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.
In Her Eyes
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say I'm playing the fool
But they don't know what they're talking about
I've got to cum, I've got to scream and shout
Mama said i was a really bad boy
Sis is crying 'cause I've broken her toys
Papa's shouting that i really gotta go
But where I'm going i just don't know
In her eyes
The sun is beginning to rise
In her eyes
I feel myself coming alive
In her eyes
The blood is begining to flow
In her eyes
I know that i'm ready to go
I'm runing but I don't know where
I'm trying but i really don't care
Papa told me that i better watch out
But Papa doesn't know what he's talking about
Mama said I was a really bad boy
Sis is crying 'cause I've broken her toys
Papa's shouting that i really gotta go
But where I'm going i just don't know
The lyrics of NoMeansNo’s song “In Her Eyes” express the singer's desire for release and the breakdown of societal expectations. The opening lines reveal the singer’s friends’ concern about his behavior, which they deem foolish. However, the singer discredits his friend's opinions by claiming they do not fully understand his desires.
The song portrays the singer's reckless and impulsive behavior as he breaks his sister's toys, but he feels no sense of remorse. The singer's mother accuses him of being a bad child, which indicates that he has a history of disobeying authority figures. Despite this, the singer repeats the phrase, “But where I’m going, I just don’t know,” several times, indicating that he is lost and has no clear direction in life.
The titular phrase “In her eyes” serves as a unifying thread throughout the song, presenting the person the singer is thinking about as a source of freedom and vitality. The singer seems to have found someone who understands and accepts him, causing him to finally come alive. In the final lines of the song, the singer admits he doesn't know his destination, but he’s ready to go with the blood flowing in his lover's eyes.
Line by Line Meaning
Friends say that i better be cool
My friends warn me to compose myself
They say I'm playing the fool
They think that I'm acting senselessly
But they don't know what they're talking about
However, they don't have enough knowledge about it
I've got to cum, I've got to scream and shout
I feel the necessity to express myself in an explosive way
Mama said i was a really bad boy
My mother always told me that I am an ill-mannered child
Sis is crying 'cause I've broken her toys
My sister is sobbing because I have demolished her belongings
Papa's shouting that i really gotta go
My father is yelling at me that I need to leave soon
But where I'm going i just don't know
Unfortunately, I don't have any idea where I am headed
In her eyes
When I observe the symbol of her affection
The sun is beginning to rise
I can see the daylight approaching slowly
I feel myself coming alive
I feel rejuvenated as if my life is starting afresh
The blood is begining to flow
My blood is rushing through my veins at a high speed
I know that i'm ready to go
I'm confident that I'm all set to take on anything that comes my way
I'm runing but I don't know where
I'm sprinting as fast as possible, but I'm unsure of my destination
I'm trying but i really don't care
I'm endeavoring to do something, but I'm not concerned about how it turns out
Papa told me that i better watch out
Father advised me to keep an eye out and be cautious
But Papa doesn't know what he's talking about
But he's clueless as to the real cause of my behavior
Mama said I was a really bad boy
Mom thought that I was a poorly behaved child
Sis is crying 'cause I've broken her toys
My sister is upset because of the things I damaged
Papa's shouting that i really gotta go
Dad is yelling that I have to leave now
But where I'm going i just don't know
Unfortunately, I am unaware of my destination
Contributed by Oliver T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kaleb Banman
If I had one wish I would be to see a nomeansno concert. They are my favorite band and it sucks that they are not very well known. Like this song is awesome and if I ask someone if they know this song, bot one person said they do except my family.
Ash Galla
Wonderful song and wonderful lyrics!
Johnny Dangerously
Fantastic song!
Erg_Samowzbudny
NOMEANSNO wymiata !!! Koniec !!!
JasperDoggydude
god dammit i love this song