The original line-up was Miles Hunt (whose uncle Bill Hunt was keyboard player with Wizzard), Malcolm Treece, Rob "The Bass Thing" Jones (d. 1993) and Martin Gilks (d. 2006). The group originated from an earlier collaboration with group members of Pop Will Eat Itself (aka PWEI), called From Eden, which had Miles Hunt on the drums.
In 1990, Martin Bell (aka, Fiddlie), an accomplished fiddle and banjo instrumentalist, joined the band and Paul Clifford replaced Rob Jones on the bass after Jones left the band.
The band initially split on July 14, 1994 at the Phoenix Festival near Stratford-on-Avon, with Miles Hunt forming Vent 414 and Malc Treece, Martin Gilks and Paul Clifford teaming up with ex-Eat frontman, Ange Dolittle, to form We Know Where You Live.
Following the split of Vent 414, Miles Hunt took to touring an acoustic solo show performing old favourites and new material. During this period, he toured and released an album under banner of The Miles Hunt Club, featuring Stuart Quinnel and Andres Karu (who would later featuring in subsequent line-ups of The Wonder Stuff) as well as Michael Ferentino fom the Amazing Meet Project.
The band later reformed for a few live tours from 2000 onwards including a sell out 5 night residency at The Forum, London. For this incarnation, Stuart Quinnel took over on bass from Paul Clifford.
Their first new album for over a decade, Escape From Rubbish Island, was released in September 2004. The line-up for this album was Hunt and Treece plus Andres Karu and Mark McCarthy (formally of Radical Dance Faction).
This line-up (plus Erica Nockalls on violin) continued into 2006 with the release of their new album Suspended By Stars.
Scheduled for 2011 is a tour supporting The Levellers for which the line up has changed again, with Andres Karu being replaced on drums by ex-Pop Will Eat Itself member Fuzz Townshend.
Play
The Wonder Stuff Lyrics
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I didn't think that's what they'd say.
No, I never wanna hear that again.
I used to have paper and pen,
I'd write it down time and again,
and I'm never gonna do that again.
All those thigns I said,
I only said them in jest,
I said all of those things to you,
and now there's very little left,
and I'm never gonna do that again.
Rain, I hate getting caught in the rain,
I hope it doesn't happen again,
No, I never wanna get caught again.
I used to think drinking brought shame,
but a bottle of wine I would drain,
yeah, I bet I'm gonna do that again.
The Wonder Stuff's song "Play" is an introspective reflection on the singer's choices and the consequences that they bring. The opening line, "Play, I only ever saw it as play," suggests that the singer views life as a game to be played without serious consequences. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer's actions and words have had a serious impact. The line "No, I never wanna hear that again" suggests that the singer has been reprimanded or scolded for something they did or said.
The next stanza shows the singer's regret over their past actions. They used to write down everything they wanted to say, but now they realize that those words were not only meaningless but also hurtful. "All those things I said, I only said them in jest, (my God what a mess)" reveals the singer's realization that their words had unintended effects. They said things they didn't truly mean, and now they're left with very little in the relationship.
In the final verse, the singer expresses their aversion to being caught unaware and vulnerable - which they compare to being caught in the rain. The line "I used to think drinking brought shame, but a bottle of wine I would drain" illustrates this vulnerability, as drinking can be seen as a way to escape reality and let down one's guard. The final line of the song, "yeah, I bet I'm gonna do that again," shows that despite the singer's regrets and desires to change, they are resigned to repeating the same mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
Play, I only ever saw it as play,
I used to see life as a game or a trivial matter.
I didn't think that's what they'd say.
I didn't expect others to take life less seriously.
No, I never wanna hear that again.
I don't ever want to hear others treat life as a game again.
I used to have paper and pen,
I used to be a writer or a person who wrote down my thoughts.
I'd write it down time and again,
I frequently recorded my thoughts or ideas.
and I'm never gonna do that again.
I don't want to write or record my thoughts anymore.
All those things I said,
All those words I spoke.
I only said them in jest,
I only spoke those words as a joke or in a non-serious tone.
(my God what a mess),
(What a disaster!)
I said all of those things to you,
I said all those words to you.
and now there's very little left,
Now, our relationship isn't the same as it used to be.
and I'm never gonna do that again.
I won't joke or say things in a non-serious tone to you anymore.
Rain, I hate getting caught in the rain,
I hate being in the rain without protection.
I hope it doesn't happen again,
I hope I don't get caught in the rain again.
No, I never wanna get caught again.
I don't want to get caught in the rain again.
I used to think drinking brought shame,
I used to believe that drinking was dishonorable.
but a bottle of wine I would drain,
However, I would still drink a bottle of wine.
yeah, I bet I'm gonna do that again.
Yes, I'll definitely drink a bottle of wine again.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MALCOLM ROY TREECE, MARTIN RICHARD GILKS, MILES STEPHEN HUNT, ROBERT JONES, MARTIN BELL, PAUL CLIFFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind