention how insanely precise they are "LIVE" I just hope that Ian and Big Wreck can capitalize in this era of Social Media cause I'm frankly dumb founded at the absolute "SHIT" that is considered music today. BIG Wreck Does it right!!!
@Th3DarkCanuck
Couldn't agree more.
@denettebranthoover4721
Saw them a few years ago. Amazing show. Ian's a beast on the guitar. ❤
@dylandyce8888
I could listen to that guitar solo every day for the rest of my life! songs incredible
@benndom82
Ian Thornley has this covert way of suggesting inappropriate things with out vulgarity.