Wall of Voodoo was a New Wave/Alternative rock group from Los Angeles, Cali… Read Full Bio ↴Wall of Voodoo was a New Wave/Alternative rock group from Los Angeles, California, United States best known for the 1983 hit "Mexican Radio". The band's best known lineup consists of Stan Ridgway (vocals, keyboards), Marc Moreland (guitar), Chas Gray (bass, vocals) and Joe Nanini (drums). The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based New Wave music with the spaghetti western soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone.

Wall of Voodoo had its roots in Acme Soundtracks, a film score business started by Stan Ridgway, later the vocalist and synth player for Wall of Voodoo. Acme Soundtracks office was across the street from the Hollywood punk club The Masque and Ridgway was soon drawn into the emerging punk/new wave scene. Marc Moreland, guitarist for The Skulls began jamming with Ridgway at the Acme Soundtracks office and the soundtrack company morphed into a New Wave band. In 1977, with the addition of Skulls members Bruce Moreland (Marc's brother) as bassist and Chas Gray as keyboardist, along with Joe Nanini, who had been the drummer for Black Randy and the Metrosquad, the first lineup of Wall of Voodoo was born.

Wall of Voodoo released a self-titled EP in 1980 which featured a unique, synthesizer-driven cover of the Johnny Cash song, "Ring of Fire". The band's first full-length album, Dark Continent followed in 1981. Bruce Moreland left the band for the first time soon after this, and Chas Gray performed on both bass and keyboard during this time. The band recorded their biggest-selling album, Call of the West in 1982. The track "Mexican Radio" was their only Top 100 hit and the video for the song got a great deal of exposure on the newly-formed MTV. Bill Noland was added as a keyboardist soon after the release of this album.

Stan Ridgway claims that the situation around the band was increasingly chaotic at the time, with a great deal of drug use and out-of-control behavior on the part of the band members, as well as shady behavior by the band's management and record label. Wall of Voodoo appeared at the second US Festival on May 28, 1983 (the largest concert the band had performed), immediately after which Ridgway, Nanini, and Noland all left the band. Stan Ridgway soon went on to a successful solo career, appearing as guest vocalist on a track on the Rumble Fish score and releasing his first solo album in 1986. Joe Nanini soon resurfaced in the country rock band Lonesome Strangers. Joe Nanini passed away in 2000.

The remainder of the band, Marc Moreland, Chas Gray, and a returning Bruce Moreland carried on under the name Wall of Voodoo. Soon after, Andy Prieboy, formerly of the San Francisco New Wave band Eye Protection, joined as singer and Ned Lukhardt was added as drummer. The band continued to record and perform under this lineup until 1988, though their sound was very different from the style of music they played in the earlier Stan Ridgway-fronted lineup. During this period, the entire membership of Wall of Voodoo (with the exception of Andy Prieboy) were also members of Nervous Gender, a lineup that was nicknamed "Wall of Gender". In 1988, Wall of Voodoo split up.

Andy Prieboy went on to a solo career. Marc Moreland formed Pretty and Twisted with Johnette Napolitano and Danny Montgomery from Concrete Blonde and later formed Department of Crooks. Marc Moreland passed away in 2002, a posthumous solo album was issued later as the Marc Moreland Mess.

Their influence has reached an interesting and eclectic range of artists, for example Swiss Death/Thrash Metal Band Celtic Frost covered "Mexican Radio" on their album "Into the Pandemonium"

Ring of Fire
Wall of Voodoo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Love
Is a burnin' thing
And it makes
A fiery ring
I was bound by
Wild desire
I fell into a
Ring of fire

Chorus:
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I fell down, down, down, and the flames got higher
And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire
The ring of fire
The ring of fire

The taste
Of love is sweet
When hearts
Like ours meet
I fell for ya
Like a child
Oh
But the fire went wild

Chorus:
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I fell down, down, down, and the flames got higher
And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
Yes––it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire

The ring of fire
The ring of fire

Overall Meaning

The song "Ring of Fire" by Wall of Voodoo is a beautiful and symbolic ode to the true essence of passionate love. The song begins with the singer describing love as a "burning thing." This is a clever metaphor for the fiery intensity of love and desire that can easily consume those in its path. As they fall deeper into this powerful passion, the singer finds themselves trapped in a "ring of fire," completely engulfed by the all-consuming flames of their love.

The chorus serves as a powerful repetition of the singer's feelings, as they repeatedly fall down and are consumed by the flames of their love. The passion is so intense, so all-encompassing, that the fire burns higher and higher, symbolizing the uncontrollable and unpredictable nature of love. The final "burns, burns, burns" echoes this all-consuming power of love, while the refrain of "the ring of fire" reinforces the unbreakable bond between the two lovers.

In the second verse, the singer acknowledges the sweetness of love, the magical feeling that comes with falling in love. However, they also note how easy it is for the fire to spiral out of control, to become too intense too quickly, and threaten to consume them entirely. The fire goes wild, and the singer finds themselves completely taken over, unable to break free from the ring of fire and the passionate love they have fallen into.

Overall, "Ring of Fire" is a captivating and powerful love song that perfectly captures the intensity and unpredictability of true love. It's a song that speaks to the heart of anyone who has ever been consumed by the flames of love, unable to extricate themselves as the fire burns higher and higher.

Line by Line Meaning

Love
Love

Is a burnin' thing
Is a powerful, uncontrollable feeling

And it makes
And it causes

A fiery ring
A passionate and intense relationship

I was bound by
I was captivated by

Wild desire
Strong and uncontrollable longing

I fell into a
I became involved in an intense

Ring of fire
Relationship characterized by passion and desire

Chorus:
Refrain:

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I became involved in a relationship characterized by uncontrollable passion

I fell down, down, down, and the flames got higher
I became more and more deeply involved despite the risks and dangers