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.
When Putting It All in Order Ain't Enough
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You stop like you're frozen and ask yourself how
When all those tomorrows get crammed into now
You stop like you're frozen and ask yourself how
When putting it all in order ain't enough
The tough gets going and the going gets tough
And the things that you thought ain't what it ought
When you're laid on the line your dreams will stop
They've drawn you in and they've strung you up
When you're laid on the line your dreams will stop
They've drawn you in and they've strung you up
When putting it all in order ain't enough
The tough gets going and the going gets tough
And the things that you thought ain't what it ought
When the who hits the what and you've run out of luck
You do what you can but you're
When the who hits the what and you've run out of luck
You do what you can but you're
All
I a word
Stuck
Fuck
The lyrics to NoMeansNo's song "When Putting It All in Order Ain't Enough" are a reflection on the overwhelming feeling of being stuck in the present moment, when all the pressures and expectations of the future have suddenly converged into the present. The repetition of the phrase "When all those tomorrows get crammed into now" emphasizes the suffocating weight of these expectations. The line "When putting it all in order ain't enough" acknowledges the futility of trying to organize one's life when everything seems to be spiraling out of control. The song argues that in these moments, we must summon our inner strength ("The tough gets going and the going gets tough") and accept that things may not turn out the way we want them to ("And the things that you thought ain't what it ought").
The song also touches on the theme of being trapped or immobilized, both physically and mentally. The lines "When you're laid on the line your dreams will stop / They've drawn you in and they've strung you up" suggest that external pressures have cornered the singer and prevented them from pursuing their goals. The final line, "You do what you can but you're stuck," reinforces this feeling of being trapped and powerless.
Overall, "When Putting It All in Order Ain't Enough" is a powerful commentary on the overwhelming pressures of modern life and the need to persevere in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
When all those tomorrows get crammed into now
The pressure of a multitude of tasks that were supposed to happen in the future suddenly appears in the present.
You stop like you're frozen and ask yourself how
The sudden pressure causes one to stop and become overwhelmed, not knowing how to proceed.
When putting it all in order ain't enough
Efforts to organize or structure the situation do not adequately address the magnitude of the problem.
The tough gets going and the going gets tough
In difficult situations, those who are strong and persistent will persevere despite the obstacles.
And the things that you thought ain't what it ought
Things may not turn out the way they were expected or hoped for.
When you're laid on the line your dreams will stop
When confronted with a serious challenge, one may need to abandon previously held hopes and aspirations.
They've drawn you in and they've strung you up
The situation has trapped and ensnared you.
When the who hits the what and you've run out of luck
When things go wrong due to circumstances beyond one's control, and there is no more room for good fortune.
You do what you can but you're
Despite being out of options, one keeps striving to find a way forward.
All
A word indicating total or complete lack of options.
I a word
A deliberate misspelling of the word 'in', as an indication of distress or frustration.
Stuck
Unable to proceed any further, and seemingly trapped in the current situation.
Fuck
An exclamation indicating extreme frustration or despair, and a recognition of the seriousness of the situation.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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