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 End Of All Things
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am here
Fear
Bound in fear
We are here
I see here
Nothing
All is clear
Fear
All that's here
Pain and fear
I see here
Nothing
Hear the angels sing
This is the end of all things
All is clear
Nothing's here
Fear
What is fear?
Nothing's here
I see here
Nothing
Hear the angels sing
This is the end of all things
The lyrics to NoMeansNo's song "The End Of All Things" appear to center around the theme of fear and the end of the world. The opening lines 'You are here, I am here, fear, bound in fear, we are here' create an uneasy atmosphere that sets the tone for the rest of the song. The repetition of the line 'I see here, nothing, all is clear, crystal clear' only adds to the sense of emptiness and desolation that permeates the song.
The lyrics then take an apocalyptic turn with the line 'hear the angels sing, this is the end of all things'. This suggests that the world is coming to an end and that there is no hope left. The final lines 'what is fear? Nothing's here, I see here, nothing, hear the angels sing, this is the end of all things' further reinforce the idea that fear is pointless when faced with the ultimate end of everything.
Overall, the lyrics to "The End Of All Things" paint a bleak and despairing picture of the end of the world and the futility of fear in the face of inevitable destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
You are here
You exist in this reality
I am here
I also exist in this reality
Fear
Anxiety or distress is present
Bound in fear
Being constrained by anxiety or distress
We are here
Both of us exist in this reality
I see here
Observing my surroundings
Nothing
Lack of anything meaningful
All is clear
Understanding the current situation
Crystal clear
Very clear and apparent
Fear
Anxiety or distress is present
All that's here
Only things currently present
Pain and fear
Both distress and physical suffering
I see here
Observing my surroundings
Nothing
Lack of anything meaningful
Hear the angels sing
Metaphorical language for the inevitable conclusion
This is the end of all things
An acceptance of an irreversible conclusion
All is clear
Understanding the current situation
Nothing's here
Lack of anything meaningful
Fear
Anxiety or distress is present
What is fear?
Questioning the nature of anxiety or distress
Nothing's here
Lack of anything meaningful
I see here
Observing my surroundings
Nothing
Lack of anything meaningful
Hear the angels sing
Metaphorical language for the inevitable conclusion
This is the end of all things
An acceptance of an irreversible conclusion
Lyrics © ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vaughn Brown
These guys are incredible. I used to see them in Seattle in the early 90s and they were so tight, so furious and have been my all time favorite hard-core band right behind Bad Brains since I first heard them.
Excidium J
Man if I had developed taste like 2 years earlier I could've seen them live.
PruunJope
thanks for sharing, this one is my childhood's favourites. still fresh.
Todd Laskowski
Such a great band!! Thank you for sharing!
SENIZALEM
Pozdro dla wszystkich którzy słyszeli ich w Proximie pare lat temu wiem ze grali wczesniej w Polsce ale akurat na ten mogłem pójść,naprawde jakbym swojego starego widzial na scenie ale co za moc pierwszy numer garli spokojnie ze 20 minut Lol x Lol x Lol
oddvids
This is about as close to a perfect hardcore punk song as I may ever hear. Varied instrumentation, an interesting song structure and harmonic progression, and just boundless energy. The lyrics are a simple apocalyptic chant, but they are complemented beautifully by the music. Wrong is Nomeansno's best album by leaps and bounds, but this is the real centerpiece of the record, incorporating everything great about the band into one easy package. Most punk bands wish they could write a song this good.
Dr Lee Percussion
Its nice they added the female singer, she really makes it kick as well!
chemichael teale
one of the greatest bands ever????
Tomasz Karlowicz
Thee best performing band on this planet.
kiwidubz
that bass is terrifying