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.
Lonely
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You tell me I should not be
All by myself, that's good advice
I'll hum a tune and break the ice
'cause I'm lonely
Everyone looks good to me
But I'm afraid that I can see
That good intent and honesty
When all is said and all is done
You either know or down you go
Into the pit of shallow wit
With all the other hypocrites
You're not bad, you're not good
You're a solid block of wood
You have eyes but cannot see
Why I despise your company
I am lonely
People come, people go
They put on their little shows
See them laugh, see them cry
See them live their little lies
I'm alone with you
And I'm lying too
I'm alone with you
And you're lying too
Oh, we are all liars
And that's all that's true
I'm alone with you
I'm alone with you
I'm lonely
Lonely
Lonely
Just a lonely guy. Yup, that's me...
The lyrics to NoMeansNo's "Lonely" convey a sense of isolation and disillusionment with the people around the singer. The song starts with someone advising the singer that they shouldn't be alone, but the singer responds that they are lonely anyway. The singer describes how they see everyone as good, but they can also see through the facade of good intentions and honesty to the truth that some people are stupid and shallow. The singer is completely alone and doesn't feel any real connection to anyone else.
The song then takes a turn towards more self-reflection as the singer admits to lying and being just like everyone else, therefore understanding that he's by himself because everyone else is just putting on an act too. It seems that the song's ultimate message is that everyone is lonely because no one is being their real selves, which is a sad commentary on human nature.
Line by Line Meaning
You tell me I should not be
You advise that it's not good for me to be alone
All by myself, that's good advice
It is indeed useful advice
I'll hum a tune and break the ice
I'll try to start a conversation with a song
'cause I'm lonely
Because I feel alone
Everyone looks good to me
I do not discriminate when I have to relate
But I'm afraid that I can see
However, I'm still able to tell
That good intent and honesty
That just because they act sincere
Do not redeem stupidity
It doesn't mean what they do isn't ignorant
When all is said and all is done
At the end of the day
You either know or down you go
You either understand or get left behind
Into the pit of shallow wit
You descend towards a place of superficiality
With all the other hypocrites
Joining the rest of the deceiving people
You're not bad, you're not good
You're just average
You're a solid block of wood
You are not an interesting person
You have eyes but cannot see
You are not able to understand what's true
Why I despise your company
Why I dislike spending time with you
I am lonely
I am feeling alone
People come, people go
People are always coming and going
They put on their little shows
They pretend to be someone they're not
See them laugh, see them cry
I am able to see their different emotions
See them live their little lies
But I can also see through their fake personas
I'm alone with you
Even though I am with you
And I'm lying too
I am also pretending
Oh, we are all liars
Everyone is deceiving at some point
And that's all that's true
This is the only thing that is certain
I'm alone with you
Despite being with you
I'm alone with you
I can still feel lonely
I'm lonely
I am feeling alone
Lonely
Alone
Lonely
Alone
Just a lonely guy. Yup, that's me...
I'm just a guy who feels alone
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Shelby Pawn
You tell me I should not be
All by myself, that's good advice
I'll hum a tune and break the ice
'Cos I'm lonely
Everyone looks good to me
But I'm afraid that I can see
That good intent and honesty
Do not redeem stupidity
When all is said and all is done
You either know or down you go
Into the pit of shallow wit
With all the other hypocrites
You're not bad, you're not good
You're a solid block of wood
You have eyes but cannot see
Why I despise your company
I am lonely
People come, people go
They put on their little shows
See them laugh, see them cry
See them live their little lies
I'm alone with you
And I'm lying too
I'm alone with you
And you're lying too
Oh, we are all liars
And that's all that's true
I'm alone with you
I'm alone with you
I'm lonely
Lonely
Lonely
Just a lonely guy. Yup, that's me...
SoBayK80
This song has helped make my adult life much less lonely. I love NMN, forever Amen.
Jaap Deruyter
just a lonely guy, look, that's me...
catwalkblackout
"Down you go... into the pit... with all the other hippie-crites"...