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.
Self Pity
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody loves me. Like I do
Self pity
I can't do anything. What can I
Do? I can't do anything. What
Can I do?
Self pity
I'm touching myself. But it disgusts me
I'm touching myself. But it disgusts me
Self pity
I'm sleeping late. I'm cutting classes
I'm cutting classes. I'm sleeping late
Self pity
Try to help me. I won't help you
Try to help me. I won't help you
Self pity
Come on an'give me my drugs, give me my drugs...
GIVE ME MY DRUGS
Self pity, self love, self.
NoMeansNo's song "Self Pity" deals with the theme of self-loathing and despair. The song starts with a repetition of the lyrics, "Nobody knows me. Like I do. Nobody loves me. Like I do." These lines are expressive of the idea that the singer feels alone and that no one understands him as well as he understands himself. The repetition of these lines emphasizes the sense of isolation and loneliness.
The next few lines, "I can't do anything. What can I do? I can't do anything. What can I do?", show the singer's frustration and lack of motivation. He feels unable to do anything to help himself, and this sense of helplessness feeds his self-pity. The following two lines, "I'm touching myself. But it disgusts me. I'm touching myself. But it disgusts me," illustrate the singer's self-disgust.
The next set of lines, "I'm sleeping late. I'm cutting classes. I'm cutting classes. I'm sleeping late," suggests that the singer is neglecting himself and his responsibilities and is retreating into a state of self-pity, which is further emphasized in the following two lines, "Try to help me. I won't help you. Try to help me. I won't help you."
The last line of the song, "Self pity, self-love, self," summarizes the overall theme of the song, which is the idea that self-pity is ultimately a form of self-love, albeit a negative one. It is a paradoxical feeling where one indulges in the pain because it makes them feel important, but also hates themselves for being so weak.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody lows me. Like I do
Self-pity. I believe no one can understand me or love me the way I do.
I can't do anything. What can I
Do? I can't do anything. What
Can I do?
Self-pity. I feel helpless and don't know what to do to improve my situation.
I'm touching myself. But it disgusts me
Self-pity. I engage in self-love, but it makes me feel disgusted with myself.
I'm sleeping late. I'm cutting classes
Self-pity. I am avoiding my responsibilities and wasting my time.
Try to help me. I won't help you
Self-pity. I refuse help from others and do not reciprocate.
Come on an'give me my drugs, give me my drugs...
GIVE ME MY DRUGS
Self-pity, addiction. I turn to drugs to numb my pain and cope with my problems.
Self pity, self love, self.
Final line of chorus, emphasizing how the song is about the singer's self-absorption and self-pity.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: BRENDAN HILL, CHAN KINCHLA, JOHN C. POPPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind