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.
Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's been said before but I'll repeat it
Don't you feel like you've been cheated?
It's been shoved down your throats, you eat it
They say it's true, you believe it
Chorus:
Small parts isolated and destroyed
See the big boys play with their toys
Trust you
There's one thing that I have learned
All God's children will get burned
And if it comes down to me or you
Who do you think I will choose?
What's the deal? 50% of the door?
Well, then, come on in, come on in for more
What's that you say, we get a guarantee?
Then fuck right off, you mean nothing to me
Isn't this a sweet romance
So why don't you get off your ass and dance?
"What about me? What about me?
Can I get in for free? Can I get in for free?
You know me, you remember be
Can I get in for free? Can I get in for free?"
Come on in! Come on in for free!
Don't mind the heat, don't mind the smoke
All that screaming? It's just a joke
All that screaming? Nah, it's just a joke
Come on in! Come on in for free!
Come on in! It's on me!
The joke's on me
I'm tired of being close and feeling abused
And all those deep discussions make me wanna puke
And you're all going to see a lot less of me
I'm not the comrade that you hoped I'd be
Chorus
Everybody's in the groove
Filling the dance floor, two by two
(Hey boy, I might want to fuck you)
(Hey girl, I might want to fuck you too)
There's liquor on your breath and magic in the air
Now we're really going to get somewhere
This is for all you girls and boys
Small parts isolated and destroyed
It's too late baby
It's too late man
Oh baby, oh baby
You've been beaten up insode
You've been beaten up inside
That's the high point of your life
That's the high point of your life
I was beaten but I died
(Or is that just another lie?)
It's been said before but I'll repeat it
Don't you feel like you've been cheated?
It's been shoved down your throats, you eat it
They say it's true, you believe it
Small parts isolated and destroyed
I'd rather die than be a toy
There is one thing I will never do
Trust you
"NoMeansNo's" song Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed is a commentary on the ways in which individuals are used, manipulated, and ultimately destroyed by those in power. The lyrics speak to the idea that individuals, especially those who are marginalized or oppressed, are often treated as expendable and disposable by those in charge. The song suggests that people need to be aware of the ways in which they are being manipulated and manipulated, and that they need to stand up for themselves and refuse to be treated as objects.
The song's chorus, "Small parts isolated and destroyed, See the big boys play with their toys," highlights the idea that those in power use people as tools, breaking them down into smaller, isolated parts for their own purposes. The verses suggest that people are often complicit in their own oppression, blindly accepting the narrative they are given without questioning it. The line, "They say it's true, you believe it," illustrates this point.
The song also touches on the idea of personal responsibility in the face of systemic oppression. The lyrics suggest that individuals must make difficult choices about who to trust, and that they must be willing to fight for their own survival. Ultimately, the song is a call to action, urging listeners to take control of their lives and resist the forces that seek to destroy them.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been said before but I'll repeat it
I'm going to say something that's been said before
Don't you feel like you've been cheated?
Do you feel like you've been taken advantage of?
It's been shoved down your throats, you eat it
You've been fed something repeatedly until you believe it
They say it's true, you believe it
You accept what's said as true without questioning it
Small parts isolated and destroyed
People are broken down and destroyed through the manipulation of their vulnerabilities
See the big boys play with their toys
Powerful people use their power to control and exploit others
There is one thing I will never do
I have a strong sense of my own values and will not compromise them
Trust you
I don't trust you to act in my best interests
All God's children will get burned
Everyone will experience pain and hardship in life
And if it comes down to me or you
If forced to make a choice that harms one of us
Who do you think I will choose?
I will choose myself over you
What's the deal? 50% of the door?
What is the cost of entry?
Well, then, come on in, come on in for more
If that's all it takes, you're welcome to come in and exploit me further
What's that you say, we get a guarantee?
What assurance do we have?
Then fuck right off, you mean nothing to me
I don't trust you and don't want anything to do with you
Isn't this a sweet romance
Isn't this a pleasant relationship
So why don't you get off your ass and dance?
Why don't you take action and enjoy yourself?
"What about me? What about me?
What about me?
Can I get in for free? Can I get in for free?
Can I get what I want without any cost or effort?
You know me, you remember be
You should know me and remember me
Come on in! Come on in for free!
You're welcome to exploit me as long as you don't have to pay for it
Don't mind the heat, don't mind the smoke
Don't worry about the danger and risk involved
All that screaming? It's just a joke
The expression of pain and fear is disregarded as trivial
Everybody's in the groove
Everyone is having fun
Filling the dance floor, two by two
People are pairing up and dancing
(Hey boy, I might want to fuck you)
Expressing a sexual desire for someone
(Hey girl, I might want to fuck you too)
Expressing a sexual desire for someone
There's liquor on your breath and magic in the air
People are drinking and having fun
Now we're really going to get somewhere
Things are really going to get exciting now
This is for all you girls and boys
This song is for everyone
I'd rather die than be a toy
I'd rather die than be dominated or controlled
It's too late baby
It's too late to change things
It's too late man
It's too late to change things
Oh baby, oh baby
Expressing frustration or regret
You've been beaten up insode
You've been emotionally wounded
That's the high point of your life
Your life has reached its peak and is now declining
I was beaten but I died
I've been through difficult times, but I'm still standing
(Or is that just another lie?)
Or is what I'm saying not true?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Magnoliasoulja1
Seriously one of the best albums ever, by one of the greatest bands of all time. NoMeansNo doesn't get anywhere NEAR the credit they deserve.
KOBKED-X
+Magnoliasoulja1 Except by those that matter, the real humans who have been listening to them since they started :)
Constantly-Confused
I'm not THAT old... but have been listening to NMN since 2001 when I bought a copy of "Why do they call me Mr. Happy?"
Eklektik40
Seriously, I do prefer Mama, Wrong and Sex Mad.
To each its own.
Eklektik40
As a matter of fact... after listening to it another time, I find this album as one of their dull album.
Pine Tree
Eklektik40
That's what I heard a crow say
But who cares what a crow say anyway
'Specially 'bout, 'specially 'bout
Something so strictly personal
Slow Neutron
Probably the most raw talent in a punk band I've ever heard. Someone said it's like if Rush were a hardcore gig. I tend to agree. I love their entire anthology, but Small Parts is a very, VERY special album.
Terry Lachance
On Par with Rush 100%
Michał
Mars Volta was the best follower!
lonewizzard
Pure genius, pure musicianship, Nomeansno is easily a timeless band.