The band have never had, or have ever seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America and Europe. They tour fairly often on both continents and maintain a dedicated fan base.
The band was formed in 1979 by brothers Rob Wright (bass guitar and vocals) and John Wright (drum set, keyboards and vocals). Their name derives from an anti-date rape slogan. For their first four years the duo's music would seem to be influenced as much by jazz and progressive rock as punk rock. The musical press described their earliest recordings as "Devo on a jazz trip, Motörhead after art school, or Wire on psychotic steroids." NoMeansNo have been credited with being an influence on, and perhaps even the genesis of, math rock.
The brothers Wright began recording as a two-piece in their parents' basement in 1979. These recordings, heard on their first two self-released 7"s, consisted of full rock band arrangements and had a new wave, warped-pop sound, different from subsequent recordings. When, in the early 1980s, the duo began gigging simply with bass, drums and vocals, the present form of their distinct sound slowly took shape. The songs they played in this period are documented on the "Mama" LP (re-released in 2004 on their own Wrong Records.)
In 1984, they added Andy Kerr (who played with John Wright in Infamous Scientists) on guitar and vocals. Kerr preferred pseudonymity and used such pseudonyms as "Buttercup" or "None-Of-Your-Fucking-Business". He brought a distinct hardcore punk edge to the group, and stayed until 1991. He is often erroneously credited for penning the lyrics of NoMeansNo songs on which he sang, perhaps due to deliberately vague liner notes and frequent vocal moonlighting (Kerr sings lead or co-lead vocals on nearly half the songs on Wrong for example). Kerr's vocals were a necessity for a period of time in the 1980s when Rob Wright was recovering from nodules on his vocal cords. While Rob Wright is the band's lyricist and main songwriter, all members have contributed songs to NoMeansNo records, and nearly all their material is credited to the entire band.
Wrong is widely considered the band's best and most representative record ("The playing is incredibly skilled, with the Wright brothers effortlessly shifting tempos and time signatures and Kerr's razor sharp lyrics clicking right into place").
After Kerr's departure, the Wright brothers recorded "Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?" as a duo. They subsequently recruited guitarist Tom Holliston from Showbusiness Giants and The Hanson Brothers, and have continued touring and releasing records, including "Worldhood of the World (as such)", "Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie", "One", and most recently, "All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt" which was released on August 22, 2006. The album was released by AntAcidAudio in the United States and Southern Records in Europe.
The album "One", released in 2000, featured "two stunning covers that only make sense coming from NoMeansNo": a slow stoner rock-styled version of The Ramones' Beat On The Brat, and rather authentic fifteen-minute version of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, (complete with electric piano and congas) featuring lyrics by Rob.
NoMeansNo initially released records with seminal punk rock record label Alternative Tentacles. This relationship ended in 2002. The band has since been reissuing old albums through Southern Records under their own Wrong Records imprint.
Even their earliest recordings demonstrate impressive instrumental technique ("some of the most complex instrumentation you're ever likely to find in punk rock"). Jazz has been an influence on the group; Rob's basslines have a loping, melodic quality often reminiscent of Charles Mingus, and John's drumming sometimes sounds a bit like Elvin Jones or Art Blakey.
NoMeansNo's output features a seemingly endless flow of "Wright/wrong/right" puns, and significant measures of black humour, with "pointedly warped lyrics", such as on "Dad" from Sex Mad. The song was a minor college radio hit, and has been called "a bit chilling, even though it's spit out at slam-pit's pace". The first person narrator details a rampaging father's physical and sexual abuse, ending with what's been called a "killer end touch—the baldly delivered line 'I'm seriously considering leaving home.'". One critic (while noting the group's "savage intelligence") suggests that NoMeansNo might well be "the secret influence on a fair amount of both early-'90s math rock and emo, what with the barely controlled fervour of the singing and the sudden jerks back and forth in the rhythm section."
Equally striking about the band's back catalogue is their ability to jump from style to style and still maintain their musical identity. They leap from dirge to thrash, complication to simplicity, discordant to melodic and still sound like themselves.
John's drumming style has been mentioned as an influence to others, including Dave Grohl.
NoMeansNo's alter ego is TheHanson Brothers, a quartet with John singing and different drummer. Nearly a Ramones tribute band, the Hanson Brothers play fun punk rock as a mock group of backward Canadian ice hockey fans. The lyrics centre on ice hockey, beer and girls. The name comes from characters in the 1977 George Roy Hill film Slap Shot, starring Paul Newman.
Rob Wright's alter ego is Mr. Wrong, who dresses as an authoritarian priest and often poses with a shotgun. Mr. Wrong is simply Wright on bass and vocals with no other instrumentation. It is rumoured that Wright also plays upright bass in a traditional jazz band who play standards, but he keeps this side of his life fuzzy in interviews.
Tom Holliston released several albums with his band Showbusiness Giants as well as three solo albums.
Andy Kerr and John Wright played in the early 1980s in the Infamous Scientists. Kerr, after leaving NoMeansNo, released a solo CD and collaborated with Victoria musician Scott Henderson in Hissanol. Kerr most recently has begun a duo called Two Pin Din in the Netherlands.
Dad
NoMeansNo Lyrics
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I know I've been late, It was my mistake.
I went in my room, and I sat there in the gloom.
I know I've been bad, I know he'll be mad.
And I hear him coming, down the hall.
And there's nowhere to go, nowhere at all.
He opens the door, and his eyes are full of hate.
DAD NO! DAD, LEAVE ME ALONE! DAD LET ME GO, PLEASE?! PLEASE!
DAD NO! DAD, LEAVE ME ALONE! OH MY GOD! NO!! NO!!!!
My mom comes rushing in, she cries "Oh, Please don't hurt him."
Dad gives her a kick, and he slaps her around a bit.
He says; "SHUT UP, YA BITCH! SHUT UP YA BITCH!
OR I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! SHUT UP, OR I'LL KILL YOU!
Dad keeps hitting her face, and there's blood all over the place.
I said "Please Dad, please, it was my mistake."
I'm the one that's bad! I'm the one that's bad!
No, don't hit her Dad. Don't hit her, Dad!
DAD NO! DAD, LEAVE MOM ALONE! DAD LET HER GO, PLEASE?! PLEASE!
DAD NO! DAD, LEAVE MOM ALONE! OH MY GOD! NO!! NO!!!!
He went into my sister's room, and he locked the door.
He said "I hate you, but I love you more.
I heard her crying, as the lights went out.
I heard her scream, I had to shout.
DAD NO! DAD, LEAVE HER ALONE! DAD LET HER GO, PLEASE?! PLEASE!
DAD NO! DAD, LEAVE HER ALONE! OH MY GOD! NO!! NO!!!!
I'm seriously considering leaving home.
The lyrics to NoMeansNo's song "Dad" are a harrowing depiction of domestic violence and abuse. The song's protagonist finds himself at the mercy of his father's rage after coming home late. Despite apologizing, he is met with physical violence as his father enters his room with eyes full of hate. The singer begs for mercy as his mother attempts to intervene, only to be met with more violence. The situation escalates as his father turns his anger towards his sister, locking her in her room and causing her to scream in terror.
The song highlights the cyclical nature of domestic violence and its impact on families. The singer is caught in the middle of a vicious cycle of abuse, as his father's anger and violence are triggered by his own mistakes. His father's behavior is portrayed as uncontrollable and unpredictable, leaving the singer and his family in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. The chorus of "Dad no!" becomes a desperate plea for mercy, a heartbreaking cry for help in the face of insurmountable violence.
Overall, "Dad" is a powerful and emotional song that sheds light on the damaging effects of domestic violence. Through vivid imagery and intense storytelling, NoMeansNo delivers a haunting reminder of the realities of abuse and its impact on those affected by it.
Line by Line Meaning
I went home, I was feeling so alone.
The singer went home feeling lonely.
I know I've been late, It was my mistake.
The singer acknowledges being late and takes the blame.
I went in my room, and I sat there in the gloom.
The singer retreated to his room and fell into sadness.
I know I've been bad, I know he'll be mad.
The artist recognizes his mistake and anticipates his father's anger.
And I hear him coming, down the hall.
The artist hears his father approaching his room.
And there's nowhere to go, nowhere at all.
The singer feels trapped.
I've been had. It was my mistake.
The singer admits to being responsible for his current situation.
He opens the door, and his eyes are full of hate.
The father enters the room with a hateful look.
DAD NO! DAD, LEAVE ME ALONE! DAD LET ME GO, PLEASE?! PLEASE!
The artist begs his father to stop hurting him and leave him alone.
My mom comes rushing in, she cries "Oh, Please don't hurt him."
The mother tries to protect the artist from the father's abuse.
Dad gives her a kick, and he slaps her around a bit.
The father physically abuses the mother.
He says; "SHUT UP, YA BITCH! SHUT UP YA BITCH! OR I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! SHUT UP, OR I'LL KILL YOU!
The father verbally threatens the mother, telling her to be quiet or he will hurt her.
Dad keeps hitting her face, and there's blood all over the place.
The father hits the mother, resulting in a bloody face.
I said "Please Dad, please, it was my mistake."
The singer tries to take the blame for the mother's abuse.
I'm the one that's bad! I'm the one that's bad!
The singer falsely admits to being at fault to protect the mother.
No, don't hit her Dad. Don't hit her, Dad!
The artist pleads with his father to stop abusing the mother.
He went into my sister's room, and he locked the door.
The father enters the sister's room and locks the door.
He said "I hate you, but I love you more.
The father expresses conflicting feelings towards the sister.
I heard her crying, as the lights went out.
The singer hears the sister crying as the lights go out.
I heard her scream, I had to shout.
The artist shouts to try and stop the sister's abuse.
DAD NO! DAD, LEAVE HER ALONE! DAD LET HER GO, PLEASE?! PLEASE!
The artist begs the father to stop hurting the sister.
I'm seriously considering leaving home.
The artist is considering leaving to escape the father's abuse.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ADAM PLATT, BENJAMIN WRIGHT, JOHN SHANNON, MATT KILMER, MAXFIELD GAST, MIKE SHOBE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind