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.
The Day Everything Became Nothing
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The day everything became nothing, I was standing underneath a
Streetlight, wishing I had a cigarette. I can't recall anything
Unusual about it. If there was something in the air, if the skies had
Clouded over, I wasn't aware, I was too bored to care. No thunder
Roared. No lightning cracked. No missiles rained from the sky. This
Was no sneak attack. There was just suddenly this awful lack. Things
Had changed, that's for sure.
What had gone wrong. The alleys were still dirty; the garbage still
Smelled; there was no panic in the streets; just a lot of grief--in
People's faces, in their eyes--a mixture of horror and total surprise.
This was no apocalypse. No one heard a voice from the sky, there were
No miracles at the 7-Eleven, no one screamed, no one even asked why.
It was just like everything had somehow, quietly died. So let it die!
I can't recall much of what happened next. I was on my way to visit
This woman I knew. All we had in common was good sex, and now I
Couldn't even remember her address. A group of us, just strangers,
Got together and we formed a committee to discuss the problem. We
Talked about things like assured mutual destruction and emotional
Responsibility. I couldn't remember my name, so I called myself Bob.
It's weird being a Bob, but I'll get used to it. I have to.
The song "The Day Everything Became Nothing" by NoMeansNo is a reflection on the end of the world. The lyrics describe a day when something inexplicable happens, causing everything to suddenly become nothing. The singer of the song is standing under a streetlight, wishing for a cigarette, when this event occurs. He describes how there was nothing unusual in the air and no visible signs of destruction, just an overwhelming feeling of something missing. As the shock sets in, he encounters a woman he previously knew but cannot recall where she lives. They meet with others to discuss the situation and its implications, talking about concepts such as assured mutual destruction and emotional responsibility.
The song seems to be making a statement on the fragility of the world and how easily everything can disappear in an instant. The lack of explanation for the event and the absence of any discernible reason for its occurrence emphasizes the suddenness and unpredictability of destruction. The singer's casual indifference towards the end of the world and the people he encounters, including himself, further underscores the bleakness of the situation. This song is an introspective piece on how insignificant and fleeting human existence can be.
Line by Line Meaning
The day everything became nothing, I was standing underneath a streetlight, wishing I had a cigarette.
On the day when all hope was lost, I was aimlessly standing under a streetlight, craving a cigarette to numb the pain.
I can't recall anything unusual about it.
I don't remember anything remarkable or peculiar happened that day.
If there was something in the air, if the skies had clouded over, I wasn't aware, I was too bored to care.
Even though something seemed slightly off or there was a sign of a disaster, I was so bored and disinterested that I didn't notice the warning signs.
No thunder roared. No lightning cracked. No missiles rained from the sky. This was no sneak attack.
Although there was no indication of a sudden attack or natural disaster, everything fell apart and changed in a moment.
There was just suddenly this awful lack. Things had changed, that's for sure.
Without any warning, an immense emptiness fill everything, and change was inevitable.
The day everything became nothing, you couldn't put your finger on what had gone wrong.
On the day of the great loss, it was impossible to identify what caused it.
The alleys were still dirty; the garbage still smelled; there was no panic in the streets; just a lot of grief--in people's faces, in their eyes--a mixture of horror and total surprise.
Although everything seemed reasonable on the surface, grief and despair were lingering on every face and in every soul.
This was no apocalypse. No one heard a voice from the sky, there were no miracles at the 7-Eleven, no one screamed, no one even asked why.
This destruction was not a sign of an end of the world, and no miracles would happen to save us; everyone had resigned to their fate.
It was just like everything had somehow, quietly died. So let it die!
It felt as if everything had died without a fight, and there was no use trying to revive what was lost.
I can't recall much of what happened next. I was on my way to visit this woman I knew.
My memories of the following events are vague; I was heading towards a woman who only shared sexual relations with me.
All we had in common was good sex, and now I couldn't even remember her address.
Our only shared connection was physical intimacy, and even that was not enough for me to recall her address.
A group of us, just strangers, got together and we formed a committee to discuss the problem.
I met up with an unfamiliar crowd, and we made a group to talk about how to deal with the situation.
We talked about things like assured mutual destruction and emotional responsibility.
We had a discussion about mutual destruction and the responsibility that comes with emotions.
I couldn't remember my name, so I called myself Bob.
I could not piece together my identity, so I settled with the name Bob.
It's weird being a Bob, but I'll get used to it. I have to.
Adjusting to a new name and life felt unusual, but it was a necessary adaptation.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@FUQYT
The only band I know who are as good if not better live. Musical proficiency 101.
@JohnStewart-bk6uz
It's crazy how good they are live...
@OneManArmy1973
@@JohnStewart-bk6uz First time I saw them was in 1988, they played a perfect set, sounded exactly like on their albums. Awesome.
@indierockauthority8395
I used to listen to this when I first started dropping acid in Junior High; early nineties
@budakriss
"A mixture of horror and total surprise!" Genius!
@propagandalfx1976
I'm pretty sure that Day is imminent
@louisrodriguez1694
bad ass, been shaking my ass to this since...the 80's?
@Pcofwork
Louis Rodriguez. mama came out in 77 or 78
@Pcofwork
@Kiss-Horváth Ferenc I know. I have had an original copy of Mama in the past.
@kobked-x
@@Pcofwork in 1982, I saw em in 84 in a basement gig called The Rats Nest in their and my home town, I was 14, it was incredible.