As well as Smith, around 23 musicians were part of the Cardiacs over the years, including Smith's brother, Jim, and multi-instrumentalist, Sarah Cutts, who married Tim Smith in 1983.
Their music combined the excitement and energy of punk with the intricacies and technical cleverness of early British progressive rock, a combination sometimes referred to as pronk, although frontman Smith disavowed this classification.
Cardiacs released eight studio albums plus a number of live albums, compilation albums and singles between 1980 and 2007, and are best known for the 1988 minor hit single "Is This the Life?" They are also noted for attracting strongly diverse responses: they have remained one of Britain's leading cult rock bands during their four-decade-spanning career, but have also attracted virulent critical attack (including a lengthy editorial ban from the British music magazine New Musical Express).
On the 30th June 1990, Cardiacs played at Salisbury Arts Centre (a former church). The show was recorded and initially the video of it was released on VHS tape under the name "All That Glitters Is A Mare's Nest". The video helped Cardiacs achieve a cult following, with pirated copies of the video, being highly sought after. The audio from the show was released on CD in 1995.
The band was on hiatus following the 2008 hospitalisation of Tim Smith after a heart attack and series of strokes which affected his speech and movement.
Commenting on his condition, in 2017, Smith wrote: “Imagine if you were wearing a skintight bodysuit made of fishnet all around you, with electrical pulses going all the time. This is what my body feels like unless I fall asleep.”
In 2018, fundraising was set up for Tim Smith, which included the comment “This condition has affected Tim’s movement, his dexterity, his ability to speak, and it has added painful muscle tone and spasms that are a permanent feature of his life these days.”
On Tuesday 21st July 2020, at around 10.30 pm, Tim Smith passed away at his home, as a result of a heart attack.
Cardiacs final album, "LSD" remained unfinished at the time of Tim Smith's death. At the time of his death, Cardiacs still remained a cult following, their recordings were not, for example, available on Spotify. For many years there were few new copies of Cardiacs albums in circulation. Later on, re-releases became available on CD and then vinyl.
Wireless
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Black dog, tumble-weed, white dress
Play whistley wireless happy
Fireworks under her pillow
Cold girl and deadness
Can you cross your heart?
Jenny played the wireless
Black dog, white dress
Hand holding with her wireless
Kind whistling on when she passed
From this world off into the next
The song "Wireless" by Cardiacs is a haunting piece that revolves around the character of Jenny. The opening lines, "Jenny's bed is nailed to the floor, black dog, tumble-weed, white dress" paints a vivid picture of a person who is trapped and possibly haunted by their past. The next line, "play whistley wireless happy," adds a touch of irony to the situation, suggesting that despite her confinement, she finds solace in listening to the radio.
The chorus of the song, "fireworks under her pillow, cold girl and deadness, can you cross your heart?" suggests a sense of detachment, as though Jenny is disconnected both from her own emotions and from the world around her. The repetition of the phrase "Jenny played the wireless" reinforces the idea that this is her only source of comfort and escape.
The final verse ties everything together, describing the black dog and white dress once again, and how Jenny held hands with her wireless as she passed "from this world off into the next." While the lyrics don't provide a definitive answer as to who Jenny is or what her story may be, the haunting imagery and subtle hints suggest a tragic tale of isolation and escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Jenny's bed is nailed to the floor
Jenny is emotionally stuck and not moving forward in life.
Black dog, tumble-weed, white dress
Imagery to show the confusion and chaos in Jenny's life.
Play whistley wireless happy
Jenny tries to find happiness in music and entertainment.
Fireworks under her pillow
Jenny is holding onto hope and excitement for the future.
Cold girl and deadness
Jenny feels emotionally numb and disconnected from the world.
Can you cross your heart?
The singer questions whether Jenny is truly committed and capable of finding true love.
Jenny played the wireless
Jenny uses music to escape from her problems and cope with her emotions.
Black dog, white dress
A repetition of earlier imagery to emphasize the confusion and chaos in Jenny's life.
Hand holding with her wireless
Jenny is comforted by her music and uses it as a source of support when she feels alone.
Kind whistling on when she passed
Even though Jenny struggles, she still tries to be kind and positive when interacting with others.
From this world off into the next
The singer suggests that Jenny may be on the verge of leaving this world behind, whether physically or emotionally.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHIN INJETI, PRANAM INJETI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind