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.
Unfaithful
The Wonder Stuff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She left me three times or more
But no, she didn't leave me at all
It's harder to smile when you've lied to a friend
But no, it's not hard at all
[Chorus]
So it's back to the house and the wife and the kids
But no, no it doesn't show
It was lucky I brought my disguise
Well if things never change I'll be back there again
I dare say there's some good in the bad
Deceit is a friend I've embraced him with ease
I missed out some of the chances I've had
[Chorus]
The lyrics to the song Unfaithful by The Wonder Stuff tell a story of a man who has been repeatedly left by his partner. He repeats the line “She left me once, she left me twice, she left me three times or more” emphasizing the idea that she has left him many times before. But at the same time, he claims that she didn’t leave him at all. This suggests that the man has been unfaithful to his partner and is the reason why his partner is leaving him. He finds it hard to smile when he’s been lying to his friend about his escapades, but at the same time, he acknowledges that it’s not hard to do so.
The chorus of the song highlights the man’s desire to return to his home with his wife and kids, at the same time, he wants his partner to realize that he’s not leaving them for her. He’s glad that he brought his disguise with him, which suggests that he’s been cheating on his partner, and the disguise helps him hide his infidelity. The man then reflects that if things never change, he’ll be back where he started. He acknowledges that deceit has become his friend and that he has missed out on chances while he was with his partner.
Line by Line Meaning
She left me once, she left me twice
I have been abandoned by my beloved twice.
She left me three times or more
My partner has left me on three or more occasions.
But no, she didn't leave me at all
Despite her physical presence, she is emotionally unavailable and has already left the relationship.
It's harder to smile when you've lied to a friend
It's difficult to pretend to be happy when you have deceived someone you care about.
But no, it's not hard at all
It's actually quite easy to hide your emotions and put on a facade.
So it's back to the house and the wife and the kids
I am returning to my family and my domestic life.
It's high time that she realised
It's about time my partner understands the consequences of repeatedly leaving me.
But no, no it doesn't show
Despite my inner turmoil, I don't show my emotions outwardly.
It was lucky I brought my disguise
I'm glad I had a mask or persona to hide behind to make it easier to conceal my true feelings.
Well if things never change I'll be back there again
If nothing changes, I'll be going back to my old patterns and habits.
I dare say there's some good in the bad
I believe there's a silver lining to every bad situation.
Deceit is a friend I've embraced him with ease
Lying has become a habit I've accepted and even become comfortable with.
I missed out some of the chances I've had
I regret not taking advantage of some opportunities that came my way and now I'm stuck in an unfulfilling relationship.
It's back to the house and the wife and the kids
The chorus repeats to emphasize returning to one's home life and responsibilities.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MALCOLM ROY TREECE, MARTIN RICHARD GILKS, MILES STEPHEN HUNT, ROBERT JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind